So just a follow-up - I asked here if anyone had heard of a special packet pick-up process offered by rD aside from the normal expo. I had received an invitation to participate in an expedited process for Avengers weekend which could have also included pre-opening shopping, but I was not at DL in time to participate in the shopping.
@Ariel484 pointed me to the Wine and Dine offer for a welcome reception priced at $199. All I can say is wow to that price.
I did participate in the expedited pick-up and it was super easy. I had asked rD if I could pick-up my kids and Dhs stuff as well, and they said yes, and sent my husband a separate invite, since adults all need to show ID. We arrived to a ballroom at DL hotel, and it was empty except for volunteers, so it felt kind of strange. They checked our ids then gave us a lanyard with a vip type card attached, which was odd because it just gave us access to the room we were in
We then showed that and our ID to volunteers manning the packets. They gave us our bags with shirts, bag check sticker and bibs. They also had my Coast to Coast wristband and then I had my picture taken for the Gauntlet Challenge. They also gave each of us rD rolling duffel bags. I felt very weird taking all of those - but I did
There was a variety of food, typical snacks and desert items as well as various drinks. We each had a quick snack, and then DH and DS brought the duffels back to the hotel, while DD and I went down to the actual expo where I had to pick up my park tickets from GetSports as well as a preorder shirt from RawThreads. I did not buy any official merchandise, the only items I wanted were all gone, so I guess it would have been nice to have access to that pre-shopping.
As for value, while that is hard to quantify, I would say I wouldn't pay much for this. The packet pick-up took literally 2 minutes and we were done, so it was a big time saver. Everything was in one place, so no going to one place for my 5k stuff, another for my IGC stuff, then onto another place for shirts. But, that part has never been a huge deal to me at PHM weekend either. Yes it takes some time, but I've never run into long lines. The snacks were nice, but we were under an hour from dinner, so I was more restraining the kids from eating too much than anything else. The duffels are good, but I wouldn't do this just to get another one.
I will be getting a follow-up survey, and my feedback will be I appreciated the chance to do this, but I can't see paying much for it.