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Dumbass D-Con questions from Dumbass Brit!
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Author:  Harry Harris [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Dumbass D-Con questions from Dumbass Brit!
Hiya folks,

I've started preparing for D-Con and a few questions have been floating around in my head that I thought I'd ask those who have been before.

Firstly I know that a lot of US hotels don't do breakfast, but can we find breakfast at the hotels or nearby? Are the hotels like the ones over here in the UK and charge an arm and a leg for breakfast etc.?

Secondly exactly what does the little yellow card do?!

Exactly how big IS DragonCon? I'm imagining it to be absolutely flippin' massive, would I be far off?! ;)

Lastly, and I know I'm really asking how long a piece of string is, but how much money will I need?

Actually I'll rephrase that to say I've currently got about $800 cash; will that be enough? I'm not on the lookout to buy anything big at the show except for a Lance Henriksen autograph. Also I'm planning to probably eat in the bar on Friday and Sunday night (Max Lagers on Saturday).

I know you're probably thinking 'just get a credit card you cheese-loving fool' but I've heard all sorts of horror stories of UK cardholders on holiday having their card accounts stopped because the system detects the card being used overseas and stops it automatically thinking the card is stolen or cloned! Also cash is easier than repaying a credit card of course!

That's all I can think of right now, but if I think of anything else I'll post it up here.

Thanks in advance,

Harry
Author:  Spatman [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:47 pm ]
Post subject: 
All the hotels have breakfast, some hotels have up to three different restaurants in them doing three different types of breakfasts. They Hyatt has a big buffet breakfast, and I think it's about $10 per person.

The yellow card gets you your con badge. Thursday night you'll go to the registration area, get on the correct line for Badge Pick-Up, show the yellow card, and they give you your badge.

Pretty big. It's spread across three hotels now, so it's pretty big. Not as big as San Diego ComicCon, but it's probably bigger than any Con in the UK I've ever heard of.

As far as how much money to bring, that all depends on how much you drink, eat and shop. The average Pint of Lager (if they even serve that swill) is about $6. You Brits are all lightweights, so you'll probably drink 2 per night before getting loopy. Don't forget to add $1-$2 tip per drink. The food gets expensive in the hotel. One simple meat can run anywhere from $10-$20, while a trip to the food court in the mall next door will run you $5-$10. And of course, Coffee at the Starbucks is $6 or $7 a cup. Autographs are anywhere between $20 and $40 depending on the actor these days. And shopping in the Dealer's Room can cost anything from $0 to $1,000,000.

So, realistically, I always plan on spending $100 per day on food and drink, plus the cost of shopping in the dealer's room (though I rarely buy much).

And to avoid that Credit Card problem (it's happened to me a bunch of times), call the credit card company before you leave and tell them where you're going. They'll note your account on the computer and (in theory) it won't get flagged.

Hope that helps. Anyone else need to know something? We'll make this "Learning Time with Uncle Spat".
Author:  SSgt Burton [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
The hotels have cafes that provide breakfast (mostly croissants and fruit etc) but do over charge.

The card is what you bring to pick up your convention pass- don't lose it! :wink:

You hand in your postcard and they give you your convention pass which looked like this last year:

Image

(The artwork is different every year).

Oh by the way they will ask for picture ID when you pick up your badge- I assume you will have your Passport?

Dragon Con is MASSIVE! The numbers for last year were somewhere around 40 000 attendees per day I believe. You have never experienced something on this scale before! San Diego Comic Con is probably the only thing that comes close to these numbers! And it is surreal! Like stepping into another World! :shock: :D

As for money- are you talking just spending cash? I usually have about 1000 set aside- but this is for the hotel and gasoline (which will probably cost over $300 this year for me :roll: ). I usually have about 300 left over for food and trinkets etc.

Hope this helps!

(Confessions of a D-Con junkie :wink: )

Figures Spat beat me to this... but at least I provided some visual aid. :roll: :lol:
Author:  Harry Harris [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:53 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks guys! :)

Quote:
And to avoid that Credit Card problem (it's happened to me a bunch of times), call the credit card company before you leave and tell them where you're going. They'll note your account on the computer and (in theory) it won't get flagged.


I should have mentioned that people have been having problems despite telling their bank that they're going on holiday - apparently the system is automated. I have heard that the banks are looking into it though as so many holidaymakers have been having problems.

Harry
Author:  Pug50 [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dumbass D-Con questions from Dumbass Brit!
Harry Harris wrote:
Secondly exactly what does the little yellow card do?!


The yellow card speeds up the registration process, but is not required. I think it would be a good idea to look after it though. I assume you will also need some sort of ID to collect your con badge.

As for how large is it? I'm pretty sure it will be many 10s of times bigger than anything we've been to in the UK...
Author:  SSgt Burton [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 3:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dumbass D-Con questions from Dumbass Brit!
Pug50 wrote:
The yellow card speeds up the registration process, but is not required. I think it would be a good idea to look after it though. I assume you will also need some sort of ID to collect your con badge.


Umm... Trust me, you want to hang onto that card. If you suddenly realize on the plane that you forgot it at home, all is not lost... but it will be much more of a hassle to not have it.

And the pass pick-up staff are not the most "pleasant" people to put it mildly. I was literally yelled at one time for not following the line correctly. :roll:

And yes- they will ask for picture ID.
Author:  Adonis [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:22 pm ]
Post subject: 
My 2 cents... if you need cash, get it at an atm at the airport before getting to D*con. The congoers drain the hotel atms very very very quickly.

And does the Hyatt (or any hotel) bar serve food? I would imagine it's more expensive that you Brits would expect if they do.

Cheapest food is at the little counter in the Hilton.
Author:  PVB [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
Concerning breakfasts, as long as I can get an all-you-can-eat buffet-style, similar to Ponderosas:

http://www.ponderosasteakhouses.com/

with the standard pancakes, bacon, eggs, hash bronws, etc. which I enjoyed when I was last in the US back in 2001, then I'll be happy. :D
Author:  Pug50 [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:32 pm ]
Post subject: 
AdonisSniper wrote:
And does the Hyatt (or any hotel) bar serve food? I would imagine it's more expensive that you Brits would expect if they do.

More expensive or less? You do realise that Britain is just about the most expensive country in the western world compared to income? If the beer at the Hyatt bar is less than $9 a bottle then it will look like a bargain to us!! Not to mention our $8.40 per gallon petrol and neverending taxes. ;)

Even the $1.25 MARTA ride from the airport to the hotel? It's $8 for the Tube in London ...

We have the advantage of being going on holiday and spending the whole time saying "I can't believe how cheap everything is here!"
Author:  Adonis [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:42 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yeah and you guys have to put up with Catherine Tate too. :)

Huh, never thought of it that way. Does that mean you guys are buying the first round?
Author:  Pug50 [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
AdonisSniper wrote:
Does that mean you guys are buying the first round?

Hehe, notice that bit "compared to income" ;).

Don't worry, we're not tight (except for the Scottish! ;) ).

:xeno:
Author:  Sidewinder [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:53 pm ]
Post subject: 
...and us Yorkshiremen...

SAS 8)
Author:  SSgt Burton [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
Pug50 wrote:
We have the advantage of being going on holiday and spending the whole time saying "I can't believe how cheap everything is here!"



:lol: :lol: :lol:


It's funny- a trip to D-Con for me ten years ago would have been out of the question as a grand US would have cost me $1600.00 CDN. :shock: :(

These days a grand US is... a grand for me. :wink: :lol:

And America is less expensive. Compared to the US, things aren't ridiculously over priced here in Canada, but are more expensive for the same items none the less.
Author:  PVB [ Fri Jul 04, 2008 10:04 pm ]
Post subject: 
AdonisSniper wrote:
Yeah and you guys have to put up with Catherine Tate too. :)

If you don't want her, I'll have her.

Figuritively speaking, of course. :wink:
Author:  Utinni [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 7:35 am ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Dragon Con is MASSIVE! The numbers for last year were somewhere around 40 000 attendees per day I believe. You have never experienced something on this scale before! San Diego Comic Con is probably the only thing that comes close to these numbers!



Not to burst your bubble but SDCC is MUCH larger in attendance than Dragon Con, these are the #'s from last year:

Image


SDCC is actually sold out of it's 4 Day and Sat. Passes and almost on the Friday Passes. They were expecting up to 160,000 people last year! I'm sure they will hit it this year! But SDCC is different than D-Con, it's more of a Entertainment Convention with around a 1,000 dealers in the main Dealer's Room alone! I have D-Con on the To Do List, maybe next year...

- Jeff
Author:  Pug50 [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:19 am ]
Post subject: 
SDCC seems much more like a massive version of the kinda show we're used to in the UK.

Less of a convention and more like walking in circles in a big exhibition centre: "Give us all your money and then piss off home with a big bag of crap that you'll realise you didn't want anyway and only bought because it was 2 bucks cheaper than Forbidden Planet"!
Author:  sixty [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
Plus, from what I've seen on Spat's DVDs, I doubt any party could be more debauched and fun than D*Con. :)
Author:  Eagle [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
Spatman wrote:
Pretty big. It's spread across three hotels now, so it's pretty big.

We once had a convention here that was spread across three hotel rooms. ;)

Pug50 wrote:
...not to mention our $8.40 per gallon petrol and neverending taxes.

Which town are you in? I'm moving! It's $10.80 here! :lol:

Wish I was going with you guys - sounds like you're gonna have a blast! :)
 
Author:  Pug50 [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 1:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
Eagle wrote:
Pug50 wrote:
...not to mention our $8.40 per gallon petrol and neverending taxes.

Which town are you in? I'm moving! It's $10.80 here! :lol:
 

My price is in US Gallons. Gallons are about the only thing that is smaller in the US! ;)
Author:  Eagle [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 1:10 pm ]
Post subject: 
Pug50 wrote:
My price is in US Gallons.

Yup, mine too! :shock:
Author:  Pug50 [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 1:13 pm ]
Post subject: 
Your petrol is ~£1.40 per litre? Yup, you really should move!
Author:  SSgt Burton [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 2:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
Utinni wrote:
Not to burst your bubble but SDCC is MUCH larger in attendance than Dragon Con


It's cool man, I've never been to SDCC.

My understanding is that "official" numbers are always lower than the actual count- if the Fire Marshal (who always shows up) knew the real numbers the whole convention would be shutdown in a heartbeat.

But yes, SDCC is much larger in attendance than D-Con. I've always heard that SDCC is the "commercial" side of convention going while D-Con is the party side. :wink:
Author:  Spectre [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
sixty wrote:
Plus, from what I've seen on Spat's DVDs, I doubt any party could be more debauched and fun than D*Con. :)
What? I never get to do anything cool at D*Con.

Maybe I'll stalk Spat this year....
Author:  friendlyskies [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
Dumbass




;)
Author:  SgtTony [ Sat Jul 05, 2008 5:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
Harry, you'll be fine.

Don't lose the yellow card, use the credit card for hotel check in/out and don't carry all the cash around with you.
Have plenty of cash because the dealer room usually doesn't take cards......but some do.

$1600 will be plenty unless you intend to buy EXPENSIVE items.
I go each year with Cherie and take less than $1000 for EVERYTHING and come home with change, but I rarely buy anything outside of food and drink and petrol.

As a brit who's done D*Con before feel free to PM or mail me any questions you're unsure of. Pete can do the same I'm sure.
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