Second time to Gen Con and I'm thinking that using UBER back and forth will be cheaper than renting a car and paying for parking. Can anyone speak to past experience with UBER availability and any surge pricing that may have occurred? I'm going to be out of the center, about 12 miles out if that matters.
How is Lyft/Uber availabilty for early/late events? I've never had a problem with Lyft during the day, but never tried them outside of 9am-10pm.
I used Uber all last year every morning and every evening and no problem. Longest wait was 15mins
I used Lyft also with no problem.
I have used either Uber or Lyft the past three years and have never had an issue getting a ride, and all but maybe one or two times it has never been more than $14 for a one-way ride pre-tip from the airport hotel area to ICC. You might have to wait a little longer late at night, but all else fails there are tons of traditional cabs around downtown; however, those are more expensive, more like around $20-$25 from the ICC to the airport area pre-tip.
One major consideration is that renting a car gives you a place to store stuff. It sucks hauling stuff around all day.
This is my families first time to GenCon and we were a bit late on booking a room to get close to ICC (by we I mean me...lol). The nearest hotel we could book is 15 miles from ICC. We have never used Uber or Lyft, but heard it is simple and not too expensive. Does anyone have a general price on a one way trip from hotel 15 miles away to ICC?
I can't speak to Uber, but it cost me $16.72USD from downtown to the airport on Lyft on Monday last year, which is a 12 mile trip. I would figure on closer to $20 for 15 miles.
There was tons of Uber and Lyft vehicles everywhere downtown, so getting one wasn't an issue.
Lyft you book, and it shows you the car and driver, and where they are coming to you and what the trip will cost. Once the trip is done, you confirm that you have arrived and you can leave a review. Lyft can be used with just cell phone data, while Uber requires a text message to confirm (I'm from Canada and didn't want roaming charges, so used the hotel wifi).
The Gate10 lots have people around all the time. That doesn't guarantee safety, but it deters people from breaking into cars. Also, I'm not sure how big a target Gen Con merch is.. thieves want something they can turn into cash quickly. Show up at a pawn shop with a board game or some Starfinder books, and they'll be like "What the *&() is this crap?" :-)
I park at the parking garages on the east end of the convention center. I feel safer with my car there and it is easier to get there so worth the extra cost.
One thing to keep in mind, watch out for surge pricing (basically when there is high demand) prices have a multiplier and it can get pretty high.
Most people breaking into cars are happy to just swipe a bag/box/etc. and worry about it later; after all, it's free! Also, if a shop owner was smart, they would know a new high-end board game or set of Starfinder books aren't cheap (a lot of game stores also flip books/games), so they might get a good deal offering $5-10 for something like that. Like I said, I have not heard any personal anecdotes of theft at GenCon, but any gathering where there's tons of people spending money, you have to be aware.
We've left stuff in our car trunk parked at Gate 10 for years and never had an issue. Yeah, don't leave it on the back seat, but people aren't going to smash windows all through a staffed lot looking for cars that might have something in the trunk.