Anyone get Comic-Con badges?

[tmntgeoff]

I went to order the badges and they were already sold out
I really wanted to meet Kevin Eastman.

So I booked a flight to Boston comic con to see him there

[I Crave Pizza No More]

Originally Posted by Roseangelo

The hotels will go on sale when Comic-Con decides to put them on sale. You'll have to be as quick with it as was required for the badges. I recommend getting as close to the convention center as you can afford.

Do you think it'd be a problem to get a place in Mission Valley? It's like 5 miles from the center, and a shuttle is provided.

Also, since you've gone before, what's it like getting into the expo? Are the lines just for panels, or is there a crazy line just to get into the door?

[Mayhem]

There's lines everywhere. Queueing is an art form at San Diego.

In the last few years, the organisers have at least made arrangements for people to get their passes on Wednesday at the Town & Country, so you don't have to queue on the show days to obtain passes and get in. It used to be that way, and it was tolerable (when I went in 2006). Now the place is maxed out, and this is a much better decision.

If you think a panel is going to be popular, there's pretty much two choices you have depending on where it's being held: queue very early before it starts, or get into the room way ahead of time during a less popular presentation. The rooms are NOT cleared in between presentations. If you need to leave the room for the toilet or similar, you get given a ticket at the exit to show the security at the entrance door to be let back in when you return, but it's only valid for up until the end of the current presentation I believe.

Essentially if something is held in Hall H, or Ballroom 20, it's going to be massive, and if you really want to be in there, allow plenty of time to line up and wait being ushered in if it's the first thing of the day.

I've tended to avoid the big presentations now for that reason. Far more things to be doing than spending two hours in a line to ended up seated far away from the stage, although there are screens mounted at various points for you to view instead if you're at the back. The events I tend to visit are moderately popular, but always fun, which is why I keep going to them, and only requires getting there half an hour, hour tops in advance to be sure of getting a good spot: Quick Draw (where comic artists draw random, wacky suggestions), Worst Cartoons Ever, and Cartoon Voice Artists (where they get the talent to read out a radio play in random voices heh).

I've usually gone to each SDCC with an itinerary. Things I'd like to do, details of any signings that have been listed pre-event, and the such. And then see what happens, what the best time to do each thing would be, like going to the autograph area for any signatures, or visiting an artist and asking for a commission (that's usually first thing each morning in many cases!). Play it by ear. Venture the convention floor, see what's on offer, discover new comics and talent. There are freebies EVERYWHERE! Something is bound to take your fancy.

[I Crave Pizza No More]

Mayhem, thanks for the excellent response. When you say panel, I assume that it's something totally different from a booth. Am I correct in thinking that the convention space will be full of booths and that people like Eastman will have a booth and not necessarily only be accessible through a panel?

[Roseangelo]

Originally Posted by I Crave Pizza No More

Mayhem, thanks for the excellent response. When you say panel, I assume that it's something totally different from a booth. Am I correct in thinking that the convention space will be full of booths and that people like Eastman will have a booth and not necessarily only be accessible through a panel?

This is correct. The convention floor is where all the booths are. The panels are all upstairs in various rooms (except for Hall H, which is its own entity on the ground floor). But expect to still wait in lines at various booths, especially for autograph signings. Kevin's line never looks long, but he takes a long time with each person, so it goes slowly. You're best to go to his booth right in the morning.

You don't usually get one-on-one time with people during panels.

[I Crave Pizza No More]

Rose, since you've been before, do you see any real disadvantage if I get a hotel in Mission Valley that has shuttle service to the center? I'm thinking about taking advantage of CC's "early bird" hotel sale, and the only hotels they have listed are in Mission Valley. I've never been to San Diego; is it fairly easy to get around on public transportation? I'm looking to check out Sea World (my beloved Sea World in Cleveland shut down about ten years ago and has since been demolished), maybe a baseball game, and certainly the zoo.

Thanks for whatever insight you have.

[Roseangelo]

Originally Posted by I Crave Pizza No More

Rose, since you've been before, do you see any real disadvantage if I get a hotel in Mission Valley that has shuttle service to the center? I'm thinking about taking advantage of CC's "early bird" hotel sale, and the only hotels they have listed are in Mission Valley. I've never been to San Diego; is it fairly easy to get around on public transportation? I'm looking to check out Sea World (my beloved Sea World in Cleveland shut down about ten years ago and has since been demolished), maybe a baseball game, and certainly the zoo.

Thanks for whatever insight you have.

For Con purposes, the closer you are to the Convention Center, the better. If you stay in the Valley you're likely to be downtown all day, with no easy way of dropping off swag you've picked up, or just crashing for an hour or two in the middle of the day. I've never stayed in the Valley, so maybe it works out ok. I really don't know. When I started going to the Con (late 90s) we stayed at a hotel a couple blocks from the Convention Center, as things changed (that first hotel no longer exists) and the Con got more popular, we got pushed out farther to the edges of downtown and even though it's not *that* far, it's far enough to be annoying.

Oh, and if you have any early morning panels you want to see, there will be hundreds of people in line before the shuttles even start running, so walking distance is good.

Outside of the Con dates, you should definitely up and move to a cheaper hotel. PetCo Park is *right* downtown, but everything else is out a little bit. But don't expect to do any of that extra stuff during the Con. You'd have to be willing to give up an entire day at the Con. And, of course, baseball will depend on what the Padres schedule is. I think you can walk through it during the day when there isn't a game, though.

[IamtheNorm]

My wife and I will be there, got 4 night with preview when they went on sale. Excited to be going back for the second year in a row.

[I Crave Pizza No More]

So did anyone else get in with Comic-Con's joke of a 2nd chance sale yesterday morning?

[Mayhem]

I didn't even know there was a second sale yesterday. I guess I should ask, why joke?

[I Crave Pizza No More]

Originally Posted by Mayhem

I didn't even know there was a second sale yesterday. I guess I should ask, why joke?

It was supposed to start at 8 AM PST. I made it a point to be free at that time (I'm not West Coast). I clicked their link, nothing. I kept trying and when it finally loaded, about 3 minutes later, they were sold out. I e-mailed Comic-Con to complain, and their response pinned blame on the media for posting and advertising the resale link, which was on a "secret" part of the website.

[Roseangelo]

I submitted my hotel request right when it opened on Thursday and I ended up with my 15th choice, 5 miles from the convention center.

[Mayhem]

Blimey... sorry to hear that. 15th choice though? I thought they asked you to submit up to ten. Unless it got expanded from two years ago. Least I got one of my higher up back then. You ended up in Mission Valley then?

[Roseangelo]

Originally Posted by Mayhem

Blimey... sorry to hear that. 15th choice though? I thought they asked you to submit up to ten. Unless it got expanded from two years ago. Least I got one of my higher up back then. You ended up in Mission Valley then?

Not Mission Valley, it's the backside of the airport.

Last year I got my first choice - guess I wasn't as quick this year. :/

They let us submit up to 20 choices - I submitted 18.

[Jester]

I've debated trying to go one day, but it seems like it's almost more trouble than it's worth...

[TheJ-manTurtleMan]

What IS the parking situation like at Comic-Con? I am assuming its insane, but is their parking at the convention center? can you park near where a shuttle picks you up? any info would be helpful, Thanks!

[Mayhem]

There is parking at the convention centre, but it is quite limited and expensive from what someone told me. There is other parking around the city but the same applies. Basically the traffic around the convention centre is grid locked solid during rush hour for starters. Your best bet would be to park outside the vicinity at one of the tram stations to the north of the centre, and then use that to get into the convention centre.