QUACK!
I'd love to go quackers next year.
I'd love to go quackers next year.
I'll bring some soup for your quackers.
I'd love to go quackers next year.I'll bring some soup for your quackers.
Duck soup?
Duck soup?I'd love to go quackers next year.I'll bring some soup for your quackers.
Wabbit Soup!
...apparently, you can't book a hotel for GenCon without registering for some goofy deal via the City of Indianapolis...
This is a myth. While you might need to do this to get in at a few specific hotels, there are many downtown hotels only a block or two away that you can book even up to the last week or day. They might be blocked out now but in each of the last three years, I found many rooms available in July and early August.
This year I even saw connected hotels with available rooms only a few days before Gencon started.
The connected hotels are going to be around $400 a night, a few blocks away should be around $200, after taxes and all.
QUACK!
We set the dates today for Paizocon III. I assume that Josh will be making a blog post once he has all his ducks in a row. I'm really looking forward to it!
-Lisa
I never knew that smurfs, er, I mean ducks could take so long to get in a row! Stupid quackers!
...
GenCon and DragonCon are the other two conventions that come to mind. GenCon is an obvious draw, as we're all gamers, but DragonCon has a massively impressive guest-list, and to be perfectly honest, seems like there's more to do there...
So, my question goes out to you fine folks who have attended GenCon or DragonCon in the past:
What did it cost you? What was your breakdown, as far as expenses and what not?
This is going a few years back now, as I haven't been able to afford a trip out to a con that wasn't within driving distance lately ... but last trip to Dragon*Con was back in 2000. We shared rooms with friends, so divvied up the cost of the hotel, and that helped as always, since it worked out to around one night per person. My memory is faulty, but I'm pretty sure we stayed in the Days Inn (the one that has a Wendy's in the lobby). Good sized beds, and easy walking distance of all the venues. In fact for three of the four Dragon*Cons I attended we stayed in this hotel.
One year we did stay in the main hotel, but did not find the service to be that much better, though the rooms were prettier :) We had a special deal that year that one of the group of friends arranged, so that we saved on the cost and made it comparable with the Days Inn, and we actually had to walk farther to get to some of the stuff we wanted to do ::chuckle::
My expenses always included air fare, but for staying there:
Hotel approx: $120 per night, arrive red-eye Thursday morning, around dawn in Atlanta, and take the shuttle to the hotel. Leave Monday morning, so if sharing a room with at least four friends, $120 for room.
Food: I budgeted around $200 for food ($10 for breakfast and lunch, $20 for dinner) and didn't go much over that. We ate a lot of Wendy's because of the convienance, though we did branch out to other locations, and had fun for dinners trying a different place each day.
Didn't need any money's for transport, except to and from the airport via the shuttle ... I think that was $25 at each end (Atlanta round trip and then Los Angeles or San Diego round trip) per person.
Dealer Room ... WAY too much LOL! Always had a budget, always went over it. But I'd bring Traveler's Checks, use those first, and then pull out the ATM/Credit Card :)
Our goal is to bring about $500-$600/each for spending money (books, etc.) and $300/each for meals/drinks/whatever. Rounding up, make it an easy $1K.
What did you pay for hotels? If you took advantage of the VIG program, how did that help?
On the note of the VIG, were there any limitations for companion badge holders that bothered you?
For DragonCon, what hotel ends up being "the best"? It appears that the con is held across multiple hotels?
Any special things to note for this?
THANK YOU!
I loved every trip I made to Dragon*Con, and if I can budget it in again, I will return. I've spoken with Anne McCaffrey, seen John Rhys Davies talking about the Lord of the Rings (before it came out), been hugged by Walter Koenig, sang with Leslie Fish, gotten books signed by Laurell K. Hamilton, and had the time of my life. Only gaming I did was what friends twisted my arm into doing, as there was simply too much to see and do to "lose" four hours in a game.
If you enjoy good music, and don't mind not sleeping, definitely check out the Filk at night. Starts around 11pm and goes until the last person falls asleep!
Thanks for all the info everyone!