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Posted 02 September 2009 - 08:10 AM
"How much should I save for ACen?"
(mostly) updated for 2011!
Now that the room block and pre-registration is open, this question is going to pop up a lot. The truth is, there's really no set-in-stone answer to this question--it mostly depends on how you prepare for potential expenses, how you handle spending money at con, whether or not you decide to join staff, and where/whether you get a hotel.
Granted, you can probably save a ton of cash if you volunteer to be on staff because some of them get free rooms, food, and badges and what not, but this advice is for those who are paying for everything more than it is for those who staff or gofer. Also, this advice is mainly based on my own personal habits and experience, and is only valid for this year (because prices can change every year; I'll try to come back and make updates every year
). However, I'd appreciate input from experienced others if I leave any important tips out.*Weekend Badge
$45 if you pre-register and pay on the website during the first tier, $35 if you pre-register and pay at the Road Show tour, $50 if you pre-register and pay in time for the second tier, $55 for the last tier, and $55 for Will Call/At-Con. If you want your badge mailed, add $2 to any of those prices except Will Call/At-Con. Registration tier rates and dates are here.
(Thanks to Oreo Otaku for correcting me about the tiers!)
The "and pay" part is important (which is why I keep mentioning it). Even if you pre-register today, if you don't pay until the last tier you'll have to pay the last tier price. If you pre-reg but don't pay at all, you'll have to pay the Will Call/At-Con price when you pick up your badge.
TIP: If you have 10 or more friends coming with you and one of you is responsible enough to handle dealing out the badges, there is a group discount available.
*Hotel
A king or double standard room is $560 for 3 nights (Thursday-Sunday) at the Hyatt for 1 to 4 people^ (this cost includes the 13% tax and hotel fees). For 2 nights it's $373 for 1 to 4 people^. I have only ever stayed at the Hyatt, so I can't advise you on the other hotels in the area.
It's good to know that when you book your room (at least at the Hyatt), there is nothing you have to pay at that moment. You can also cancel your reservation for no charge if you decide to go with another hotel or not to go at all, as long as you do it before April 20, 2010. There is a lovely Hotel FAQ now--you should have a visit.
IMPORTANT!!--Remember to have $187 (the equivalent of one night + 13% taxes and fees) in your credit/debit card account ready to be deducted at least a month before the convention! That's when your non-refundable deposit fee kicks in (Hyatt actually charges two weeks before, but a month should keep you covered) . Also remember that this deposit goes towards your room total, so after it's deducted one day of your stay is already paid in full. However, if you cancel your reservation after the deposit is deducted, you don't get it back.
TIP: It is highly advisable to get roommates (that you preferably get along with and trust) to divide the room cost. 50-75% savings on $370+ is a pretty sweet deal. Additionally, make sure you collect their part of the fees before you hand out the keys.
If you're worried about beds, Saphrinka has good advice on accommodating extra people:
Saphrinka, on Sep 2 2009, 07:22 PM, said:
Also, just a tip on rooming stuff: rollaway beds are a real nice commodity if you can get them. They are especially handy if you have a group, and there are more people who want or need to sleep in an actual bed than available bedspace can accommodate. That being said, though, if you want to save as much money as you can, as rollaways can add up in costs, find out if your buddies can stand to camp on the floor if need be.
NOTE--Rooms with double beds are not eligible for rollaways. Please contact the hotel to find out whether there are any additional charges for the rollaways.
Additionally, you may want to consider including tips in room costs, especially for the folks who lugged all your stuff to your room. And despite what it may look like, it wasn't a ninja who sneaked in and made up your bed so nicely while you were at that early-morning panel or photoshoot!
Oreo_Otaku, on 01 November 2010 - 03:53 AM, said:
I know this is common courtesy for service based goods like restaurants, but don't forget to tip the bellhop and house keeping. They're working for you to earn a living.
Guideline: http://hotels.about....a/tipping_2.htm
Guideline: http://hotels.about....a/tipping_2.htm
*Food
This is the biggest section, because people tend to forget to eat and stay hydrated while at conventions due to all the excitement and running around, and sometimes food is a challenge to find.
$20-25 a day ought to work as a food budget, depending on how much you eat and how often you eat out. Eating at McDonald's may make it cheaper, eating at Denny's, Steak and Shake, IHOP, or the hotel restaurant will likely make it more, especially the hotel. I had breakfast there once, and it cost me $22 easy.
(A recommendation from sisterdiscord for saving money on restaurants:)
sisterdiscord, on Sep 2 2009, 06:01 PM, said:
If you want to plan a bit in advance and eat on the cheap(er) at local restaurants, check out http://www.restaurant.com/. You can pre-buy gift certificates for lots of local restaurants, and buy them at a discount. Now--make sure if you do this, that you read the fine print--some aren't valid weekends, or have a minimum purchase, but if you play it right, bring a friend, and pay together it can make a GOOD meal well within reach. I try to do this when I come to town, it lets me explore the local flavor without breaking the bank.
Here's an example:
I just went there and punched in the 60018 zip---and there's a cert for Gibsons:
$25 gift card for $10, Valid with a minimum purchase of $50. Dine in only. Dinner only. 18% gratuity added before discount. Valid at Rosemont location only.
Lots of terms and such, but it could save you fifteen bucks. There's also a $25 card for O'h, and one for the ex-Sofitel, either is ten bucks with minimum purchase of $35.
Here's an example:
I just went there and punched in the 60018 zip---and there's a cert for Gibsons:
$25 gift card for $10, Valid with a minimum purchase of $50. Dine in only. Dinner only. 18% gratuity added before discount. Valid at Rosemont location only.
Lots of terms and such, but it could save you fifteen bucks. There's also a $25 card for O'h, and one for the ex-Sofitel, either is ten bucks with minimum purchase of $35.
If you don't want to leave the convention area, there's food to be found on-site as well. KnitChick suggests visiting the Expoteria while at ACen:
KnitChick (paraphrased), on Sep 2 2009, 11:40 PM, said:
If you want reasonable decent food without a ton of walking, the Expoteria in the convention center is a good pick. The food is edible, and reasonably priced. I usually spend no more than $10 there for food, burger and drink or the daily special. It's easily accessible from the hamster trails or from the garden.
Of course you could bring your own food and drink, but remember there's no microwave in the rooms at the Hyatt (as far as I can remember). If you really need to have a microwave oven, they are available in the rooms at the Embassy. There are also ice machines if you want to bring a cooler, and a coffee maker for cup ramen and other "add hot water" foods. I think some rooms actually have usable mini-fridges now as well (along with the infamous "no-touch" fridge?)--mine had one before, but I didn't notice it until that Sunday. I was a sad kitty thinking about all the icy-cold Pepsi I could've had...
(Thanks to Hikari189 for the info about the Embassy!)
TIP: If you have two mini-fridges and are not sure which one is the "no-touch" fridge, the safe-to-use one is usually the smaller of the two. According to Saphrinka, you can even ask to get the "no-touch" fridge removed from the room:
Saphrinka, on Sep 2 2009, 07:22 PM, said:
If you can, ask the hotel if they can have it removed or switched with a normal fridge. The last thing anyone wants is someone accidentally bumping the sensors, or worse, a friend of a friend whom you don't know wandering in and touching the stuff. We had the fridges switched out last year, and the year before, but the years before that, we told people not to go near the fridge on pain of death.
Dealer's Hall/Artist's Alley
I usually set aside about $150-200 in cash for buying sketch commissions, manga, plushies, swords, anime, ACen swag, and whatever, but that's me (I don't always spend that much, but it's nice to have).
Hikari189's tip for Dealer Hall shopping:
Hikari189, on Sep 3 2009, 09:32 AM, said:
When I see something I want in the Exhibit Hall and I think that I can find it cheaper online I go back to my hotel room that night and check. If I find it cheaper then I don't buy it, if it's about the same I usually by it at the con just to avoid shipping and handling charges. Of course, you have to have internet in your room to do this.
If you have the time, price comparison shopping can save you money as well. There are likely to be vendors that sell the same items at multiple booths:
Hikari189, on Sep 4 2009, 09:57 PM, said:
If you see something you want you should make sure to check out every booth to see if it's cheaper somewhere else. If you do find it somewhere else go to one of the other vendors who's selling it and mention it to them and see if they'll drop the price. I once managed to get a figure I wanted dropped from $25 to $15 just by looking around and managing to find a vendor who didn't want to lose business.
You are not obligated to shop in the dealer's hall, but it's a good idea to have cash because if you do happen to go in there and spot an irresistible deal or something you just gotta have, you'll probably kick yourself for not bringing any money at all.
TIP: If you're good at haggling, you can try to talk some of the dealers down on their prices. It's easiest to do this on Sunday, but be warned that things also sell out pretty quickly over Friday and Saturday.
Transportation
Remember to factor in gas and possible tolls for driving (if you drive), chipping in for gas and possible tolls (if you're carpooling), or train/plane/bus fare (there and back).
TIP: Planes, trains, and buses usually give a nice discount if you purchase the tickets early.
Here's a suggestion from Saphrinka on at-con transportation:
Saphrinka)(paraphrased said:
If you find yourself wanting to go to, say, Denny's or McDonald's but you're too achy, tired or lazy to walk all the way there, there are taxis that you can take to and from the Hyatt. I can't remember what the fares were for that, but if you plan on doing something of this nature at the con, be sure to bring some extra cash for the cab fares. And remember to tip the cabbies!
Some info I pulled up on average cab fares for Chicago:
cityofchicago.org said:
The passenger is required to pay the amount on the taximeter plus any additional tolls or fees. The initial entry, sometimes called a "meter drop" or "flag pull", is $2.25 regardless of distance traveled.
Each additional fraction of a mile charge is $.20 for each additional 1/9 of a mile. Additionally, each 36 seconds of time elapsed, known as "wait time", is $.20. This charge is in place to ensure the driver still makes money if the cab is stuck in bad traffic.
There is a flat fee of $1.00 for the first additional passenger and another $.50 for each additional passenger after that unless the passenger is under 12 or over 65 years of age.
Each additional fraction of a mile charge is $.20 for each additional 1/9 of a mile. Additionally, each 36 seconds of time elapsed, known as "wait time", is $.20. This charge is in place to ensure the driver still makes money if the cab is stuck in bad traffic.
There is a flat fee of $1.00 for the first additional passenger and another $.50 for each additional passenger after that unless the passenger is under 12 or over 65 years of age.
Parking
This depends on where you park. The garage across the street from the convention center was $14 per entry last year (correct me if I'm wrong, as I didn't use it last year), but it's likely to be more this year. You take a ticket and park there over the whole weekend for $42 (or one entry fee per day times the total number of days you parked) if you don't leave the garage. Of course, you have to pay every time you re-enter, so if you leave and come back it will cost more.
The Hyatt parking lot this year is $16 a day (if you stay at the hotel) and you get exit privileges. You take a ticket, but remember to keep it in a secure place in your car or take it with you, because when you exit you have to use that ticket to punch at the gate when you leave and come back. There is a penalty if you lose your ticket; I forgot how much, but it's steep.
You'll have to check with the other hotels about their parking fees and privileges.
(Credit for this info goes to: SongstressLenne, magishine)
Other Stuff
Things like throwing a room party may take a bit of extra cash, or sometimes you and your friends may want to go out before/after the con and do non-convention things (like Mitsuwa Marketplace or the mall). If you have other things planned, make sure you plan for that cost as well.
Wi-fi service (T-Mobile) is available in the Hyatt, but it's a pay service. One day of internet service will cost $10-13, which is either billable to your room (meaning that it is added to your bill before you check out), or immediately charged to your credit/debit card account. Unless you have frequent need to access the internet while at the convention, it's kind of a waste.
(Thanks to Hikari189 for the reminder about wifi service!)
For those of you who wonder about finding ATM's Suigetsu suggests:
Suigetsu (paraphrased), on Sep 2 2009, 09:54 PM, said:
If you are thinking cash, bring it beforehand. There is a cash machine, but it tends to run out early Friday. Many dealers do, in fact, take a credit card, but there might be an extra charge depending on the dealer.
So that's it, I think. If I forgot something, please chime in and I'll add it to the first post so people won't have to read the entire thread to find it. I'll give you credit for your advice unless it's something I already said or if it is off-topic. (Remember, this thread is about how much to save for ACen--not Con Survival 101 or Convention Packing List!).
Also, remember that you don't always have to pay everything all at once, like pre-registration, buying plane/bus/train fare, and of course when the hotel deposit kicks in a month to two weeks before con.
These numbers (while not exact) should be pretty useful in helping you budget for next year at ACen, and if you start now there should be plenty of time to save up. ::hint fastball!:: When in doubt, round up to the nearest $5 or $10--you'll appreciate the extra few dollars, believe me!
*Items marked with an asterisk may not apply if you join staff or gofer for the convention.
? "no-touch" fridge--the infamous fridge at the Hyatt that contains highly overpriced pay-for-consumption items. The fridge has sensors which are a bit touchy and sometimes even opening or bumping the fridge will cause the indicator to go off, and the front desk will charge your bill as if you consumed an item. If you can prove the item was not used you can get the charge removed, but it's really a bother.
^ Fire code limits max occupancy for a standard king or double hotel room to four people, and will only issue four keys max. If you cram more than that into a room and they catch you, they do reserve the right to eject all occupants. (Just sayin'...)
MultiQuote
I budget to regulate my spending moreso than to be able to afford it. I could so easily blow $300 in the Dealer's Hall alone if I don't watch myself. It's the main reason why I don't bring a pull-cart (or my main debit card) in there.
They'll think I have a fake ID.
