CVII Is VIP worth it?

Just a quick question ahead of tonight's ticket sale. Was VIP worth it? Especially if you're going with friends who aren't all VIPs so won't always be able to make use of the priority seats.

Thanks!

 

Never mind, the Force was definitely not with me today!

Guess that means more money to put towards a costume instead!

 

I had the Jedi Knight badge and it was totally worth it. I didn't have to stand in any lines for the Celebration Stage and was in the 5th row for the JJ Abrams panel. I received a discount at the Store and admission Wednesday night to pick up all the items I wanted relatively easily. I was able to skip the autograph lines and get Ashley Eckstein, Mark Hamill and all four Rebels voice actor autographs by just walking up and getting them.

I also was able to get all the exclusives I wanted by getting in early and not standing in insanely long lines at Hallmark, Gentle Giant, and Hot Wheels.

It saved me so much time that I was able to use to accomplish everything on my to do list. All except the season 2 premiere of Rebels since there was no reserved seating for the Knights, just the Master badge holders.

I probably wouldn't do it again, but it made is such an awesome experience and my wife, FanForced, wouldn't have come with me otherwise since she's no fan of standing in hours-long lines.

 

Yeah - VIP tickets for London were gone when I checked this morning UK time.

 

It sucks there was only 200 available and no Jedi Knights, just Master. We'll probably find some on ebay as alot of people buy them to make money.
I'm glad I had a medical badge, traveling from New Zealand would of been a waste without it.

 

What was the VIP ticketing like for SWCA? Did they have Knights and Masters? How many of each? What was the difference? How fast did those sell out?

I definitely plan on getting a VIP ticket next time they're stateside. As amazing as it is to sit in line overnight and make so many new friends; waking up five hours before the con starts so I can get in line four hours early and finishing my coffee after twenty minutes, and still having to wait in an hour-long line to get into the store is something I want to avoid next time.

 

Thanks for the info everyone. I'll definitely try for VIP again in the future (really want to make it to Orlando or Anaheim one day).

torjoreyri - they had 200 Jedi Masters, no Jedi Knights and they sold out in about a minute (I was on the site from 7:30, refreshed constantly from 7:59, clicked the link as soon as it came up and they were still sold out by the time I got through the virtual queue). They said they cost £350 but they added VAT on top so the actual cost was £420.

And yeah, it was the stories about the terrible store queue and the hour long queues for autographs and some panels that made me want VIP this time. If the London store is anything like the Anaheim one was said to be (up to 4 hours to get in and check out) then I think I'll be missing it next year. Sure I might miss a few cool things but I'd rather see the panels and meet some of the cast than buy a t-shirt. Hopefully they'll have it sorted out.

 

I was in the same predicament as I would have gone VIP but know my friends wouldn't, therefore just went with the three day'er.

Shame there isn't a fan club like Hyperspace anymore, back at CE1 you could get straight in if you had a Hyperspace lanyard. Those were the days!

 

Those were the days indeed!

There's 6 of us going so think we'll be doing a lot of saving each other's place

 

They had both Knights and Masters for SWCA. There were 250 Knight badges and 50 Master badges that sold out within minutes. The listing on the StarWarsCelebration site is generally what the perks were for the Knights. http://www.starwarscelebration.com/Tickets/VIP-Tickets/.

 

I have been to five Celebrations, and what I have found is that when it is being held in the States, they include 250 Knights and 50 Masters. When they are overseas, such as Essen Germany and now London, they do away with the Knights and just have the 200 Masters.

Oh and the VIP passes are definitely worth it. I had the Knight the first year in Orlando, the Master the second year in Orlando, the Master in Essen and was fortunate enough to get a Master for London. It really can make a world of difference for your experience. I remember the first Celebration I attended was in Los Angeles (CIV) and of course had to get in the two mile long line and be there like four hours early; personal choice I know, but I like getting there as soon as the doors open. With the VIP passes, you can walk up 35 minutes before the doors open, because you get in 30 minutes before everyone else. Not to mention all the other benefits. You definitely have to be determined (and fairly lucky) to get one of these passes, but for me anyway, it is always worth it.

 

I'll buck the trend slightly, and say that it actually comes down to what you want for the convention. This is the first Celebration that I had just a regular pass (not a staff or exhibitor one) and I didn't have any issues. One of my friends used their VIP badge to get us good seats for Carrie's and Gareth's panels at the Celebration stage, but I got in irrespective and would have seen them no matter what. The store didn't concern me as there wasn't anything that interested me enough to want it (I could have just asked my friend to grab what I wanted, although frankly I liked what they did at CIV where the store was 24 hours) and I'm not a collector so the pins held no interest for me. Some of the meet and greet stuff would have been nice, but I've met most of the people now at previous Celebrations.

In terms of the lines for getting in, with the exception of standing in line from 7am on Sunday to ensure I would get into Gareth's panel, I just walked up around 10am each day and got inside in around 30-45 minutes. I was also staying at the Marriott next door so it was only a couple of extra minutes to duck up to the room if I needed to drop off/pick up anything so the VIP room would have been wasted.

 

What about other benefits than store?

 

These are all the benefits you normally get as a Master.

• Jedi Master VIP Badge with exclusive artwork (Allows for 3-Day access to the show)
• Exclusive Jedi Master VIP Star Wars Celebration Lanyard
• Reserved seating for all sessions on the Celebration Stage
• VIP-only meet & greet with Star Wars guest TBD
• Priority access to the Convention Center
• Private VIP Lounge (Including Coat Check, Bag Drop, Refreshments, and Concierge)
• Celebration Show Store Thursday Preview (Shop the Celebration Show Store on Thursday, a day before the public)
• Half Hour Early Access to Celebration Exhibition Hall
• Half Hour Early Access to the Celebration Show Store
• Fast Pass to skip the queue for up to six Autograph Hall celebrity signings (Price of autographs not included)
• Official Star Wars Celebration poster (rolled and complete with poster tube)
• Official Star Wars Celebration Commemorative Guide
• Original signed art print, created exclusively for Celebration Jedi Master VIPs
• Exclusive Jedi Master VIP T-Shirt

One thing the Master also had was a personal shopper. They would send Master's a list of everything that was going to be available in the Store and then you select what you want and pay for it and they would pick it up for you before Celebration even started. You would then pick up your items in the VIP Lounge, so in theory you would never even have to step foot into the actual store. Though it is inevitable that you decide there is something you want. I don't see this on this years list, but that might be the Concierge job. Or they did away with that this year when they started doing Celebrity Show Store Thursday previews. It was still available in Germany. So unsure on this point.

When the Knights are available, you get a lot of the same perks, however:

• You don't get the meet and greet
• You only get reserved seating for the Celebration Stage and not the Virtual Stage
• You get a Fast Pass for three Autograph Hall celebrity signings instead of six
• You receive a Jedi Knight shirt instead of a Master
• Don't get the signed print (as that is done at the meet and greet)
• No personal shopper (if they are still doing that.)
• Maybe others, but it has been a while since I did the Knight route.

Also, both Knights and Masters usually have their own checkout in the Store as well. Which is nice once the lines get huge.