Going to be at GATEway FATE? Come look at fish at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station with other FFXIV Fans and Fishers of Light! Please read on for information about the meet up (and seriously, please read all of it!)!!
General info
Date: October 16th, 3 - 6pm (CST, St. Louis local time)
Ticket Costs: Bus + Aquarium Ticket: $55 (Adult) OR Aquarium Ticket: $30 (Adult). The second option is for those taking their own transport to and from both locations.
Location: St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station
201 S 18th St, St. Louis, MO 63103
Google Maps
RSVPing
The St. Louis Aquarium asks for a rough number of attendees ahead of time so that the correct amount of tickets can be set aside. You have until September 25th to RSVP.
You will be purchasing a ticket online with your RSVP. Please use one of the purchasing options available below to do so. The organizer isn't accepting cash payments this year, but if there is an issue with payment processors or options, please let us know asap.
Please purchase one ticket per person, do not purchase for a group under a single purchase. That means if there are 5 of you who want to go, each person must get an individual ticket purchase (so 5 in total)! If a member of your group can not attend after making an RSVP, please contact Fruity Snacks ASAP to have the name removed and refunded.
Information about tickets:
Fruity will handle purchasing the group's tickets using the funds collected from this form. Attendees cannot buy their own group rate tickets. If you do not RSVP ahead of time, but end up coming the day of you will need to buy your own ticket should you want to join, and you'll have to pay the full non-discounted price.
What does the ticket get you?
The $55 ticket gets you general admission into the St. Louis Aquarium and a seat on the chartered bus (up to 55 people in total).
The $30 ticket gets you general admission into the St. Louis Aquarium.
If you want to upgrade from non-bus to bus-seating after filling out the form, please let Fruity know via email or discord. He will try to accommodate your request, however, the bus seating will be first-come-first-serve with bus + aquarium RSVPs. If you buy just the aquarium ticket, then later decide to upgrade to the bus, and there are no more bus seats, you are out of luck.
Extra aquarium experiences have additional costs and are not part of the ticket - you will need to get them yourself. They are not also part of the schedule, so if they run late you will need to find your own way home. (This refers to things like behind the scenes tours or private feeding time slots). The same applies to the additional Union Station attractions like the ropes course and theme park.
Pre-meet-up email and communication
Fruity will be sending an email out to everyone who has purchased tickets no later than 1 week before the meet up! The email will contain a reminder about the event, check-in information, parking help, etc. The email will also include a link to a temporary Discord channel which you can join if you would like. Fruity will be using this Discord to relay any immediate, but not-critically important (that’s what email will be for), updates about the event, like, where the volunteers will be standing, any warnings about timing, bus location, etc. This Discord is optional to join, and will be available for 1 week after the event. Feel free to also use it to discuss GATEway Fate events, notes, share tips, etc.
Day of the Meet up
If you are taking the bus, please arrive outside the lobby of Embassy Suites St. Charles (it's the hotel connected to the convention center, near the fountain) around 3pm. The bus will be departing by 3:30pm, if you are not on the bus at that time you will need to find a way to the aquarium yourself as we have a schedule to keep. Please find Fruity or a helpful volunteer and check in so they know you are there! Tickets will be distributed when you get OFF the bus at the Aquarium.
If you are traveling to the aquarium yourself, please meet in the space outside the aquarium where meet-up volunteers will meet you, check you in, and give you your ticket. Parking is readily available, but does have a fee. More info on that in the pre-meet up email.
You can enter the aquarium whenever you’d like, either waiting for everyone to go through, or on your own. For those who took the bus, you will need to be back ON the bus by 6pm, so please plan your trip accordingly. You will have plenty of time to walk around the aquarium! Just be mindful of the time.
General timeline of events
- 3:00 - 3:30p - Arrive at Embassy Suites, check in, and board the bus (if taking it)
- 3:00 - 4:00p - Onsite check-in for non-bus travelers
- ~3:30p - Bus leaves Embassy Suites
- ~4:00p - Bus arrives at the Aquarium
- ~5:45p - Be out of the Aquarium and heading back to the bus
- 6:00p - Be on bus and leaving (Aquarium also closes at 6pm!)
- ~6:30p - Back at the St. Charles Convention Center
Cosplay Guidelines
Cosplay is ok, just keep it casual! Please be mindful that you will be sitting on a bus and/or walking through an aquarium with other people and children - so nothing too crazy, please. You can not bring any sort of weapons or large hand-held props. This is a public space and we are guests at it, please be courteous.
Bus Information
At the moment the group has a 56-person bus. The operators ask that there is no smoking or vaping on board the vehicle. Sub-sandwiches are allowed, but chips, pretzels or popcorn (anything that crumbles) is not allowed. They strictly request no consumption of gum, candy, chocolate, or dairy products on board. Any damages or excessive vehicle cleaning from smoking or food will be charged to the client's credit card on file, and Fruity will ask you to cover the cost of the cleaning. In the event of smoking or unauthorized food, the chauffeur reserves the right to cancel the run.
Additionally, water is fine, but please no alcohol. (it'll be 3pm, seriously)
ADA Accessibility
The St. Louis Aquarium is ADA accessible.
The bus being used is not ADA accessible. If you are planning to take the bus and require ADA accessibility for traveling to and from the aquarium, please let Fruity know immediately to discuss what accommodations are needed.
Fruity is excited to be able to meet you all and tour this aquarium with you! The last thing asked is that while there together you show respect towards the St. Louis Aquarium staff, its inhabitants, other group members, and aquarium guests. Please follow all Rules and Guidelines posted by St. Louis Aquarium.
If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please let me know on Discord @fruitysnacks, or Bluesky (@fisherfruity) or via Twitter @fisherfruity, or via email thefruitysnacks@gmail.com