All Hands/2015 Orlando

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What is it? -- Multiple work weeks, happening in the same city, at the same time + some opportunity to get together as one big group as well as with other teams as it makes sense. Then, on the last day, we have a fun social event for all, Mozilla-style!

Dates, Location and Weather

Monday, December 7 - Friday, December 11, 2015 (travel days are Monday & Saturday*) in Orlando, Florida, USA at The Swan & Dolphin Resort.

*For those countries where rest time is required on weekends (vs. work travel), Mozilla will cover a return on the next available work day, if you choose. This needs to pre-approved and pre-arranged.

Weather

Averages temperatures range from lows of 54 Fahrenheit (12 Celsius) to 74 Fahrenheit (23 Celsius). Layers recommended for evenings.

Forecast

Registration

This is an invite only event. Registration invite was emailed September 15.

Volunteers in Orlando: Please visit the volunteer wiki for everything volunteers.

Schedule-at-a-Glance

Agenda here

~subject to change~

  • Monday: Arrivals, *Welcome Reception
  • Tuesday: Work Week Meetings, Dinner on own with park pass and gift card for dinner
  • Wednesday: Work Week meetings, *Hosted dinner
  • Thursday: Work Week Meetings, Dinner on own with park pass and gift card for dinner
  • Friday: Work Week Meetings, *Hosted dinner
  • Saturday: Breakfast, departures

Families are invited to join Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings only. Please notify us in registration (in September) of the number of people and ages of any children so we can ensure we have enough food.

Booking Air Travel via Egencia

All paid staff and Elancers (MoCo only [1], exceptions below [2]) will be booking their air travel to Orlando International (MCO) through Egencia. All staff can now book their airfare through Egencia with this link. It takes you right to booking portal for Orlando and using the portal ensures we can meaningfully balance 1,200 of us to booking our own flights with a need to be mindful of budget.

Orlando Egencia

  • Once launched, you will sign in using Single Sign-On aka “SSO” with your LDAP (don’t “create an account for Orlando Work Week”).
  • If you do not have an LDAP, you will need to submit a Service Now Ticket. Questions: email bmark@mozilla.com

[1] Mozilla Foundation employees - Phia Sanchez is your coordinator.

[2] Employees from our Tokyo office will use a local agency and Yuka Takagi is your coordinator.

[2] Employees from our Taipei office will use Swire, your local agency and Bella Su is your coordinator.

Not paid staff?

If you are a vendor (paid by a company other than Mozilla or Elance), contractor, or seasonal staff, your manager must confirm your participation before you will be able to book travel. We reached out to managers already for this confirmation and will alert you know when you may book your travel. If you have a direct report who qualifies but did not receive an email, please reach out to bmark@.

Volunteers -- Participation will be coordinated by Brian King, Francisco Picolini and George Roter. Communication about the process for nominating is coming by end of August. Please reach out to the team with any specific questions.

Partners -- Invitations will be considered on a case by case basis. Please send those requests to mdouglass@mozilla.com for review.

New Hires

We have a process to identify new hires each week and will invite them to book travel (and register, once that’s live) on a steady basis. No action necessary from managers other than to let them know about the event.

Air Travel Guidelines

Our standard travel guidelines apply (pre-populated in Egencia) when booking with a few additional budget constraints. Anything booked outside of them will require approval.

Most people will arrive on Monday, December 7th and leave on Saturday, December 12th. Here are some exceptions:

  • Anyone who must endure more than an eight-hour time change traveling to Orlando may arrive on Sunday (this is time zone change, not travel time). If this is you, please let bmark@mozilla.com know so she can approve in Egencia.
  • If you live in a country where work travel is prohibited on weekends, you may travel on Friday, December 4th and Monday, December 14th, if you’d prefer (not required).
  • If you plan to spend some extra time in Orlando, choosing to arrive before Monday, December 7th or depart after Saturday, December 12th, you are responsible for any additional costs for this +/- $100 USD. Please send copies of the standard itinerary and the custom itinerary to Brianna Mark for approval. Accounting does not have a reimbursement system, so flights booked must be within policy.
  • If you are attending the Monday Director's event (by invite).
Booking travel if you have family joining you

To book travel for family, whether they will accompany you on your flight or join us later, please call Egencia directly at +1-877-264-1622 - you will need to have your itinerary and phone number ready. You can pay for your family directly (including the Egencia booking fees) and coordinate with your own travel (which can be billed to Mozilla). You will not be able to book families online. The trained agents are available Monday - Friday 9 am - 5 pm EST (and strongly suggest you call within that window).

Air Travel Fine Print

Change fees will be covered by Mozilla for business reasons only. If you need a change and have manager approval, email bmark@mozilla.com prior to requesting the change with Egencia. Once you have approval, call Egencia to make the change at +1 (702) 939-2530 or +1-877-264-1622 (note this will not be possible without prior approval so be sure to get that by way of an email from your manager to Brianna Mark). If you are changing for personal reasons, the change in airfare, change fee and Egencia fee is your responsibility.

Hotel Information

If you plan to arrive on December 7th and depart on December 12th (i.e. you’re not planning to spend any extra time in Orlando), you do not need to book your hotel room -- all you need to do is register.

Booking "Extra Nights" at The Swan & Dolphin

If you’re planning a lovely, pre/post work week vacation in Disney and would like to reserve extra nights at the Swan & Dolphin at our reduced, event rate -- $159 per night plus $20 resort fee and taxes* -- you may do that from here. We suggest making the reservation for your entire stay so you only have one reservation. The hosted nights will be moved to separate billing.

The rate is available December 4 - 15. The hotel is fully booked prior to December 4 (as of 8/7/15). If you wish to depart later, the rate will be the regular hotel rate. Please email bmark@ for instructions on how to do that. There is currently enough space for each employee to have one (1) guestroom each.

  • *There is an additional per-person fee per night of $25 (>one). Also, the $159 rate goes up after November 13th so book soon if you’re serious about this.
  • *The first night's deposit + resort service package + tax will be charged to your credit card upon confirmation of your reservation.
  • *Should you need to cancel this reservation, your individual deposit and the resort service package is refundable if notice is received at least five (5) days prior to arrival and a cancellation number is obtained. Cancellations may be made by calling the hotel directly at 800-227-1500 or 407-934-4000 ext 2300 or by email at grouprez@swandolphin.com.
  • *All guestrooms have a small, empty mini fridge. Cribs are complimentary, but subject to availability.
Hotel Fine Print

Mozilla will cover the standard hotel rate of $159, resort fee and taxes for arrival on Monday, December 7th - departure on Saturday, December 12th. If you choose to arrive early, depart late, upgrade your room type and/or have anyone join you, you will be responsible for the additional fees.

Anyone who must endure more than an eight-hour time change traveling to Orlando may arrive on Sunday and we will cover and book hotel Sunday night through registration (i.e. you do not need to do anything). If you want to arrive earlier than Sunday, you'll want to make arrangements ahead of time on your own.

Airport Ground Transportation in Orlando

Nothing Special about your Trip?

If you plan to arrive on Monday, December 7th (MCO) and depart on Saturday, December 12th from the hotel to MCO, and have no guests joining you, no action necessary (transportation will be arranged for you). The ride between airport and hotel is about 30-45 minutes.

Bringing family?

If you are bringing family and are all arriving on Monday, December 7th and departing Saturday, December 12th, you may all use our company-arranged transportation provided you request it ahead of time (for your guests). You should have done this during registration.

Arriving early and/or leaving late (w/ or w/out family)?

If you arrive earlier than December 7th or depart later than December 12th, with or without guests, you will have to cover and arrange your own ground transportation, to and from MCO, including rental cars and parking. Some help is here:

Exceptions are those attending the Director's meeting on Monday. Transportation will be arranged for you.

Immigration

If you are from a country that requires a business visa to enter the US, please plan for it early as government processing time constantly change.

Please visit the following website to learn more about the process and timing for your country: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/visit/visitor.html#overview

VWP: You are eligible to apply for admission under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) if you:

  • Intend to enter the United States for 90 days or less for business, pleasure or transit
  • Have a valid passport lawfully issued to you by a Visa Waiver Program country
  • Have authorization to travel via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization
  • Arrive via a Visa Waiver Program signatory carrier (all commercial airlines meet this requirement)
  • Have a return or onward ticket
  • Travel may not terminate in contiguous territory or adjacent islands unless the traveler is a resident of one of those areas
  • Are a citizen or national of one of the Visa Waiver Program countries: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Malta, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan or United Kingdom.
ESTA Point of Contact

In the ESTA application you need to give a "U.S. Point of Contact Information".

Please list Brianna Mark as your US point of Contact. Address: 331 East Evelyn Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94041

Staff Theme Park Passes

As with Whistler, Tuesday and Thursday evenings will be of your own to structure as you wish. You (staff and volunteers only) will be given a theme park pass valid for both evenings after meetings are done (valid in Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios) and a gift card for your dinners (valid at any Disney owned restaurant and many of our hotel restaurants). Note that hours vary by day. Check here for hours on the day of your visit.

Due to the elaborate holiday celebrations, a special ticket is required for Magic Kingdom. This special ticket can't be changed or refunded once selected. You will be asked in registration if you would like to attend the special event at Magic Kingdom and if so, which day: Tuesday or Thursday. You can attend Magic Kingdom one night. There is a limited quantity available after October 1, if you have a strong preference, please register early. Again, this can't be changed once selected.

Your options will be: Tuesday:

  • Magic Kingdom
  • Standard 3 park pass
  • No pass (you still get the gift card)

Thursday:

  • Magic Kingdom (if not chosen Tuesday)
  • Standard 3 park pass
  • No pass (you still get the gift card)

The passes for Magic Kingdom Christmas Party start at 7 pm, but the MVMCP enables the ticket holder to enter the Magic Kingdom after 4 p.m. and the party starts at 7 p.m. While the pass is valid after 4 p.m., keep in mind your meetings may run longer.

Does regular passes work in the Magic Kingdom earlier in the day and they have everyone leave? Yes, “regular” passes are valid during the day at the Magic Kingdom. If the ticket holder does not have a valid MVMCP, they will need to exit the Magic Kingdom theme park by 7 p.m.

Getting to the parks

We will not have Mozilla specific transportation to the parks on Tuesday or Thursday.

A Friendship Launch offers access from the hotels' dock, running approximately every 15 minutes to and from Epcot® and Disney's Hollywood Studios™. A series of walkways will also lead you to the entrance of these Theme Parks.

Walt Disney World shuttle buses arrive at the main entrance of the hotels approximately every 20 minutes to transport guests to Magic Kingdom® Park, Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, Downtown Disney® area, and to all other Walt Disney World® Resort hotels and attractions.

A few words about family...

Disney World is certainly a great spot for families so we’d love it if, for those who can make it, you’d invite them along. We’ve tried to make it easy to coordinate air travel and hotel stays for them and many of our social events will be open as well. Special offer for discounted family park passes is here.

Of course our focus, for the majority of the week, will be on Mozilla. Everyone is expected to be present and engaged each day, during work hours (as your schedule dictates). Please do what you can to make sure your loved ones understand the kind of commitment you’ve made. Family should not join you during your work sessions (other than the more tiny beings).

Here’s a quick summary logistics summary if you’re planning to bring family along:

Air Travel: Family travel can be booked/coordinated through Egencia by calling direct.

Hotel: You can book nights, pre/post event, at a discounted rate, here. Any additional room expenses (listed above) will be yours to cover.

Ground transportation to/from airport: If arriving on main arrival and departure days, we will accommodate family transportation to the Swan & Dolphin. Transportation outside of main arrival/departure days are you own expense, with or without family.

Meals: Families invited to join us for Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, as long as you register them when you register (we need a count, so we don't run out of food). All other meals (including breakfast and lunch) are on their own to purchase. If you need to add an RSVP for families to any of the evenings, please email mozilla@shworldwide.com.

Park Tickets: Mozilla is not providing passes for family members. See above for a link to purchase passes directly. The discounted passes are not valid for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. You must purchase those separately.

Meeting Space & Internet

Internet in your guestroom is provided by the hotel and the standard hotel network. It is free, use it. Do not connect to the meeting network while in your room.

Internet in the meeting spaces: YES, we'll have it. Check back for log in information.

Food & Drink

All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) will be provided and paid for centrally. Any other food or drink expenses (including room service and in-room minibar charges) will be the responsibility of the attendee.

  • Allergies: We will ensure that all food/environmental allergies are taken into consideration and will always have gluten-free and vegan options (and gfv options). If you have severe allergies that we need to know about; you can indicate in registration.
  • For dining in the theme parks, please refer here for dietary accommodations.

Out of Pocket Expenses

The intention of our work weeks are to centrally organize a structure within which teams can come together to work on deliverables and plans, to socialize, to meet and share with other teams, and generally come together as one Mozilla family, two times each year. The central organization includes meals (three/day + snacks), transportation, accommodations, and some number of social events.

Because of that, we’d expect a very limited number, if any, of work week-related expenses for food or social events (this includes team events, room service, mini-bar charges, and food/drink costs above the vouched amounts). Any social events that are not part of our central plan will generally be self-organized and funded by participants. For specifics on meals, please go to the Food & Drink section (above). If you have questions about any of this, please reach out to bmark@mozilla.com

Volunteers in Orlando

Please visit the volunteer wiki for everything volunteers.

FAQ

Anything not covered here, please add to this and we'll answer.

Extra Curriculars

If you have one to propose, add it here with a sign up link. Note that these things are self-organized and self-funded.

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