As another prom season starts, we hold our breath, cross our fingers and educate, educate, educate and hope these young grasshoppers don't try and drink alcohol (or use drugs).
We hope that the parents and kids who organize the rental of the Arizona Prom limo and party buses pass along the Teen I Promise document to all their friends riding in the vehicle. We hope that all the parents sign the document too.
We hope that the one teenager with the brillant idea of sneaking vodka into the water bottle he is carrying, or into the hairspray bottle in her purse, think twice. Think hmmmm, maybe I don't want to ruin the event for all my friends. Maybe this driver (well we call them chauffeurs) will figure it out. Maybe he will smell the vodka on my breath, notice that I'm walking kinda funny and figure out that we've been sneaking alcohol. Then he'll call my parents and they will call all the other parents. And the ride will be over. Maybe it is not such a good idea to try and drink afterall. . . . .
Hopefully at this age, teens don't think that they need liquor to have a good time! And with all the money that is spent on the special prom nights - it's really not worth the risk!
We hope, we hold our breath and cross our fingers, every year that we can get through a prom seaon without any alcohol incidents in the Arizona prom limos and party buses. Please, please teens who have booked with our company follow the rules (and of course the law) and do not drink in our vehicles, or during your reservation, for your fun prom night!
In an effort to be completely up-front - to give our clients the best information so they can make a decision - we have put complete pricing for Arizona Prom limos and party buses on our website. Just click the picture above and you can go directly to the page that lists the total pricing, hourly minimums, defines what nights are considered Prom nights, and breaks down the cost-per-person for your Prom fun!
Many, many companies try to keep this data hidden so you are forced to call them. They believe that they have a better chance when they get you on the phone and then try a used-car-salesman-style to convince you that their's is the best limo company to book with.
We, at In The Scene Limousine, believe that we are your best choice because we have been in business for over 5 1/2 years, have great well-trained employee chauffeurs, have proper insurance limits and licenses, keep an immaculate fleet of well-maintained Arizona limos and party buses and make sure that your precious children stay safe on this important night of their high school - Prom night.
We are transparent - we don't try to hide behind used car salesmen tricks - who do you want driving your children on Prom night?
We are right in the midst of Homecoming Dances and some parents of teenagers are worried and wondering if their children are drinking. Of course we all know that teen drinking is bad - although some parents think it is a "right of passage" and look the other way.
Hopefully, most of us parents realize that early exposure to alcohol can have long-term consequences and lead our children down a path of destruction and addiction. Surprisingly addictions kills more women than Breast Cancer - but there is no "Three Day Walk for Alcoholism" in the same fashion as breast cancer - mainly, I think, because most feel that addiction was brought on by the person's bad behavior rather than being a true disease.
Recent studies have found that of those individuals who began drinking before age 14, 47 percent experienced dependence at some point, vs. 9 percent of those who began drinking at age 21 or older.
So waiting to drink is good - but how do we get that message across to our kids?
Here are 6 tips:
1. Talk early and often with your children about drinking. Get in the habit of talking every day with your child.
I try and ask my daughter 3 questions every day to keep lines of communication open
- What was the best part of your day?
- How do you feel about you today?
- Tell me three things you are grateful for today.
2. Get involved. Volunteer at school or in after school activities. Young people have less mental health and substance abuse problems when they have caring people involved in their lives.
3. Be a role model. Your own actions are the most powerful indicators of what is acceptable or unacceptable to your children. If you drink heavily or take drugs in front of your children, there is a good chance they will follow suit.
4. Teach kids to choose friends wisely. Their peer group will be one of the biggest influence's of their actions as teens. Who are your kid's friends and their families - get to know them and discourage the friendship if you see red flags.
5. monitor your children's activities. Limit the amount of time your child spends without adult supervision. Unsupervised they run the risk of experimenting in risky behavior including drugs and alcohol.
This is the reason so many of the parents of our Homecoming and Prom groups in our limos and party buses like how strict we are about Teen Drinking. We require that all underage passengers and their parents sign a Teen I Promise document stating that they will not drink on this night and that if they are caught the night is over (that we will inspect bags, they cannot bring their own opened water bottles on-board, etc., etc.). We take it very seriously and have terminated many rides when they are caught drinking.
6. Set rules. Make clear, sensible rules for your children and enforce them with consistent and appropriate consequences. Follow through is key - as I have learned the hard way. Saying your child is grounded for life (like I do out of frustration sometimes) is not realistic or enforceable. . .
I think I jinxed myself - just a few days ago I blogged about how this Prom season, nobody tried to sneak drinks in our vehicles - yet. Then just a few days later. . . It wasn't a Prom run - it was a birthday party and we forgot to ask if the parents would accompany the kids in the limo or not (we knew it was a 17th birthday party).
So it was a group of 12 kids ranging from 16-18 years old. They were picked up in Cave Creek and headed to pizza joint in Tempe. The chauffeur didn't notice anything unusual at that point. But then stopping at the next restaurant - all of a sudden the chauffeur sees that three of the kids are vomiting. He sees that somebody threw up in the limo. One of the kids has fallen and cuts his forearm.
Of course the chauffeur calls us with the report that the kids are ill - probably drunk since three of them are suddenly 'struck' with stomach problems and one is falling down?? We call the police who in turn patches us through to the fire department. One of the kids was taken away on a stretcher to the hospital. When the police lined the kids up one ran back to the limo and threw a bottle (a bottle!) of vodka he has stashed in his pants (the cap wasn't screwed on so the bottle starts spilling into our limo's carpet - nice).
All of the kids were given citations. Parents were called and had to come get their kids - the chauffeur reported the mom had been drinking herself at the pick up so hopefully she had a safe ride to pick up her 'birthday' boy. We don't drive kids once we discover they are drinking. They can have a seizures and die - so many teens die from binge drinking - no way are we going to be responsible for driving them around!
Try it - I dare you - try teen drinking in our limo and see how your night goes - you will probably end up in the hospital, jail or with citations - and most certaintly your parents will find out! We DON'T allow teen drinking - period - and you WILL be caught!
Prom night is so exciting - a right of passage for teens. For most it is the first time in their young lives to get dressed up to this degree - handsome in a tux or beautiful in a formal gown. Teens go all out on this special occasion - hair and nails done at the salon, planning for the dinner location and Prom limousine or party bus months or weeks in advance.
Over the years of our limo business we have found two things that absolutely ruin the fun for the party:
1. Trying to sneak drinks on the vehicle or getting drunk somehow during the night (at dinner, at Prom). So far, this Prom season we have been lucky. No incident has occurred - yet - we have a couple more weekends to get through. Hopefully we can get through this season with no alcohol incidents. It would be amazing and wonderful!
We don't like to terminate the ride and ruin the kid's fun. We want everybody to have a good time - but we simply cannot allow drinking! These kids are minors - even if some are 18 or over - the law is you have to be 21. Our chauffeurs will NEVER look the other way - they would be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and could lose their license and will certainly lose their job.
Hopefully - this season - our heavy emphasis on the Teen I Promise document helped keep everybody complying with the rules.
2. Not booking your Prom limousine with a legitimate company so they no-show on your big day. I just read a news article about a poor group of kids where the prom limo just didn't show up. And another blog about a similar incident - money spent - kids all dressed up waiting for that Hummer limo or party bus that never arrives. It is so important to make sure and book with a legitimate company licensed to operate in Arizona - one that is properly insured, that sends you email confirmations, answers their phones professionally and promptly when you book and when you call back to confirm.
Any legitimate company will also allow you to come down and tour the vehicle and book in person - this will give you that extra assurance that you are dealing with a business. Not some fly-by-night guy who bought a used limo, is advertising on Craigslist and works out of his home.
Prom time is our peak season - with high demand - so higher prices - for your limo or party bus. Make sure when you spend that money that nothing ruins your night!
Imagine you have a favorite restaurant that you frequent weekly - you are a good patron. You tip well and give this place business that they can count on. You've been dining at this restaurant for the last two years - most of the servers know you and provide excellent service, the chef usually gives you generous portions and sometimes a free dessert.
You call up this restaurant on their busiest day of the year - let's say Valentine's Day - and inquire about making a reservation. The hostess informs you that the menu that evening is at an increased rate because this night sells out every year. It's all about supply and demand. The staff at that restaurant will be and has been to make this night special for their patrons - they juggle more phone calls for reservation requests, place larger food orders, staff up for that busy night.
Would you - as that frequent patron at this restaurant - insist on getting lower pricing? Probably not. But that is the situation we encounter with some of our existing accounts asking for better pricing on the busiest Prom day of the year for limos/party buses. We gave a 10-12% discount. It still wasn't good enough. What do you think? Isn't it fair that we charge more on our busiest nights? How low do you think we should have to go to keep an existing account happy?
Right now our phones are ringing like crazy. Wonderful - especially in this economy for any "luxury" type service to be busy right? It is - but darn it we wish EVERY weekend was a Prom weekend. This Prom season - unlike other Prom seasons we only have about 3-4 Saturdays that are really busy.
Usually - when the economy doesn't suck - we have 8 Saturdays from mid-March until mid-May that are crazy busy. We sell out. We juggle hundreds of phone calls a day - all calling just for these same 8 days. So of course we increase the price - it is all about supply and demand - right? Just like hotels or restaurants on special dates like Valentine's Day or New Years.
But this year our Prom limos and Prom Party Buses only are selling out 3 Prom dates. 4/18, 4/25 and 5/2. We have 1/2 hour fleet sitting for this Saturday. The phones have still rung off the hook - but this year only three days have nearly sold out.
We count on the busy Prom season to carry us through the super slow summer. Our limo payments don't go away when business slows down. But in the past summers, nobody wants to go out in Phoenix when it is 110 degrees? Nobody has weddings. No visitors come into town. Maybe, hopefully, this summer AZ residents will have little "mini" vacations in town and rent limos or party buses for an "in town" get-a-way and we won't slow down so much. What do you think?
Why can't every weekend be a Prom weekend - then this could actually be a profitable business!
Another Prom season is upon us and it happens every year - no matter how much we warn, try to help parent's plan, send contracts to be signed in advance and (hopefully) parents threaten - one bad apple in a group of kids ruins it for everybody by trying to sneak alcohol on board the prom limo or prom party bus.
We don't allow alcohol on-board when everybody in the group is under 21. Period. If it is a mixed group - some people over 21 - some under 21 - we don't play the bouncer or liquor police - if we are pulled over by the police and some minors are caught consuming alcohol - it is the other people in the group that are over 21 that get busted with the "contributing the the delinquency of a minor" charge. Those people's problem - not ours. Since we don't serve the liquor - and some people on board legally purchase it - it is out of our hands.
But when EVERYBODY in the group is under 21 it become our chauffeur who is responsible enforcing the law and rules for the minors on board. Our chauffeurs have CDL licenses - their entire livelihood is dependent upon sniffing out any minors trying to bring vodka in a hairspray bottles, or water bottles, or flasks - we've seen it all.
It is not worth risking their entire livelihood to let some 17 year-old hot-shot get drunk - or even sneak a few drinks. And trust me - it is not that difficult to smell alcohol on people. There is a rumor - which is false - that vodka does not smell when you drink it. They are right - vodka doesn't smell - when it is a bottle with the lid screwed on.
Young people's bodies do not know how to process alcohol the same as more experienced drinkers. That is why you hear so often of kids in college dying from binge drinking at sorority or fraternity parties - their poor little bodies can't process the alcohol fast enough and they lapse into a coma and die. Most of us experience drinkers pass out before we get to that point.
So the minute our chauffeurs suspect alcohol has been consumed - the ride has to be over - parents or police are called and we leave everybody where we are at once we discover the alcohol. Dinner location, Prom location, etc. We cannot be responsible for some child going into an acohol induced coma or seizure while we transport everybody back home. Ride's done - you guys broke the rules. Don't cry to us - good-bye.
We don't want to ruin anybody's night. Our business is to help make people's special events memorable and fun! So please young riders in our Prom limo AZ this season - follow these rules!
Teen passengers, parents and In The Scene Limousine agree to the following:
Prom is a huge event in every teenagers life. Once you find the perfect date and the perfect outfit, your next goal is to arrive in style. There are many limousine companies out there so how do you choose and what do you look for?
There is a lot more to consider than just the price of your limousine - many limousine companies use stock photos on their website - so the limousine you rent may not be the one you see on the website. You wouldn't buy a car without seeing it right? You are welcome to come down to our office to view the actual limos & party buses available for rental. Click here for a map of In The Scene Limousine office. Just give us a call to make sure the vehicle is not out on a reservation.
Here are some tips to keep in mind to make your Prom limousine or party bus ride more fun!
1. When you book your limo keep in mind that most companies will charge at least a 50% deposit which is non-refundable. Make sure that you are ready to book and that your friends won't flake out or your parents won't tell you the limo has to be canceled because of poor grades.
2. The chauffeur has a driver's license that is at stake if anything illegal occurs in the limo - and of course underage drinking is illegal. This means that your items will be searched for illegal contraband. And it means that the ride is over if we catch any minor drinking - even if they are not drinking in the limo. The teen can have an alcoholic seizure while we are transporting them - so if we smell it on your breath - the fun is over. We immediately call the parents, notify the on-site school officials, and possibly call the police. Make sure all the prom party-goers understand the rules. BOTTOM LINE - don't drink!
We have a Prom I Promise document that we email you to have read and completed before your Prom night. That way we know which passengers should be on-board the limo or party bus. And we ask that all passengers read and sign the I Promise document in advance of the night. This helps you ensure that everybody has a fun night and the rules are followed!
3. Make sure the company sends you a confirmation or you sign a contract. A reliable and professional limousine company sends you confirmations for your reservation. This way you know that your prom limo or prom party bus is coming on your big day!
4. Your Prom is very important to us and being on time is crucial. We have an on time guarantee so that you will arrive in style and on time!
5. The person driving you is also very important. Ask about the chauffeurs. You want to make sure that the person driving you is going to get you there safely and has a great personality. All of our chauffeurs go through extensive training. They are randomly drug and alcohol tested as well as properly licensed and insured.
6. Not only do you want the outside of your vehicle to look good, but the inside is important too. Ask if the company has a detail staff to clean the vehicles. We have staff to wash and maintain the vehicles daily. We wash and sanitize our glassware. Some companies just use windex!
7. Lastly Prom Packages are a great way to make your special evening even more fabulous. Does the company have any special packages to make your night even better? In The Scene Limousine has a Prom Package to make you feel even more special on your important night. We roll out a red carpet for you to enter your limo in style! We also include balloons, water, ice, soda, and apple cider.
Prom is an extremely important event and you want everything to go just as planned. Book your prom limousine with In The Scene Limousine and enjoy a smooth, stylish ride!
