How to choose transportation for auditions?

College Majors Music Major
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<p>Hey guys, I have a few questions that I hope some of you with more experience can answer. I have an audition scheduled at U. of Cincinnati CCM on Feb. 18, and at Cleveland Institute of Music on the 20th. I know that this is not optimal and I will try to reschedule the dates to make them more convenient, however, assuming it's not possible to reschedule, what would be the best method of transportation between the cities?</p>

<p>Ideally I would want something that gets me in Cleveland on the 19th, because CIM is a very important audition for me. Reliability is also a concern, don't want to miss the audition because of bad weather/blizzards. I am inclined to think that a train is probably more reliable than a bus, in case of bad weather. It's also not affected by traffic. Price is also a concern, the cheaper the better. I'm 20 so I can't rent a car, or I would just rent an SUV and drive myself over :P</p>

<p>My options, as I see them are:
A) Amtrak: bit of a problem here because there is no direct train going from Cincinnati to Cleveland, and the only option is one that goes to Chicago first and then from Chicago to Cleveland. Departs at 1 AM on the 19th and arrives at 2 AM on the 20, the day of the audition... 93 USD
B)Greyhound: Departs on the 19th at 2 AM and arrives that same day at 7 AM. I would be worried about bad weather and/or traffic causing a delay. 45 USD
C)Airplane: tickets range from 280 USD to 400+, again I would be worried about bad weather causing delays.</p>

<p>What do you think is my best choice? I know it's a lot to consider, but I would appreciate any advice you can give me.</p>

<p>Best regards,</p>

<p>FxBeast</p>

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<p>I think that getting a good sleep before auditions is important, so I would be disinclined to do any of the overnight travel. As well, the Amtrak option requires 25 hours of travel: even if you sleep on the train well, you are not going to be in the best state for an important audition after that many hours in trains and terminals.</p>

<p>There are about 6 buses per day that travel from Cincinnati to Cleveland and they take about 4 to 5 hours, so I would be inclined to take that option rather than the train. You could take an evening bus on the 18th (leaving at 6:30 pm and be in to Cleveland by 11:10 pm on the 18th) or you could take the 7:30 am and be in around noon on the 19th. Both options give quite a bit of extra time if there are delays or cancellations. </p>

<p>Because of the extra time required to get to and from airports (compared to bus stations which are usually more centrally located) and all the time for check-in an security, the bus options do not really take much more time than flying (and in fact are much quicker compared to any of the flight options under $400).</p>

<p>I do see flights for under $240 (one-way) from Cincinnati to Cleveland, so maybe recheck. I am surprised at the lack of any cheap direct flights at that time. The flights that I saw that were reasonably priced all had connections and took 6+ hours.</p>

<p>Do any locals know whether buses or planes are more likely to shut down or be delayed? I know that weather is a huge issue in Ohio in February, so FxBeast, you are wise to inquire.</p>

<p>If flights are less likely to be cancelled in Ohio than buses, then I would probably spring for the extra money that a direct flight will require, just for the peace of mind. Doing your best at the audition is important. CIM is an awesome school, but most people need to do their best at auditions there in order to maximize their awards: CIM is expensive. An extra two or three hundred spent on a direct flight would be worthwhile if it gets you there when a bus wouldn’t. </p>

<p>In the grand scheme of things, given all that you are spending on hotels, travel, meals, etc., don’t be afraid to spend a $300 more for a direct flight, if flying is the way to go. Tuition/room/board/etc. for Sept to May at CIM is about $55 000 and going up each year, so $300 is peanuts.</p>

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<p>Where are you starting from, i.e. how are you getting to Cincinnati and home from Cleveland afterwards?</p>

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<p>I’m an international student. I’m gonna be in the US for auditions during February. I will be going to Cincinnati from Boston by train or bus, but I am not pressed in time. After Cleveland I have to get to NYC but I have a few days in between so I’m not too worried about that either.</p>

<p>Anybody have any idea/stats as to the reliability of bus vs. airplane?
In case of a SEVERE blizzard, what is a “typical” delay?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>I would recommend taking an airplane. It’s not a bad drive if you have a car and you’re not pressed for time. Ex. My mom and I are leaving Cleveland early in the day the day before my CCM audition in January.</p>

<p>-Ohioan</p>

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<p>If there is a SEVERE blizzard there won’t be a “better” way to travel. In the last storm here, bus, train and air travel were affected and folks were advised to stay off of the roads. </p>

<p>I don’t know what CIM will do, but we were in Baltimore during the 2003 28 inch snowfall in DC area. Peabody postponed the auditions. NO ONE including a lot of the faculty was able to get to the school. The governor of Maryland actually shut down the state. </p>

<p>So…make your plans based on when you want to get there. If the weather is so severe, I’m not sure there will be a “good” alternate travel plan.</p>

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<p>It snows in Cleveland from October to April, so a severe blizzard is probably not going to affect them much in terms of their audition schedules. As far as air travel goes, you can get into a mess even when there is no snow locally-- for example, just last week many travelers were stranded for many days due to a Christmas day blizzard. Many of those affected were in clear areas, but their flights were cancelled because of the ripple effect. I once spent a night in the Cleveland airport during fine weather (in Cleveland) because of thunderstorms in Florida. </p>

<p>Last year we had a 2-foot blizzard the day before my daughter’s CIM audition. We drove 7 hours to get there and did arrive on schedule (I realize that is not an option for you); those who flew in also got there, but it was pretty stressful all around. I wish American conservatories would hold their auditions later in the year because these snowstorms are very stressful. </p>

<p>One thing about road travel is that in snowy places, the roads tend to be cleared quickly. If I were you I’d try to research how reliable Greyhound is in snow situations. The highways will likely be cleared. If you do have flight problems, you won’t be the only one. At least there is comfort in knowing that everyone is going through the same stresses that you are. Good luck with your plans!</p>

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<p>Hope your plan works out for you!</p>

<p>I will be auditioning for CIM on the 20th also! Which instrument do you play?</p>

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<p>If you haven’t already booked your Cleveland hotel, the Glidden House is by far the most convenient (just a couple of minutes walk from CIM) and is very comfortable. Book via the phone (we had problems last year with an online booking and were told they were trying to fix the online problem). Rates were only a bit more than the next nearest rather shabby hotels that were a couple of miles away. A breakfast is included.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your suggestions!</p>

<p>I’m having a hard time finding any reliability data on bus vs. airplane, but I’m beginning to think it’s rather pointless. I guess one can never really predict what will happen, only be prepared and have a reasonable contingency plan. I’m thinking of getting one of those refundable air tickets, and if weather becomes an issue, I’ll hop into a bus and hopefully get to Cleveland in time.</p>

<p>Does anybody know what CIM’s policy is with regards to weather and auditions? I couldn’t find anything on the website. </p>

<p>Thanks for the pointer to Glidden House, I’ll certainly look into it.</p>

<p>@thelovelybones: I’m a pianist…cool that you’re auditioning on the 20th too, at least I’ll have someone to talk to :slight_smile: How are you getting to Cleveland?</p>

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<p>Oh wonderful! Good luck :slight_smile: I am a violinist and will be getting there from LA on the 19th. Staying at Glidden with another friend!</p>

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<p>lovelybones, I’ve stayed at Glidden a number of times and twice had trouble because our reservation was lost. This has also happened to another friend of ours and to violindad, whom I consider a friend but haven’t met in person :slight_smile: So take our advice and call the day before to confirm that your room will be waiting for you. Other than their reservation snafus, it’s a wonderful hotel with a welcoming staff.</p>

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<p>Hi there. I’m from Michigan and my son uses public transportation a lot. Generally, we find that Amtrak will run when Greyhound won’t (but is useless at times due to its routes); that Greyhound can and will get messed up/delayed by snowy weather to the west (which is where the snowy weather usually comes from, on a West-East trajectory across Lake Mi and OH) but will generally run unless conditions are bad enough to cause closures (eg. the Dec. 13 ice storm shut down Detroit Greyhound for 2 days but Amtrak was still running…)</p>

<p>We’ve also found that private local coaches are more likely to run in the snow (because they’re usually not waiting for equipment from other cities) – eg. Indian Trails did not cancel a single trip during the Dec. 13th storm.</p>

<p>So, check with Lakefront Lines, which is a private carrier in Ohio that runs a Cincinnati to Cleveland trip daily to see if they’re contracted by Greyhound or if you can book direct. Here’s the website [Lakefront</a> Lines Casino Tours, Individual Travel Tours, Multi-day Travel Tours](<a href=“http://www.lakefrontlines.com%5DLakefront”>http://www.lakefrontlines.com)</p>

<p>Truthfully, these days, I’d not really trust small commuter planes to get me there on time. They’re just not reliable, and the rescheduling is pretty problematic unless you’re super assertive. Eg. if the flight takes 6 hours, then you’re not flying direct – which in my experience, often complicates things in the winter. My son also flies a fair amount in snow and frequently has problems in Chicago, Winnipeg, and Toronto around that time of year – all sort of similar to Cleveland in winter. With all the delays and cancellations, a bus is often just as quick (eg. for Toronto - Detroit, for example). I myself have been “stuck” on a few occasions in Cleveland due to “icing” problems on small planes when it seemed traffic was more or less okay. But in fairness, hasn’t happened in a while. Just a thought.
Good luck in your arrangements and kudos to be thinking ahead!</p>

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<p>Thanks kmccrindle! I figured that Amtrak was probably more reliable in snow, but the only available route really sucks. :frowning: I really can’t be arriving in Cleveland the day of the audition at 2am…
I guess I’ll just get a refundable air ticket, and I’ll be checking the weather. If it seems like there will be trouble then I’ll book a bus a couple of days before. I just hope I can get to Cleveland the 19th so I can get a full night of sleep before my audition.</p>