Darklord Day 2017

Last year the shuttle only took 30 minutes. Line should move quickly, I wouldn't worry about getting there earlier.

 

I'm also in A and taking Jak's 8am shuttle. We can share beers in line. Not much I can do at this point - taking 3pm return shuttle to get back for the Mastodon show.

 

You may be fine, may not. Should take 35-45 minutes to get to the fest.

Also, has Jaks opened earlier then 11am in the past on DLD?

 

Yeah. They have opened at before 8 in the last.

 

I'm not sure how having groups keeps the line short, it should manager itself. If there are no groups, you can get in line for bottle pickup whenever you want. If the line is long, don't get in the line yet and enjoy the fest until the line dies down. Or are we all just too stupid to handle something that easy and need to be herded in groups?

For example if I show up and the line is long at 10 a.m. I'll just check back every hour until it is shorter. Also with random bags, shouldn't the line just fly compared to previous years as there is no monetary transaction like 2015 and before and no picking out of variants like last year?

 

Absolutely! Look out for my dad and I wearing the Cigar City work shirts. Would love to pour some Maine Dinner and Tequila BA Mexican Coffee on the bus!

 

This, everyone will line up like sheep and stick in line all day.

 

You are not taking into account the shit show that would ensue during the first few hours (especially if it wasn't random variants). This way, it is not overwhelming for the employees. There will be a steady, easy flow of people all day without unplanned rushes. I don't see the issue with it at all.

 

Really? I would have no desire to pick up my bottles early with randomized variants.

 

I would want to get my allotment ASAP and find out if I got lucky or the shaft on a variant or vintage. Get that stress done and over with.

 

group a here, still fly af tbh

this is really a question that needs to be asked?

 

The reason they went to groups is because it was so crazy before. Most people would show up and just get in line. Especially because people don't mind waiting in line if they can bottle share.

Also, most people will prefer to get their bottles sooner rather than later, because you can leave whenever you want after you get your bottles. You don't have to have the anxiety of "is the line getting longer? Oh shit, it's still long and now I want to leave, but I haven't picked up my stuff yet".

When it comes to lines and crowd control, more rules usually make for a smoother process than less.

 

Anyone attend Huna Day this year that can discuss how the entrance was there with the staging area? Everything I read says it ran fairly smooth, yet I am still hesitant that it may run that smooth come Saturday.

Have a buddy that may not make it to the area by 9...I'm not too confident about heading to the grounds to check in and get in for bottles by 11 (have group A tix)

 

I'm the opposite, I'd wait to get mine to delay the inevitable disappointment (I have terrible luck).

 

Nah, the entrance at Huna, for the people that were there the earliest and were corralled into the large group in front of the huge gate in the glaring sun, was a little hairy, but that's because the main draw there is the rare taps, so there was a massive bum rush once the gates opened to the preferred stations.

This shouldn't be the case at DLD, sure some taps might be great but it's all a mystery. There's no reason to rush in, not even really a reason to get there super early anymore. This could be the most chill yet, as long as people themselves stay chill.

 

OK good and thanks for the insight. I agree with the random variants and the process for this year, there isn't a "need" to have everyone there at the crack of dawn. But I'll believe it when I see it come the weekend...can't wait.

 

If you ever went in the old days and had to wait in line for 3-6 hours, you'd understand. The line grew as the day went on. Now their process has gotten better over the years, but the grouping is a much better option. Especially with how well they nailed it down last year. Bottle lines were literally 15-30 minutes (if that). Its longer to wait in the food line now. I'll take this setup any day. Get my bottles when I need to as quickly as possible and go back to bottle sharing with my friends.

 

lol, a healthy dose of skepticism is certainly advisable

 

In past years there were monetary transactions and scratch off tickets bogging down the line. Also, if you won a scratch off, getting in early was an incentive as you had a better pick of variants. Now with zero incentive to get in line early, I just don't think any comparison to the past is convincingly relevant.

Hell, just hand out the bags when you enter. Everyone has to go through that line anyway.

 

I already specified that their process is better (by that I meant everything you are pointing out). What I'm saying is it is still a safer bet for them and the employees. Grouping provides the least possibility of unforeseen circumstances popping up. We should all know by now, Murphy's Law can and will go into affect at any beer fest. And that is what I am referencing in the past (2010: no one could foresee that the way people formed lines that they would intermingle and massive amounts of people would cut, leading to reduced alottments later as the day went on). Just saying, something can always go wrong, and grouping is a better way to prevent it.