General Questions about the 2016 Clan Reunion
1. When will the Clan Reunion be held?
The 2016 O’Dea Clan Reunion will be held from Sunday evening July 24, 2016 to Wednesday morning July 27, 2016.
2. Where will the Clan Reunion be held?
The 2016 O’Dea Clan Reunion will be held at the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino in Niagara Falls, NY. A map of the location is available here: http://mapq.st/1FSYcgH.
3. Where can I find information about the programme for the Clan Reunion?
A printer-friendly version of the programme is available here: Flyer for the O Dea Clan Gathering in Nigara Falls
4. How much does it cost to attend the Clan Reunion?
If you register BEFORE May 1, 2016, the registration costs are:
- Ages 12+ = $USD80.00 per person.
- Ages 5 to 11 = $USD50.00 per person.
- Ages 4 and under = FREE
If you register AFTER May 1, 2016, the registration costs are:
- Ages 12+ = $USD100.00 per person.
- Ages 5 to 11 = $USD70.00 per person.
- Ages 4 and under = FREE
NOTE: The Registration Fee includes: welcome bag, Sunday night reception with hors d’oeuvres, participation in the Monday morning “Genealogy and Family Histories” session, and the Tuesday night dinner – all at Seneca Resort in Niagara Falls – our home base for the reunion.
5. How much does it cost for the optional activities?
Optional Tour of Buffalo on Monday, July 25, 2016:
- Ages 12+ = $USD70.00 per person.
- Ages 5 to 11 = $USD40.00 per person.
- Ages 4 and under = FREE
Optional Tour of Niagara Falls on Tuesday, July 26, 2016:
- Ages 5 to Adult = $USD80.00 per person.
- Ages 4 and under = FREE (Children aged 4 and under sit on an adult’s lap.)
6. How can I plan and organize my travel to and from Niagara Falls?
We suggest that you contact your travel agent.
7. How can I find accommodation in and around Niagara Falls?
Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino Hotel Reservation Details
Address: 310 4th St, Niagara Falls, NY 14303
Hotel Reservation Details
There are a very limited number of rooms reserved for this event so NOW is the time to make your reservation. I would not be surprised if all the rooms are taken in the next few months.If all rooms are reserved this year we will most likely be able to get a few more added but no guarantee that can be done. Also there is no guarantee we can get more rooms at this rate, the next set of rooms if needed, may be at a higher rate.You need to call the hotel to make your own reservations for a room. Call 1-877-873-6322 and ask for the “Group Rate for the O’Dea Family Gathering“. You will need to give them a Credit card to guarantee your reservation for late arrival. All charges associated with your room are your responsibility.
We are planning for 3 main days of activities plus for those wanting to stay longer we will offer suggestions for things for you to do the day before and the day after those 3 main days.
Check in at the Resort would be on Sunday 24 July 2016 with a reception Sunday evening. We will have activities planned for, Sunday evening, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Check out of the Resort would be on Wednesday.
We have reserved Meeting and Banquet Rooms at this Resort – more info will be available as we develop the program.
You don’t have to stay at this Resort to attend the gathering and Banquet etc., you can find your own accommodations, but these rooms are VERY nice and cost is competitive.
For those wanting to come a day early we have reserved a few rooms for check-in on Saturday 23 July 2016 and for those wanting to stay over on Wednesday night there are also a few rooms available on Wednesday 27 July 2016. Cost of the rooms vary by the night of the week as Saturday night is more expensive.
Below is the table of room charges per night – note that a Resort fee is added to these prices but no tax is charged as it is a Seneca Indian owned facility. If you compare these rates with other hotel be sure to add the NY state Room taxes to those hotel prices.
Saturday 7/23/2016 Single Rate
Double Rate
Triple Rate
Quad Rate
Run of House
$195.00
$195.00
$205.00
$215.00
Corner King Suite
$345.00
$345.00
N/A
N/A
Sunday 7/24/2016 Single Rate
Double Rate
Triple Rate
Quad Rate
Run of House
$125.00
$125.00
$135.00
$145.00
Corner King Suite
$275.00
$275.00
N/A
N/A
Monday 7/25/2016 Single Rate
Double Rate
Triple Rate
Quad Rate
Run of House
$125.00
$125.00
$135.00
$145.00
Corner King Suite
$275.00
$275.00
N/A
N/A
Tuesday 7/26/2016 Single Rate
Double Rate
Triple Rate
Quad Rate
Run of House
$125.00
$125.00
$135.00
$145.00
Corner King Suite
$275.00
$275.00
N/A
N/A
Wednesday 7/27/2016 Single Rate
Double Rate
Triple Rate
Quad Rate
Run of House
$125.00
$125.00
$135.00
$145.00
Corner King Suite
$275.00
$275.00
N/A
N/A
Plus $15.00 per room per night resort fee (subject to change)
Plus $25.00 per Suite per night resort fee (subject to change)
8. Where can I find out more about the Clan Reunion?
Details of the Clan Reunion can be found on the Clan web site here: https://odeaclan.org/clan-gatherings/clan-reunion-usa-2016/
9. What if I have some more questions about the Clan Reunion to be held in July 2016?
If you have any further questions about the Clan Reunion, please contact the organizers by email: Contact the US Organizing Committee
Questions about Registering for the Clan Reunion
10. Do I have to be a member of the Dysert O’Dea Clan Association in order to register for the Clan Reunion?
No. Anyone can register for the Clan Reunion. You do not have to be a member of the Dysert O’Dea Clan Association to register for the Clan Reunion.
11. Can I register for the Clan Reunion and pay later?
Unfortunately not. The organizers can only accept a booking if payment is made with the booking.
If you are booking online, the booking will only be completed once the online payment has been processed.
If you are planning to pay by Check/Cheque, your payment must be submitted with your booking form.
12. Can I reserve a place at the Clan Reunion and pay later?
Unfortunately not. The organizers can only accept a booking if payment is made with the booking.
Questions about Membership of the Clan Association
13. I am a current member the Dysert O’Dea Clan Association. Can I get a discount when I register for the Clan Reunion to be held in July 2016?
Unfortunately not. However, there is discount on your Clan Reunion registration fee if you submit your booking by May 1, 2016.
14. I’m not sure if I am a financial member of the Dysert O’Dea Clan Association. What should I do?
If you are not sure about whether you are a financial member of the Dysert O’Dea Clan Association, please contact the organizers here: Contact the US Organizing Committee
Questions about How to Register for the Clan Reunion
15. How do I register for the Clan Reunion?
If you wish to attend the Clan Reunion in Niagara Falls, you can submit your registration online and pay online via PayPal using your credit card or debit card, or your PayPal account, or you can complete a registration form and pay by Check/Cheque.
If you wish to register online and pay online, you can do so here: Submit Online Booking
If you live in the US and you wish to pay by Check, you can download a Letter-sized Registration Form here: Letter-size Registration Form
If you live outside the US and you wish to pay by Cheque, you can download an A4-sized Registration Form here: A4-size Registration Form
In either case, once the form has been completed, you will need a Check/Cheque in US Dollars for the total amount owing made payable to O’Dea Clan Gathering.
Please mail your Registration Form together with your remittance to:
Joan Koechig, 3084 DeVilla Trail, St. Charles, MO 63301 USA
16. Do I need to logon to the Clan web site with a web site username and password to make a booking?
No. There is no need to logon to the web site with your web site username and password to make a booking.
Questions about Booking Online
17. How do I make an online booking?
You can book online and pay online here: Submit Online Booking
The online booking system consists of 2 pages:
- An order entry page where you enter the details of your booking.
- A payments page where you enter your payment details together with your name and address and other contact details.
On the order entry page, please select the options you wish to book for and enter the name(s) of those who will be attending. You may also enter details of any special dietary requirements and/or any special requests.
Once you have made all your selections and entered the necessary information about your booking, you can press the Submit button to proceed to the payments page.
NOTE: There is no need to logon to the web site with your web site username and password to make a booking.
18. What if I make a mistake with my online booking or I change my mind?
If you need to change your booking before you complete your payment, press the Back button on your browser to return to your order entry page. You will then be able to make the necessary corrections before you press the Submit button.
If you need to change your booking after you have completed your payment, or if you have any questions about your booking, please contact the organizers here: Contact the US Organizing Committee
19. Can I book for any of the optional activities after I’ve submitted my booking?
Yes. If you discover that you have omitted an optional activity from your booking or if you later decide that you want to participate in one or more of the optional activities which were not part of your original booking, you can submit another booking for just those optional activities.
20. What if I encounter problems when trying to submit an online booking?
If you have any difficulties using the online system or if you have any questions about booking online or paying online, please contact the Webmaster: Contact the Webmaster
21. If I have to cancel my booking for any reason, can I get a refund?
Yes. You can send a cancellation request by contacting the US Organizing Committee here: Contact the US Organizing Committee
As long as your cancellation is received by May 1, 2016, you will receive a full refund.
Questions about Paying Online
22. When I submit an online booking, what options do I have for paying for my booking?
Online payments are processed by PayPal. This means that we can accept credit card and debit card payments without the need to become a credit card merchant.
When you submit your payment using PayPal, you have 4 payment options:
- If you have a PayPal account, you can transfer funds from your PayPal account.
- If you have a PayPal account and you have a bank account linked to your PayPal account, you can pay by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) from your bank account.
- Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, etc. depending on your home country).
- Debit Card (Visa, MasterCard, etc. depending on your home country).
In order to pay using a credit card or debit card, you don’t have to have a PayPal account before you make the payment but PayPal will invite you to create a PayPal account after you enter your credit card/debit card details.
23. Why has PayPal been chosen to handle the online payments?
PayPal has been chosen because it best meets our key requirements:
- Safety and security.
- Cost-effective way of handling a small volume of transactions.
- Inexpensive way of handling small amounts.
- Provides the customer with a choice of payment methods (funds transfer, credit card, debit card).
- Enables the Clan to accept credit card and debit card payments without the need to become a credit card merchant thus avoiding the high costs that this entails.
- Easy to integrate with our own web site to make it easier for the user.
- Simple to use.
- Ability to handle multiple currencies.
In addition, the Clan Association has been using PayPal for several years now to enable members to pay their membership subscriptions online and we’ve successfully used PayPal to handle the payments for online bookings for the 2nd Australian Clan Reunion held in Adelaide in 2010, the 3rd Australian Clan Reunion held in Adelaide in 2013 and the 9th International Clan Gathering held in Ennis in 2014.
24. Do I have to pay any extra fees for making an online payment via PayPal?
No. There are no extra fees charged by PayPal to you, the consumer, for making an online payment. You may find that there are certain fees charged by your bank or your credit card provider but these would the same fees that apply to any transaction of that type.
The only fees charged by PayPal are transaction fees which are charged to the merchant, not the consumer. These fees are paid by the organizers of the Clan Reunion.
25. How is this different from the Clan Association operating as a credit card merchant?
If the Clan Association was to become a credit card merchant, there would be many other fees in addition to a transaction fee for each transaction such as establishment fees, joining fees, annual administration fees, monthly access fees, minimum merchant service fees, and credit card authorisation fees.
26. Do I need to have a PayPal account to use PayPal?
If you are using your credit card or debit card you don’t need to have a PayPal account to use PayPal. If you wish to make payment by transferring funds from your PayPal account or your bank account, you will need to open a PayPal account.
27. Is it safe to use PayPal?
Yes, it’s very safe. The likelihood of fraud occurring when you submit an online payment via PayPal is very small. This is because of the high level of security that is employed. For example, sensitive data transmitted over the Internet is protected by the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol with an encryption key length of 168 bits (the highest level commercially available).
In any event, PayPal provides a 100% protection against unauthorised payments sent from your account. As a fraud-prevention measure, PayPal sends an email confirmation for every online PayPal payment that you make. If you receive an email confirmation for a transaction that you didn’t approve, you can contact PayPal to report the issue — you won’t be responsible for any unauthorised charges.
28. What happens once my payment has been submitted?
Your payment will be processed by PayPal. Once your payment has been processed you will receive a receipt by email. This email is sent automatically by PayPal. This will contain details of your booking and your payment. This is your booking confirmation.
29. What if I don’t receive an email from PayPal?
It normally takes a few minutes for the email receipt from PayPal to arrive. If you don’t receive an email within an hour after you have submitted your payment, you should first check your Junk email folder to see if it has been flagged as suspicious. If you can’t find it anywhere, please contact the US Organizing Committee: Contact the US Organizing Committee
Questions about Other Payment Options
30. I’m not comfortable about booking online or paying online. Are there any other options open to me?
Yes. If, for any reason you do not wish to book online and pay online, you can download and print a registration form and pay by Check/Cheque.
If you live in the US and you wish to pay by Check, you can download a Letter-sized Registration Form here: Letter-size Registration Form
If you live outside the US and you wish to pay by Cheque, you can download an A4-sized Registration Form here: A4-size Registration Form
In either case, once the form has been completed, you will need a Check/Cheque in US Dollars for the total amount owing made payable to O’Dea Clan Gathering.
Please mail your Registration Form together with your remittance to:
Joan Koechig, 3084 DeVilla Trail, St. Charles, MO 63301 USA
31. If I decide to download the Registration Form, what should I do next?
The Registration Form you download from the web site is an interactive PDF (Portable Document Format) form. This form can be used as a “fill-and-print” form or a “print-and-fill” form. A “fill-and-print” form means that you can enter your information in the form and then print it. A “print-and-fill” form means that you can print a blank form and complete the form by hand.
In either case, once the form has been completed, you will need a Check/Cheque in US Dollars for the total amount owing made payable to O’Dea Clan Gathering.
Please mail your Registration Form together with your remittance to:
Joan Koechig, 3084 DeVilla Trail, St. Charles, MO 63301 USA
32. If I download the PDF file containing the Registration Form and I fill in the form by typing the required information into the file, will my booking be accepted if I send the file to the organizers by email?
Unfortunately not. The organizers can only accept a booking if payment is made with the booking.
33. If I wish to pay by Check/Cheque, can I choose a currency other than US Dollars?
Unfortunately not. Past experience has shown that currency exchange rate volatility can have an adverse impact on the budget for the Clan Reunion so we need all payments to be made in US Dollars. No other currencies will be accepted.
