Rio All-Suite Hotel, Las Vegas

Well, that was SO much fun. NOT.

It took me 22 hrs to get to Vegas. I left home on Wednesday at 6 am and landed in Vegas at 6:30ish pm (don't forget the 9-hour difference) and yadda, yadda, yadda, an hour later I was waiting for a cab in front of the airport. I got a really nice, chatty cab driver who took a scenic route between McCarran and Rio. $33. But he generously gave me a $3 discount cause he didn't turn where he should have. He was talking on the phone at the time, you see. But fine, whatever, I was finally at the Rio. Went to the front desk, got my keycard, found the elevators for Masquerade (which is not as easy as it might sound), found the room. And all I wanted was to go in and sleep for the next 12 hours. (I'm guessing somebody laughed so hard at my plans.) As soon as I entered the room, I was hit with this awful smell. I honestly don't know what that was. It wasn't cigarette smoke, BTW. I waited for a bit hoping it would air out cause I didn't really want to change rooms, I just wanted to go to sleep. But in the end I had to go find the front desk (no, really, not as easy as it might sound) and ask for another room. Which I didn't get cause at the time they didn't have another non-smoking room. But a guy from housekeeping came with some kind of a machine that was supposed to, I don't know, clean the air or something. But I had to leave the room for an hour. My exhausted self REALLY liked hearing that. I left, decided to find the convention center to see how far it is (not that far, as it turns out) and waited on a bench there until it was time to go back to the room. Yeah, the machine didn't help. The room smelled even worse. So, once again I went and asked for a new room. Still couldn't get one. Then the boss (or whatever he is) came. Said the same thing. I can either stay in the stench infested room for the night or get a smoking room. Which is actually the same thing. I can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke, but yes, omg, please give me the smoking room, I just want to go to bed! So when I can't breathe, at least I'll know what that smell is. I asked when I should come to get a non-smoking room and he told me that he already gave me a non-smoking room. In Ipanema tower.

#$%&*!

YOU COULD HAVE DONE THAT TWO FREAKING HOURS AGO!!!

I had 10 minutes to go get my stuff and then I was, once again, trying to find the elevators. (It gets easier after a while.) And then I was finally in my new room. I think it's smaller, the view (what view?!) is lousy, it has that door between two rooms that always freaks me out and I'm not sure the water's drinkable, but it looks cleaner and, OMG, the air in the room, the smell is so sweet and beautiful! When I entered the room, I just stood there for five minutes taking deep breaths. And smiling. Then I found the bed and passed out.


I'm really not fussy when it comes to hotel rooms. I didn't mind a room with a leak, nor a room that tried to freeze me to death, but I have to draw the line somewhere. If I'm paying $169/night for a room, I should at least be able to breathe in it. (Yes, when I booked a room months ago, they didn't have a group rate for Wed and Thu.)

I really don't know what possessed Creation Ent. to choose Rio. If I had a choice (and I don't cause the con is here), I would never stay here.

Creation CONtest

We have a chance to win two Gold passes for a con of our choice. *grins like a conoholic*
I know who my favorite guest is, but I still don't know which con I'll choose when I win. Yeah, OK, if. If I win. Killjoys. :p

 

 

 

My tweet:

 

 

 

Perfectly logical

Creation moved LAcon to Burbank and then BurCon to Vegas. And now they added a new con in, wait for it, Burbank! Then why the hell did they move BurCon to Vegas in the first place if they are now going back to Burbank again? Where's the logic in that?

Pearls of wisdom XII

GOLD, SILVER, PREFERRED, GENERAL?


It really depends on your priorities. (And probably your budget, though that never managed to stop me from going Gold.) What is most important to you? Are you gonna be happy if you need binoculars to see the stage? Are autographs important to you? Cause it might be cheaper if they are included in the ticket. Do you really need to see Jensen and Jared at Sunday breakfast? (The answer is yes, BTW. It's always yes. lol)  


Personally, I would only ever go Gold.

Why?

Attending a con is not an everyday thing. I go to one or two a year and I want it to be special. The best it can be. If I go to the other side of the world for a con and travel 23 hrs to get there, I want it ALL. Or as close to all as I can afford. (Which really isn't all at all, but whatever. *is sad*)

If you go Gold, you'll be sitting somewhere in the first 10ish rows. And the closer you sit, the... well, closer you are. I love taking photos and the less heads there are in front of me, the better. Photos are really important to me, so sitting somewhere in row Z just wouldn't work for me.

Also, Gold comes with perks: Sunday breakfast, cocktail party, getting your autograph in under 5 hrs. lol

It's expensive as hell, but honestly, if I couldn't go Gold, I wouldn't go at all. But like I said, it all comes down to your priorities and what works for you.   

What's wrong with this picture(s)

According to Creation, room rate for March 7th should be $89. But when I go to Rio's website and try to book a room, they tell me that there's no group rate for that day. At first I thought that that was a mistake, but I can't believe that nobody else tried to book a room online in the last I don't know how many months, because if they had, they probably would've contacted Rio Suites about the rates and Rio would know about the mistake and they would've changed it. Right?
Since calling Rio isn't an option (for me), I guess I'll have to find their e-mail address and send them an e-mail.



ETA (Sept 1, 2012): Looks like they are out of group rate for Wednesday, too. But the thing is, I'm 99,8% sure that they never had group rate for Thursday. I know I was checking from the beginning and waiting for that to change, but it never did.

Final countdown: T-11 (LAcon)

I'm flying to Burbank in less than two weeks. That's way too soon. Panic is setting in. If I wasn't so tired, I'd probably be running around like a headless chicken.

Went shopping for jeans yesterday. Spent five hours going from one store to another and still couldn't find a decent pair. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

My hairdresser is on sick leave. I'm just hoping she'll be back to work by Saturday cause I have to dye my hair before the con.

Final countdown: T-30 (LAcon)

I think I'm gonna hate February. I have so much to do and so little time to do it. It's quite possible I'm gonna go crazy by the time I leave for Burbank.

Color me indecisive

LAcon is right around the corner and I still can't decide which photo ops to buy. :(

There are so many pretty photo ops and I want (almost) all of them. But I'm on a budget. Probably. And I already have photo ops with most of those actors so I don't really need more. But I still want them. *sigh*

Creation should offer one or two group photo ops.

Ko je jamio, jamio je!

FBI shut down Megaupload, as you already know. Which means that ZIP files with my con pics are no longer available. And that probably won't change. I just don't have the time to go through hundreds of photos (again), do the editing and look for a hosting service that I actually like. And I don't need any problems with the copyright police. Y'all know that they'll shoot you down and ask questions later.

Chances are I won't be zipping the pics from LAcon 2012 and JIB 2012 either. It's just too much hassle. If I get a lot of requests, then maybe, but otherwise...

Sorry.

The seat not chosen

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two seats offered on the seating chart, and I—
I was given the one less coveted by far,
And that has made all the difference.

(borrowed from Robert Frost)



I know what I said, but the truth is, if I go to Dallas, I'll be 5 paychecks in the red by October. And I probably can't afford that. Right?

However, I did buy me one of those Gold tickets, so I would have a good seat in case I actually manage to get a part-time job between now and, let's say, March. Yeah, yeah, I know. Hope springs infernal. *sigh*

So, to attend DallasCon or not to attend DallasCon? I knew that would be a difficult decision to make.

But maybe Creation decided that one for me.

They had problems with their website and I didn't get the seat I chose. And I neither want the one I got nor particularly like it.

Guess that made my decision easier. :(

Dallas??? No!!!

I've been telling myself forever, if there's another con in Dallas, I'm definitely going. Unfortunately, it looks like my definition of 'definitely' might be more something along the lines of 'when hell freezes over'. Cause, man, I really can't afford 3 cons in one year. And I'm not ready to give up JIB just yet. (BTW, why the hell are plane tickets to Dallas, in Sept, so expensive???)

If I really wanted to go, I'd have to forgo buying photo ops. And let's face it, photo ops are the reason I'm going. Well, that and fugly airplane food.
I'm probably kidding. :p
And I couldn't get any Meet&Greet tickets nor JIB's Dolce vita with Jared if they manage to get him again in 2012.
And I'm moving next year, so I'd have to live in a cold, dark apartment (but with wi-fi, I have my priorities) so I wouldn't spend huge amounts of money on utilities.

There's no way I can afford it.



BTW, y'all know I'm going, right? *sigh*

Too many regulars spoil the con

I'm just gonna go out and say it. Only regulars at Supernatural conventions should be Jensen and Jared. And possibly Misha (cause minions are scary). But as far as everybody else is concerned, I don't need to see them. Every. Single. Time.

I mean, I like Richard and Matt as much as the next fan, but do they really have to be at every con just because Creation decided to turn karaoke to The Dick & Matt Karaoke Experience? BTW, I liked karaoke just fine even when it was just plain ol' karaoke and not "The Experience". 

We only get 10 guests/con and if 5 are there by default, that only leaves 5 empty slots. And I'd rather have 7 so there's more chance of seeing somebody new every time.  It's not like there's a shortage of potential guests. I'm still waiting for Creation to invite Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan, Nicki Aycox, JDM and, yes, Genevieve P.

And what's up with BBB being at every convention? What, was it cheaper by the dozen? (Pun intended.) Creation books them for 12 cons and they get a discount? Variety is not a four-letter word. Granted, I'm not the biggest fan of Steve Carlson and Jason Manns (although I actually like Manns' songs), but that doesn't mean I want the same concert over and over again. If Creation is out of ideas, they could always tell Jensen to introduce Chris Kane to us (just like Jared introduced BBB). And Jensen doesn't even have to be at the concert. Chris being there is more than enough.  

Pearls of wisdom XI

HOW TO REMAIN STANDING WHEN JENSEN UNLEASHES HIS SMILE ON YOU?


Yeah, I have absolutely no idea. Sorry. As soon as I figure it out, I'll let you know.

I mean, the last time he smiled at me, I completely forgot about my headache for the next 15 minutes, so... *shrugs*

Pearls of wisdom X

GIFTS


If you have a gift for anyone who is not Jensen or Jared, you'll probably be able to give your gift directly to them. Although you might have to be a bit creative. You can try doing it during dessert party or karaoke or maybe even during autographs. Just be aware that Creation volunteers who follow guests around most likely won't be happy about that.


But if the gifts are for Jensen and/or Jared, then it gets tricky. Creation won't take them, because:

You could try and give them your gifts during autographs. But if you do that, be careful and make sure that your gift is clearly visible. You do NOT wanna find yourself on the radar of their many bodyguards.
Or you can try and give the gift to Clif and ask him to give it to Js (especially if he already knows you from Twitter), but I wouldn't count on it. I mean, what's he supposed to do with hundreds of gifts? (Yeah, you won't be the only gift giver there.)

(Speaking of hundreds of gifts, just keep in mind that even if they really want to, it's quite possible that Js won't take the gifts with them if they have to fly back home after the con.)

As for giving the guests chocolate or candy or any kind of food... Well. Imagine you had some pretty passionate fans. Now, would you eat something that came from a person you don't know and could very well be Stephanie in disguise?


Now, just to be clear, I never tried to give a gift to any of the guests and these here are just my paranoid two cents. And I really hope that, if you have a gift for someone, you'll be able to give it to them. But just be prepared that it might not go as planned.

Pearls of wisdom IX

WHAT (NOT) TO WEAR


First of all, keep in mind that whatever you put on in the morning, you'll probably be wearing for the rest of the day. So, wear something you'll be comfortable in. If there are any photo ops in your schedule, wear something nice, cause you'll be looking at that outfit for the rest of your life. I don't know if it's just me, but it seems that it's always a bit coldish in the hotels, so layers can be good. (I always have a hoodie and then take it off for photo ops.)
And for dessert party... No need to overdress. I mean, you can if you really want to, but, let's say, jeans and a t-shirt are perfectly fine.
And shoes? Just keep in mind that you'll have to walk in whatever you put on your feet. I do, however, usually wear my photo op shoes (12 cm heels) on Sunday cause Js are freakin' giants (:D), but after running around in them all day, it's pure bliss when I take them off. 

Pearls of wisdom VIII

EBAY

It doesn't matter whose name is on the ticket. It's all about the barcode now. I bought 2 Gold and 3 Jared photo op tickets on eBay and never had any problems. Just remember, if you're buying tickets on eBay, you're probably gonna pay more than the original price. (I say probably cause it depends on what you're buying. I actually paid less than the original price for two of my Jared photo ops.)


But do be careful. I've never heard of any auctions for SPN con tickets that weren't legit, but you don't want to fly for hours to get to a con just to find out that you were conned.

Pearls of wisdom VII

VIDEOTAPING

At the request of the guests, absolutely no videotaping allowed. That, of course, includes videotaping the theater when there are absolutely no guests anywhere near it.

Personally, I would never do any videotaping.

But, in the end, it's really up to you and your conscience. 
Or your sneakiness.
Anyways... Don't do it, children!!! And after you've not done it, share the links. ;)

LAcon 2010

                                                              

LAcon 2011

SFcon 2011

This is the link:
fb.me/SCjyXvUb ->  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD_Dk4MMBrs

VanCon 2011

Nuff said.

Creation Entertainment's ban on hugs lifted

Misha was added to BurCon guest list (finally another guest), so I scrolled down to see the price of the photo ops ($70, btw. Way to go, Meesh. *thumbs up*) and was pleasantly shocked to see that Creation Entertainment decided to stop threatening us with director's chairs.

And all is good in the world of conventions again. :D Or something like that...


And just in case you missed it, this is what I'm talking about:

"Recently some fans have been asking for hugs and special poses (some are even bringing "props") and this is making it virtually impossible for us to accommodate all the great fans that have purchased photo ops of the main stars in the limited time we have to do them. With several big shows coming up, we must, once again, remind attendees of the ground rules that the photo ops were purchased under and ask that you please refrain from asking for hugs and special poses. While many other fan events have resorted to putting their guests in director's chairs during photo ops we don't want to do this, though we may have to. PLEASE HELP US OUT AND BE FAIR TO EVERYONE BEHIND YOU ON LINE. Thanks!"

Yep, we dodged the bullet chair.

Pearls of wisdom VI

TAKING PHOTOS

All I can say is, I hope y'all are professional photographers cause it'll take an expert to counteract those freakin' spotlights Creation Entertainment insists on.


<- I rest my case.



A/N: Flash helps. But you'll miss a lot of kodak moments while you wait for the flash to get ready again.

Pearls of wisdom V

VIP PASS


To go VIP or not to go VIP? 

Personally, I wouldn't.

Yes, you get to meet the guests. But you can buy yourself a Meet&Greet ticket and enjoy their company for an hour. Sounds better, right? Unless you really, really, REALLY want to meet everyone. In that case VIP pass is probably cheaper.

Yes, (if you have a Gold ticket) you'll get one of the the best tables at the breakfast. But there are other ways to get an awesome table.

Yes, you'll be the first in line for everything (photo ops, autographs...). But why rush through? Take your time. Otherwise, it'll all boil down to one thing - you being in and out in no time. No sweet anticipation, no chance to talk to other fans. Or watch Js for 5 extra minutes while you're in the photo op room waiting for your turn. ;D You might just end up feeling left out. Or like you're missing something. And where's the fun in that?

I'm sure being a VIP has its upsides, but don't be afraid to let yourself experience the convention. Waiting in lines can be a good thing. (Except when you're waiting to buy JPEGs. That's just pure torture.)