DragonCon 2012!

[eloquentXI]

...because its never too early to start counting down til we all make the trek back to the ATL.

239 days!

Cap'nFaye and I already have a room booked. Any other RFers gonna make it out this year?

[Captain Teague]

All five host hotels are sold out. Been told to book it a year ahead which is hard for us. Looks like a maybe next year again scenario. 

It's on my bucket list. 

[Auryn]

Well I started calling hotels a week after we got home from D*con
was told not to bother them until October 1st
started calling in October and told the paperwork wasnt ready yet.
When I called in November, all the special rates rooms were already sold out- needless to say I was very ticketed off.

I called the same hotel that we stayed at last year- they increased the rates of the rooms over $60/night for that weekend.
At this rate we probably won't be going simply due to the cost of the hotel stay.

It sucks cause I really loved it and I was already working on my Mord Sith costume and reworking my cheetara costume.
I guess we will just have to keep saving and go next year.

[Auryn]

Forgot to add
really wanted to go this year since R.A. Salvatore is going to be there- one of our all time favorite authors.

[Aiacha]

I may be part of the MechCorps crew this year.  With MechaCon the next weekend, a plan of action needs to be formed.

[eloquentXI]

LD and Auryn, keep an eye out. People start dropping rooms and they open some right before Con. There is also the roomswap thingy on LJ that you can keep an eye out for rooms on. It's pretty backed up because of how many people couldn't get through the passkey this year, but given a couple more months...who knows.

Every year, they have a date whenever they open up rooms for reservations and it turns into a massive landgrab. There were unbelievable problems with the Passkey system this year, and even with that, the Hyatt was sold out within two-three hours of it being open.

[eloquentXI]

Oh and Aiacha, it would be amazing if you could make it but that's a toughy, doing back to back weekends of Cons like that.

235 days!

[Captain Teague]

Not enough coffee yet today....what is LJ?

[eloquentXI]

Not enough coffee yet today....what is LJ?

Livejournal. Hang on, I'll link you to the community. It is really backed up right now but this is another place to check to see if any rooms open up.

http://dragonconrooms.livejournal.com/

[Auryn]

Well as of today- meaning unless we win the lotto-
we won't be going to D*Con this year.

Just can't swing the $700 for hotel room alone.

[SirRichardBear]

Not sure about going but thinking that maybe camping would be a better way to go there are lots of camp grounds around Atlanda and I could work in some hiking in the mountains at the same week.

[Stalkwell]

Of course the good Lady Stalkwell and I will be there.  we got booked in at the Mariott.  Friends of ours got S@#$!^'d trying to get in at the Hyatt.  The situation is BAD for getting rooms, more than enough to walk away from D*C entirely just for that reason.  You have about 2 hours after the booking starts to get the reservations made.  The problem is the host hotels don't seem to care if 'you' get booked, since 'someone else' will fill the room anyway.  We have been lied to, mis-directed, and generally abused as patrons wanting rooms at the big 3 host hotels for 3 or 4 years now.  This year was no exception... but we got in.

D*C is too big to be fun any more... you have to put up too much of a fight for everything.  I long for the good old days...

Stalk well...

[eloquentXI]

Of course the good Lady Stalkwell and I will be there.  we got booked in at the Mariott.  Friends of ours got S@#$!^'d trying to get in at the Hyatt.  The situation is BAD for getting rooms, more than enough to walk away from D*C entirely just for that reason.  You have about 2 hours after the booking starts to get the reservations made.  The problem is the host hotels don't seem to care if 'you' get booked, since 'someone else' will fill the room anyway.  We have been lied to, mis-directed, and generally abused as patrons wanting rooms at the big 3 host hotels for 3 or 4 years now.  This year was no exception... but we got in.

D*C is too big to be fun any more... you have to put up too much of a fight for everything.  I long for the good old days...

Stalk well...

I have heard nothing but horror stories with all the Passkey nonsense. It's horrible and I don't understand why the hotels don't do something to change it.

I am glad that you will be coming back for another year though. <3

[Captain Teague]

Well as of today- meaning unless we win the lotto-
we won't be going to D*Con this year.

Just can't swing the $700 for hotel room alone.

Seriously, 700 for a room?

[Auryn]

yup-$700 for 4 nights at the holiday inn that is like 4 blocks away from anything- doesnt even inlcude breakfast-
oh plus $25/day for "parking"

[LadyStitch]

Seriously, 700 for a room?

With prices like that it doesn't surprise me that patrons try to cram as many people into rooms as possible.
My friends from NZ were thinking of coming over to complete in some of the cosplay contests, but after seeing room prices they freaked. They were use to the hotels in NZ where they could get back packers hotel where all you got was a trunk to store your stuff, a bunk, and a key to use the shared shower for $50 NZD/$39 USD a night. Heck a shoe box size private twin bed room in one of those was $80 NZD/$64USD.
As much as they would love to go, dropping a months worth of rent for 3 days at a hotel, stopped their planning in it's tracks.

[Auryn]

Lady Stitch, thats pretty much how we made our decision also.
We just couldn't justify it.

And honestly as much as I loved it, I was a bit dissapointed at how "main stream" the crowd was.
There was no control of who came and went
At times I felt like I wasted money spending all that money for a full weekend pass- noone ever checked- except for some of the night time events-but not all

[Captain Teague]

That stopped me in my tracks as well. Just my view, but NO event is worth that kind of price just for lodging. Not when I consider we could attend two Faires for about that cost or that we could book a 4 day cruise for two (meals included ) for that same amount. Maybe next year I will look into someplace a good ways away and we can taxicab back and forth. Likely still be cheaper.

[Aiacha]

Oh and Aiacha, it would be amazing if you could make it but that's a toughy, doing back to back weekends of Cons like that.

235 days!

They did it last year, with Mechacon first then DragonCon.  The hard part is either you drive with the pods, which is nearly 2 weeks of travel and con, or you 1) fly to and from DragonCon then 2) drive to and from Mechacon.  The big deciding factor this year may be the job, since I have zero idea where I'll be in August/September.

[eloquentXI]

700 for a room? That's pretty stiff. Is that one bed, two beds, etc?

But then again...I'm looking at about $300 for the entire weekend for my part for the room I'm say. There will be four or five of us in our room and from Thurs-Mon(Tues, possibly), we're looking at around a grand. That isn't including breakfast or parking. When split up, its reasonable.

I dunno...I'm gonna be saving all year for this so...it's not out of the question. Not easy to manage, but possible.

[eloquentXI]

164 days!!!

[Captain Teague]

Well, keep your fingers crossed, we met some folks whose mother lives nearby and they said we can all stay there instead of a hotel. IF they can afford the rest of the expenses.


But what will I WEAR? 

[eloquentXI]

63 days!!! Any other RFers gonna be at DC this year??

[eloquentXI]

20 daysssss!!!! Guess nobody from the forums is gonna be there besides me??

[midnightferret]

Elo, I know you're going to have a blast - I wanted to go for my birthday, but even though we're in Savannah now we can't do it this year. I was thinking maybe next year, but I also want to go to Pennsic next year, so I have to choose unless there is some sort of "Fairy Godmother of Business" who visits us and magically makes everything pick up to three times what we're doing and what we expect. Hehehe.

[eloquentXI]

Elo, I know you're going to have a blast - I wanted to go for my birthday, but even though we're in Savannah now we can't do it this year. I was thinking maybe next year, but I also want to go to Pennsic next year, so I have to choose unless there is some sort of "Fairy Godmother of Business" who visits us and magically makes everything pick up to three times what we're doing and what we expect. Hehehe.

Well, eventually, you've GOTTA make it! It's amazing!

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!!!!