So you've made it to the Con-hooray! As a parent, there's things you'll need be aware that your average, single Con attendee won't have to worry about. But don't fret, you too can have fun at SDCC, you just may need to get creative at times.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
The Exhibit Hall
If you are a first time attendee, know that the exhibit hall is HUGE and mobbed with people, pretty much every day you are there. Saturday is the busiest day, and Sunday is Kids day, so Sunday may be your best bet. Plus many vendors discount their prices on Sunday, so you may be able to pick something up here for your child for a lower price. If you can avoid the stroller, do so. However, obviously, if you have a wee one, the stroller will be necessary-I think they frown upon you putting them in your swag bag. :)
Because there is so much activity, and so many people, prepare your child ahead of time. My daughter is ok with crowds, but even she was taken aback at how crazy it was. For younger ones, this may be one of this instances that the kid leash is an option, even if it is just to keep you tethered to one another in the crowd.
Devise a strategy BEFORE Comic Con of what you will do if you do get separated. I told my daughter to go to the nearest booth, tell the person running the booth she was separated from her parent, and stay put until we found her. Wandering around trying to find you is NOT a good strategy. If your child has a cell phone, this is a good time to use it. And if he or she doesn't it, this is one of those times when it is not bad to have one of the pre-paid ones in case you get lost.
Bring snacks and a water bottle. You can always sit outside the convention center or in the hall and take a break, and this is a way to share a little down time and strategize about what you are going to do next.
Panels and Signings
The schedule for panels comes out about two weeks prior to the start of the convention. If you are like me, you have been obsessively keeping up with releases from the other blogs about who's coming when. When you get the final schedule, there will be lots of times when panels you want to go to, and panels your child want to go to either double up, or don't match up completely. NEGOTIATE AHEAD OF TIME what you want to do, and have a back up plan if the first panel fills up.
Do not underestimate the power of children's panels, and keep in mind the panels that follow the one you are trying to attend. For example, if you want to attend a panel for a new animated series, but the next panel scheduled for the room is for a famous television show, you will have to compete for seats with people who want to attend either of those sessions, since they don't force you to leave the room when the panel is over.
Decide in advance if you want to attend a signing or a panel for the event you are looking at. Often times super fans will skip the panel and line up for a signing that takes plans hours later, so if you child really really really wants to meet the guy who plays Spongebob, you need to get in line early on.
Remind your child that a lot of Comic Con is really Line a Con. While you are waiting, encourage them to look at other costumes, plan out other activities, and if you have more than one adult in your group, switch out like its a Disney ride. The less time your child has to stand in line, the better.
Feel free to share your thoughts and tips with us here!
Next time-Costumes and Offsite Events
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
First Look at The Adventures of Tintin Collectible
Coming this December is Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin, which has been confirmed to be at this year's con. The first collectibles are out for the movie, and you can check them out here.
If you aren't familiar with The Adventures of Tintin, from what I know, it is an adventure comic book from the 1950's, probably most appropriate for middle school audiences.
You can learn more about the comic books that started it all here, the movie here, and the collectibles here.
Thanks to @SDatLarge for this information!
If you aren't familiar with The Adventures of Tintin, from what I know, it is an adventure comic book from the 1950's, probably most appropriate for middle school audiences.
You can learn more about the comic books that started it all here, the movie here, and the collectibles here.
Thanks to @SDatLarge for this information!
SDCC for New Kids-Part 1-Getting There and Staying There
For families that have been to Comic Con before, this is old news. For new families, we’ll try to cover some of the experiences/activities/challenges we faced as a family during our first year, and tips to make your life easier. If you have other tips, or things that worked for you, please feel free to share them in the comments section!
So you’ve decided to spend your family vacation at SDCC! Whoo! 4-5 days of fun packed into a convention center with 125,000 other excited, exhausted people by the last day. What have you gotten yourself into…
A lot of fun, actually. But a different experience than a group of adults has. So read on as we cover in this first segment getting to the convention, as well as pointers on where to stay once you arrive in San Diego.
Please note-this post assumes you've read over the Comic Con official website in at least enough detail that you know you're registered for the convention and are attending. If you are totally unfamiliar with SDCC, please check it out here before proceeding.
Getting to the Convention
If you are local to the area (or even if you're not-if you aren't renting a car), take advantage of the numerous public transportation venues San Diego has to get to the convention center-the trolley system, buses, even Metrolink or Amtrak from further north. But recognize that your child may be squished in with a million other people in the morning and afternoon on the days of the convention, so prepare for that.
If you are flying in, remember the time changes and how it will affect your child. Don’t expect to arrive on Wednesday in the afternoon from the East Coast and happily stand in line for your registration materials that evening without your child asleep on your arm standing up (trust me on this). This line moves remarkably fast for the number of people they process, but it is still exhausting to a child whose body thinks it is 3 hours later than it actually is. If you are traveling across several time zones and want to pick up your registration materials Wednesday night, plan on arriving to San Diego mid day Wednesday, get in a nap, and then go out.
Bring lots of entertainment for the plane and any layovers you might have. Books, a portable DVD player, iPod, art materials, and a small pillow for naps are always good.
While some people do not recommend driving to the convention, I did not have any problem with this last year. I think the key to this is pre-paying for parking at one of the garages close to the convention center, or the convention center garage, and mapping out your route the night before. We rented a car, prepaid for parking at the Hilton Garage (which is near the line up for Hall H), and mapped out the route from our hotel on the GPS. There was a little traffic coming into the city in the morning, but nothing unmanageable. You can pre-pay for parking on the Comic Con website. Plus having the car there was great for when we wanted to stash our stuff during the day.
Staying in San Diego
You can avoid some transportation woes downtown by staying in a downtown hotel. However, at this point, if you don’t have a room booked, it is very, very, very unlikely you will get one in that area. Look for hotel rooms within 10 miles of downtown on the shuttle line (Comic Con offers a shuttle service to various hotels), or on the trolley lines. These hotels are often less expensive and more family friendly, since they are near larger chain restaurants and activities.
When you research hotels, look for ones with a pool or other kid friendly activities. Although you may want to go all day and get your money’s worth, the kids may also need an afternoon to just relax and recharge, and you will be glad you have somewhere to take them.
The Weather
San Diego is BEAUTIFUL, with low humidity but surprisingly a little chilly and windy in the evening. Bring a small jacket with you (yes, you might actually need it even surrounded by that many people) for the different weather changes.
Let us know what other questions you have, or other tips you can share!
So you’ve decided to spend your family vacation at SDCC! Whoo! 4-5 days of fun packed into a convention center with 125,000 other excited, exhausted people by the last day. What have you gotten yourself into…
A lot of fun, actually. But a different experience than a group of adults has. So read on as we cover in this first segment getting to the convention, as well as pointers on where to stay once you arrive in San Diego.
Please note-this post assumes you've read over the Comic Con official website in at least enough detail that you know you're registered for the convention and are attending. If you are totally unfamiliar with SDCC, please check it out here before proceeding.
Getting to the Convention
If you are local to the area (or even if you're not-if you aren't renting a car), take advantage of the numerous public transportation venues San Diego has to get to the convention center-the trolley system, buses, even Metrolink or Amtrak from further north. But recognize that your child may be squished in with a million other people in the morning and afternoon on the days of the convention, so prepare for that.
If you are flying in, remember the time changes and how it will affect your child. Don’t expect to arrive on Wednesday in the afternoon from the East Coast and happily stand in line for your registration materials that evening without your child asleep on your arm standing up (trust me on this). This line moves remarkably fast for the number of people they process, but it is still exhausting to a child whose body thinks it is 3 hours later than it actually is. If you are traveling across several time zones and want to pick up your registration materials Wednesday night, plan on arriving to San Diego mid day Wednesday, get in a nap, and then go out.
Bring lots of entertainment for the plane and any layovers you might have. Books, a portable DVD player, iPod, art materials, and a small pillow for naps are always good.
While some people do not recommend driving to the convention, I did not have any problem with this last year. I think the key to this is pre-paying for parking at one of the garages close to the convention center, or the convention center garage, and mapping out your route the night before. We rented a car, prepaid for parking at the Hilton Garage (which is near the line up for Hall H), and mapped out the route from our hotel on the GPS. There was a little traffic coming into the city in the morning, but nothing unmanageable. You can pre-pay for parking on the Comic Con website. Plus having the car there was great for when we wanted to stash our stuff during the day.
Staying in San Diego
You can avoid some transportation woes downtown by staying in a downtown hotel. However, at this point, if you don’t have a room booked, it is very, very, very unlikely you will get one in that area. Look for hotel rooms within 10 miles of downtown on the shuttle line (Comic Con offers a shuttle service to various hotels), or on the trolley lines. These hotels are often less expensive and more family friendly, since they are near larger chain restaurants and activities.
When you research hotels, look for ones with a pool or other kid friendly activities. Although you may want to go all day and get your money’s worth, the kids may also need an afternoon to just relax and recharge, and you will be glad you have somewhere to take them.
The Weather
San Diego is BEAUTIFUL, with low humidity but surprisingly a little chilly and windy in the evening. Bring a small jacket with you (yes, you might actually need it even surrounded by that many people) for the different weather changes.
Let us know what other questions you have, or other tips you can share!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Why We're Here
As a first time attendee to SDCC last year, and as a parent, I was excited, but also apprehensive about taking my 11 year old to a convention with 125,000 other people in a city 3000 miles from home. I research everything like crazy, so I was surprised to find little if nothing about activities, events, and programs targeted specifically to kids at the con. Yes, Sunday is designated as Kids Day, but what's there to do if you need a break from the convention center on Friday when the crowds get too overwhelming? Where can you find the best ice cream to console your child when you don't get into the panel for their favorite animated series? And how do you make sure you get into that panel in the first place?
This blog will hopefully answer some of those questions and more. We don't claim to be the experts, but as previous attendees, we want to share what we learned so that other families can have a great time as well.
So if you know of activities, offsite events, tips and comments, please feel free to share them-the more the better! And most importantly, we hope you have a great time at SDCC!
This blog will hopefully answer some of those questions and more. We don't claim to be the experts, but as previous attendees, we want to share what we learned so that other families can have a great time as well.
So if you know of activities, offsite events, tips and comments, please feel free to share them-the more the better! And most importantly, we hope you have a great time at SDCC!
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