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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

CVII Would you say the four-day pass was worth it?

Discussion in 'Star Wars Celebrations' started by adc, Apr 19, 2015.

  1. adc

    adc Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2015
    Hi everyone,

    For those of you that went to the event with a four-day pass, would you say that it was worth it?
    I'm thinking of getting tickets for the London date and haven't actually attended one before. I'm just wondering whether you feel it is worth it or if a one day pass is sufficient as it'll be my first time?
    Are most of the events the same over the course of the four days or is there new things to see and do every day?

    Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give!
     
  2. jediknightleia

    jediknightleia Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 28, 2002
    The four-day pass is totally worth it! This was my first convention and I was very busy with the panels, looking at all the booths, it wasn't until the third day that I felt like I knew the main floor. One day is not enough because you have to account for the lines! Which were crazy but worth it! There were different panels everyday and totally recommend you going to London which I wish I could go to.
     
  3. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    I went to the 2007 London Celebration and had a 3-day pass. I'd consider it worth it, although the Saturday was incredibly crowded and it was hard to move around. The venue air conditioning packed it in on the Sunday and it was hot in the halls. Friday was pretty good - if I had to pick one day of the three I'd go for that. Sunday was also good toward the end of the day for picking up bargains from vendors who reduced prices rather than have to pack unsold items, so if you're a collector keep that in mind. Only bad thing for me was the commute - I live out near Heathrow and the commute to Excel is a long one..
     
  4. adc

    adc Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2015
    Thanks for the replies guys, really appreciate the insight.

    Yeah, as I haven't attended one before I was just a little worried that it could get a bit repetitive attending on all of the days, but I'm glad to hear that's not the case.
    So with regards to the live panels they do - are they usually a different one discussing different things each day?

    LAJ_FETT - I know what you mean about the commute, we don't live too far from London luckily (only about 40 minutes on the train) but I'm yet to look much into detail regarding tubes and stuff to actually get to Excel.
     
  5. 80ninjas

    80ninjas Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 25, 2014
    Yes, the panels are different each day. For example: the Rebels season 2 panel was Saturday and they had another Rebels panel on Sunday. They showed different material at each.

    As for the four day pass: it really depends on how much you can take crowds and lines. It's a lot of waiting in line. A lot. Also, unless you line up extremely early you'll be waiting hours to get into the celebration store (except on the last day when everything is sold out).

    It's a great experience for Star Wars fans, but make sure you're good with crowds first. You may think it'll be crowded but it'll be much more crowded than you think it will be.
     
  6. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    From my area it's train to Waterloo, Jubilee Line to Canning Town, and then DLR to Custom House.

    Tube Directions.
     
  7. adc

    adc Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2015
    Oh that's good to hear, thanks so much for the info! I'll keep that in mind regarding the crowds, I think that's why 3 day passes will be best for us as it'll allow us to feel a bit more relaxed about fitting everything in.
    Ah, wonderful. Thanks for that - I've just had a look and it's only about an hour in all from my area so that's not too bad.
     
  8. Darth Sone

    Darth Sone Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 6, 2012
    4-day pass was definitely worth it. Each day there was something new and exclusive and I felt I covered a good amount of it over the whole duration of the Celebration. Lines are very much a part of the experience, but make friends with people around you in line! It makes the waiting time go past A LOT faster.
     
  9. StarWarsFan1997

    StarWarsFan1997 Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 22, 2005
    As the other posters have said, there were enough panels/events spread out among the four days to make it worthwhile, even if the size of the crowds for certain things, like the Battlefront presentation and the 3-D ROTS screening, made it impossible to actually attend. My daily schedules were pretty light, since there was usually only one or two events per day that I really wanted to get into, and I am not interested in shopping/autographs. If I were, then it would be even harder to justify only going for less than fours days, given the amount of time I spent in lines for the few things I did want to experience.
     
  10. MotivateR5D4

    MotivateR5D4 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 20, 2015
    Star Wars Celebration Anaheim was the first Star Wars Celebration event I have attended. I am still reeling from it, and have been watching the pre-recorded live feeds all day to see some of the things I missed and re-live the whole experience. In my opinion, if you have the time or can get time off of work (which I fought hard for), and live close by or could afford nearby accommodations for a few nights (for me it's both, but decided to get a cheap room anyway instead of making late night/early morning runs back and forth from Los Angeles to Anaheim for 4 days, not to mention the chaos of parking each morning), the multiple day pass is the ONLY way to really experience and take in this event. I waited in line from 9:30 pm the night before it opened, which it turns out you really didn't have to, but found it really fun to do so anyway, had some really great discussions about Star Wars and it was just great to be a part of the build up in energy and anticipation for the opening panel. From that point I averaged 2-3 panels a day (both big and small), interacted with people all weekend and took pictures of all the costumed attendees (who were all very nice and welcoming), made dozens of rounds through the show floor to see all the exhibits, vendors, artwork, and activities (which I took plenty of pictures of as well), saw The Force Awakens exhibit on day one after waiting only about 45 minutes (which turned into a 3-4 hour wait on other days), met Anthony Daniels and Ray Park at various points (didn't pay, just ran into them), I managed to hit the store at a good time the second day to at least get a couple of posters and as my luck would have it a rack of shirts came out so I managed to snag a few (took maybe two hours max), also plenty of Celebration exclusive art prints I purchased that were available at individual artist exhibits and didn't require being in the store, I participated in movie screenings every evening until midnight (when else are you going to see the Star Wars saga on the big screen surrounded by hundreds of cheering fans? I saw all but episode 3, they showed the trailer before each screening too!), and was able to briskly walk to and from my hotel room at the end and beginning of each day without being rushed. Granted, I was there completely by myself, which I know even having just one other person with you can make things much more difficult. Also, it being my first time, I was perfectly satisfied walking the show floor to see everything and being able to see all the costumed attendees and interact with people. Since London will be your first one like Anaheim was mine, you will surely be more than happy doing that. I can imagine if you have been to several of these that might not be such a thrill. With regards to single day pass holders, I talked with a few of them, and they were none too thrilled. All arrived at 6 or 7 am to get in line. They did maybe two things max, especially Saturday the busiest day. If they did a popular panel or autographs that was pretty much it. Families were split up as one person waited in line at the store for 3,4,5 hours while the others went around the convention. It was all rushed. I felt bad for them. If you're not a huge fan of Star Wars but want to check it out, sure, buy a one day pass, pop your head in, walk around, maybe get into an event if you time it right and don't have to wait too long, see the sights, get a taste of it, and you're good. But that's all it is, a taste. My original plan was to go Sunday since I had work the other days, but the more I thought about it the more I knew one day wouldn't cut it, so I really grinded it out at work to get shifts covered and convince my manager to give me a day off, and I'm really glad I did. Because I would be really upset with myself if I hadn't given it much thought, went the one day I was planning to, saw what I was missing, but by that point it being too late to really do anything about it. Also, as I mentioned before, unless you have somebody that absolutely has to go with you, I would suggest going by yourself. You won't be alone and will have plenty of people to talk to. But it just makes it so much easier to move around and do this and that, especially it being your first one. Sorry for the long response, but I had the exact same concerns you did before I attended, especially about it potentially becoming repetitive. But it turned out to be truly one of the best times I have had. I'm probably going to be in the military by next summer so I won't make it to London, I'll get back to Celebration eventually, but Star Wars Celebration Anaheim will always be a memory I will hold near and dear and never forget.
     
  11. dante144

    dante144 Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    May 26, 2005
    It is definitely worth it. Even with a four day pass this year I was not able to see everything. That is due to the long lines and venue. But at the last two in Orlando it was nice to see everything on the first couple of slower days.
     
  12. adc

    adc Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2015
    Wow! Thanks for the detailed reply, really appreciate it.
    I decided to bite the bullet and go ahead and get the full 3-day pass, really happy with my decision now.
    Hopefully I'll have as good a time as you did.
    Thanks again everyone for the really helpful replies!
     
  13. VanDutch85

    VanDutch85 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 21, 2015
    I'm planning on going for the three days (it will be my first Celebration too) and reading all this has been really useful, so many thanks everyone!
     
  14. torjoreyri

    torjoreyri Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    May 9, 2014
    I felt bad for people who only had one-day passes. I realize everyone has their own reasons for only attending one day, though. But even if they had the same panels every day, the crowds are different, different people are in different costumes, you meet different people, you have time for things in that section you couldn't get to yesterday.

    I can't imagine only going for one day.
     
  15. Darth Sone

    Darth Sone Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 6, 2012
    I have to back this up 100%. I flew in from Australia, so it was a no-brainer to attend all 4 days though.
     
  16. MotivateR5D4

    MotivateR5D4 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 20, 2015
    I also want to mention one more thing, once you're there the time goes by really fast. When you look at the whole schedule and the times the convention is open it looks like you have a long time to do things. But you get there in the morning each day, and before you know it, it is already 3 or 4 in the afternoon, with the last few remaining hours of the day going by just as quickly. Luckily in my case they had those movie screenings each night that allowed anybody who participated to stay late, but only in that particular area, the rest of the convention center was shut down, not sure if it will be the same for London or other Celebrations. Anyways, there is so much to do and so much to see throughout the day you easily lose track of time. Every time I looked at the clock it was always later than I thought it was. So this is just another thing to consider and more reason why one day is simply not enough. Just thought I'd share this as well for anybody else who may read this thread.
     
  17. ChrisLyne

    ChrisLyne Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 29, 2002
    Yeah, I didn't do this Celebration but I did the first Celebration Europe back in 2007. We had the 3 day tickets but then a friend got married on the Saturday so we ended up only being able to do the Friday. It was a great day but certainly not enough time to do everything. We got in, got a ticket for Mark Hamill's autograph, had a browse of the show floor, saw the Clone Wars panel, quick lunch then spent the afternoon in the queue for Mark's autograph whilst my wife had another browse of the show floor. We were really lucky, by the time I'd met Mark they were letting the queue for his panel in, we joined the end and luckily they got everyone in. Then we had to go home (but not before watching Ian McDiarmid introduce A New Hope and wish everyone a happy Friday 13th from the Dark Side, wish we could have stayed for the film but his intro was brillaint!).

    Next year we're definitely doing all 3 days. Last time was busy but apart from Mark's autograph queue it wasn't too bad, the store was probably an hour in and out at most, we walked into the Clone Wars panel and even though Mark's panel queue was long everyone got in. But that was 2007, the saga was over and there was just the Clone Wars coming. Next year we'll have just had The Force Awakens (and the guests can talk about it for the first time), Rogue One will be on the way, we'll be under a year from Episode VIII (which will probably be filming nearby). Star Wars is MUCH bigger now and I'm sure the crowd will reflect that.
     
  18. MotivateR5D4

    MotivateR5D4 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 20, 2015
    Absolutely. Celebration Anaheim being the first one I attended, I am still a newbie at this. But anybody there could tell you that this event is about to explode even more exponentially than it is now, to the point where I think organizers are going to need to completely refigure the demand and how they go about putting on this event. Whether it is a much more expansive venue, spreading it out over multiple weekends, making it a week (maybe even two week) long event, certainly repeating panels and events multiple times, I don't know. Otherwise, it is just going to become like Comic Con where it is impossible to get tickets, you have to get them through a lottery, even then it is still wall to wall people with no maneuverability, impossible to get into panels, most people wanting to be there just to say they were there, etc. It won't happen next year or even the year after, but six years from now, after the new trilogy is over and done with, after three new standalone movies have come and gone, each with their own spinoff elements, not to mention all the new video games, tv shows, books, comics, and all other related media, plus any major productions we haven't heard about, and now with three/four generations of people being involved (where it was only two during the re-releases and prequels era), the whole market will become so saturated with Star Wars that the demand for this event now will pale in comparison to the demand for it in six years.
     
  19. ardavenport

    ardavenport Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2004
    The 4-day pass was well worth it for me. I had lots of fun, though I missed most of the panels (No Spoilers, Please).
     
  20. JediMasterEllic_Kier

    JediMasterEllic_Kier Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 17, 2002


    I have to say, as a first time attendee myself, GET the 4 day (or 3 day) pass. The first day is a whirlwind, partially because the big event, but also just getting used to the floor and all the people. The second day you know better what to expect, Saturday is insane, and for us this year, Sunday was a breeze. I don't know how we would have done a tenth of what we wanted to do in one day.

    Wish I could go to London. Totally hooked on this experience.
     
    DieWompRatDie likes this.
  21. Jae-Dec

    Jae-Dec Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    May 20, 2013
    If you are a collector, another thing to remember is that some of the items aren't available on all the days of the convention. For example, the limited edition pin sets at the Star Wars store are usually sold one day at a time. So each day they will sell a different item that won't be available either the previous or next day. Of course at the end of the last day, they usually try and sell everything and sometimes at a reduced cost. But you are taking a chance if you are really wanting one of the more popular items.
     
  22. Oddacon

    Oddacon Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Mar 19, 2015
    A four day pass is worth it. You need that many days to attempt to see everything. This was my first Celebration but not my first Con as I've done the Comic Con circuit and am well versed how they go.

    However, I must say Celebration is unlike any other convention I've ever attended. So many friendly fans/strangers that become almost like friends you haven't seen in awhile. Everyone that I came across and waited with in those long busy lines were awesome and friendly. It was really nice.

    Anyways, even though I had a 4 day pass I still wasn't able to see everything I wanted to. This was partly due to the sheer number of people in attendance and a little chaos on my end trying to juggle my time between the con and my wife and toddler.

    Everyday was something different though. I highly recommend the 4 day pass. It's the way to go. If that's to expensive at least 2 day passes would be better.
     
  23. ardavenport

    ardavenport Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2004
    Oh, it was absolutely worth it. I had lots of fun hanging around with friends, seeing the movies and going to the exhibits. And I won the Cosplay Contest.

    :D
     
    StarWarrior92 likes this.
  24. Antlers

    Antlers Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 2012
    Oh god, yes. I wish I had gotten there earlier on Wednesday! It was incredible, and there was so much to do.