So the hotels were definitely strange... currently, the Grand Hyatt is showing rooms at $199+. Sheraton and Grand Hyatt weren't showing when I signed up so I booked something else, but now they're there and most nights are unavailable.
So I went to the Grand Hyatt website and booked there, for $150/night for all the days of the show. Sheraton's available too but a little pricier on their site at the moment.
Yeah, The Sheraton, Hyatt, and Homewood all popped up a bit late on the official block for some reason, but I already grabbed that same rate with the Hyatt like a week or two ago so I wasn't sweating it too much, The Sheraton is super pricey this year, even through the PAX rate.
4-day badges are showing as "available" on prime.paxsite.com.
This doesn't seem to be accurate though.
You've likely figured this out by now, but the prime.paxsite.com domain is a bit of an outdated relic. That site should really just redirect to west.paxsite.com.
At this point, 4-day passes are gone for this year's PAX, but most of the rest of the info on that page seems to be up to date.
I wasn't sure where to put this question, but this thread seemed the best. Let me know if it's not okay.
So with the new hotel booking being so inaccessible, as well as the cost not being super different, my partner and I have decided to just book directly through the hotel we like (Grand Hyatt).
My questions are; what time of year is best to book to ensure rooms are available? Do y'all just book for the typical PAX days, or make multiple bookings? Do the hotels still charge security deposits when booked directly, if they charge through PAX?
Also, any other tips? We're not going this year, but are planning for next and I want to get a jump on preparing for this.
Love it! I wondered how things were shaking out, considering I've seen quite a few posts here on the forums about people not going. But I'm glad to see we have good exhibitor interest, and a decent amount of people going.
The part about possibly changing based on updated health guidelines sounds potentially great, too.
I wasn't sure where to put this question, but this thread seemed the best. Let me know if it's not okay.
So with the new hotel booking being so inaccessible, as well as the cost not being super different, my partner and I have decided to just book directly through the hotel we like (Grand Hyatt).
My questions are; what time of year is best to book to ensure rooms are available? Do y'all just book for the typical PAX days, or make multiple bookings? Do the hotels still charge security deposits when booked directly, if they charge through PAX?
Also, any other tips? We're not going this year, but are planning for next and I want to get a jump on preparing for this.
My tip is just to keep periodically checking throughout the year. There won't be a lot of options at first because either a) it's too soon and the hotels haven't opened up that far in advance yet, or b) a decent chunk of those rooms may be blocked off for PAX, but don't let that discourage you. For instance, a random check about a month or so ago got me and a couple of other folks here a great one night free promo rate at the Hyatt that broke down to something like $150-165 a night depending on how many days you booked. Before that, I found a room at the Homewood that wasn't that much more than that and not too far off of what the official PAX rate ended up being. I don't know if there's any particular time of year that makes a difference, I just keep periodically checking.
As for what days, sometimes with 4 day cons like PAX I do two bookings; one leaving last day and one leaving next day, and I keep the one that fits my mood that particular year. Deposits typically depend on the hotel. For a while during COVID a lot of hotels were heavy on full prepayment no refund reservations, but I feel like that has thankfully calmed down a bit. I typically have never had a deposit taken out before PAX with the official rate but I wouldn't be surprised if one of the hotels took a night's deposit at some point. Again, probably depends on the hotel.
I will be attending this year. and will be wearing a mask. I really am hoping that they require all attendees to wear a mask just to be safe.....
Also seems a lot less interest this year as all but four day pass is available.
Also very weird to not have merch to buy during checkout. Was kind of a bummer.
PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXXXXXXXXXXX!
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ColdbrewDown in Front ProductionsLake Stevens, WARegistered Userregular
As mentioned in their safety guidelines, they are requiring everybody to wear masks indoors.
It is bizarre to still see passes for all four days still available. Actually looks like the 4-days are back for sale as well at the moment. Considering the event is running at limited capacity it's pretty crazy. It just goes to show how many people either still don't want to take any risks or don't want to deal with the restrictions, both of which are totally fair. It's gonna be a weird PAX, but I'm sure it'll still be a good time. With such fewer people I feel like it's gonna remind me of the old days of '07 and '08, before they even used the entire convention center and it wasn't jam-packed every minute of the day, which sounds pretty nice.
4 Day Bobcats have reappeared for sale... gonna to be a strange year. I am eager to see the schedule and exhibitor list. Hope other things stay open... as it maybe a lite PAX.
I'd also love to see if exhibitors are onboard before tickets go on sale... but as it is, it sounds like maybe they are still discussing with the venue, city and state about capacity and safety guidelines. Not sure how much more info we would see before tickets go on sale if that is the case.
And that is the trick, isn't it?
For me, this is one group that I looked forward to seeing, and if they are not showing up...
I was gonna bring my vax card anyway, but I'm good with this
Very glad to see this. We're sadly still going to pass on this year as we know several fully vaccinated people who have gotten Covid now (not hospitalized, but pretty good and sick just the same).
I'm glad to see that the PAX people have decided to go through with people present valid vaccination or non-COVID proof. As a Canadian, I hope that it's fairly easy for me to get COVID tests done as I may need to get an additional test done in order to attend as Quebec(my home province) is not currently giving COVID passports. I'll have done a COVID screening in order to fly in but I am flying in on September 1st. Anyways, should be a great con regardless.
Just a nerd into anything Nintendo, anime, MCU, Star Wars, and board games/card games.
Also a computer scientist and a streamer.
While we're not going this year, I'm so happy they aren't just doing vaccine cards. I would love to be vaccinated, but can't due to allergies, so them including negative tests as well is fantastic. We're hoping to go next year, and the way they've handle this year so far makes me think that we might actually be able to.
I'm glad to see that the PAX people have decided to go through with people present valid vaccination or non-COVID proof. As a Canadian, I hope that it's fairly easy for me to get COVID tests done as I may need to get an additional test done in order to attend as Quebec(my home province) is not currently giving COVID passports. I'll have done a COVID screening in order to fly in but I am flying in on September 1st. Anyways, should be a great con regardless.
Quebec does give you a document with a QR code, I think that's their version of a passport
While we're not going this year, I'm so happy they aren't just doing vaccine cards. I would love to be vaccinated, but can't due to allergies, so them including negative tests as well is fantastic. We're hoping to go next year, and the way they've handle this year so far makes me think that we might actually be able to.
What I'm personally wondering, and the email response was not helpful in answering, is if one of the at-home rapid antigen tests would be sufficient to fulfill the negative test requirement as you wouldn't have any other documentation aside from the test strip itself, and you'd have to take the test within 6 hours of PAX opening on Friday.
While we're not going this year, I'm so happy they aren't just doing vaccine cards. I would love to be vaccinated, but can't due to allergies, so them including negative tests as well is fantastic. We're hoping to go next year, and the way they've handle this year so far makes me think that we might actually be able to.
What I'm personally wondering, and the email response was not helpful in answering, is if one of the at-home rapid antigen tests would be sufficient to fulfill the negative test requirement as you wouldn't have any other documentation aside from the test strip itself, and you'd have to take the test within 6 hours of PAX opening on Friday.
I'm not sure how to post screenshots, but the one I have says antigen tests are okay and must be done within 6 hours of the event start time or a negative test within 72 of each day. If it's included in the information they have, I'd assume that the test strip would be enough. If I can find where it says that, I'll let y'all know, and maybe that'll help to get a better response when emailing.
Translation: We didn't sell all our tickets; so, now we're trying to get people to buy the rest of them.
Nothing wrong with that. Most likely, they looked at what was holding people up from buying. If you read the forums, people here repeatedly said they wouldn't go without a vaccine requirement. Sounds like the best for everyone because more people want to go and be safe and now they have that opportunity, which is awesome.
Translation: We didn't sell all our tickets; so, now we're trying to get people to buy the rest of them.
Nothing wrong with that. Most likely, they looked at what was holding people up from buying. If you read the forums, people here repeatedly said they wouldn't go without a vaccine requirement. Sounds like the best for everyone because more people want to go and be safe and now they have that opportunity, which is awesome.
Can someone please explain how someone who's vaccinated is afraid of someone who isn't vaccinated?
How does someone who's vaccinated feel more safe about someone else being vaccinated than actually being vaccinated themselves?
I swear, serious questions here. I'm not understanding.
Debating someone's feelings about vaccination is not within the remit of this forum.
You should probably scroll back and read a few comments. Literally what's been going on here.
The definition of the word "forum" is: "a place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged."
A forum is the one place FOR civilized debate!
Debating someone's feelings about vaccination is not within the remit of this forum.
You should probably scroll back and read a few comments. Literally what's been going on here.
The definition of the word "forum" is: "a place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged."
A forum is the one place FOR civilized debate!
My statement was not up for debate. I am letting you know, as a moderator of this forum, that your generalized question asking someone to explain to you why a vaccinated person would want others to be vaccinated is off-topic for the PAX forums.
If you're specifically interested in learning more about covid-19, or about health and vaccinations as a topic, I encourage you to check out the WHO and CDC's resources talking about vaccinations and covid-19 vaccinations specifically.
I'm not sure how to post screenshots, but the one I have says antigen tests are okay and must be done within 6 hours of the event start time or a negative test within 72 of each day. If it's included in the information they have, I'd assume that the test strip would be enough. If I can find where it says that, I'll let y'all know, and maybe that'll help to get a better response when emailing.
What I'm thinking that I can do is to take one test on Wednesday to be safe before heading up to Seattle, and then take the second test Friday morning in the hotel room before getting in line, and take a photo of the test with a timestamp and your ID in it, to provide some proof that you took the test within the 6 hour window before PAX opens.
What I'm thinking that I can do is to take one test on Wednesday to be safe before heading up to Seattle, and then take the second test Friday morning in the hotel room before getting in line, and take a photo of the test with a timestamp and your ID in it, to provide some proof that you took the test within the 6 hour window before PAX opens.
For unvaccinated attendees – antigen COVID-19 tests must be taken within six hours of the event start time, and PCR COVID-19 tests must be taken within 72 hours of each day of entry to the event.
For all guests, your documentation needs to be directly from the healthcare provider that performed the vaccination or test, and you can display your proof on your smartphone or present a physical copy. [Emphasis mine]
For unvaccinated attendees – antigen COVID-19 tests must be taken within six hours of the event start time, and PCR COVID-19 tests must be taken within 72 hours of each day of entry to the event.
For all guests, your documentation needs to be directly from the healthcare provider that performed the vaccination or test, and you can display your proof on your smartphone or present a physical copy. [Emphasis mine]
Then how else are you supposed to take an antigen test within six hours (4:00 AM to 10:00 AM) of PAX opening?
For unvaccinated attendees – antigen COVID-19 tests must be taken within six hours of the event start time, and PCR COVID-19 tests must be taken within 72 hours of each day of entry to the event.
For all guests, your documentation needs to be directly from the healthcare provider that performed the vaccination or test, and you can display your proof on your smartphone or present a physical copy. [Emphasis mine]
Then how else are you supposed to take an antigen test within six hours (4:00 AM to 10:00 AM) of PAX opening?
It would seem that unless you were able to find a doctor to do that within six hours, you would be unable to use that method of testing. You would likely need to have an appointment for testing the morning you planned to attend and then likely arrive after opening (unless you had a doctor/clinic that was able to accommodate really early hours)
Wow somehow I missed the announcement that PAX West is now requiring vaccination or negative tests. That's certainly a sensible idea given the delta surge, though it probably makes things harder for kids and others who are not eligible for the vaccine (as well as people who may be waiting for FDA approval/Novavax/Earthbound 3/etc..)
I think Lollapalooza had a similar vax/test requirement. Much larger event than PAX (and their enforcement seemed to be inconsistent) but it will still be interesting to see what the fallout is.
Although antigen tests have more false negatives, it would be great to have fast antigen tests (and single-day PCR tests) readily available for PAX attendees. Hopefully anyone with symptoms (vaccinated or not) will avoid PAX and get a PCR test. The 72-hour PCR test window is understandable, but that also leaves 3 days to get infected before PAX. :eek:
As delta has continued to go up I've been canceling all plans near large groups of people; I'm also not enthusiastic about travel and potential exposure to new virus variants. I'm hoping things will turn around in time for PAX, but it isn't looking great at the moment.
It's interesting that 4-day badges seem to be available again.
Really disappointed that things like exhibitor list have not been released yet, even if just a running list of confirmed exhibitors.
We made the decision that as family we would not attended but I feel like I would have bought myself tickets (even if I ended up not attending) if I knew companies I cared about were planning on being there. But at this point, nothing has been updated... afraid I would go and it would just two huge Twitch and Facebook booths.
afraid I would go and it would just [be] two huge Twitch and Facebook booths.
I expect Geico will show up at least :P
Well Amazon, Microsoft, Nintendo and WotC are semi-local, but I don't know if any of them have confirmed.
23 days seems to be cutting it pretty close, but I wouldn't be surprised if PAX is still waiting for confirmation from many exhibitors. I could also imagine a situation where smaller exhibitors may be depending on a larger booth like Xbox or Playstation which might not be confirmed yet.
Some conventions don't release their final exhibitor list until a week or so in advance (which may correspond to the print deadline for programs, hall maps, or exhibitor lists) and even then there are often last-minute cancellations.
Posts
Yeah, The Sheraton, Hyatt, and Homewood all popped up a bit late on the official block for some reason, but I already grabbed that same rate with the Hyatt like a week or two ago so I wasn't sweating it too much, The Sheraton is super pricey this year, even through the PAX rate.
https://xkcd.com/325/
edit: $249 base rate for the Sheraton on the PAX hotel site vs. $149 for the Hyatt Regency....
I don't remember seeing a way to preorder merch either. Maybe it was text left over from last time?
Just a nerd into anything Nintendo, anime, MCU, Star Wars, and board games/card games.
Also a computer scientist and a streamer.
This doesn't seem to be accurate though.
You've likely figured this out by now, but the prime.paxsite.com domain is a bit of an outdated relic. That site should really just redirect to west.paxsite.com.
At this point, 4-day passes are gone for this year's PAX, but most of the rest of the info on that page seems to be up to date.
So with the new hotel booking being so inaccessible, as well as the cost not being super different, my partner and I have decided to just book directly through the hotel we like (Grand Hyatt).
My questions are; what time of year is best to book to ensure rooms are available? Do y'all just book for the typical PAX days, or make multiple bookings? Do the hotels still charge security deposits when booked directly, if they charge through PAX?
Also, any other tips? We're not going this year, but are planning for next and I want to get a jump on preparing for this.
Love it! I wondered how things were shaking out, considering I've seen quite a few posts here on the forums about people not going. But I'm glad to see we have good exhibitor interest, and a decent amount of people going.
The part about possibly changing based on updated health guidelines sounds potentially great, too.
My tip is just to keep periodically checking throughout the year. There won't be a lot of options at first because either a) it's too soon and the hotels haven't opened up that far in advance yet, or b) a decent chunk of those rooms may be blocked off for PAX, but don't let that discourage you. For instance, a random check about a month or so ago got me and a couple of other folks here a great one night free promo rate at the Hyatt that broke down to something like $150-165 a night depending on how many days you booked. Before that, I found a room at the Homewood that wasn't that much more than that and not too far off of what the official PAX rate ended up being. I don't know if there's any particular time of year that makes a difference, I just keep periodically checking.
As for what days, sometimes with 4 day cons like PAX I do two bookings; one leaving last day and one leaving next day, and I keep the one that fits my mood that particular year. Deposits typically depend on the hotel. For a while during COVID a lot of hotels were heavy on full prepayment no refund reservations, but I feel like that has thankfully calmed down a bit. I typically have never had a deposit taken out before PAX with the official rate but I wouldn't be surprised if one of the hotels took a night's deposit at some point. Again, probably depends on the hotel.
Also seems a lot less interest this year as all but four day pass is available.
Also very weird to not have merch to buy during checkout. Was kind of a bummer.
PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXXXXXXXXXXX!
It is bizarre to still see passes for all four days still available. Actually looks like the 4-days are back for sale as well at the moment. Considering the event is running at limited capacity it's pretty crazy. It just goes to show how many people either still don't want to take any risks or don't want to deal with the restrictions, both of which are totally fair. It's gonna be a weird PAX, but I'm sure it'll still be a good time. With such fewer people I feel like it's gonna remind me of the old days of '07 and '08, before they even used the entire convention center and it wasn't jam-packed every minute of the day, which sounds pretty nice.
They made the right early call, from B.C. Maybe could have entered the U.S. by Sept, but not looking good....
I was gonna bring my vax card anyway, but I'm good with this
Very glad to see this. We're sadly still going to pass on this year as we know several fully vaccinated people who have gotten Covid now (not hospitalized, but pretty good and sick just the same).
Just a nerd into anything Nintendo, anime, MCU, Star Wars, and board games/card games.
Also a computer scientist and a streamer.
Quebec does give you a document with a QR code, I think that's their version of a passport
What I'm personally wondering, and the email response was not helpful in answering, is if one of the at-home rapid antigen tests would be sufficient to fulfill the negative test requirement as you wouldn't have any other documentation aside from the test strip itself, and you'd have to take the test within 6 hours of PAX opening on Friday.
I'm not sure how to post screenshots, but the one I have says antigen tests are okay and must be done within 6 hours of the event start time or a negative test within 72 of each day. If it's included in the information they have, I'd assume that the test strip would be enough. If I can find where it says that, I'll let y'all know, and maybe that'll help to get a better response when emailing.
Nothing wrong with that. Most likely, they looked at what was holding people up from buying. If you read the forums, people here repeatedly said they wouldn't go without a vaccine requirement. Sounds like the best for everyone because more people want to go and be safe and now they have that opportunity, which is awesome.
Can someone please explain how someone who's vaccinated is afraid of someone who isn't vaccinated?
How does someone who's vaccinated feel more safe about someone else being vaccinated than actually being vaccinated themselves?
I swear, serious questions here. I'm not understanding.
You should probably scroll back and read a few comments. Literally what's been going on here.
The definition of the word "forum" is: "a place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged."
A forum is the one place FOR civilized debate!
If you're specifically interested in learning more about covid-19, or about health and vaccinations as a topic, I encourage you to check out the WHO and CDC's resources talking about vaccinations and covid-19 vaccinations specifically.
If you're looking for debate, we have a (not related to PAX) section for that: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/categories/debate-andor-discourse
I'm going to second the request for a roomshare thread, as in the years that I needed a place to stay, I've relied on that thread.
I was talking about one of these tests:
https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/binaxnow-covid-19-antigen-self-test-kit/ID=300414527-product
What I'm thinking that I can do is to take one test on Wednesday to be safe before heading up to Seattle, and then take the second test Friday morning in the hotel room before getting in line, and take a photo of the test with a timestamp and your ID in it, to provide some proof that you took the test within the 6 hour window before PAX opens.
Based on my reading, I don't think that is likely to work. (Info from https://west.paxsite.com/en-us/health-and-safety/health-and-safety-information.html Specifically the Vaccination/Negative Test Info section at the top, and the FAQs regarding Vaccination and Testing at the bottom.)
Then how else are you supposed to take an antigen test within six hours (4:00 AM to 10:00 AM) of PAX opening?
It would seem that unless you were able to find a doctor to do that within six hours, you would be unable to use that method of testing. You would likely need to have an appointment for testing the morning you planned to attend and then likely arrive after opening (unless you had a doctor/clinic that was able to accommodate really early hours)
I think Lollapalooza had a similar vax/test requirement. Much larger event than PAX (and their enforcement seemed to be inconsistent) but it will still be interesting to see what the fallout is.
Although antigen tests have more false negatives, it would be great to have fast antigen tests (and single-day PCR tests) readily available for PAX attendees. Hopefully anyone with symptoms (vaccinated or not) will avoid PAX and get a PCR test. The 72-hour PCR test window is understandable, but that also leaves 3 days to get infected before PAX. :eek:
As delta has continued to go up I've been canceling all plans near large groups of people; I'm also not enthusiastic about travel and potential exposure to new virus variants. I'm hoping things will turn around in time for PAX, but it isn't looking great at the moment.
It's interesting that 4-day badges seem to be available again.
We made the decision that as family we would not attended but I feel like I would have bought myself tickets (even if I ended up not attending) if I knew companies I cared about were planning on being there. But at this point, nothing has been updated... afraid I would go and it would just two huge Twitch and Facebook booths.
Well Amazon, Microsoft, Nintendo and WotC are semi-local, but I don't know if any of them have confirmed.
23 days seems to be cutting it pretty close, but I wouldn't be surprised if PAX is still waiting for confirmation from many exhibitors. I could also imagine a situation where smaller exhibitors may be depending on a larger booth like Xbox or Playstation which might not be confirmed yet.
Some conventions don't release their final exhibitor list until a week or so in advance (which may correspond to the print deadline for programs, hall maps, or exhibitor lists) and even then there are often last-minute cancellations.