We take a look back at SDCC prep. Originally posted Jul 20th 2014, check out ways to prep for SDCC
San Diego Comic-Con is this week and you should already be well prepared...unless your drunk. It's a daunting task that requires A LOT of preparation and scheduling but it's well worth it. For those who may need some help, here are 4 things to know BEFORE you leave for SDCC.
CHECK YO ITINERARY YO!!
I've heard the horror stories. People with Hotel accommodations booked MONTHS ahead of time, show up to SDCC only to find out their hotel has no reservation for them. This one should have been done weeks ago, but it's still not too late. Call or email your hotel to verify your reservations!! ALWAYS!! If you have an email reservation but the hotel doesn't have you in the books, they can work with you to straighten it out. Odds are they don't have any rooms left, but you could get lucky if it was 'their' mistake. If not, they can work with other hotels in the area to try and find you appropriate accommodations if any are available. I have seen rooms at the Bayfront and Marriott still available for $700+ a night, but if any hotel snafus should arise that are 100% your hotel's fault, they may be able to get you that $700 room for a 'SDCC block price'. Don't quote me on that, but I have heard of some getting treated very well before.
Same goes for your Airline. Check your flights. You're less likely to have a dropped reservation with the airline, but it's always good to verify you bought your tickets. I had a dream once that I bought airline tickets. when I woke up I "had" to buy airline tickets but for about 2 hours I thought I already did. Don't get old I guess is the morale of that story.
PLAN YOUR PANELS
Whether it's your first time or 13th time, you'll know just by looking at the SDCC PROGRAM SCHEDULE that theres hundreds and hundreds of options when it comes to panels.
Have a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C ahead of time. While usually your Plan A is good enough, there are times where you're shut out completely from what you want to see. Hall H can be treacherous (luckily this years "wristband" plan will let attendees know if they'll make it in or not) . Hall H has become iconic with waiting. Not only do thousands wait in line, but people rarely leave once inside. If you're under the tents at the start of the first panel of the day, odds are you'll be in that same spot hours later. Since they don't clear out Hall H after each Panel, people will get in line EARLY to sit through most of them to get to the good stuff. This leaves most sitting around not doing much of anything. Why waste your day on the lawn when there SO many other great options at Comic-con? My Plan A usually consists of Hall H, Plan B would be Ballroom 20 if anything good is going on, but since Ballroom 20 is most peoples Plan A, I'd be forced to resort to Plan C which are the lesser know panels scattered throughout the convention center. Check out a 'Star Wars Oragami' panel, the 'Goonies reunion' panel in the Indigo Ballroom, or 'Falling Skies'. Into Cosplay? theres several Cosplay/costuming panels during the convention. Theres also a great SDCC app for Android and iPhone/iPad. The app lists all the panels in the program guide and allows you to make your own schedule. It also has maps of where everything is.
PLAN YOUR NIGHTS
While you'd be perfectly fine playing it by ear for San Diego nightlife, you could also research restaurants in the area. Into a certain cuisine? Why walk around hoping to bump into it when you can know ahead of time what restaurants you'd like to dine in. Some even give discounts to badge holders. SDCC's official website has great resources to plan your dining options for each night. Here it lists all the restaurants in the Downtown area. You can find out right away whats close to your hotel (if you're staying downtown) or how far a great Thai place may be. Got some little rugrats in tow? Check out these kid friendly restaurants. Having a better idea of where you'll be eating at night, may help alleviate some of the stress of the day. There are also a TON of offsite events that happen at night. Check out the 'SDCC Unofficial Blog's' calendar of offsite events. You may be surprised at what's happening after the con.
Going to SDCC on a budget? Then don't listen to anything I just said. You know what you're doing and I should be taking advice from you. I'll be broke after SDCC.
PACK YOUR BAGS
I may just be anal, but I pack my bag the day before I leave, then I unpack it, then I pack it again. I do this so I know ahead of time what I forgot because I WILL forget something. You may be better at packing right before you leave, it's totally up to you. But make sure you've got everything. Shirts, underwear, bathing suit, socks, more underwear, shorts, pants, extra shoes just in case, sunscreen etc.. Knowing ahead of time what you need is better than rushing to remember what you need at the last minute.
Another thing you'll want to do is 'charge your electronics'. If you get to the con late, you may not have time, or may even forget, to charge your stuff once you're there. Make sure it's all charged before hand so you don't get screwed once you're there. This is especially important for those making long trips to SDCC. That long flight, car or bus ride, or even train could get boring if you forgot to charge your crap. Check out our previous post here for things you should bring. There may be an item you never even thought of bringing that could come in handy.
Now you know.........and.....
