Question about Dragon Con Banquet and Pre-Reg

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

I am going to my first Dragon Con next year. I have seen the epic amount of First Timer threads, so I have been reviewing them. I have been to cons like the Science Fiction Worldcon, Otakon (in my town of Baltimore) and SDCC, so I have mega sized convention experience. I have two questions that I am contemplating before sending in my pre-registration. 

1.  Most cons it is worth it to Pre-Register for the con (in time nad money).  From what I have read, it may not due to the long lines all weekend (especially if you want to see anything before Saturday afternoon).  Is it honestly worth the money saved?  Is a better strategy just to wait until Saturday at Noon to Register at the Door? 

2.  Is the Guest Banquet worth $50 of money?  Do guests like Shatner or Nimoy sit at the banquet? Would you actually sit with a guest at the banquet?  Most anime cons don't have any sort of banquet element to them and it may be nice to experience one (in nice dress clothes), if I get to meet some of the Guests.

Comments

[helplessdancer.livejournal.com]

I'd do the Pre-Reg especially now since it's just a bit over half price of on-site Reg. The lines are long and a pain but worth it. I dragged my ass out of bed at 6ish and got in line by 6:30 am on Friday morning and was out of there within 15-20 minutes of the doors opening. My friends picked up their badges on Thursday and the lines were long then but honestly, you'll always have to deal with the lines. I waited just as long the first year I did on-site for a three day badge on Saturday as I did this year with a pre-reg on Friday.

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

What time was it on Friday that you arrived (approximately)? I am leaning towards doing a Friday morning Flight due to one less hotel night and not having to fight Thursday night Pre-reg.

[bonzoid.livejournal.com]

There are two periods when the pre-reg line wait becomes a long wait: Thursday night and Friday morning.

If you don't mind the wait Thursday night, when nothing is going on, that's probably your best bet.

Otherwise, Friday morning after the stampede would be a short wait.

[ahestele.livejournal.com]

We stood in line after the parade and the line was ASTRONOMICALLY LONG. It snaked all the way around the Sheraton and it took my partner FOUR HOURS to get her pass. I did pre-registration but she wasn't sure if she wanted to do all four days. This year we both did pre-reg. It's worth it to us.

[kimberworld.livejournal.com]

If you can be at the con from Thursday to Monday morning, I highly recommend you pre-reg (besides, you get a nifty collector-type badge), and pick up your badge ASAP on Thursday. Parties don't even start going until 8ish anyway, and it's very nice getting to the hotel early.

I'm hoping they rethink some of the line issues from this past con, although I heard a lot of it was because Ticketbastard went down or didn't show or something like that.

I have never done the banquet, so I can't give an opinion on that. I'm honestly not sure what it's for. I hope someone else can enlighten, because I'd like to know as well.

Do try to get their Thursday. Saturday would be a bad idea as someone pointed out.

Welcome to DragonCon! You will be officially spoiled for all other cons. :)

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

I will believe being spoiled when I see it. I was underwhelmed at SDCC because you had to commit to a room all day to see the panel you want. I feel like that will be much of my Dragoncon experience (sitting in 10 bad panels to get one great panel).

I will consider Thursday night, but have a reservation for the Wyndham Garden for Friday-Monday.

[madzilla.livejournal.com]

At D*C they empty the rooms after every panel, so that wouldn't be the case. You will probably be in line for a long time outside the room for the bigger panels, though - but certainly not all day, unless someone ridiculously famous turns up.

[feuervogel]

As madzilla says, they empty the rooms between panels. Also, the line for a panel starts after the previous panel goes in. So a 2:30 panel's line couldn't start until the 1 pm panel's line goes in.

This doesn't apply to smaller track (non-MAIN) panels, though there are some exceptions.

[wookieegunner.livejournal.com]

Can't say about the current registration lines, but the general price between the ticket now and the ticket at the door is $40.00.

Also, do NOT compare Dragoncon and SDCC. If you look back you will see several threads about this and the general feeling of peopl who have gone to both is that they are totally diffrent conventions and so it is impossible to use one as an expectation of the other.

Thursday night has become an unofficial night. You probably see 1000 people or so show up and there is a concert or two. Also, the convention opened earlier this year (for example, the Shatner Nimoy panel was at 10AM Friday this year).

[littledrow.livejournal.com]

"Ticketbastard" *snicker*

To throw in my lot: I pre-regged my husband and I in 07 and 09 (didn't go in 08). The wait we had for both years was negligable. 07 we went in Fri morning. 09 we went around 4pm on Thur. Didn't suck either way, under an hour both times.

[amyth315.livejournal.com]

I've done pre-reg both times I've gone to D*C. The first year was in 2001, when registration was at the Hyatt and it was a bit of a wait in line. Eh.

This last year a bit more interesting since it was at the Sheraton.

I think like any other con activity, you can either sit there and moan about it, or get to know the folks around you. Always interesting stories to be heard and fun things to be experienced. We had a balloon volleyball go thru a few times. I actually couldn't wait to get to the middle of the room where the ball seemed to be!

I did the Banquet in 2001. I don't think we had anyone readily recognizable at our table, but Alice Cooper was the Guest of Honor at it. The food was good. I was considering doing it again this year.

[madzilla.livejournal.com]

I wasn't at the Banquet this year so couldn't tell you about whether you sit with the guests or not (I'd imagine not), but it was in honour of Leonard Nimoy this year so he was there, and so were Shatner and Mulgrew - don't know about anyone else. Hopefully someone who went can tell you more. :)

[eklecticamy.livejournal.com]

You can get thru the lines a lot faster on Friday. The eternal line on Thursday was a breeze but my friend stood in the regular line for 3 hours. Friday is definitely a better time. If you can, you should go to the banquet at least once. The food is usually good and the entertainment is good too. You can wear straight clothes or a costume but it is somewhat formal so you don't want to wear anything too crazy. :)

[mirana.livejournal.com]

Pfft, the D*C lines at their longest are nothing compared to the Otakon line on Friday (and probably SDCC too, but I never had to wait in line there and didn't see them so I don't know). ;) It can take a few hrs, but that's with any large con I've ever seen.

We picked ours up Fri around noon there was zero wait. Same last year. Thursday is usually the big crowd.

[eclecticmuse.livejournal.com]

Weird. We got in line around noonish on Friday and were in line total probably 2 hours (half an hour at least spent in the wrong line, directed there by a staffer D:).

[sea-haven.livejournal.com]

I have a somewhat different opinion of the Banquet.

My friend and I attended last year, and I would NEVER waste my money again. You are not allowed to sit with or even near the celebs. Perhaps they have gotten better, but the food and service was terrible. One guest did stop by and talked to us for a bit, and he was a sweetie :)


I wouldn't waste my time to be honest...because you're definitely not getting 50 bucks worth of anything.

[omahastar.livejournal.com]

I both agree and disagree. First off, the 50 bucks certainly isn't for the food. At BEST, you're getting two dollars worth of food. I've done the dinner three times, and it's always the same slimy either over- or under-cooked pasta and it's just not worth it. But then, until last year, it wasn't 50 bucks. I think the most I'd paid before was 35.

The celebs who are there are assigned specific tables, usually near the stage. Everybody else sits wherever they want, just not at those reserved tables. So you may sit near a guest, but then again, you may not.

A few years ago, Max from DS9 was the host. He was singing some song or other, and recognized me. During his song, he came over to my table and we chatted for a bit, then he continued his song on the way back to the stage. Things like that can happen, but not very often.

Having done it, I'm glad I have gone through it, but I doubt I'd ever pay to do so again. If you want the experience of being in the same room as whatever celeb you're there for ... well, go to one of their panels. Get there early and bring a granola bar. During the panel, eat the bar. There, you've just had dinner with the celeb, and it didn't cost you 50 bucks. And it probably tasted better, too.

[ironekilz.livejournal.com]

I attended the banquet twice a few years ago. When I went there were guests attending, but there wasn't a guarantee you'd be sitting with any of them. The first time I went I sat with David Prowse. The second time, just other congoers. I thought the food and service was good actually, but it was hard to talk over the music playing during dinner. Have they really changed the rules so you can't sit with the guests now?

[aagui2x2.livejournal.com]

I went two years ago and was seated at the table next to Peter David and across from Nichole Nichols. Last year was diagonal Nimoy, Mulgrew, and Shatner. I actually was sitting at a table with one of the award recipients. I just know she was the artist who designed the Dragon*Con program cover for this last year.