I have generally pleasant memories of my senior prom, although those moments are likely to be erased from my brain by a combination of old age and newly gathered information about singing-based reality shows. However, while my date and I did share a limo with two other couples, I guess my kids will be forced to rent their own modern streetcar or something to keep up with their peers at this point. Thanks for nothing, MTV’s My Super Sweet 16.
Prom goers have been calling Designer Limousine in Port Washington, N.Y., since February to book its three 48-foot double-decker party buses. All are now reserved through June, says Joyell Friedman, a transportation administrator for the company. “It’s cutthroat, seeing who can get here first,” she says.For each bus, about 60 teens pay $120 apiece for a 10-hour “prom package” that includes pickup at one or more pre-prom parties and rides to and from the prom and post-prom parties.
The buses have a nonalcoholic bar and a separate sound system on each level, a small dance floor, plus two attendants to oversee safety.
“It’s like a nightclub on wheels,” Ms. Friedman says.
Teens and their parents are spending 34% more on prom expenses this year, or $1,078 on average, compared with $807 in 2011, based on a phone survey of 1,000 households for Visa Inc. by the market-research company GfK Custom Research North America, of New York.
This article appears in May 10-16, 2012.
All i needed was $20 – 2 bottles of Boones farm and a pack of condoms.
I didn’t realize I saved my parents money by skipping that circus altogether. My friends and I threw better parties than any money grubbing event planner could. Change that to THROW. Parents – don’t raise your kids to be cash cows…