Post #766465 by arriano on Thu, Jul 21, 2016 9:03 AM

I'm officially done with Tiki Oasis. Or maybe it's more appropriate to say that Tiki Oasis is finally done with me.

As a San Diego resident, I've never wanted to stay at the Crown Plaza, which is only a 10 minute drive from my home. It just never made any sense to me to spend so much money to sleep in a bed just a stone's throw from my actual bed. Yeah, yeah I know -- parties, bands, pool lounging, etc. But if I'm going to spend a lot of money on a weekend getaway, I'm going to actually get away. I tried several years ago to see if the organizers would be willing to make at least a few tickets to certain events available to SD residents, but they were uninterested. I understood. They wanted to only sell package tickets. Fine.

I still went to the Marketplace every year and had a great time, always buying at least a few things. And I always really enjoyed the kickoff party at the Bali Hai. This has always been a great event that I've looked forward to every year and where I bumped into old friends, enjoyed the food, drinks, entertainment and camaraderie.

Then this year, the kickoff party was made off limits to anyone not buying the 3 or 4-night Tiki Oasis pass, which of course is sold out. So I'm shut out for the first time ever. So I won't bother going to the Marketplace either -- heck I'm not even sure I can get into that without a ticket as well. Victims of success, I guess.

Good luck to all, and I hope everyone has a great time.