Hey everyone. I’ve been going to comic conventions for about five years now, mostly small local ones, but this year I’m finally trying to get tickets to the big one—Comic-Con in San Diego. I’ve heard the horror stories about how fast badges sell out, and with the upcoming Comic-Con 2023 ticket prices being announced, I’m honestly a little overwhelmed. I’m trying to plan a trip with two friends, and we’re all on a tight budget, so I need to figure out what we’re actually signing up for before I commit to the whole travel thing.
I’ve already poked around the official website and read some old forum posts from last year. It seems like a four-day pass with preview night was around $275 per person in 2022? Not sure if this matters but I think they raised prices a bit for 2023. I’ve also considered just going for a single day to save money, but then I’d miss the evening panels and the big Saturday events, which are supposedly the best. My main constraint is that I can’t drop more than $200 per person on tickets alone—plus we’d need to split a hotel room and figure out flights from the East Coast. I’m already setting aside some cash, but I don’t want to blow through my savings and end up regretting it.
I’ve also looked into the badge registration process, which sounds like a nightmare. You have to create a Member ID ahead of time, and then you get thrown into a virtual waiting room the day tickets go on sale. I’ve heard stories from friends who sat there for hours only to find everything sold out by the time they got in. That part scares me more than the price, honestly. One of my buddies recommended using a bot or a group-buy strategy, but that feels sketchy to me—I’d rather just play fair and hope for the best.
Anyway, what’s the real deal with this year’s prices? Have they actually gone up a lot, or is it roughly the same as last year? And for those of you who’ve been before, is a single day pass even worth it, or should I just bite the bullet and go for the full weekend? I’d love to hear your experiences with the buying process too—any tricks to actually getting through the queue? Thanks.
I’ve already poked around the official website and read some old forum posts from last year. It seems like a four-day pass with preview night was around $275 per person in 2022? Not sure if this matters but I think they raised prices a bit for 2023. I’ve also considered just going for a single day to save money, but then I’d miss the evening panels and the big Saturday events, which are supposedly the best. My main constraint is that I can’t drop more than $200 per person on tickets alone—plus we’d need to split a hotel room and figure out flights from the East Coast. I’m already setting aside some cash, but I don’t want to blow through my savings and end up regretting it.
I’ve also looked into the badge registration process, which sounds like a nightmare. You have to create a Member ID ahead of time, and then you get thrown into a virtual waiting room the day tickets go on sale. I’ve heard stories from friends who sat there for hours only to find everything sold out by the time they got in. That part scares me more than the price, honestly. One of my buddies recommended using a bot or a group-buy strategy, but that feels sketchy to me—I’d rather just play fair and hope for the best.
Anyway, what’s the real deal with this year’s prices? Have they actually gone up a lot, or is it roughly the same as last year? And for those of you who’ve been before, is a single day pass even worth it, or should I just bite the bullet and go for the full weekend? I’d love to hear your experiences with the buying process too—any tricks to actually getting through the queue? Thanks.
