Preparation and Tips - Budget, Budget, Budget!

This week's Celebration preparation post is all about one thing - money!

If it feels a bit like this is just doubling down on one of the golden rules in my first preparation post (start saving now), it is!

I'm going to assume that a lot of people bought their Celebration tickets on credit card (like I did) when they went on sale last month. In which case you've no doubt received that same lovely reminder from your bank that I did last week - awesome, you're going to Celebration, time to pay up!

Celebration is many, many things. Cheap isn't one of them.

Before evening stepping through the door you have your badge costs, hotel costs and your transport costs. Now, your badge costs and transport costs are likely to be paid off this year, unless you're travelling locally or waiting really last minute for a flight. So they are things you can pay now and then put out of your mind, knowing you're covered.

The hotel costs are the important one to keep in mind whilst you're there, since the vast majority of people will have their cards charged on check in/out. So just keep in mind your hotel bill will hit at the same time as all your Celebration spending and maybe set up a separate fund for it. This may seem really obvious, but believe me, when your hotel has been booked for months it's easy to forget you haven't already paid for it.

Another essential - food! Even Jedi Masters and Sith Lords have to eat. Maybe not such a big deal if you're local(ish) and only going for a day. But if you're going for the week, you're going to need to eat.

How much you spend on food is up to you. It depends on how much you want to eat, where you want to eat and how big your group is. Convention centre food is known to be over priced and not the greatest, but if you're trying to get the most out of your day and avoid the lunch time rush, it's probably the most convenient. The connected Hyatt Regency hotel also offers 3 restaurants and a market where you can grab a sandwich and a Starbucks to go.

If you want cheap there's a McDonalds within walking distance. But this is Chicago! The city is known for its fabulous food! If you can afford to budget a little bit of extra time and money, get downtown and see what the city has to offer. Plus, away from McCormick Place, the prices are likely to be more reasonable to!

You can always buy food to take in with you as well. It's a cheaper, and likely healthier, option to convention centre eating. Just remember you have to carry it with you all day (or pay for a bag check if available) if you do this.

I don't want to put a price on this as it really does depend on you and what/where you want to eat. As a very rough guide I'd say anywhere from $20-70 per day per person.

Honestly, like I said last time, that's all you have to spend. Tickets, hotel, transport, food. That's your essentials.

But the likelihood is you're going to spend more. A lot more.

That's a one of a kind Dewback Loveseat from Regal Robot's Custom Studio. It was on display at Celebration Orlando for a cool $10,000. Now, I don't know if it sold at Celebration, but it sold.

If it's Star Wars, and it's officially licensed, chances are it will be at Celebration Chicago next year.

My personal advice? FOCUS ON CELEBRATION EXCLUSIVES.

I'm not saying this because they will or won't be worth more later. I'm saying it because Celebration isn't a great place to look for Star Wars bargains. Maybe on the last day when retailers have stock they'd rather sell than pack up and ship home, but on the whole (at least based on Celebration Europe) you can expect to pay RRP or higher on most things.

If you see something you think is a great deal or you can't get locally (especially international fans), then sure, go for it. But mostly you're better focusing on the stuff you can't get anywhere else. Unless you're Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne, that should be more than enough Star Wars goodness for any budget anyway.

Autographs and Photo Ops

If you want to meet the stars who bring your favourite heroes and villains to life, this is where you'll be spending most of your money.

Celebration Orlando 2017 boasted what was possibly the largest set of stars yet. It also saw some pretty big price jumps compared to Celebration Anaheim two years earlier.

You can see a full list of attendees and prices over at Future of Star Wars, so I won't do a complete blow by blow, but to give you an example of the types of big names and the prices you can expect;

Mark Hamill (Luke) - $250 Autograph, $200 Photo Op
Felicity Jones (Jyn) - $200 Autograph, $250 Photo Op
Forest Whitaker (Saw) - $150 Autograph, $150 Photo Op
Hayden Christensen (Anakin) - $130 Autograph, $140 Photo Op
Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine) - $90 Autograph, $100 Photo Op
Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) - $75 Autograph, $75 Photo Op
Alan Tudyk (K-2SO) - $65 Autograph, $75 Photo Op
Billy Dee Williams (Lando) - $60 Autograph, $70 Photo Op
Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) - $60 Autograph, $60 Photo Op
Ray Park (Maul) - $50 Autograph, $40 Photo Op
Temeura Morrison (Jango Fett) - $45 Autograph, $45 Photo Op
Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) - $35 Autograph, $45 Photo Op
Daniel Logan (Boba Fett) - $30 Autograph, $35 Photo Op

Joint Photo - Felicity Jones and Alan Tudyk - $300
Joint Photo - Hayden Christensen and Ian McDiarmid - $250

Joint Photo - Jeremy Bulloch, Temeura Morrison and Daniel Logan - $150

It's not all scarily high prices. And the above is just a selection of the better known movie characters. There will be names spanning the entire breadth of the saga. You could get autographs from all of the Ghost's crew (minus Filoni's Chopper) for $175. That's less than Jyn or Luke, and likely a lot less time in line as well. Hopefully they will be back again next year, along with the cast of Resistance.

The good news is guests will be announced in advance (normally 2-3 months before the convention but it's rumoured we could start hearing names as soon as this summer) and autographs and photo ops are sold ahead of Celebration. So you should be able to plan ahead at least a little. Just make sure you book your autographs and photo ops when they go on sale as they can sell out pretty quickly, especially if it's a star who hasn't signed before.

There's also a chance (a slim chance but still a chance) we could see the Sequel Trilogy cast signing for the first time at Celebration. So if they're on your wish list then save a LOT of money, just in case. And if they don't sign, at least your savings will probably cover anything else you might want to buy whilst you're there!

One thing I will say is that if you really want to meet someone, and you can afford to do it, then go for it. I did a photo op with Mark Hamill in 2016. I decided to get Mark that year and get one with Carrie next time because I didn't think I should spend the money on two photo ops at the time. In the grand scheme of what I spent at that Celebration, I could have afforded the 2nd photo op. Now I'll never have the chance. You never know in life, so if you can afford it then go for it.

The Celebration Store

It's hard to say just what will be in the Celebration Store. Sure, there will be the traditional mix of character shirts (Orlando's were amazingly comfy 100% cotton and looked fantastic) and pin badges, and you can pretty much guarantee a Force for Change Episode IX logo shirt, but the Celebration Store always manages to throw a curve ball every year.

Whether it's Ponda Baba Oven Mitts or a Space Slug Jack in the Box, they always manage to throw in something unexpected.

The online exclusive merchandise that was available when buying your Celebration tickets gives a rough guide to the type of pricing you can expect at Celebration itself ($25 shirts and $10 character pins) but we won't get official pricing until the merchandise is revealed much closer to the event.

Just remember, it's very easy to get carried away in the official store. Before you know it, you're getting a free Ahsoka pin badge because your "little" purchase of a couple of shirts, a magnet and a key art poster is over £100. Not a bad thing, just know your budget before going in. When the merchandise is officially revealed, pick what you want then. Yes, this can help you stay in your budget but it also helps you know what you're looking for when you actually manage to get in the store. Time is perhaps even more valuable than money at Celebration, so knowing what you want before hand is a big help in getting the most out of your convention time.

The Art Show

The Art Show is another fantastic element of Celebration that has something for everyone, with 2017's prices ranging from $35-$145.

Looking at previous Celebrations (in the Disney era), the focus of the art has primarily been the previous movie (so for Chicago that will be both The Last Jedi and Solo) along with a few pieces showcasing classic characters and a couple for the current animated series.

Personally I'm hoping to see a couple of really nice Jedi Master Luke pieces next year, especially a portrait of how he appeared on Crait, lightsabre ready, and another looking out at the twin suns before fading away.

I still love my Celebration Europe art print, Londinium Calling by Jeff Carlisle. It's just a really fun piece, with so many details and characters to find. I can spot something new almost every time I look at it, and it brings back great memories of my first real Celebration.

Like with the guests, the art prints are announced and available for pre-order before Celebration, so you can secure the ones you want before the show.

Other Exclusives

This is where it gets crazy. Almost everyone who sells Star Wars merchandise will have a Celebration Exclusive. Here's an (incomplete) list from Orlando;

Hasbro - X-Wing Pilot Luke Skywalker in 40th Anniversary packaging

Lego - Detention Block Rescue

Funko - So many!! Han (ANH), Ghost Qui-Gon, Imperial Disguise Chopper, Luke (ROTJ), Leia (Hoth), Thrawn, 442nd Clone Trooper, Garindan, Rey with Speeder, Wobblers Boba Fett, Plush Jabba and Salacious Crumb, and two Mini Hikari Greedo 2-Packs

Beast Kingdom - Egg Attack Millennium Falcon Statue

Hallmark - McQuarrie Stormtrooper decoration, Hammerhead Itty Bitty, Snaggletooth Itty Bitty, and (Blue) Snaggletooth Itty Bitty

Nissan - Death Trooper Helmet Key Chain

Kotobukiya - Triple Zero and BT-1, R5-D4, R4-M9, and R2-X2

Gentle Giant - McQuarrie Han Solo Bust, Dianoga Trash Monster (Jumbo Series)

Del Rey - Thrawn with a Celebration exclusive cover

Marvel - Celebration exclusive variant covers

Titan - Star Wars Insider Celebration exclusive variant covers

And many, many more. And that's without getting into fan made swag for trading! Or the Star Tots pins for the Collectors Panels. This is why I said earlier it's best just to focus on the stuff you can't get anywhere else (or at least can't buy in regular stores). If you find a bargain or something you've been after for ages, then ever better, but there's more than enough at Celebration just with the event exclusives.

Time

I mentioned before that time is possibly even more valuable than money at Celebration. Even if you had the budget for everything (in which case, wow!) you can't be in two places at once.

Some stuff will be lotteries (Lego, Funko), some might be wristbanded in the mornings before entry (Hasbro at CE2016 and CO2017), some will just be first come first served. Some will have a specific allocation for each day, some will just be on sale until it's gone and could sell out on day one. Pick what's the most important to you (and also whether it's worth missing a panel for as it may come down to getting an exclusive or making it to the first panel of the day) and make that your priority.

For autographs be aware that the bigger names, naturally, have the bigger queues. If you want to meet Mark Hamill, be prepared for it to cost you half a day as well as $250+.

This is what makes Thursday so great this year. With no panels you can focus on your main shopping "wants" without it costing you a panel. You can make Thursday the day you get as many autographs and photo ops as possible, or the day you run around the entire show floor grabbing as many exclusives as you can, or the day you get in that crazy queue for the show store (to get in and to get out).

So, yeah, save and budget. Use previous Celebrations as a guide to what to expect and then maybe a little extra just in case there's any surprises. And if you're flying, just remember your weight allowance or maybe just pre-book an extra hold bag for the flight home!