Las Vegas

[Linda]

There is an 'offical ST con' put on by Creation every year in August in Las Vegas. I cannot go this year but have had my eye on it as it is a big one, drawing lots of ST celebs. And I have never been to Las Vegas. Gambling is not an activity I enjoy. But it would be fun to see Las Vegas - the shows and of course a major ST convention. So I am thinking of going in 2008, assuming there is one. I like to plan way ahead. Anybody thinking of going in 2008? Anybody going this year who can report on it?

[evcake]

Las Vegas in August...does sound doable, though. Never been to one.

[Linda]

It would be great if a bunch of us from this site could meet at a convention in the future. I know some of have last year (the TnT site people - the Not.Dead. group!), and a few of us are meeting at conventions this year. All in all, this has not been a big convention year for me, so I'd like to get to a good convention next year.

[Distracted]

I'll go if they have it in the Star Trek hotel. I've been dying to go there for years.

[TPoptarts]

Of course they have it at the Star Trek hotel (that's the Hilton by the way)

I wish I could go. I mean it's not even that far. But I can't even afford the frelling Greyhound not to mention tickets and lodging

And I seriously need a frelling vacation from the zoo.

[Elessar]

I'll go if they have it in the Star Trek hotel. I've been dying to go there for years.

yeah it's always there. It's pretty cool... I can't afford to go this year, but if you guys ever make a plan for the group to go, i'll go!

[TPoptarts]

Waaahhh, I wanna go to the Vegas con so much

[Reanok]

Linda Las Vegas can be really fun all the diferent programs and activities at the different casinos is alotfun. I've been to The StarTrek Experience when they weren't having conention and it was a lot of fun their Museum exhibits from the movies & series the costumes they have from Tos movies of Sarek & Amanda's and Ds9 I really liked and Enterprise had just been added to the exhibit.I The Rode on the shuttle simulator ride and went to the different shop.The resteraunt Quarks Bar, Garaks clothing emprium and Moogies store.All the shows and special things they have in Vegas you'll have a wonderful time I did. I wish I could go back again when there was a convention someday.

[evcake]

Hmmm...I wonder what this would actually cost. And how many pairs of earrings I'd have to sell to save it up.

[Jedikatie]

Let's put it this way: it's a Creation con. So expect it to cost $$$$.

Right now, of the available remaining tickets for the con this year, you can get:

PREFERRED WEEKEND PACKAGES -- $314
This ticket package is a great option for those that want a reserved seat for the entire weekend in our main theatre during the day but also want to keep the majority of their evenings free to see Vegas. Here is what The Preferred Weekend Packages offer:

1. Guaranteed reserved seatings for daytime convention Main Auditorium events ALL FOUR DAYS. Your reserved seating will be behind or to the sides of the GOLD WEEKEND PATRONS (now sold out) and THE CAPTAIN'S CHAIR PATRONS.

2. You keep your same seats for our SATURDAY NIGHT Gala Celebration which features members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic under the direction of Associate Conductor Richard McGee in STAR TREK: A CONCERT (Part Two) with a special salute to The 20th Anniversary of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. Tentatively featuring a special musical performance by Broadway and Star Trek star, the lovely NANA VISITOR! This should be an absolutely magnificently memorable evening of entertainment!

3. Special limited edition collectors item, tentatively a GOLD STAR TREK COIN, the 6th in the exclusive series, this time saluting the 20th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

4. Pre-Registration the night before the convention. We'll give pre-registration attendees first entrance into the massive DEALERS ROOM so you can be the first to pick up souvenirs, schedules and gifts!

5. Specially color coded wristbands and collector lanyard placards allowing immediate entrance without waiting after initial registration.

Or if you wanted something slightly cheaper, there's this:

GENERAL ADMISSION WEEKEND PACKAGE -- $129
This is the most economical way to attend all four DAYTIMES of the convention. You have a non-reserved seat in the rear of the theatre. You see all the guests on stage. This package does not include autographs or evening events.

Or if you want to pay by the day, instead of the whole weekend:

PREFERRED SINGLE DAY TICKETS -- $65 per day
This is the best way to attend single days of the convention. It offers you a RESERVED seat in our main theatre (where our big name stars appear and major events occur), yours come and go, throughout the entire day. You get access into the secondary theater for additional programming, and the giant exhibition room and supporting stars "autograph room". This package does not include autographs (which you can buy separately below) or night shows, parties or food functions, and does not include any complimentary gifts. Your seating will be behind or to the sides of the Gold, Captain's Chair and Preferred Weekend Patrons.

Or if you want the cheap seats, by the day, instead of the weekend:

GENERAL ADMISSION SINGLE DAY TICKETS -- $35 per day
Here is the most economical way to attend day(s) of the convention. You get a non-reserved seat in the theatre to see all the guests and events, and of course, entrance to the vendors room and secondary program theatre. This option does not include complimentary autographs, evening events, or parties, all of which can be purchased separately unless sold out.

If you want autographs or photos from any of the stars there, it varies -- from a low of $20 for an autograph for some of the actors up to $65 (in advance) or $75 (at the con, if any are available) for Shatner and Nimoy's. For the photos, the group photos go from $75 to $199, and individual photos are from $35 to $75, with limited availability on the various photos and autographs.

That does not include the cost of the hotel or the flight there or any of the special events, which are all extra as well, along with any of the dinners/breakfasts, etc. with the stars...

The most expensive packages (which are already sold out, and usually are well in advance of the con), with the most stuff you are able to get and attend without having to shell out extra, cost $689 and $429, respectively.

That's just to give you some perspective. Mind, that's the prices for a year that wasn't the 40th anniversary--last year's top tier ticket prices were over $1000 as I recall from looking at the site...

[evcake]

Wow. Total newbie here - still thinking air fare and hotel. Good infos, though. Thanks.

[Jedikatie]

^
You're welcome. It's very easy to spend the equivalent of what I did on the SeaTrek cruise package (which was 2092.25 and included the cruise, prepaid gratuities, the extra $50 tax Alaska passed last November, the hotel room and gala in Seattle the night before and the train trip with the stars--though isn't including my airfare to Seattle) just between the tickets, hotel and airfare to this con in Las Vegas, especially if you want autographs/photos or to go to any of the special evening activities or a breakfast/dinner with one or more stars...

So if you're going to do it, buy your tickets early so you can get into the stuff you want, if the more expensive packages are available when you look at the site and it has stuff you think you might be interested in doing, buy it then, even if it turns out later that you decide not to go, because those expensive packages go very, very fast.

If you want to save money and only go to select events (which really, is probably the best, since there's no way you can do everything they'll have on one weekend--just ask Elessar)--then try sticking with a general theme--like doing all the Enterprise-related stuff or the TNG stuff or whatever, because it's probably a safe bet that those things won't be scheduled against something else you want to see. If you try and mix and match the different series' events (like say, get a picture with Shatner, and an autograph from Dominic Keating and go to Connor's talk and see House Call by Robert Picardo and Ethan Phillips)--the odds are good that you're going to end up in the line for one of those things while at least one of the others is going on, and you'll have wasted your money...

That's just a bit of friendly advice based on what others said about that con last year and the year before. I haven't actually been to the Las Vegas con myself. The only Creation con I went to was one of the Farscape cons in Burbank, and they did the same thing there--the photo ops were usually scheduled in the middle of someone's talk that you wanted to hear, so you had to leave in the middle of the talk or else miss your $60 photo op. Likewise the autograph sesssions (which, mercifully, were at least in the same room as the person giving their talk, went on at the same time as someone was giving their talk)--so if you wanted to ask someone a question, and had autograph tickets, you had to make a choice. And that was a much, much, much smaller con than Vegas is...

[Linda]

Well, with those prices, I will wait till the 2008 convention. I have been checking the Creation site, but info on the 2008 convention probably won't be up till a while after the 2007 convention is over. I wonder if there are group deals for sub-groups bunking together within the larger ST community? Or other hotels which are cheaper to stay at and within walking distance of the hotel where the convention is held? Any youth hostels in Las Vegas, LOL? Any houses that could be rented by the week or something, where they would not mind how many people we had sleeping on the floor? I have no idea what is available in Las Vegas, but maybe a little research would come up with something.

[TSara]

^ I'm thinking the same thing...I'll wait until next year to go.

However...I have a really good friend from High School who lives in Vegas....so I have a FREE place to stay!

YAY!

[JadziaKathryn]

I went to Las Vegas several years ago for a couple days. (My dad had a busines convention. I pleaded to go to see The Experience. My mom took me there - bless her, she hates Star Trek but I was only 15 and she wasn't letting me go without supervision in Vegas.) The food was cheap, because all the big money are the gamblers. That's a plus to being in Vegas. And if you really wanted to make a time of it, take a day trip to see the Grand Canyon. It's a long drive but totally worth it!

I, for one, will probably never go to a convention because it's well below my extensive list of places I want to vacation. However, if there was one in Boston I might go for a day because I could take the train.