Post-Sale Thoughts

In the wake of yesterday's sale and the crazily fast sell out of not just the Jedi Master tickets but the OnPeak hotels as well, it feels important to take a slight step back and take stock a little.

Firstly, congratulations to everyone who managed to get a Jedi Master badge and / or the hotel they wanted. The Force was truly with you yesterday.

For everyone else (like me!) try not to let it get you down. There's no denying that having a VIP badge or a connecting hotel would be amazing and make things easier, but they certainly aren't needed to get the most out of Star Wars Celebration!

Think of it this way - if you missed out on VIP you've just saved $635 (plus whatever the tax difference was). Depending on how much you're planning on spending, that could be a big chunk of your Celebration money right there. Sure, you'll have to queue for the Celebration Store but with Bounty Hunter Preview on Thursday you can do that without worrying about missing any panels and if you use a Light Speed Pass you won't have to queue to get in either.

As for the overnight queues, look at it this way - the only panel certain to draw an overnight line up is the Episode IX panel (maybe the live action TV series if they debut the pilot episode at Celebration). With the Wintrust Arena as the Celebration Stage, the only stage VIPs have guaranteed seating for, they can seat up to 10,000 people into that room (depending on the configuration). That's more than triple the capacity of the stage used in Orlando. I'm not saying you won't have to queue overnight, but I honestly can't see the live stage reaching capacity anywhere near as soon as it did in Orlando.

Maybe I'm a little crazy, but I honestly found the overnight in London to be one of my favourite parts of Celebration. Just for the atmosphere and camaraderie amongst the fans. This is where you make new friends and where the family feeling of Celebration is often strongest. I wouldn't be too eager to do back to back nights like in Orlando, but for one night it's definitely an experience that I enjoy.

If you missed out on getting a room through the OnPeak sale, don't panic. Keep checking back, rooms will come back up as people cancel and Star Wars Celebration have said on Facebook that they are working on securing more rooms. Failing that, Chicago has fantastic transport links. Both the red and green subway lines will get you within 3 blocks of McCormick Place so look for hotels on those lines. If you stay around the Chicago Loop you should easily be able to use public transport or (hopefully) shuttle buses to Celebration. The rooms may not be walking distance, but they should have good transport links to the event, hopefully be a little cheaper, and certainly have far better restaurants nearby!

Whatever ticket you have and wherever you're staying, you are going to Star Wars Celebration! This is the greatest event a Star Wars fan could ever wish to attend! Whether you want to see the panels, meet the stars, shop till you drop, or just enjoy walking the show floor, there is something for every Star Wars fan at Celebration. You will make new friends and memories that will last a lifetime. And it's less than a year away!