Volks Dolls Party in LA 4 [7-8 Sept. 2019] (After Report is up!)

I definitely want to go, if possible. I don’t know if anyone can go or if tickets are lottery based, but I’m going to pretend anyone can go and plan to be wherever. It would be cool it if were held out of California, any other major city, but I love CA so I’ll be fine if it’s there. I’d just like a shorter flight since I would 100% be taking my Volks girl.

 

I'm also planning on going if I can. As for location, I'm coming from Europe so it doesn't really make a difference for me. I assume that it's going to take place in LA or Anaheim.

Having tickets be lottery worries me a little but hopefully the event will be large enough that that won't be an issue.

 

Because I am lazy and not sure what my work will be, I hope it will be in S CA..... I will try my best to attend

 

Socal resident here! I'm thinking of going to this one and it will be my first I'm reading through the 2017 thread and am a bit confused about the ticketing system with "companion" tickets. Can someone who attended the last Dolpa please explain how that worked?

 

I went to Dolpa 2017 in Anaheim. It was pretty cool. And even though I am not interested in Volks dolls per se, seeing everyone's pretty dolls and attending a workshop was really cool. The event was open to everyone, however, Tea Party was a ticketed event, that sold out before I found out about it, and I think it was like $50, only there it was possible to win a lottery for a possibility of buying either a fullset doll or a custom one of a kind doll, wearing some designer stuff. They also had like a mini treasure hunt, it was also free to enter. As for buying stuff, last year they gave everyone a number and let people in, according to that number in line, but they picked out the first person to enter randomly, so they became the first person in line. I assume it'll be in the same location (Anaheim) or in Torrence since that's where their american office is located.

 

When applying to go to the Tea Party portion of the event in 2017, you had two choices of admission to pick from. You could apply for a solo admission for $80, or you could apply for a pair admission (you + companion) for $130. The latter was the companion ticket option you were reading about.

The companion ticket was a way to avoid having any chance of one winner + one loser in a family, and then have to decide if it was worth air/hotel expenses for only one person or not. Also, it was a slight cost savings over two solo tickets, which is always nice.

The drawback of the companion ticket was that only one person of the pair was authorized to enter for the SD One-Off Model lottery. Everything else about the Tea Party, including door prizes, freebies, food, and information, was the same to both members of a pair. So, the cheaper price plus pair entry had that one tradeoff, and you just had to decide what mattered to you more personally.

Some folks here used pair tickets (I did), and other folks here rolled the dice with two solo tickets and both got in. So both strategies were represented on DoA.

 

Thank you so much! That's really helpful. I'm only interested in the Tea Party itself and not the One-Off lottery so the pair tickets package sounds great.

 

Last year was one of the most fun times I’ve ever had ever soooooo definitely going again. :] I’m trying to decide if I want to bring someone (human) with me.

 

Definitely interested in going! I'd love to attend a restringing workshop!

 

I want to go, so much. If finaly able to do so finanacially, and so Im excited about the possibility.

 

@ker246 You're welcome! I liked the companion ticket option and was grateful that Volks offered a way for couples to attend Tea Party together when most of the rest of the hobby is strictly individual-based. I hope the option is offered again in 2019.

It's worth pointing out for clarity's sake that not all lotteries at the event were restricted from the companion, just the One-Off one. Because the rest of Dolpa LA 2017, other than the Tea Party, was free admission for all, there were no restrictions on what companions could do for the other luck-based events. They could bid on the Make-A-Wish Charity Doll (Amphitrite), enter lotteries for D'Coords, SD Coordinate Models, Limited DDs, and DearSDs, and play the charity gacha game for spare eyes. It was only the single chance at One-Offs versus two chances (or the possibility thereof, since ticket applications were due long before the specific One-Offs were shown) that one needed to include in the calculus of what ticket to apply for.

The upcoming 2019 Dolpa could have different rules (Japanese Dolpa rules change every so often too), but I'm assuming they'll be similar to 2017's unless VolksUSA says otherwise.

 

I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I'd really like if they would have Dollpa in Chicago. I'm a midwesterner myself, and Chicago would be SO much easier to get to, both financially and distance-wise. New York would be a little harder to get to actually, but there's no way I can make it out to California. I'll just keep my fingers crossed. Hey Volks! Come to Cleveland!

 

I would absolutely love to go, as I have never been to a Dolpa yet. Even when it was held in NYC it always ended up being really bad timing for me and then they stopped doing NY Dolpa entirely. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can attend for once no matter where they hold it.

 

My husband and I would love to go and see what Volks has in store for everyone in this upcoming Dolls Party. I have been enjoying it's southern California location mainly because it has not been too bad of a commute for us to attend (about two hours) plus the local attractions has made it a fun excuse to see what else is nearby.

I'm hoping for another chance at a Dear SD Kun, Dear SD Vanessa, and any variation they might have at a Suigintou as she is my grail doll. The Dear SD Tiffany was also pretty cute, but I'm not working right now and we recently got our first house, so I'm going to have to do a lot of saving up between now and next year. It would be amazing to see them re-release all the Rozen Maiden dolls since their face-ups, body blushing, and dresses in most recent years are way better than when the original Rozen Maiden dolls were released. I also hope to get a chance at some outfits that I didn't have money to buy at the time like the penguin outfit, some of the Dear SD outfits, and some other pretty outfits for my SD and SD13 girls. We are in the process of moving and I realized how awesome the travel pillow and decorative box/trunk that the Dear SD girls came with and am hoping that maybe they'll sell bigger versions for their SD and SD13 counterparts. Yes, the traditional travel bags are better for the larger dolls, but it makes me feel a little like Jun from Rozen Maiden carrying my Dear SDs in their decorative bag (not suppose to carry it by the handle but the box/trunk idea is still cute). I'm also hoping that they'll sell again the cute neko cookies and the tea as those were surprisingly yummy. I liked very much how it felt like there were a lot of options, whether for SD owners or DD owners, for shopping, and just for simply taking photos with your dolls. I've been really tempted lately to purchase a Hatsune Miku so if they have a few available then I might cave and get one (depending if my other choices were not available). For more affordable sourvenirs, I hope they continue selling the postcards, visual history booklets, posters, and pins as those were great mementos for us to keep as well as for my friends that were unable to come. Oh! And the games were super fun so I would like for those to return as well as some new ones.

I'm hoping they keep solo and pair admission tickets for next year's tea party as that made it less stressful of being able to attend with my husband (the 2015 we each had to enter in separately). It would be really amazing if any of their Bisque dolls made it over, even as a lottery or charity doll. For a theme, I have no clue where they will go as they already did the Alice in Wonderland theme and the Pirate Masquerade. Maybe a Jane Austen theme or a classic Hollywood Gala theme would be fun.

Whatever they end up doing, I'm just excited it's happening here in the US.

 

I'm really hoping they come to Chicago, too! It's probably way more likely to be in California or New York, but a girl can dream. No plane tickets to buy if it's here, hehe.

I'm pretty determined to go wherever it is, though - I've wanted to go to a Dolpa since I got into the hobby. The hardest part will be deciding which of my dolls gets to come if it ends up being far away!

 

I had forgotten about this until now, but come to think of it there was another difference between the Tea Party pair tickets versus two single admissions. A pair could only pre-order one copy of each Silver Coin SD offered as part of the Tea Party (YoMidi Williams, Cecile, Reisner, Cyndy, and/or SD17 Romantic Glance Williams). Whereas two single individuals could each pre-order those dolls, thereby ending up with two copies of any, or all, of them as a family, if both people got in.

I'm not sure how many folks would be affected by that tradeoff, but that could be another consideration for the family as a whole just depending on what dolls you're after.

On another note, the SD One-Off lottery is pretty exciting since Volks draws the winners live from the box on stage, and nobody, not even Volks, knows who it's going to be until President Shigeta reads the name. Even though buying a pair ticket means you get one entry instead of two as a family, it is still possible to win the right to buy a One-Off using just the one entry. I just wanted to confirm this fact In case anyone with a pair ticket falls for one when Volks reveals the One-Offs a week or so before the event.

 

Thanks @Holo's Apple Tree ! I really appreciate all the details you’ve provided in this thread. I’ve realized I am actually possibly interested in a lottery (in the scenario that Volks brings more Dear SD dolls over) but having only one entry, due to pair tickets, seems okay to me personally. I’m really curious what the pre-order options for this Dolpa could be!

 

@ker246 You're welcome! But good news - at least last time, the DearSD lottery was part of the regular events, and not the Tea Party, so for that one it didn't matter what ticket you had. Each person who came could enter for DearSDs.

It might sound a bit confusing when written out in words because there were so many different lotteries, but don't worry, it was obvious at the event who was eligible for what because the Tea Party festivites were clearly separated from everything else.

 

I'm moving to LA in a little over a week so I'm looking forward to going, even if it's over a year out.

 

I’m definitely going to this. The last one was a blast.

 

volks finally posted more info on the facebook page! september 8th 2019 in la!

 

I mean I've got to at least try to go. It is a great excuse to get out and try to see my friends, plus I never got to attend any while I was in CA.

I do admit I was really hoping that they'd announce another East Coast one as that is now where I live, but oh well. Maybe next time....? QQ

 

i’m kind of bummed it’s not in nyc because i am east coast based, but my partner has never been to the west coast so we might save vacation hours and make a fun trip out of it!

(also haven’t been to disneyland in years and i know at least one of my dolls would love to go ........ just saying .......)

 

Aw man, was really hoping for New York since Volks had a booth at AnimeNYC. Guess I'll have to wait for the after event.

 

How exciting! I'm hoping I can make it, with school.... and maybe I'll actually have a doll I can bring with, by then!

 

Woo! Looking forward to this. I had such a wonderful time last year! (Getting Tori didn't hurt either... XD)

Theme I do not want to see because omg broke: Tokyo Boys. :P

Hopefully I'll get to go to the tea party again.

Also hoping to see the return of the dealer outfits! There were some wonderful ones last year. Though I did get a Volks DD outfit I'd been wanting that had been sold out online for a while last time as well. XD

The real question is going to be who to bring lol. I brought my Isao and Tsukasa last year. Tori most likely, and probably Lukas. But maybe my incoming Claude? My F-05? Though two SDs last year was heavy rofl. XD (I say as if I didn't bring every Volks doll I owned at the time to one of the mansion tea parties a decade ago...)

 

Do we have any idea when tickets will go on sale? Or rather, when the lottery is... I am so excited to see the date has been announced! YAY!

 

Thank you Nell! Hope to see you there again. :]

Lanie

 

I can't wait. I already scheduled the time off.

 

I think a Disney day afterwards is a must!! I'm so excited!

 

So glad they're scheduled for LA, East Coast would've been quite a trip for me, flying up from Hawaii. I've never been to a mainland Dolpa before, even when I lived in California, so I definitely would love to go next year. Especially if they'll have dealer outfits available? Either way, I'm looking forward to it!

 

is there any benefit that you know of to staying in the convention hotel instead of one of the hotels super close by?

 

@c4tbus Often times there's some discount if you book to stay in whatever hotel block an event can get. Of course whether that discount is worth it verses staying a little farther where it may be cheaper we'll have to wait and see what pricing Volks gets.

 

I stayed close by, but not at the host hotel. I wish I would've stayed at the host hotel to make it easier to run things back up to my room. It's a minor convenience but I think for this Dolpa I'm gonna stay at the host hotel. I really should stay at home and save the money, since I live an hour away, but being around is more fun. :] I stayed at the Hotel Indigo last year and it was walking distance to the event--I paid like $125 for a night I think? I also booked my hotel day of. Some of the hotels close by also offer discount Disneyland tickets for those interested you can call the hotel and ask if they have them!

 

The Clarion is literally next door to the Marriot and tends to be significantly cheaper. I first stayed there for the 2017 Dolpa because of the lower cost and have stayed there a couple times since for BlizzCon 2017 and 2018. It's not fancy but I only sleep in my hotel rooms lol.

 

It’s going to be in Anaheim, again? Yay, I sort of know what’s around that area now do to attending the 2017 LA Dolpa!

@Alysonsfriend @Nell @justkatie179 - Looking forward to hanging out again.

I stayed at a hotel within walking distance to the Marriot last time to save on room and board. Maybe this year I can find a roommate within the host hotel.

 

I was just thinking about you the other day!!! I can't wait to see you again!

 

So very excited about this! I'm crossing my fingers that they bring some DSDs or some nice SDM coordinates to this (and have an After Event). I'm still not sure yet about being able to go since we have a military move happening supposedly in July, but I can still dream about it and hope to go.

 

Last DollPa I came empty handed and went home with two dolls ... better start saving pennies now
Cant's wait!!

 

Last time I came with two and left with five and a half. XD;

 

that actually brings up another question that i have as a first time dolpa attendee!

how many dolls do most people bring to dolpa?

i know for sure i’m bringing my yosd bc he is so small and easy to carry, but i’m torn on who else to bring! i only have two others (msd and a dds boy) and i know there is so much time to decide but i am still torn !

 

I'm also curious how many dolls people normally bring along. As many as you can comfortable watch/carry?

What were the vendors and activities like in previous years? How long is the 1 day of events?

 

In 2017, attendees of the Tea Party portion of Dolpa were limited to ONE DOLL per person, due to size constraints of the tables and room.

Other than that it really ranged; I felt like most people had 1-2, with a few having 3+.

With so much going on, I think 1-2 is most comfortable, especially if you bring a larger doll. I’ll likely only bring one again (last time was my SD17 Williams, and brought home my RG Williams) as I’ll probably bring an SDGr boy.


I’m super excited for Dolpa again! I’ll be attending; I had so much fun last time and would love to do it again. I’m hoping I can order my current grail FCS boy by early summer so he’d be here in time to bring along!

 

@Nell - Really appreciate the information and will definitely check out the previous threads. I've always tried to stay away in the past to prevent temptation, but since it's such a real possibility of going, it's time to do a little research.

 

@DemonMiko I'll also add that Volks has had a room where you can check all or some of your bags during the event. So if you have dolls or other belongings that you don't want to carry the whole time, but aren't staying at the hotel or one close enough to go back and drop things off or pick things up, you can utilize bag check.

Last time I brought one doll and went home with 3, could have been 4 if that darn meddling @Ian-KunX hadn't won my Tiffany. *shakes fist*

Hopefully Volks has more DSD's I need a Ryo.

 

Completely forgot it was the 20th Anniversary!

Are y'all hoping for new sculpts? Old sculpts? Sizes?

Dreaming of a re-release of Hikaru Genji here...

 

RE: Oh, it was over 100 in the Bay Area as well that weekend. Remember that? I've lived in the Bay Area all my life and I never thought I would see the day that San Francisco ended up in the 3+ digit weather. Glad to hear that it's in Anaheim again. I can use that time to visit a couple of my SoCal friends, and hopefully I'll have more time to shop around. Last time my flight was delayed which ruined my Friday morning plans.

 

You're right!! it's anniversary! So they definitely will have something big *____*
It would be great if they updated on development of the hybrid DD/SD doll they brought last time. That blue-gray skin tone appears in my dreams to date