If I arrive on Wednesday, can I pick up my badge(s) then? Or do I HAVE to wait until Thursday morning? And should I avoid scheduling an event on Thursday morning at 8-9 if I have to pick up my badge first because I will be likely to miss it?
Will Call opens at noon on Wednesday, so yes.
Thursday timing will depend on how early you arrive. Will Call is open 24 hours per day. I wouldn't plan on joining the Will Call line at 7:55 if you have an 8:00am event.
____________________________________________________ Alec Usticke, Unofficial Gen Con Indy Facebook Discussion Group
Be prepared to wait in line. We arrived Wednesday at 7pm and the line was over two hours long. We go check into the hotel and eat dinner. I go back at 10 and the line was over an hour long. If you can just pay to have it mailed to you.
I strongly recommend paying the few dollars extra to get everything mailed to you. It is worth every penny.
I already bought my badges, and did not have them shipped. Is it too late to change my mind?
I would like to acknowledge how active and how helpful Alec is on these forums. Good work! If you find yourself at the Secret Cabal meetup or we happen to cross paths, I'd be happy to buy you a drink.
Will-call was almost 2 hours long last year on Thursday morning, and it stretched all the way to the Victory Field/West St. exit!! I paid for shipping this year...
Personally, I don't have my badges shipped because I'm paranoid about forgetting them when I leave for GenCon (I'm a four hour drive away). So I've always done Will Call, and I've never found it particularly arduous.
I have always picked up my badges at Will Call on Wednesday and the line, while very long, moves very quickly. I have never had to wait more than 30 minutes on line, and last year I got online outside.
Thanks for the kind words, citantim. It's my pleasure. Say hello at the Stink if you happen to attend.