Field Trips Info
PAYMENT AND CONFIRMATION PROCESS
- Because we want to expedite your arrival processing and maximize your time spent enjoying the Science Center experience, all field trips must be pre-paid.
- Full payment is due 30 days before the scheduled visit.
- Accepted forms of payment are: organization check, Visa, Master Card, or American Express.
- Groups that schedule less than 30 days before their visit will need to pre-pay their entire trip upon booking.
- You may change your group’s headcount numbers up until payment is sent in. Payment will lock in your group’s final headcount.
- The Science Center has reserved space and staff based on your final headcount provided to us at time of payment. Therefore, No refunds or credits will be awarded if your group arrives with fewer students than anticipated.
TEACHERS AND CHAPERONES
- The Science Center requires adequate adult supervision for all visiting school groups. We strongly recommend a ratio of 1 chaperone for every 8 students.
- To ensure adequate chaperone supervision, the cost of 1 chaperone for every 8 students is automatically added onto your reservation. Additional chaperones are welcome. They will be charged the Chaperone Rate.
CANCELLATIONS
- Field trips are non-refundable. If you must cancel your field trip, please call the Science Center Reservations Center at (860) 520-2150 at least ONE WEEK in advance. Your field trip can be rescheduled for up to one year from the scheduled date. Your payment will be applied to the rescheduled date.
- If your group fails to cancel their reservation, and does not appear, the Science Center will consider the reservation a NO SHOW and no refund or reschedule date will be assigned.
- If we have to cancel your reservation for Science Center purposes, you will have the option of rescheduling or 100% refund.
BUS INFORMATION AND ARRIVAL
- Bus arrivals are carefully orchesterated. It is imperative that the bus arrival instructions are precisely adhered to. The bus arrival instructions will be included in your information packet.
- We ask that you arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled reservation. We plan on your timely arrival to best serve you and all our other visitors.
- For everyone’s safety and convenience, groups must be processed and buses must be unloaded in an orderly fashion. Therefore, it is very important that, upon arrival, all groups must remain on their buses until a Science Center staff person greets you and escorts you into the building.
- We will do our best to accommodate late arrivals, but we can not guarantee a full program, or any program at all, if you are late. Late arrivals will not be allowed into the Theater. Late arrivals will not be refunded for missed programs or movies. Please plan your trip accordingly, allowing plenty of time for traffic issues.
- All backpacks and personal belongings should be left on the bus as there is no storage for such items at the Science Center. Coats, if not left on the bus, will need to be worn or carried by the students throughout the visit.
- For departure, please be sure your entire group is ready and waiting outside the main entrance on Columbus Boulevard 10 minutes before the time you arrange to have your bus pick you up. Buses may not park or idle in the pick up/drop off area and wait for their groups. If their group is not ready to board the bus when it arrives, the bus will be asked to pull out of the pick up area and go to the end of the bus queue.
LUNCH
- If you need to eat lunch on site, the Science Center does have a lunch room available for school groups. Your group must have a lunch room reservation in order to use it. Scheduled time slots are available on a first come, first served basis. Lunches will be stored for you but must not require refrigeration.
- If your group does not have, or is not able to secure a lunch room time slot, lunches can be eaten outdoors in nice weather. In the case of inclement weather, the Science Center does not have any other available indoor lunch venues.
- The Science Center Café is not available for use by school groups.
Boxed lunches may be ordered from the café at least a week before your visit date. The order form is available upon request.
QUESTIONS?