Buying membership on-site.

[phantomminuet.livejournal.com]

I was so disgusted by the four-hour wait last year to pre-register that I am tempted to just walk up and register when I get to Atlanta. I'd be willing to pay the extra money just to stay out that damn line.

Are there any risks associated with doing this?

Comments

[samu-chan.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend and I do that every year. Takes about 20 minutes, lol. I've never had an issue with it. Just make sure you bring your ID (obviously).

[drd2001.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking the same thing too. The whole line set up has been so wrong for years and years. The 4+ hour wait I had left me on the verge of passing out. I couldn't see any benefit to paying in advance when comparing time versus savings.

[auroraceleste.livejournal.com]

The one time I bought a ticket (I think 10 years ago) I used ticketmaster and it was a 10 min. thing. I don't know if currently that still holds, but I'm interested in the answer since I'm buying my ticket this year too.

[silvers-shadows.livejournal.com]

First time me and my husband went we had to buy through TicketMaster. That was 2009 - they didn't turn up on time or get set up on time, so we were waiting forever!

[maverick0324.livejournal.com]

OMG I was in this line too. It was worse than the pre-reg line!

[petzilla.livejournal.com]

Me & my SO were there too it sucked mightily!

[fluffydragon.livejournal.com]

I say give the new system a chance this year.

Up front, its going to be around $140 at the door, which is too steep for me to want to skip even a 4 hour line. If you have any chance at all of showing up very early, do it -I only waited about an hour and a half last year.

[groundedsouls.livejournal.com]

On site registration is 120 at the door according to the site. Just 15 dollars more than it is now. I think I'm going to buy at the door and avoid the lines. The line last year was horrible and that was with them starting earlier.

[fluffydragon.livejournal.com]

Nevermind, I heard it was more expensive at the door last year.. I may have heard wrong.

[tonyalittegirl.livejournal.com]

I usually get there when registration opens on thursday and the line is not long.

[tempest-omouthy.livejournal.com]

What time is that?

[tonyalittegirl.livejournal.com]

I think it was around 3 or 4 but i heard it will be open ever earlier this year.

[tempest-omouthy.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks. I get off work at 1 and can head down asap if I'm not off that day.

[wicked0witch.livejournal.com]

i got in line at 1pm on thursday last year i think, and i got my membership in less than an hour

[freak-thankyou.livejournal.com]

I was unable to buy a ticket early last year but stopped by after classes on Friday with $100 cash for my ticket. I was in and out in less than 10 minutes, maybe even less than 5. Cash is definitely faster than other forms of payment.

This year I bought my pass early and plan to show up as soon as classes are out on that day. Hopefully my schedule will allow to get htere earlier. I wasn't able to get in line until an hour or two after the lines opened two years ago and stood in line for 2-2.5 hours, but I got lots of work done on my knitting project and the line can be fun with the right people, especially if the room gets in on things, like playing with several beachballs or large penguins.

[sensitivinferno.livejournal.com]

I don't know what the new barcode system is going to entail, but my poor husband was in the pre-reg line for five hours last year and got a migraine for his troubles, whereas I got my badge in about 10 minutes because I registered on site.

If you want to be safe, and you don't care about the money...I think the answer is obvious.

[papercuppie.livejournal.com]

I did on-site last year without issue. Took 15 minutes, while my friends were in line for their pre-reg badges for four and a half hours. The on-site badge is less awesome-looking, but if it gets me out of standing in the Atlanta sun for several hours, really, I think I wouldn't care if it were drawn in crayon.

[glasscannon.livejournal.com]

With how bad preregistration was last year, I wouldn't be surprised if more people think like you this year and just buy on-site instead, which could potentially increase the wait time for that line. Personally I'm still hoping the barcode system will drastically improve the prereg wait, but other than the extra expense (fairly small with the current price of passes), I doubt you'll have any trouble buying at the door.

Details on new BARCODE SYSTEM for D*Con

[con-tourage.livejournal.com]

For those that don't know all of the details on the NEW Barcode System for registration this year, here's all the info.
http://www.con-tourage.com/2011/05/29/dragoncon-switches-to-barcode-badges/

Also...for those of you who are buying on-site, you can shorten your time in line as well. Click http://www.dragoncon.org/dc_pde_barcode.php and fill out the form, submit it, and it will generate a .pdf file with a QR code that you print and bring to the on-site registration area at Dragon*Con.

56 days!!
http://www.CON-tourage.com/Dcon2011

[trybutez.livejournal.com]

Using your numbers, to put it another way.... at 2 minutes becoming 30 seconds, that would turn a four hour wait in registration into a one hour wait in registration. Cuts the time by 75%.

Of course, in theory, it could be conceivably even shorter, so long as the devices and their human slaves, I mean, uh, operators, can maintain a certain amount of speed, then the line shouldn't ever reach but so long. Cut off 75% of that line at it's longest, and it shouldn't even reach outside the ballroom, let alone outside the Sheraton.

I am cautiously optimistic.

[davidvcody.livejournal.com]

That's pretty much how it works. Our target is 30 seconds a transaction.

The operator will scan your card, check your ID to make sure the information retrieved matches, then scan their screen to print. (Assuming all is as it should be.) No need to grab a mouse or click anything.

Another person will peel and stick the label on the badge, hand it over and off you go.

[away-fromitall.livejournal.com]

tbh, the barcoding system should work great. They use it at Otakon, and that line (which was around the block by that point took MAYBE 30 min once it opened. There are more people are D*C but then again, if it goes as quickly as Otakon, I'm not worried.

new system

[krystalblade.livejournal.com]

They are also getting rid of those name slots. You know, the area that gets jammed up by one or two names so no one else can get by to their own name slot - leaving a lot of the volunteers just sitting there with nothing to do. (I've never had a problem with them finding my name in the books, but I have been stopped because I couldn't get to my slot.) We will still need to form an orderly line (DUH!), but cutting out the two major slow downs should help a lot.

Just remember, it is a new system, so everyone please give them a chance to work out any bugs. (Of course the first ones through get to be the guinea pigs.)

[imjustagrl77.livejournal.com]

The barcode system is actually a downer for us in a way, every year once we get in the "main room", we get escorted to the front because our names starts in with H. Waiting 3 hours in the ATL heat on Thursday afternoon was not fun, but I'd rather do that, then pay double what I paid.

[meinken.livejournal.com]

yep, if you look at it that way....A membership for this year, purchased at last year's con was $60. At the door this year is $120. So, I was paid $15(with no fed, state or fica taxes) to stand in line for 4 hrs. With this year's barcode system, I expect to be earn even more per hour for standing in line. Plus I met some very nice folks in line.

[selenya.livejournal.com]

I waited four hours in line last year, so I'm just buying mine at the door. :)