CJ25 Star Wars Celebration (social thread)

Yes, what I meant by that was, in case of a late announcement, like one after August, some international fans may have trouble- saving money for tickets, transportation, hotels etc. esp. if it's in Anaheim. taking time off from work, vacation, I don't know how it works, say in England, but a friend of mine who lives in Manchester says her vacation time is set every year. people here could have problems with taking time off also. that's what I meant. I enjoy seeing international fans around, there seems to be immediate translation despite if one may have limited English, everyone understands each other! Also, the poster tube incident was at the first Anaheim Cele. while the people were waiting in our favorite lines! I also heard that Disney employees got a limited number of tickets for that Cele. whether that is relevent or not, I also heard that there was a theft at a dealers booth that Sunday, I had just came recently from his booth! his was the one that had AT-AT's stacked up near the top of his display. I was hunting for a poster tube and happened to come back around that area and (got lost!) police were trying to take care of him. Whew! I was also at the 501st Bash too, thankfully sitting in a VERY soft chair by a wall. my feet hurt so bad! that's disgusting that some one had to steal the sack! they were free to ticket holders, why steal? I saw plenty of goodie bags available. I'm very sorry for the victim fan. Yes, also, I've been to Cele.s 2-8, but no international ones, I bet they were fun! Two of my favorites were Indianapolis #2 (rainy night) and Cele. 8, the last one, why? John Williams and Harrison Ford! I did not like the security mess and the bracelet thing. and I'm sure your very aware, if know what time your show or panel is, get there AT LEAST, a half hour early! and wait in our favorite past time, LINES!. I enjoyed Indianapolis because it was exciting! George was in the Marriott hotel on the 17th floor,I think, I was below him by several floors, but there) I woke up, after a nap to tornado alarms and heavy rain, I got my things together, put on a trash bag rain suit, courtesy of housekeeping, and braved the storm! I joined the ranks of probably 1000 fans out side, across from the Marriott, everyone watching for G.L. Do you remember how fans were watching hotel exits in and out the hotel? The fan spirits were very high despite the storm. everyone suffered "happily", except for what happened the next morning. that was not nice! We who "suffered gladly" entered the auditorium last... there's much more to tell but no room.

 

Personally I've already prepped for Anaheim. I've done some research into Orlando but not as much.

Coming from the UK Orlando would be cheaper for me but Anaheim sounds like the better venue at this point (especially for the main stage) and I want to visit the original Disneyland so I hope it's Anaheim.

I loved the one big family feel of Celebration Europe and can't wait to do a full 4 day Celebration in the US.

 

I would say those are anecdotal examples of some things that went poorly for some people. It happens. I've had crummy things happen, and I know people who have had crummy things happen. And it's easy to hear about just a few examples like that and consider that kind of thing to be rampant. But don't let it make you think that that is the kind of crowd this event attracts. Because, for the most part, the atmosphere is absolutely what is described by anyone who has been there. Just totally festive, inclusive, and celebratory among everyone there. In fact, I think it's much better than other conventions in this regard. Don't get me wrong, other conventions are like that too. But rather than being thousands of people there for thousands of reasons, Celebration is thousands of people there literally for ONE reason. And that really facilitates an even stronger sense of community than you would get anywhere else. I don't doubt that would be the case for any large event like this with such a narrowly specific focus.

There is a huge difference between three and four day cons. Trust me, there is no greater feeling than at the end of that second day of a four day con and realizing you still have another two days left of this thing. And then again after that third day, you still have whole other day of it. Whereas three day cons just go by way too quickly. By the end of that first day you already start to feel like it's almost over, and most certainly by the last day you feel like it went by entirely too fast and like it had just started.

I can't imagine what it must feel like for the people who run these kinds of events. Months, even years in some cases, of preparation, just day in and day out doing anything and everything required, not to mention the sheer anticipation of it all. And then within a matter of three or four days it's completely over. If attendees can feel that way about it, I'm sure the event workers feel it exponentially more.

 

You're right, vacation year period runs from May to April here (Denmark), and as such August may be a bit more tricky, but really getting vacation a year out is always tricky. I have been lucky enough to be able to choose my own vacation period, but that option depends upon the individual work place.

Now that you mention it, I think I remember hearing about the theft from the vendor, though I don't remember the booth.
It's not like I walk around expecting to get robbed. My protection from theft just consists in always keeping my backpack zipped and my wallet safe (and cover when enter code), though apparently not safe enough, as somehow some money was withdrawn from my credit card during Celebration, but I know for a fact, that I never bought anything for that amount. I read after Celebration, that a fair number of people had that happen to them, and some speculated, that someone had walked around and done it through the chip while the card was in the wallet. It seems far fetched, but I tend to agree, since I only used my card in the official store and one or two other places, otherwise I used cash to avoid card fraud, ironically.

I was also at the bash myself, though I had picked up my ticket and goodie bag Wednesday, so I didn't have to carry it around at the bash. It was a great party, it's just sad, that there was one a**hole in the crowd.

I have only been to Celebration 4-8, and Europe 2-3, 7 total, so I don't know how Indianapolis was first hand. I have read that getting in to the official store took almost an entire day, and that after the success of George Lucas first appearance, they decided to do two more, but very few people knew about it, so they ended up having to drag people/fans in from the street to fill up.

I would have liked to attend the two main panels at Celebration 8, but after picking up my badge Wednesday and seeing people in line, I could really be bothered. Also, while at a pre-Celebration gathering Wednesday evening, I learned that they would reach capacity within half an hour or an hour. I am ok with spending 2 maybe 3 hours inline, but no way will I spend an entire night in line. No panel is that important to me. I also didn't bother seeing George Lucas at Celebration 5, again line just started to early for me to bother.

Like I wrote above, I don't go to Celebration expecting to get robbed. I protect myself against it happening, but no more, than I do walking the streets at home.
Celebration is awesome for exactly the reason you mention, that all is there for ONE reason and ONE reason only, and that is also a big part to why I hope to be back again and again, provided time and money allows. The fan community is the best part of Star Wars.

 

The 4th day of the last two Celebrations have been pretty mediocre offerings. Last year especially, I wish I had flown home for Easter instead of staying that 4th day.

I really appreciate anyone who volunteers for these things, especially anyone who flies in to volunteer. I can't imagine spending all that money to be there, then working for free.

 

I'm so sorry about the credit card theft! I attended the 50th Anniv. for Star Trek in Las Vegas about a year and a half ago. the last time I was there was when I was 18 months old! my husband, who does not go to Cons. got me a protective "wallet' for the cards, it apparently worked, I plan on using it at Cele. 9. He said to be extra careful because of the chip users. I pull around a carry on suitcase(small one) to carry all my goodies in for the day, I'm very good at maneuvering it safely and quickly in crowds.it saves your hands when waiting in horrible lines! I also attended, in 2009, San Diego ComicCon, Whew! that's big! over 200,000 people attended. there, you don't really feel that 'togetherness ' as with Cele.s. everything at S.D. was rush, crowd, get your eye's almost plucked out( this happened at a later con. there) attitude. people go there for multi venue fun, and it is fun but some people are rude. you have to learn to get in and out of vast crowds and get to your objective-quick! unless your in a group, you can feel very alone. I also arrive one day before and leave the Monday after at Cons. I arrived Wed' too and got situated at the Hilton. then went straight to the Con. center to pick up info. I was concidering "camping out" at least 1 night, but saw the 600 people already lined up , UGH, I reconsidered the decision and enjoyed the comeraderie of the crowd, took pictures. I arrived before 6 the next morning and " enjoyed" THE LINE. If Cele. 9 is at Anaheim, I will stay at one of the hotels that are walking distance to the con. center, convenience and speed count! Let's have fun.

 

I remember when the cons were 3 days long, they did go by fast. The last 2 Cele. 4th days were lax, I tried to catch up on shopping and rest-a little. I really didn't see too much urgency by Reed for the volunteer groups, people kept on asking about it. things have changed since Disney took over. I spent several hours in the store line on Sunday trying to get a Cele. mug! it was packed and not much merchandise. I think the Reed people try to do a good job, but the running of and organization of "lines" has got to improve.!

 

I have a wallet with chip protection for daily use, but I have a separat wallet for travelling, because I use different cards when travelling and then I don't have to empty my wallet for other stuff. I will get a new wallet with chip protection before my next travel for sure.

 

@Mr_Mundi:

Definitely. And it's very unique in that way. Because there really aren't many events that are as big, in terms of the amount of people attending, that go on for as many days as Celebration does, and that also are so narrowly focused on one specific thing like that. Which obviously speaks to what Star Wars has become in our society. Not many things out there can even get close to holding the kind of event that Celebration is in terms of size and scope. I love it!

I hadn't heard about the credit card information being stolen. I wouldn't isolate that to Celebration though. That seems like a pretty sophisticated crime done by people who target events like that where they know people are spending a lot of money. I don't doubt that similar things happen all the time at other conventions, concerts, or sports games.

@TK-421:

I was commenting more on the day to day thought process I have when I'm at a con, and just the general feeling of wanting to be there. And that there is definitely a difference between three and four day cons when it comes to not wanting it to end. But I agree, programming on the last day at any con can be lackluster compared to the previous days. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be there for it. Trust me, I would much rather be at the con than at a lot of other places I could be.

Also, volunteers are basically attendees who offer to volunteer their time to work a portion of each day in order to attend the con for free during the hours they aren't working. Schedules are stacked in a way so that an employee works their shift and is then also allowed ample time to enjoy the con. And they pick their hours based on seniority. So they definitely have an incentive. The actual people who run the con are what I was referring to. All that time and effort, all the logistics required, just everything that goes into putting on a major convention, and then within a matter of days it's over. I feel that way as simple attendee. I have to imagine someone who works on it day in and day out year round must feel that way even more.

@j-jawa3:

Lines are definitely another factor. If it's a three day con, there's no way I'm waiting more than an hour in a line to do something. (Unless it's in the morning at the start of the day, but that's different.) And if I do wait an hour for something, there's no way I'm doing that more than a couple of times. Whereas at a four day con I'd be much more willing to wait for things, whether it's several times over the course of the con, or to get an autograph or an exclusive that I know is going to take up half a day. But again, only because I have that confidence to do it as a result of the con being stretched out over four days, whether it's because of things I've already done at the con or based on what's ahead.

I've also been to SDCC. I'm going this year as well. But I agree, it can very stressful and put people on edge the whole time. There's too much going on. And while there is some sense of community there, it's definitely a lot better at other slower paced conventions, and most certainly not as strong as it is at Celebration.

 

I don't isolate credit card fraud to anything and I certainly didn't expect it to happen at Celebration, or I would have bought a chip secure wallet before leaving (or at least used the one I have).I am just saying it happend despite me being my usual careful when using the card.

 

Good thinking. Thanks for the suggestion, I might end up getting one myself.

 

I do prefer to pay cash,but maybe it's best to cut it into cards too,half and half. what I have done, at the last day of the convention, I wait around and watch the fans vanish-slowly from the floor, then watch the dealers start packing up-they are very fast! the quickest I saw was at the 2009 S.D. Comicon, those dealers were racing out with packed goods! But, for Cele. I try to stay as long on the floor as possible, gathering the last 4 days together and at last, when they say, all fans leave, I watch for a bit outside as convention exhibits vanish quickly, fans take their last pictures and leave, then the whole area is empty. the next day, I 'm down in the hotel lobby, checking out- it's empty! no one around. yes, 4 days are good and I remember every single bit of it. either written down or by memory. sort of sad...

 

I also paid cash at most stalls, but at the same time I don't wanna walk around with a lot of money in cash. It's a balance. Places like the official Celebration store and known names like Disney, Sideshow, Thinkgeek and the likes I don't have any problems using my credit card. Off course I make sure no one else can see the code I enter, but I have no problem using the card. Lesser known vendors is an other matter, for those I prefer to use cash to minimize the risk of fraud.

But this is also why I have credit cards to use exclusively when travelling, because if somehow someone managed to get hold of my cards and empty them, then I still have money on an other account when I get home, so I can pay bills while the bank solves my problems with the cards used while travelling.

On the last day of Celebration I usually try to be as far from the doors as possible when it is closing time, so I can stay as long as possible, and then I also hang around for a short while outside. I like the 4 day Celebrations, especially since at last one, I spend most of the first 3 days standing in line for photoshoots and autographs, so I more or less only had one day look around the vendors.

I rarely leave right after Celebration. Usually I stay for about 10-12 days total to visit theme parks before and/or after Celebration and just the area around the convention center. In 2015 we went up to Hollywood Boulevard for a few days as well.

 

When I went to the Star Trek 5oth Anniv. I found that some celebrity signers took cash only, other only cards! the best took cash only, and I didn't have that at the time. a lot of the money went on food! it's expensive in Las Vegas, I tried to eat minimally, but even Starbucks was overpriced! At Cele's. I usually go to Starbucks for muffin, yogurt, fruit, coffee etc. then run off to the con. I try not to eat at the little carts there and sometimes buy goodies to carry around. water is a must, as you know. I allow myself a sit down meal on the last day when it's over. This next Cele. I will have food with me from the outside and try to save money. What did you think of the alcohol service at Anaheim? I didn't think it was a good idea myself.

 

We always had a back pack with us. We brought a couple waters, some granola and a few snacks. Saved us a ton. Plus eating in the convention center wasn't that good. Most of the food we tried was crap.

 

I totally agree, very fast food! sometimes I just wanted to sit down and rest my feet, drink some water, try to eat a snack I may have quickly and off I go again! I try to have banana for potassium, you need it after a long day. when the Cele. was in Orlando the convenience stores on the way to the center were good and there was a Denny's there too.

 

Only downside to a backpack at the last London Celebration was you had to go through an extra security queue to have it searched. After the first day my friend and I each had a shopping bag in a pocket for purchases. That worked fine as we'd transfer our purchases to our backpacks back at the hotel.
If you're a collector, the last day of the con is good for getting bargains. Vendors would rather mark stuff down than pack it up again. I got a 6" Jango Fett Hasbro Black figure marked down at Forbidden Planet's stall. (I'd been eyeing the price on it all weekend.)

 

At Orlando last year, the security was unusually "strict", but also lax! at first, they said,no rolling bags, for the overnights, no chairs or sleeping bags that won't fit into a normal backpack. Uh, that's not what I saw! some people were quite comfortable in their blow up bags and chairs(out side the main building) but once they got inside, things got very bad! the crowding in the building, I heard was not nice.I did not do the 'overnighter camp out' I had done it twice before. the next day, due to security, it took awhile just to walk to the far doors at the main building. you were worn out before the con. began! On the last day, in Orlando, I went slowly about the dealers and got an offer I had to refuse, 8 Black Series figures for $40!, I didn't have the money sadly. How big was the London Cele. anyway?

 

When I am at conventions, I always pack water and snacks. I never eat at the onsite foodhalls/wagons, and actually I often don't eat or drink anything during the day. I know it's healthy, but my mind is elsewhere, I forget.

Security at the entrance seems like it is here to stay. A few ruin it for the many. At the last Celebration I stayed at the Rosen Plaza with a view of the convention center, so when I looked out of my window Thursday morning, I almost went right back to bed seeing that huge line to get in. 6 metal detectors was way to few. And then later they open up to other entrances with no metal detectors, so what was the point?!

In London I also left my backpack at the hotel to avoid the crazy line to bag check. It was so hot there, so I had to sit down to cool down several times throughout the day.

 

This is what we did for Orlando last year. We built our vacation around Celebration. It paid off as we were able to do the Galactic Nights event. That extra day was well worth it. We had a blast.

 

I live near London, but it's the Heathrow end of London and Celebration was at ExCel - over near Greenwich. We commuted for the 2007 Celebration but sprang for a hotel room for the most recent one. It made a heck of a difference in how tired we were at the end of the day.

 

I did the overnight line for the 40th panel the first night. So I can’t speak for security on day one. But the rest of the week I didn’t make a single stop at the bag check line. Heck no one even looked at my badge. On day two I didn’t even take my badge out of my book bag.


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One of my biggest tips to people at conventions is to remember to eat. It's so easy to let the entire morning and a good chunk of the afternoon go by without eating. Then at some point you find yourself in a situation where you want to go do something, but you also have to stop and eat or else you'll start to feel bad. I usally carry a couple of waters and a few protein bars just in case. But I actually do like that they offer food in the overnight/morning queues. I make it a point to go get something in the morning before the line starts moving, even if I'm not feeling particularly hungry at that moment. It's not the best variety, but at least it's a full meal, and you never know what can come up as the day gets going and when you'll next have a chance to stop and eat. Then there's times throughout the day where if I have a free moment I'll just decide to go eat knowing that I'm going to have to eventually. I just find the shortest line and eat there. Sure, it can be pricey sometimes, but I really value the convenience of it. If you're somebody who is at the con each day from early morning until whatever after hours programming they offer, just constantly on the go, sometimes it's the only option. And I figure I'm already spending so much money at the con and for the trip anyway, it's easier for me to just eat as I go when I'm there then to do prep before hand. Plus, I'd rather have more room for swag! Just means I have to put in some extra hours at work when I get back home.

As far as security goes, it's always hit or miss. Even when "rules" have been outlined, as we saw last year, they can be immediately scrapped once the doors open. There's just no telling what sort of things will actually be enforced when the event kicks off. And sometimes all the company or the site wants is the bells and whistles for show to make it appear as if they have security in place. But in reality, when it comes down the individual employee checking individual bags, it can be pretty lax. That's just security in general.

But you also have to be careful. Because sometimes having a bag can hinder you, at least initially when things kick off like that. I've seen events where they have separate lines for people with a bag and people without one, or where they'll decide on the spot to designate certain lines for people without bags. So if you have a bag you have to stay in one of those lines, and then you get to watch as all the other people without a bag go in ahead of you. I think D23 last year was like that. That's the main thing I watch out for and try to learn about ahead of time to see if they're likely going to do that. But then again, I'm usually there early enough anyway that I haven't really ever been adversely affected by it.

I'm the same way. After it closes, I usually hang around the show floor and take it all in for as long as I can until it becomes clear that I should probably leave. Which isn't very long, mind you. They start ripping out those carpets almost immediately. And then afterwards I like to hang out outside and enjoy the cosplayers and the final few hours of just being around everyone. Although, last year at Celebration I was a little disapointed. I went outside about an hour after it ended on the last day, and there was hardly anybody there, maybe a couple dozen people max. Which surprised me being that it had ended only a short while ago. I remember in Anaheim there was a decent size crowd that hung out outside the convention center until it was almost dark. Which I also saw happen there after D23 and WonderCon. So I was expecting something similar.

But on a similar note, that's another reason I prefer the Anaheim Convention Center over other conventions centers I've been to. Because it has that big walkway and courtyard out front, just by way of being built perpendicular to the street and not right on it. Which really facilitates an atmosphere where you can actually hang out outside and do that kind of thing. Even during the con it's great, because even if your not directly inside, you still feel like your there just by way of being in that courtyard. Whereas at a lot of other convention centers, Orlando included, your just sort of dumped out right onto the street and forced to disperse.

 

We were lucky food-wise - our hotel had a pretty good buffet breakfast. We filled up there before heading for ExCel. And that venue is pretty good with areas to hang out as well, though if you went outside you could only get back in through certain doors and you had to go through another security check.

 

Thanks for your clarifications! I too experienced the searches and they weren't that bad, just time consuming with the distance you had to walk to get to the far back entrance(in Orlando, remember when at the first con. you could go through the front door and were met by the Death Star?) unless you took the elevated walkway. It's so true that one gets so busy that you forget to eat! but I always try to eat something the morning, even if it's Star Bucks,(gotta have that coffee!) Orlando had lots of places on the way to the convention center to eat, mainly,as mentioned before, Denny's and convenience stores. Anaheim, unless you leave the con. area, have the hotels to shop at. I never leave the area. no time! so, like I did at the Star Trek 50th, I brought things from home! and supplemented it with local goodies. I also put the map offered for Orlando to good use, that was kind of the person who put it up.