Comic Con '09, anyone else going?

[Leash]

DH and I will be attending Comic Con for the first time this July. We love San Diego and are both fans of sci-fi/fantasy, comics, etc. so we figured this would be a nice trip (and not too expensive). So I wanted to see if any fellow DISers are going and/or if you have gone before what it is like (will we be at the convention center all day or should I plan on sightseeing too).

 

[fairycat]

I am hoping to go this year, but I will be hugely pregnant at the time so I might have to miss it

Have you already gotten your tickets and hotel room? How many days are you going? What is your main focus, the main floor or panels?

I have been doing this event for quite a few years and know a lot about the event, so just ask your questions and I can try and help!

If you are going to Comic Con, one day you will be there all day!! The main floor does close early but there are lots of fun evening events as well, like the masquerade, movie rooms, panels, game rooms and so much more. Comic Con is one of the biggest events of its types, it takes up the entire convention center and it is just crazy how huge the event really is. You will most likely leave at dinner time though and there are lots of great restaurants nearby.

I also want to say there is something for everyone with video games, movies, shows, comics, books and so much more being featured you will be shocked at just how much!!!

 

[LisaG520]

Unfortunately not this year. We've been the past 2 years and had a great time! In fact we delayed our move from San Diego to FL by 2 weeks so we could attend last year

If it's at all possible bring your own lunch and drinks - the food at the convention center is horrible and they sometimes run out. Be prepared for large crowds and if there is any session you just have to see - go to the one before it in the same room as they do not clear the rooms between panels.

Not sure what your interests are - we attended mostly movie studio and tv show panels. And An Evening with Kevin Smith - one of our favorite sessions both years.

Have a great time!

 

[lonegungal17]

We are going to comic con this year. I got our four day passes last month. This will be our first time attending, so I can see the Lost and Jay and Jack show panels. We are hoping to spend most of our time in San Diego at the con but we also want to see some of San Diego, as neither of us has ever been to California. We haven't booked our hotel yet or flights, because I'm waiting to see if the hotels released through the comic con site will be a good deal. Does anyone know when they normally become bookable? We are currently looking at a hotel on Shelter island but I don't really understand the trolley system yet and know we will have to use it to get to the Convention Center (no car ).

Mel

 

[Leash]

We are going to comic con this year. I got our four day passes last month. This will be our first time attending, so I can see the Lost and Jay and Jack show panels. We are hoping to spend most of our time in San Diego at the con but we also want to see some of San Diego, as neither of us has ever been to California. We haven't booked our hotel yet or flights, because I'm waiting to see if the hotels released through the comic con site will be a good deal. Does anyone know when they normally become bookable? We are currently looking at a hotel on Shelter island but I don't really understand the trolley system yet and know we will have to use it to get to the Convention Center (no car ).

Mel

I'm kinda hoping we will have a chance to hang out in the city away from the Con but I will submit to DH's wishes on our attendance time.
We are driving so we don't have to worry about flights but we booked the hotel already cause I'm worried about prices goign up. We booked at the Old Town Inn, we stay there whenever we go to San Diego and love it. It is right across from Old Town and more importantly the Old Town public transport hub so we can park our car at the hotel and just walk across the street and hop on the trolley. The prices there are more than normal during the convention but still reasonable compared to some others in the city.

 

[Leash]

I am hoping to go this year, but I will be hugely pregnant at the time so I might have to miss it

Have you already gotten your tickets and hotel room? How many days are you going? What is your main focus, the main floor or panels?

I have been doing this event for quite a few years and know a lot about the event, so just ask your questions and I can try and help!

If you are going to Comic Con, one day you will be there all day!! The main floor does close early but there are lots of fun evening events as well, like the masquerade, movie rooms, panels, game rooms and so much more. Comic Con is one of the biggest events of its types, it takes up the entire convention center and it is just crazy how huge the event really is. You will most likely leave at dinner time though and there are lots of great restaurants nearby.

I also want to say there is something for everyone with video games, movies, shows, comics, books and so much more being featured you will be shocked at just how much!!!

Yes we got our 4 day passes this week and booked the hotel for Thursday thru Monday (don't want to have to drive home on the last night). I'm not sure what our focus will be (I'm glad to be going but it is more fo DH so I will let him decide).
I started looking up resturants downtown that we could perhaps go to for lunch since I am wary of "convention" food.
I don't have too many questions yet because I literally have no idea what I'm looking at but once the website gets updated with some actual info I'm sure I will have a ton of questions so thank you so much for the offer of help (like any good DISer I like being prepared when I go on vacation!).

 

[Leash]

Unfortunately not this year. We've been the past 2 years and had a great time! In fact we delayed our move from San Diego to FL by 2 weeks so we could attend last year

If it's at all possible bring your own lunch and drinks - the food at the convention center is horrible and they sometimes run out. Be prepared for large crowds and if there is any session you just have to see - go to the one before it in the same room as they do not clear the rooms between panels.

Not sure what your interests are - we attended mostly movie studio and tv show panels. And An Evening with Kevin Smith - one of our favorite sessions both years.

Have a great time!

I think the movie and tv show panels will be my main intrest but I will see what DH wants to do.
We will likely go to some resurants in downtown for lunch rather than eat at the convention.
Thanks for the tip on the panels that is a great idea.

 

[fairycat]

Ok first forget the CC released hotels, they are always REALLY expensive. I stayed at a dive motel (clean, but old, with very thin walls) for almost $200 a night not even in the area last year (but right next to the trolley system) and that was a great deal! Some people I know stay over 25-35 miles away to save money.

The Trolley's are very simple and easy to use I figured it out super fast and had no issues. I do not suggest parking near the convention as parking can be over $20, in the nearby areas up to $40, but for your $20 you might also walk a mile to and from your car. Which while no big deal in the morning, OUCH it hurts at the end of day three!!

I will be honest I did three days last year, from opening till late on at least one day and I still did not see everything. It really is HUGE! So I would add a day or do one short day and expect to miss stuff if you also want to site see.

Ok the convention food, I would say, disgusting, nasty, over priced and a waste of time with how long the lines get!!!!!! We always pack lunches. I had a fridge at the hotel and had stopped at Trader Joe's and got premade salads, bread and cheese, and just lots of snacks. This helped a lot as one night I stayed past dinner to do a panel. There are places to sit at or just drop along the walls. I also ate in panels since its allowed. I would plan on eating dinner out and bring lunch, it will give you more floor time and less time fighting crowds.

I did a rough plan of my day and it really helped. Too often I found I missed stuff I would have loved to see because I did not read through all the books. Start with the panel lists, see what you can't miss and what is going on. I parked myself along a wall and made a first day plan and then master planned my days when I got back to the hotel.

Don't forget, some panels are insanely popular!!!!! I waited through three panels to get into Myth Busters last year and almost didn't get into Pushing Daisies until some one took pity on me and gave me their spot as they were leaving. I still missed 15 minutes of the PD one though.

I see LOST on one of your lists, I suggest lining up super early for that one its going to be very popular. I would suggest trying to get a spot at least three panels ahead. Last years Heros panel had people lining up ridiculously early and it was in the biggest room.

My favorite tip, is unlike so many other cons CC requires all guests to do one free signing per person! So even if they are in the pay area, they still have to sign one item for you. Now there is some limits on what you can have signed and some stick to the rules, which is having your CC program signed and sometimes your pass. But no matter what if you see some one you can have them sign for free, which is so much better then some of the cons I hear about where everyone charges!

Some things are going to be hard to plan as they do not tend to get the schedules out super early. But I would suggest doing what I did last year, have a rough plan for the weekend, get the full schedule, line up your must do's, sort of want to do's and work around that, the plan your floor time around that. I try to do my floor time on the lower traffic days, like Thursday and Sunday, but it seems like Sat. was not nearly as terrible last year as it was the year before, but Friday was worse. So sometimes that is hard to judge.

Trust me you guys are going to have so much fun!!!!! I wasn't sure my first year, but we loved it so much and have been going back year after year since and this year we are going to go to WonderCon too!

ETA: That is funny, Kevin Smith ran my favorite panel last year too, I did the "Scream like a Girl" and it was mostly him and Lucy Lawless trading zingers. I am not a Zena fan, but Lucy Lawless is just hysterical, and even more so with Kevin Smith. You can find clips on You tube it was GREAT!!!

 

[LisaG520]

Ditto on the Lost panel. We lined up for the Heroes panel as Lost was immediately after it in the same room.

I think we were a mile from the convention center - we were all the way back to Seaport Village and we were nowhere near the end by the time they started letting people in . As a payoff though we did get to see the entire season premier of Heroes

If there was a panel first thing in the morning we tried to get there an hour before the convention even started to get in line.

People slept out last year for the Twilight panel That was dedication!

 

[Leash]

Ok so as far as planning I saw on the CC site that there is a preview night on Wednesday and it sounds as if you can get the weekend schedule then. However this would involve another half day off work (if not a full day) and an extra night in the hotel at the inflated CC nightly rate so is it worth it to get in the night before or should I stick with the plan of driving down the morning of and getting there about an hour before the con starts?

 

[fairycat]

Ok so as far as planning I saw on the CC site that there is a preview night on Wednesday and it sounds as if you can get the weekend schedule then. However this would involve another half day off work (if not a full day) and an extra night in the hotel at the inflated CC nightly rate so is it worth it to get in the night before or should I stick with the plan of driving down the morning of and getting there about an hour before the con starts?

The nice thing about the preview night is that it is only opened to those who purchased 4 day passes and professionals. The bad part is it has become VERY popular. The pros about going Wednesday are you will already have your badge so you will have a MUCH shorter line, you will get your schedules sooner so you can make your plans, and you can get in early Thursday and take advantage of every one being in line so much less crowded main floor.

I will be honest about the badges, PLAN AHEAD! Since the con has started to sell out before opening now, everyone has to line up their first day to get their badges. The lines for badges have become incredibly long. I know they move the lines fairly quickly but I heard the line was still taking over an hour to get through last year. Thursday and Saturday tend to have the longest lines.

 

[Leash]

Ok, I booked the hotel for Wednesday and if money becomes too tight we will just drive home on Sunday rather than stying the night. After reading your post I decided it would be worth the extra cost to get everything done early so thanks a lot for the tip!

The nice thing about the preview night is that it is only opened to those who purchased 4 day passes and professionals. The bad part is it has become VERY popular. The pros about going Wednesday are you will already have your badge so you will have a MUCH shorter line, you will get your schedules sooner so you can make your plans, and you can get in early Thursday and take advantage of every one being in line so much less crowded main floor.

I will be honest about the badges, PLAN AHEAD! Since the con has started to sell out before opening now, everyone has to line up their first day to get their badges. The lines for badges have become incredibly long. I know they move the lines fairly quickly but I heard the line was still taking over an hour to get through last year. Thursday and Saturday tend to have the longest lines.

 

[initiation]

not sure where you are coming from, but if you are driving into san diego.. build a LOT of hours into your day. I advise parking away from the con and using the trolley or bus systems to get in. Last year, friends of mine drove from Stockton, CA .. normally a 8/9hour drive, thinking they could show up thursday morning. They ended up in bumper to bumper traffic for 14+ hours, then couldn't park, + badge time, etc.. and missed most of thursday entirely. They are improving how they issue badges each year, but remember -- the con sells out at 122K attendees -- this does not include vendors, staff, panel guests, assistants, etc.. bring good walking shoes and a bag. Con is exhausting but oh so worth it. and unless you've got good willpower, bring money. You will find a zillion things you never knew you'd wanted.

The con schedule will be posted online approx the sunday before con starts for panels and such. The "floor" is typically open around 10/11am.. and closes around 7ish if I remember correctly. No matter what kind of geek you are, Con has what you want to do and see. It's wonderful... but remember, a LOT of bodies, everyone's packed on the floor.. keep track of your map, and remember to relax. con's not worth it if you stress out.

good luck! My first year was crazy.. this will be year #3!

 

[fairycat]

not sure where you are coming from, but if you are driving into san diego.. build a LOT of hours into your day. I advise parking away from the con and using the trolley or bus systems to get in. Last year, friends of mine drove from Stockton, CA .. normally a 8/9hour drive, thinking they could show up thursday morning. They ended up in bumper to bumper traffic for 14+ hours, then couldn't park, + badge time, etc.. and missed most of thursday entirely. They are improving how they issue badges each year, but remember -- the con sells out at 122K attendees -- this does not include vendors, staff, panel guests, assistants, etc.. bring good walking shoes and a bag. Con is exhausting but oh so worth it. and unless you've got good willpower, bring money. You will find a zillion things you never knew you'd wanted.

The con schedule will be posted online approx the sunday before con starts for panels and such. The "floor" is typically open around 10/11am.. and closes around 7ish if I remember correctly. No matter what kind of geek you are, Con has what you want to do and see. It's wonderful... but remember, a LOT of bodies, everyone's packed on the floor.. keep track of your map, and remember to relax. con's not worth it if you stress out.

good luck! My first year was crazy.. this will be year #3!

I totally agree with most of this but thought I would point out on little thing. While yes you totally need to budget more time for traffic, the 14+ hours last year on Thursday actually was caused by a major accident that happened on the freeway. It was so terrible Brent Spinner called in to one panel and many other panel guests were delayed or never made it in to Con. They had issues with some products as well. It was a MAJOR nightmare for those working with and trying to get to con last year. While this is not typically it does show what can happen.

Now as far as the lines to get in, those just stink these days and should always be budgeted into your time since they are not getting any better.

I am still crossing my fingers I might get to go this year but with most (if not all, I have not recently checked) tickets already sold out, and the fact I will be around 9 months pregnant I am not sure if I will make it At least I made it to Wondercon this year which was fun!

 

[Leash]

not sure where you are coming from, but if you are driving into san diego.. build a LOT of hours into your day. I advise parking away from the con and using the trolley or bus systems to get in. Last year, friends of mine drove from Stockton, CA .. normally a 8/9hour drive, thinking they could show up thursday morning. They ended up in bumper to bumper traffic for 14+ hours, then couldn't park, + badge time, etc.. and missed most of thursday entirely. They are improving how they issue badges each year, but remember -- the con sells out at 122K attendees -- this does not include vendors, staff, panel guests, assistants, etc.. bring good walking shoes and a bag. Con is exhausting but oh so worth it. and unless you've got good willpower, bring money. You will find a zillion things you never knew you'd wanted.

The con schedule will be posted online approx the sunday before con starts for panels and such. The "floor" is typically open around 10/11am.. and closes around 7ish if I remember correctly. No matter what kind of geek you are, Con has what you want to do and see. It's wonderful... but remember, a LOT of bodies, everyone's packed on the floor.. keep track of your map, and remember to relax. con's not worth it if you stress out.

good luck! My first year was crazy.. this will be year #3!

We will be driving in from Vegas early in the day on the 22nd (leaving Vegas around 4 or 5 am to beat the heat) so I am hoping the traffic won't be too bad there. As far as while in San Diego we will maining be relying on public transit and just leaving our car at the hotel. We are staying at the Old Town Inn which is about 2 blocks from the Old Town Transit Center so that will be handy. I am an obsessive planner so I will map out a schedule for everything as soon as we know what the Con schedule will be. I am going in with a very "if I can do it great if not oh well" attitude so that I won't be a psycho about getting into panels. DH and I are each going to pick one must do and plan the day around that.
Thanks for your advice I'm actually a little nervous, there is just so much to think about and there isn't the abundence of info like there is when I plan our Disney vacations!

 

[Leash]

Just a bump since it is less than a week away. Anyone else going to Comic Con next week?

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

I'll be watching the live feeds on the G4 channel!

I think I'm going to make a point to DBF on why we need to go next year. I love this kind of stuff.