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| Bus Entry into Oak Run for Group
Trips |
Effective February 1, 2020, the following
procedures must be followed for vehicles such as buses
entering Oak Run to pick up groups of residents for
scheduled trips.
Buses must enter
and exit Oak Run only by way of the
East Gate on SW 62nd Avenue Road and proceed directly to
the Palm Grove area where pickup is to be at the parking
lot adjacent to the Fitness Center. This lot is on the
left after turning into the Palm Grove driveway from the
Boulevard.
For GPS use, the
address of the Fitness Center is: 6945 SW 115th Street
Road, Ocala, FL 34476
The Main (West)
Gate on SR-200 may only be used as an alternate
entrance. The South Gate on CR-484 is not to be used.
Security Procedures
Security is now
controlled remotely by Envera Systems. The gates no
longer have guards physically present. As before there are two
lanes, the right lane is for residents, the left lane
for all other vehicles.
There is a white
kiosk on the left side of the left lane. The kiosk is
located immediately after the large Oak Run sign. There
is a stop sign there as well.
Buses will stop at
the kiosk and the driver will exit the bus to
communicate verbally with the “Virtual Guard” who must
be able see the driver via cameras. The driver will
insert his/her driver’s license into the kiosk and when
asked will say that he/she is taking a bus to the Palm
Grove area. All buses are allowed to pass through.
When this is
successful the red lighted bar will raise up, the red
turns to green and the bus may carefully proceed through
the gate to the Palm Grove-Fitness Center lot described
above. The driver must take care as the old center
island is not yet removed and there is a black keypad
which extends out from the left side for use by
emergency vehicles.
Note 1: Once each driver has gone through this
procedure the first time, on future entry it will only
be necessary to insert the
driver’s license into the kiosk.
Note 2: The key to this is
that the driver has to be the same person shown on the
license. Cameras allow the system to take his/her picture and
then compare it to the face on the license.
In the unlikely
event that the system is not working the driver should
call Envera and talk to the Virtual Guard. The number is
1-877-936-8372. Follow selection instructions and tell
the Virtual Guard that the bus is at the Oak Run East
Gate to go to the Palm Grove. As an alternative the
driver may call the phone number of the person
responsible for the group.
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Chairman's Message
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Oak Run
Travelers is a volunteer organization open to all
residents of Oak Run. It was started over 30 years ago to
arrange trips for residents and, being a committee of ORHA
(not a club), there are no dues. The only requirement for
being a volunteer is to have a desire to give back to this
community we all call home. And, all residents may go on
the trips.
Twice each year we deliver a colorful Travel Brochure
loaded with a variety of trips. Some trips are for venues
and events easily within a couple of hours bus ride which
lets us come home that night. Others are multi-day trips
by bus, ship or air that last from 1-3 nights and up to as
much as 15-20 nights.
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About Travel
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Oak Run Travelers is for all residents to enjoy. We
try to book a variety of trips so there is something for
everyone. We go to the Dog Track, the Horse Track,
Shopping, Plays, and Festivals. In addition we have a
wonderful trip to area horse farms that has become so
popular we have two different dates. In each brochure we
try to have one trip with a guide, such as St.
Augustine, Tarpon Springs, or Winter Park.
Throughout the year we will highlight some tours in
detail. We will indicate when trips are sold out, but
you may still have your name on a waiting list. Please
review the Oak Run Travel Regulations for Reservations,
Cancellations, and Operations  HERE.
Sign up for a trip, have fun with your neighbors and make
new friends from Oak Run. You'll be glad you did! |
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Travel
News
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Policies have been changed due to Covid-19 protocols. Contact trip host for details.
Revised
Trip Sign-in Policy
On arriving at the sale
residents will only be allowed to sign in using
the form provided by the Travel Committee. If
residents arrive at the sale site before the
committee person in charge, they must wait
until the trip forms are placed on the sign-in
table.
This is an effort to be entirely fair
and to adhere to the announced one hour sign-in
period before the sales actually start. As an
example, if the sale is announced to be at 11AM,
the sign-in hour will begin at 10AM and the
sign-in forms will be placed on the table at that
time. For this fairness policy to work everyone
needs to be patient and courteous.
Reminder
We pay for the
trips at least one month before the date of the trip
and often several months in advance. Sometimes, our
venues must know how many tickets to set aside for us
or they release them. For these reasons we cannot
always accommodate late requests for tickets. We know
it can be disappointing but the earlier you signup,
the more likely you can get your ticket(s).
Also, please remember to call our volunteer hosts
between only 9AM and 8PM except for a trip emergency.
If they do not answer, leave a message and include
your name, number and the trip you are calling about.
They will return your call as soon as they can and
please enter their contact info into your caller list
so you will know it is from someone you want to hear
from. Check your messages at least twice each day!
Trip Ideas
Be on the look out for add-on trips. Watch the Citizen,
Newsletter and Channel-12. We are constantly looking for
more day trips, especially to new venues and some old ones
as well. For example, soon we hope to tell you about a
trip to see some of the beautiful horses for which Marion
County is famous.
We are still researching long trips for late in 2020 and
beyond plus looking for new day trip venues. We have
received some ideas from our regular travelers and we
would like input from those who have recently traveled
with us for the first time. The two primary considerations
for day trips is the distance (for very obvious reasons)
and the cost.
Because of this we will look at more 1 and 2-night trips
which allow us to take longer bus rides to get to a new
venue but still try to keep the cost reasonable. A good
example of this is our overnight trip to the West Palm
Beach area next January to visit the Morikami Gardens, see
the Broadway Show 'Gypsy' that night and go to Lion
Country Safari the next day. Keep those ideas coming!
Contact Reminders
Here are some reminders for our Oak Run friends and
neighbors who travel with us.
We have had difficulty reaching by phone a few residents
who have signed up for a trip. As you know the trip hosts
call everyone on a trip 5-7 days before the trip to remind
them about the day and time the bus leaves. It also lets
us know you are still going on the trip.
The first reason for us not reaching someone is that they
do not answer the phone in which case we always leave a
message. Please check your messages every day and reply to
the host's message so that they know you got it. A few
times the voice mail box has been unavailable or it is
full and we cannot leave a message. Again, check your
phone messages every day and be sure that we can leave a
message for you. We will assume you are going on the trip
and if you do not show up before the bus leaves, you will
lose your money.
The second reason is when your number is no longer valid
because you changed your home phone number or switched to
using only a cell phone. You must let the trip host know
you made the change in your phone number, otherwise you
may miss the trip and lose your money.
As you know we have a wait list policy that allows
residents to cancel without losing their money if someone
on the wait list will take your place. The only way you
can find out if there is a wait list is for you to call
the host. The host's phone number is in the Travel
Brochure as part of the trip description as well as in the
listing of trips on the back page.
Volunteers
Needed
Anyone interested in becoming a trip host with our
all-volunteer committee needs to call Jim Waddell or
Connie Smith. We will fill you in on the duties when we
sit down with you to discuss your interest. We are also
seeking someone to arrange the buses for our trips. Connie
and Della Blanchard will be glad to go over the steps and
paperwork. Since buses are already scheduled for Spring
2019 there will be ample time to learn. We would also like
to have a second person to work on scheduling Day Trips
and a third person to work on scheduling long trips. The
more volunteers we have there is less for each of us to
do.
About The Brochure
When reviewing the new brochure please read the front
page which contains Sign-Up Procedures and the
Cancellation Policy. Also read the page detailing the
Operating Policies of Oak Run Travelers. All of this
information is particularly important for new residents
but should be reviewed by all residents occasionally. Of
interest to new residents is our ongoing need for
volunteers to assist with tasks, especially hosting day
trips and delivering the brochures. Remember, we
are all volunteers for a standing committee of the Oak
Run Homeowner Association.
Wait List Info
Here is some helpful information about our policy for Wait
Lists. Many of our trips do get sold out, some earlier
than others. However, the Wait List is designed to help
residents get on trips as a result of a cancellation. It
works for a surprisingly high percentage of those on the
wait list.
When there is a cancellation, the trip host will begin
calling people on the list in the order they got on the
list. Obviously, therefore, the earlier you get on the
wait list the better are your chances. When a contact from
the list says 'yes' I'm still interested they will be
signed up. They will make out a check to the resident who
had to cancel and get the check to that resident. The host
will try to help if needed. There can be complications but
we try to work things out as best we can. We try to
replace single cancellations with singles and couple
cancellations with couples when we have both on the wait
list.
Another aspect of the Wait List process is that when we
have a trip that ends up with a long wait list that cannot
be fulfilled, we try to schedule the same trip in a later
Travel Brochure. When that second version of the trip
comes up for ticket sales, we give the previous Wait List
residents the first option to get on the trip.
Request a Trip
Call Jim Waddell with requests for trips not already
announced. For example, are you interested in historical
sites or archaeological sites or a certain part of North
America or around the world? It takes significant time to
research and plan trips, even when we use travel agents.
Choose Oak Run Travelers
Just a reminder why traveling with Oak Run Travelers is so
great versus most commercial travel companies. We schedule
our buses to pick you up right here in Oak Run, take you
directly to the venue with no stops for additional pickups
and the same in getting you straight back to Oak Run
(unless of course we have scheduled a meal).
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Trip Brochure
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For a quick view of the
trips scheduled see the Bus Schedule page HERE. For
more info about each of the trips you can view the brochure below. Some
trips may be sold out already. Call the host or
hostess to find out more or to be put on a waiting
list. All buses
load and unload from the Palm Grove Fitness Center
side lot.
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2022 Winter-Spring Brochure HERE
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2022 Summer-Fall Brochure HERE
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| (online only, no printed version) |
(online or printed on yellow paper) |
Corrections: 2022 Summer-Fall; Trip 7 ticket sale is 4-27; Trip M2 contact phone is 352-237-6474
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| Contact Info |
Co-Chairs:
Connie Smith,
873-2636, con539@embarqmail.com
Glen Swanson, 910-270-3887,
glenzo711@bellsouth.net
Day Trips: Larry and Jeanne Daland, 850-377-5576, mr8track48@gmail.com
Multi-Day Trips: Connie
Smith, 873-2636, con539@embarqmail.com
World Travel:
Bob and Cindy Kocher, 854-0009,
bobthek@embarqmail.com
Cruises: Glen Swanson, 910-270-3887,
glenzo711@bellsouth.net
Bus Coordinator: Larry Daland, 850-377-5576, mr8track48@gmail.com
Publicity:
Jim Waddell, 237-7145, ourbus200@earthlink.net
Treasurer:
Patty Waddell, 237-7145,
imatexasgirl@earthlink.net
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| Travel
Regulations (updated 9-29-17) |
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Reservations
Info
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Reservations
for FOUR (4) persons ONLY per trip will be
accepted.
RESERVATIONS ARE TAKEN AT THE ISLAND CLUB, CARD
ROOM, PALM GROVE OR ORCHID CLUB
1. All sales
will begin at 11:00AM at the specified
building.
2. Upon arrival,
a probable list has been started by an "early
bird" Oak Run resident.
3. When
host/hostess arrives, he/she will take this
list and proceed to fill out the registration
form.
4. At 11:00AM,
the host/hostess will call your name in the
order of your arrival as shown on this "early
bird" list, then take your check made payable
to ORHA.
5. At this time
you will sign in ink for your bus seat
selection and may leave.
6. You must
remain on the premises at all times to assure
your place in line.
7. If you
believe a trip to be popular, you are advised
to arrive at the sign up location early at
your discretion. |
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Cancellation
Policy
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CANCELLATIONS:
Once a reservation has been made, and the
traveler is unable to go, the traveler will
contact the host or hostess of the trip to
ascertain if there is a waiting list. The host
will call the first name on the list. When a
purchaser has been found, that person will write
a check to the original ticket holder.
The same bus seat and/or admission ticket should
be used as originally assigned. The host/hostess
will be responsible to ensure the return of the
check to the person who is unable to go. If
there is no waiting list, the person wishing to
cancel will have to sell his reservation to any
eligible buyer he can. Oak Run Travelers will
assist in this endeavor.
1. If the cost
of an admission ticket is refunded by the
place where the ticket was purchased, Oak Run
Travelers will refund the entire amount of
your ticket.
2. If the place to be toured (or bus
company) changes the established tour date
after reservation payment has been made,
ticket holders will be entitled to a full
refund if they are unable to travel on the
rescheduled date.
3. There will
be no refund for cancellation on the day of
departure. |
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| Operating
Policy |
Gratuities
for Bus Drivers: Gratuity is included on all
trips unless noted otherwise in a trip’s detail
description in the brochure.
Handicapped: Wheelchairs can be stored in the
luggage compartment of the bus. Early sign up is
encouraged in order that seats toward the front
of the bus may be selected. A wheelchair symbol
to the right of the trip name and location
indicates it is suitable for the handicapped.
Reclining Seats: Please check with the person
behind you BEFORE reclining your seat. If they
are tall, their knees will be in the way of full
reclining. Be considerate. Before getting up
from your seat. RETURN it to its upright
position. Thank You!
Cannot Reach Host: Call appropriate Trip
Coordinator as found on the front of the current
travel brochure.
Waiting List: If a trip is sold out, please call
the host and have your name(s) placed on a
waiting list. If a cancellation occurs, you may
be called. If the list warrants, another trip
may be offered or a second bus added. Those on
the waiting list get first call the next time
the same trip is offered.
Package Deals: All trips are package
deals. No refunds or credits will be given
for portions of trip a resident chooses to skip.
Prices: Should there be a change in a price
quoted by Oak Run Travelers, the increase or
decrease will be passed on to all making the
trip. Also, times and dates may be subject to
change. Notification will be given via
newsletter or channel 12. Refunds will be given
to those who must cancel due to date change.
Transportation: Travelers are required to use
the mode of transportation arranged by Oak Run
Travelers or relinquish their reservation for
the trip.
Working Hours: In general, Working hours for our
volunteer hosts are from 9:00AM to 8:00PM.
Please make all calls within that time frame.
Emergency? - Call the appropriate Trip
Coordinator as found on the front of the current
travel brochure.
Note: The travel coordinators and all hosts and
hostesses of Oak Run Travelers are volunteers.
They pay to travel like all other travelers.
Returned Checks: If our bank returns your check,
you will be responsible for the service
charge. |
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Parking
Restrictions
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For Overnight
Trips: In all parking areas, travelers must
arrange to be dropped off or arrange for
someone to pick up their vehicle before 9:00AM
or one hour after the bus leaves. Their
vehicle can be returned to the parking area of
the returning bus after 8:00PM or one hour
before the bus is due back.
Please refer to ORHA Policies and Procedures
page on Bus Trip Parking HERE. |
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