That is the question. There’s always a debate whenever I’m talking to people about conventions, specifically Wizard World, whether or not a VIP ticket to a specific celebrity is worth it instead of general admission tickets. This is a great topic of discussion, really, because it honestly is up to you.

Now, my first Wizard World con was just general admission and I did pretty much everything I wanted to do, no problem. But it was a bit smaller than the rest I have gone to. Now, every con since that first one, I have bought a VIP ticket. However, I do it with a strategy in mind: I buy the ticket for whoever I want to see most, that will have the worst lines. Make sense?

For example: I’ve been a fan of Norman Reedus loooong before he became Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead, and wanted to meet him SO badly when I was in Chicago. Instead, his lines were so ridiculously long, I never made it through. A lot of time was wasted standing around, so when I was planning to go to Nashville to see him, David Della Rocco, and Sean Patrick Flanery from The Boondock Saints, I made sure I had the VIP pass for the trio – which was only around $50 more than the VIP for just Reedus, but included a photo op with all three guys, and VIP front of the line autograph passes, which included one autograph per guy. Basically: I got three autographs, all three of my boys in one picture, and was 100% sure I’d get Norman’s autograph.

Was it worth it?

ABSOLUTELY.

That con was one of the best of my entire life. While I didn’t get to spend a TON of time with Norman, I did get a hug and a tiny minute to talk to him (where before I couldn’t even get close to him), PLUS Sean Patrick Flanery and David Della Rocco are absolutely incredible guys that will spend time chatting with you, and in my case, goofing off with you. (I will probably share a proper post on here about that con, because it was a BLAST) I also did get my photo with Norman, Sean, and Rocco (in which I look TERRIBLE because I derped. SO. HARD. But they made me laugh.)

However, do I think EVERYONE is worth the VIP? Not exactly. There are some actors I’ve just wanted to meet that I wasn’t fangirling as hard over, and got through their lines just fine, without the need of a pass of any form. So unless you’re a die hard fan and want the lithograph or some other perk that comes with their VIP – don’t do it if they aren’t going to be a HUGE DEAL.

Another example I could give is both times I’ve met Matt Smith from Doctor Who. NEVER, EVER would I suggest not getting the VIP for him or someone else that will draw a huge crowd. Those “VIPs go first” lines are a life saver if you have your heart set on that photo and autograph AND you want to do anything else at con. Because even with my VIP pass for him (and the second time, a dual VIP with him and Karen Gillan), the lines were still insanely long. But it could have been much, much worse.

So if you’ve got the extra money, and you know the person you’re DYING to see at con is going to have huge lines – I highly recommend getting a VIP ticket for that particular guest.

Any questions? Drop a comment below!

~Angel