Answers to common SDCC questions

21 JULY 2024


It's that time of year when questions about San Diego Comic-Con reach fever pitch. It's hard to anticipate what might confuse you when you arrive, so here are a few answers to some common questions.

Can I cancel my badge or hotel?

Not entirely. If you have a really good excuse (say, medical) you can contact CCI and plead for mercy. But the refund deadline passed a while ago.

If you booked your hotel on your own, it's a matter of whether it's refundable or not. If you went through the CCI hotel sale, you've already paid 2 nights and that deposit isn't coming back. However - right now at this moment - you can probably still cancel the other 2 nights.


When do I get in line?

The ultimate Comic-Con question. Here's my unsatisfying answer: it depends. Don't just assume you can play it safe by lining up days in advance - people have tried this and been forced to disperse, or staff have started an official line elsewhere and those people have had to join the end of that line. 

If you're trying to get in Hall H, pay attention to the wristband rules and ask yourself how important it is to you to sit up front. Hall H is huge. Your best bet is to work with a group (lots of them spring up right now) and pay attention to the Hall H line twitter account. I can tell you that I know groups who are planning on lining up in the morning, as soon as Hall H is filled, for the following day's Hall H panels. In other words, they'll have about a 24 hour wait, though they'll work in shifts.

Sometimes Hall H will clear out during the day hours and you can get in, especially for the night. But not always. I've seen a lot of people insist that Friday's 5:15 pm Alien panel will be walk-in, for instance, but will it? Ditto Saturday's Interview with Vampire panel in Ballroom 20, which follows Simpsons, American Dad, and other panels with different fanbases. I suspect IWTV fans will be staking out (sorry) the room from the start of the day. 

It's true that Ballroom 20 and Hall H are quite large and even a massive line may not be as hopeless as it looks. But I've seen people spend hours, even a day, in line and not get in so I can only tell you to be realistic and balance the odds against what you'll be giving up.

For the Exhibit Hall, it depends on how desperate you are to buy certain items. I haven't lined up for this in years so I can't speak precisely to this, but I'm familiar with the lines up in the Sails Pavilion - people who are usually hardcore collectors. If you are dying to be in the first few hundred who get into Preview Night or the Exhibit Hall, you'll need to join these people and sacrifice a fair bit of time.



Can I bring tents/sleeping bags/coolers?

CCI does not want anyone erecting a full-scale camp site - but sleeping bags, umbrellas (to block the sun), blankets, and chairs are fine. Remember that whatever you bring will need to go into the panels with you unless you have a very good friend who will come unburden you at the right moment. I am tentatively planning to do the Everything Else/Ballroom 20 line Friday night and I am bringing a camping pad and blanket.

You can use the Lobby G restrooms overnight.


Will offsites have standby lines?

Some will. Your best bets are early in the morning or end of day. But before you decide to fully commit, ask around online and see how long people have been waiting.


Can I barter in the Exhibit Hall?

It depends. When the Con first gets started, prices are usually as marked. You can ask for volume discounts (or the seller proposes one) but if you go in and try to haggle aggressively, you probably won't be successful. The exception is Sunday, when vendors want to unload as much product as possible. You'll see lots of markdowns, but go ahead and ask about getting a deal if you don't see anything advertised. Just be respectful about it.

Will booths have standby lines for people who didn't get picked in the lottery?

Most will. Some won't. I don't want to promise anything, so I'll just say that you should approach the desired booth, ask nicely, and be as charming as possible. Treat a "No" like a "Not right now" and say, "So maybe we could try again at end of day?" unless the volunteer/staffer seems angry at you. Then swing back when someone new is working. 

I accessed my favorite small, high-demand booth last year only by being stoic, friendly, patient, and desperate all at the same time, eventually leading to the staffer (who kept banning me from even being in the area) allowing me to join a capped line. Bring all your soft skills to the Exhibit Hall because you will need them.



Can I buy exclusives anywhere else?

Quite often you can! Mattel, who has no idea I'm going to SDCC, keeps advertising its "exclusives" to me and everyone else on their mailing list; Funko sells through multiple retailers; it's probably the exception, not the rule, that an exclusive is truly confined to convention walls.

Should I bring cash or card?

Both. Cash used to be king in the Exhibit Hall but most people take cards now and some don't take cash. Have both on hand.

Can I take pictures of cosplayers?

Sure. The general etiquette is to ask first. However, if someone is already posing for 6 cameras, there's no harm in jumping into the mix. In terms of taking pictures with cosplayers, things get dicier. Remember that you're often going to be in a humid, crowded environment; cosplayers may not want dozens of sweaty strangers pressing up against them. (Would you?) So if you do take a photo with them, don't try to squeeze in. Be respectful; crude comments, groping, even licking, are gross experiences inflicted on both male and female cosplayers.




Where can I charge my devices?

Getting a good charge can be tough in the convention center. The easiest answer here is bringing battery packs and power bars. You can usually find free outlets upstairs in the room 27 area - one of the most spacious, coolest areas of the center. And you can bring a splitter to increase the odds. But if you're desperate to get some good charging action and the outlets at the convention center aren't delivering, walk over to the hallway lounges in the North Tower at the Marriott. 


Where can I put my stuff?

Bag check. It's in the lobby near A and E and lets you roam around free and unencumbered. But I believe you can't leave your items overnight.

If you've accrued a lot of books/art/plushies/swag and you aren't local - ship it home. It's nice not to have it cluttering up your room. There's a FedEx right at the Marriott next door and some other options in the Gaslamp. 


How do I meet people?

This used to be the #1 question, before lines became our prevailing obsession. I don't think it's just about romance (though that does seem to be on many attendee minds) but also making friends and building community. If you go to enough Cons, you eventually come to treasure seeing Con friends as much as the panels and parties. 

The answer here is really simple, it's.... talk to people. Wherever you find yourself, there will be something to talk about. There's always a rumor about a celebrity cancelation or a fight breaking out at a booth or a scandalous cosplayer costume or some other salacious detail of Comic-Con life. Attendees tend to be pretty friendly and laidback, so just turn around and get it started. Ask about a surprise offsite or live art show. SDCC is one nonstop information exchange. 

If you are looking to hook up (and I admire your having that energy after a long day of Comic-Conning), your best bet is to go to events and bars just like you would normally. There's also some kind of speeding dating/singles event this year; I'm surprised someone hasn't started a nerd dating app already. Maybe they have.




How do I meet famous people?

Here's the law of Comic-Con: you run into all the celebrities your mom or coworkers or roommate care about, while someone else runs into the celebrities you care about. A few exceptions include my running into Zach Woods in the lobby of the Omni at the crack of dawn; my ex-partner ran into Angelina Jolie and her guards behind the convention center by accident; my friend and I encountered James McAvoy at 4 am in a hallway in the Hard Rock. You can't plan that kind of thing. But I know people have their bag of tricks for this, like waiting in certain areas to see celebrities and their handlers emerge or lingering by certain booths after signings are over. Gaslamp bars will produce at least a few drunk actors.  

This should go without saying - but always be polite and respect whatever signals they're throwing up. I've seen abominable treatment of celebrities at the Con. Early in my SDCC days, I was swept into a Jack Black Exhibit Hall vortex that was terrifying. People pressed me against him (I apologized and he was very nice about it) and I saw the fear in his eyes as dozens of fanboys surrounded him. 


I feel like I'm going to miss out on everything. How do I know what's happening?

Check social, check YouTube reports, check the blogs and forums, and check mainstream nerd media. It might seem odd to read articles and watch videos about the Con when you're already there, but it's your best bet for finding out about things you'd otherwise miss. I am constantly hearing about booths/items on the floor that I somehow didn't notice or learning about screenings and events that were announced last minute. It's worth devoting time to this, because it feels horrible to come home and read about it all when it's too late.


I didn't get a badge. How can I get one?

You can pay $1900 to join the Comic-Con Museum or you can register yourself on comic-con.org and wait for Open Registration this fall. Next summer might seem far away but it does go quickly. In the meantime, join all the online communities, ask questions, make friends, and be ready for summer 2025.

What you shouldn't do: fall victim to some huckster who promises to sell you their badge. The odds are painfully high that you'll be taken for a ride.


I know I didn't touch on a lot of stuff here, so I'll post some links to more thorough articles. But at the end of the day - as long as you have your badge and a comfortable pair of shoes, you're guaranteed to have a good time.

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