But was it worth it once you got in? Based on the pictures you shared on FB, I'm guessing your answer will be a resounding YES.
I was very glad I went just to experience it all at least once - it was awesome to see all the fans. They were just fantastic overall. Nobody caused problems and everyone was pretty friendly and respectful despite the sheer numbers in lines. Would I go again? Unsure. And that is strictly due to the sheer mass of humanity in there. They had 35,000 attendees last year in Orlando. They anticipate 150,000 attended this year!
- We were there at 4 am on Tuesday morning to get into the line to see the opening ceremony (see photo above for the queue line for that one). They handed out the wristbands at 6 am to those there early enough to be part of the 5,000± folks in the front of the line. Doors opened at 10 am. We were then in line again to get into the auditorium.
- Lines to check out Battlefront, etc., were hours long.
- I waited a total of 4 hours in line for about 5-10 minutes in the room with the new costumes they are using in the upcoming film.
- I was there all 4 days and couldn't buy a t-shirt I wanted in the official store because they sold out early every day and the wait to get in was too long.
- The planning was terrible regarding the store lines and the merchandise. They sold out of shirts the first day or so and had to have printers work overnight and ship by plane from Florida for the last two days, according to several folks there.
Take the above and repeat ad nauseum. Anything you wanted to see/do - panels, forums, video game trailers, Lego play area, stages, autographs, etc., etc., all had lines that were just insane. We never did get to go to any other panels, etc., due to the lines and time demands. They also needed larger rooms for the events. Just so many folks that wanted to see things completely shut out because there just wasn't space to hold the crowds.
One of the funniest things to me was despite the overwhelming numbers of people, the few times I ventured into a restroom they were always empty! Go to a Kings game with 17,000 folks and there are people streaming in and out. At an event with likely 50,000 people a day in one convention area? Empty! Just weird.
So, was it cool and did I get to experience it? Yep. Would I go again without a VIP pass that costs 3-4 times the normal pass price? Doubtful. Would I pay that to go? Again, doubtful. Unless they made some serious changes to how they do things.