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

Thanks DemonMiko.
My friend and I aren’t too worried about the pre-order dolls or the one-of lottery. It mainly had to do with the best bet/option for us to be able to both attend the Tea Party together. She has never been to a Dolpa before, and I want her to be able to experience it fully.
I also didn’t want us to inadvertently break any of Volks entry rules or conditions.

Thank you too Asatou.
My friend and I have different enough tastes that the one-of dolls shouldn’t be much of a problem.
From what I’ve seen, the one-off selections usually tend to be rather girl heavy, as well as the larger sized dolls with the more mature face and body sculpts. While I appreciate and admire their beauty, they aren’t really my cup of tea.
Also, given the theme, and the fact that the costume is part and parcel of what makes the doll a one-of, I’m thinking we are going to see beautiful, fanciful, masquerade type ball gowns.
So I’m not really holding out much hope for a beautiful, young, androgynous boy to try for this time.
Lol, besides, I figure I’ve used up my whole lifetime’s worth of luck at the last LA Dolpa, when major shock...I got all three of the dolls that I entered lotteries for including the one-of!
It seriously spooked me for a second, I thought that maybe some terrible calamity was going to befall me, because I almost never win those types of limited and one-of lotteries. It was like it was too good, like maybe all this good fortune was to make up for some really bad karma heading my way!
Fortunately, nothing bad happened, lol.
Now, if my friend ends up attending as my companion and sees a one-of she wants to try for, I’ll be happy to enter the lottery for her. After all, there’s no rule that says I can’t turn the doll over to my friend once I’ve paid for her.

 

I have preferences for male dolls too so I actually emailed VOLKS about it because the last LA dollpa also had way more girl dolls available and I really want to have more chances of wanting to enter the lottery XD Although I would save money if none of the dolls are to my preference but I really hope they have handsome looking boy dolls!

OMG which 3 dolls did you get at last dollpa...?! I wasn't there so I've only seen the available dolls from the after report! How did you get three, I thought we could only enter once (twice I guess if we count tea party separate from the other one) lol! Could totally use your luck!

 

One was one of the tan Dear SDs, which was the only doll whose lottery I was actually planning on entering. He’s now my cute little Hawaiian boy.
The second one was one of the coordinate model SDMs. Lol, a girl actually.
I had absolutely no intentions of entering the lottery for any of the coordinate models, since I was able to do an FCS order for a sunlight F-40 boy, right before the Dolpa. He was the only one of the SDMs I was interested in, so when Volks offered that sculpt for the FCS, I figured a sure thing beats winning a chance to purchase.
My mistake was in going over to check him out in person. Since I was there I looked over the other SDM Coordinate models... the next thing I know I’m entering the lottery for this little snow skinned F-39(?) Miss!
Lol, I didn’t even like her when I saw her preview pictures on the Dolpa website, I thought her face sculpt made her look like a goofy doofus!
I swear, the little minx bewitched me and took control of my mind! All I remember is leaning down and seeing her smiling face... next thing I know, I’m standing by the lottery ticket box, going “What did I just do!?!”
The third doll was the One-of sunlight skin Cecile Scarface. I was debating about him pretty much right up to the last minute, and then decided “Oh what the heck! In for a penny, in for a pound.”
I really figured I had no chance in Hades of winning him, especially after winning the other two. So you can imagine my shock when they called my name.

 

Ahhhh that Cecile Scarface is dreamy!!!!!
I see, so the Dear SD lotteries are separate, I plan on skipping out on that one but will definitely look at the coordinate models.
Really hoping the coordinate models come with this outfit because it's so cute!


I think that's the wonder of going to the actual event is seeing the dolls in person.
No amount of pictures can equate to seeing the dolls in person!
I would feel a lot more confident in liking a doll for a long time if I can see them in real life instead of just ordering from FCS.
I skipped out on SDM F-35 in the last FCS because I'm just not 100% sure one out of all the models, which exact one I should get, same with picking out skin colours, it's so hard!

 

Yeah, the Dear SDs, the DDs, and the Coodinate models were all lotteries open to anyone attending the Dolpa.
I already had a pure skin Dear SD Nono, who is my little Russian boy. So when they released the tan DSDs, I decided he needed a little Hawaiian playmate, since we live in Hawaii.
I can’t choose either, I love all the different skin tones, they are all so pretty! Variety is the spice of life.
I wonder if they will be offering DSDs again this year, or if they will have some more of the tan Dollfie Dream girls available. I thought they were rather well received by everyone.
I’d love a tan DD boy, or any new DD boys for that matter! Even just some new DD outfits specifically for Kirito and Len would nice too.
I hope they let us know soon, so I can know how much to budget, and how far in debt I’m going to go!

 

Fatal mistake lol that's how I wound up with Tori. F-73? Not normally my mold. Lovely, but most of them leave me thinking 'she's pretty' and that's about it. DearSD? Not my type of doll. I like more mature dolls and SDs rather than MSD height. Girl? I mostly do boys. Preview pictures of Vanessa and Tiffany? Meh, cute, not my thing. Looking at the DearSDs anyway because they're there and I might as well enjoy looking at them? BAD IDEA. She just side-eyed me as I walked up and was like 'I'm going home with you' and she was right. Wasn't even considering it but she had other plans.

Rotten mind-controlling dolls!

 

Exactly!
Lol, and the mind control didn’t end there either!
After I got home, I sat down one evening to order her a couple more dresses, and/or maybe a pair of jeans and a couple of tops from eBay. Suddenly I realize I’m blithely filling the cart with every old fashioned frothy pink princess and Lolita dress I see!
I literally had a bit of a panic attack, and had to walk away from my iPad!
I don’t like the color pink, as far as I’m concerned it looks best on flowers and in sunsets... period. So of course “Princess” Sera will only wear dresses in colors that she considers to be shades of pink. Nor will she wear jeans or pants, or anything modern!
Nope!
Lol, and then, when I did come back to finish shopping, I’ll be darned if she still didn’t manage to somehow end up with just about every old fashioned frilly pink dress on eBay! Lol, and it was a heck of a lot more than just two or three to boot!

 

Same! Hopefully they put more information onto the event page soon with more specific doll sculpts. Though, the games and stuff look like a lot of fun.

 

I'm also anxiously waiting to see what dolls are gonna be there, hopefully sooner than later so there's more time to budget!!!!!
I'll be flying over from Canada if I end up going... and currency conversion sucks so much right now XD I would probably save a lot more if I plan in advance and get ticket/place to stay sooner than later but... I don't want to commit to it until more information is released as September is still a couple months away.
Here's hoping most of the stuff are gonna be available by end of June at the latest >_<

 

@Kittywolf13 If I recall, they checked names at the door for the Tea Party, and you+companion needed to check in together. If both you and your friend win companion tickets and only want to go with each other, you may have to contact VolksUSA to straighten that out because the unneeded tickets aren't transferable.

 

just noticed that mine had a shipping fee included too!

also noticed that it has disappeared from my order history on the volks site! is that normal for lottery entries? or tea party in particular ??

 

I'm definitely interested in starting some roomate/hotel sharing info! I haven't booked a room yet as I was waiting to see if any roommates threads had started yet. Were you looking to be in the main con hotel? I've never been to Dolpa before so I'm still trying to gauge what would be best, as I'm only bringing 1 SD13 doll.

 

I also don't mind sharing! It's just likely going to be me and maybe 1 SD-ish doll for the weekend. My husband doesn't seem to be interested in the dolls or Disney.

I've been holding off on both flight and hotel just because I don't know 100% yet. But if we start a thread for roommates/ride shares, I would love to join.

 

I want to book at the con hotel but I was waiting to see if anyone was looking for roommates since I can't afford the full hotel price for just me. If a thread does get started could someone point me in that direction, I've only just started navigsting my way around DoA.

 

My life is in chaos right now, don't have time to look at details of this, fastest way is to ask questions in this forum......Is there a deadline for submitting Satogaeri services? Can I submit more than 1 service request?

If I make it for this dolpa, I will only be going for the Satogaeri service.

 

@stargazer_i it is my understanding that satogaeri applications are turned in at the event. they have them available as pdfs so that people can fill it out way in advance. the form is a ‘check the boxes that you want’ kind of thing so i expect that you can get as much or little done as you want.

i haven’t been able to find anything talking about the number of dolls you are allowed to submit for satogaeri services, so i would assume that multiple are allowed.

@Kittywolf13 my partner and i will be flying into lax, but the monday before the event. what airline are you flying? some have stricter carry on rules than others, and some will charge fees for carry on and personal items, which is important to keep in mind when traveling with a large doll. also most airlines have an option where you can download boarding passes to your phone which is super convenient. plus some airports have apps that you can download with flight trackers and full maps of the terminals.

the best suggestion i can give for flying alone, is just go ahead and check your bag. unless you are traveling super light (like everything fits in a small backpack light) just check it. especially when traveling with dolls. i normally have a small tote bag with essentials (phone, wallet, keys, meds, chargers/external batteries) because it’s easy to get into during security check and while walking around. for bringing your dolls there are a bunch of existing threads about traveling with large dolls that you can reference for finding a packing/toting method that works for you! (i personally only travel with small or vinyl dolls so i have no experience traveling with large resin dolls) feel free to message me directly if you have any questions! i’m happy to talk and have done a lot of solo flying and learned a lot of lessons about what works and what doesn’t!

 

I was thinking of whatever hotel is connected with Dolpa since they have deals, I believe. Other than that, where would roommate threads appear? I didn't know there would be such.

I'll have to wait to see how much tickets are. I don't have any Volks right now as I'm waiting for my dream girl to appear for purchase. Haha. I may end up seeing one at the con and hopefully be able to walk away with it.

 

By tickets, do you mean the tea party/Dolpa tickets or plane tickets? The tea party tickets are on sale right now and Dolpa overall is free isnt it? I've never been to Dolpa and I'm still very new to DoA so I'm not sure where they might appear as well. But if you do decide to go, I'm still willing to do a room share!

 

It'll be my first DollPa, so I'm super excited! Thank you everyone for all of this great info and tips from previous DollPa events.

For both flying with dolls and flying in general, I recommend Southwest. You get two free checked bags, a carry-on, and one personal item. When I travel with dolls, I keep my doll in an underseat luggage and just bring a small purse that I can squeeze in right next to it. Make sure it's something that zips and not just an open tote, or else all of your stuff will be rolling around the plane.

A word of advice: TSA agents do not get paid enough to care about the doll(s) in your carry-on. Take out only what you need to when you're going through the line, which would be your large electronics, liquids, metals, and shoes/jacket. Keep your doll in your carry-on unless you are actually asked to take it out. I have never been asked to do so, and my dolls and I travel frequently. Seriously, TSA agents want you to get through that part just as badly as you do! Just slide your stuff through.

 

Southwest's more lenient policies on luggage are one of their good points. I don't fly them anymore, as I try to focus on either United or JetBlue...otherwise I'm never gonna get any sort of priority status. But in the past, especially for when I used to do cosplay, they were a good option when you need all the space you can get.

Seconding putting dolls underseat, wholeheartedly! While yes, you could pack them in a carry-on meant to go overhead, you face two risks: the first being that you get on the plane too late and all the overheads are filled, or that the overhead bins are too small to fit your luggage. In either case, you will be asked to check anything that can't get underseat, which means you are in a scramble to do something with your dolls right before the flight (and you do NOT want them going below under any circumstances, even for a gate-check).

Be sure to check the size of the underseat space with your airline, and...a little tip: Your best bet for space in front of you? The middle seat. They are generally the most "true to size" from what the airport provides on their websites.

 

As a heads-up, every time I've flown out of LA (as well as at my airport of origin from two different airports), I've had to watch the TSA agent take my SD girl bodies out of their carry-on luggage and swipe them for bomb material. I'm under the impression that the combination of plastic-looking material and the metal hooks for hands and feet triggered the swipe. Additionally, SD bodies are bigger than the usual 'doll' and are less likely to read as just a doll for the person doing the x-ray/scan. For me, what worked well was putting the bodies in robes/nagajuban, and the hands/feet in bubblewrap, so that the bodyblushing wasn't as likely to be damaged. I packed the heads in boxes with facemasks/padding/etc. and carried those in my purse, while the bodies were in an overhead bin compartment sized suitcase. The head boxes never had to be opened.

(FWIW I would personally not fly Southwest, but YMMV. For most airlines with assigned seating, you can search online and find out how they stagger their boarding. Select a seat in the section that boards first and overhead compartment space is less likely to be a problem.)

 

Since I officially got word from my job about having the days off for Dolpa, I'm officially looking for roommates if anyone is also looking! I haven't booked yet as I was waiting to see if I got the dates off. I was looking at the Clarion hotel that's next door to the Dolpa hotel but that was cheaper for just me, I am more than willing to book the Dolpa hotel if theres more than just me! I can put the room under my name and you can just pay me. I'm coming in on the 6th and leaving on the 9th. I'm only bringing one doll and it's just me coming so if you have multiple people rooming I dont mind! I'll even sleep on the floor if need be

 

I’m gonna wait until Tea Party tickets are announced in June and then look for room mates and companion for the tea party because I think my friend no longer can go anymore Hopefully September isn’t going to be too expensive.

 

Good idea, I want to wait to book my flight until they announce tea party results just in case but I think I want to go no matter what. But I hope your friend can go!

 

What Snowgray said. I personally try to focus on United or JetBlue when I can because those are my preferences when I fly for work reasons, so I have some status (especially on United) that helps me out with what boarding group I get, which helps with overhead availability...well, mostly; some planes are wee lil puddlejumpers and I'm lucky I can get a backpack in those!

 

Additionally, another option to consider are packing cubes; they are available on Amazon, and you can use them to both help pack and organize your clothes in particular. The key is to roll the clothes you can, rather than fold them. I can get a full week's clothes into a carry-on if I am really clever about it.

Also, for those who are flying in and haven't booked yet: there are three airports you can fly into to get to Anaheim. LAX is the biggest hub, but there is also Long Beach (LGB) and Santa Ana (SNA) to consider, both even closer to Anaheim than LAX.. I bring this up because for those unfamiliar with traffic in the greater Los Angeles area, it can get NUTS... and a trip that should only take 30 minutes can easily take a lot longer if there is an accident or you travel during rush hour.

 

Wow, great point to bring up! I didn't even think to mention this! If you've never been to the area and aren't really planning on exploring Los Angeles proper, I would actually suggest SNA (AKA John Wayne Airport). It's usually more expensive to fly to that airport, but you may consider it worth the cost. One thing to keep in mind about this airport is that it does have a smaller than usual window for when flights can actually happen due to noise concerns from surrounding residents, so if you're a late night flight person, it's not happening here. Otherwise, super small and easy to navigate airport. Highly recommend it if you're just flying in for the event.

My group is flying to LAX but we're actually going to be staying in Little Tokyo for the first day and a half of our trip, making our way to Anaheim around Friday afternoon (or morning if we decide on Disneyland haha). If you're not actually doing anything in LA, it's going to be a lot of traffic and a kinda pricey Uber ride. I'm from Texas, so the LAX to Anaheim trip is nothing for me, but it's still going to be about an hour or so long car ride for those of you who aren't used to that.

 

I flew into LAX last Dolpa and used Super Shuttle. My Shuttle was only about $20 each way and did take about 45min-1hr to get to the dolpa hotel. It was a pleasant ride though as I didn’t have to drive myself!

Seconding the doll swab flying out of LAX as well. I about had a heart attack watching the agent swab both my carefully packed Williams’. D:

I fly Delta in the US and I’ve liked them quite a bit. Because I have their AmEx credit card I get priority boarding which is definitely a perk. I also always recommend carry ons for dolls, and if it’s not a hard case to keep with you under the seat!

 

Santa Ana and Long Beach are not horribly different, based on what I've seen when I was looking at options. Santa Ana is the closer of the two, but it's also the Disneyland hot airport as well (I've been jokingly calling it Disneyland International Airport as a result), so it could be harder to get to because everyone trying to go to House of Mouse is using that airport.

It really depends on your airport of origin and what airline you use. I would check both destinations and see what gets you both rate and good times based on any restrictions.

Again, depends on where you are coming from. If I am flying west to east, I will often try for either red-eye or very early morning flights, depending on when I want to get to where I'm going. For the return trip (east to west), I can leave a bit later in the day and still get home at a decent hour because I'm ticking backwards in time zones. For Dolpa, I'm flying from SFO, so it will be a really short nonstop whichever airline I use.

 

Aha! Good to know. Yes, when you fly from Florida to California, you go earlier in time zones (California is three hours behind Florida), and when you return, you jump three hours. Your actual flight time will be 6 hours or so, if you get a nonstop, longer if you do connections.

BTW: If my travel blather is best in PMs, I can move them there....unless there are others that are getting good info out of it and I'm not aware!

 

Let's!

I always pay for check in because I can't, for the life of me, pack with only a carry on. I have my good shoes for Disney, heck I might have to bring a third pair depending on what I'm wearing for the tea party if I get in. I also really like my checked luggage and I've never had an issue thankfully.

The airlines who do that basically want whatever you bring to be able to fit under the seat vs putting up in the overhead. So you just have to abide by the dimensions they provide.

Usually I find on flights is every person on board is fighting for overhead room. I don't want to participate in that fight, I don't want to get up and get something if I need it, I always store under my seat. I'll bring a fold up bag if I win a doll or have too much valuables to check in.

I haven't decided who I'm bringing yet but I will have to make sure I have enough room for the doll, extra clothes if my luggage does go missing, and entertainment. It's a toss up with 2 SD17 boys, 3 SD Nono's, and a YoSD Nono who is in the lead right now.

 

Traveling with dolls to LA can be an adventure if flying. Here are a few air travel observations from the previous Dolpa LA, as well as business travel.

TSA Security Lines: Sometimes, but not always, SDs will get swabbed by the agents if in carry-on bags. Be prepared with easy access on the off-chance it happens. Sometimes they swab the palm of your hand too. Shoes off, laptops out in a separate tub, belts and metal out of pockets, and toiletry liquids in a 1-quart ziplock bag. If you don't like the body scanners in many airports you can "opt out" (say those words when directed to enter the scanner) and get an in-person pat-down from a same-gendered agent instead. At least that way there won't be a digital image of you nekkid from the scanner for TSA to keep.

Luggage: a backpack is considered a "personal item" as long as you can fit it under the seat in front of you, which your typical college backpack will. I usually travel with a carryon-size roller suitcase and a backpack as my two items. That's plenty of room for a week's worth of clothes, small dolls, and in-flight entertainment options.

Check-in: Many times the airline will allow you to check in online starting exactly 24 hours before your flight's departure. Do so. The earlier you check in the earlier you get on the plane and the better overhead bin options you'll have.

Overhead Bins: The universal language for "bin full" is to close the door. You can do this yourself; it does not take a flight attendant. Once the door is closed, usually nobody will question it. So, if you have something very fragile you want to protect (like a brand new one-off) and you don't want others shoving their suitcases in there trying to make room, fill the bin up with your own belongings so it's reasonably full and packed how you want it so stuff doesn't shift around too much - and then close the door.

Packing Dolls: I've traveled using the SD violin case and also using the SD's full box with pillows and all. That's in lieu of one of my normal two bags. For a doll from home, where I can choose the packing, I'll use the violin case and only bring the accessories needed. For dolls from the event though...

Getting New Dolls Home from LA: Volks will sell cardboard shipping boxes sized for SD17 in the Sumika Shop at the event - ask at the register. There is a FedEx in the Anaheim Marriott. Knowing I was going to ship the preorder dolls home, I brought packing tape and bubble wrap in my luggage. Scissors borrowed from the Marriott front desk, since you can't bring those on a plane. For multiple dolls it's cheaper to stack them all together and make one larger box out of multiple Volks cardboard boxes than it would be to ship each doll in an individual box. Pack well.

Although I shipped the preorder dolls back to myself, I chose to personally escort the one-off I won (unexpectedly, excitedly) by keeping her with me at all times. Sorry FedEx, some things are just too precious and can't be replaced. She went on the plane in her full box just as she came from Volks, box carried in the SD tote bag, in lieu of my clothes which went under the plane at that point. My family and I used the overhead bin trick to fill the bin with all of our own stuff and shut the door, protecting Sylvie from getting dinged by anyone else. It would have been easy to open her for TSA, but thankfully this time they did not ask.

So those are the two ways I brought dolls home from the last LA Dolpa.

 

I do hope Volks gives us an idea of what other dolls they'll be bringing, especially as they've split the tea party and the marketplace and are doing them on different days. I don't live in Anaheim, but still close enough that getting a hotel doesn't seem worth it for me, but still far enough with no car, that riding up there two days in a row won't be cheap using uber or time consuming using the bus.

 

@Kittywolf13 Last time we lined up, and they let us into the room incrementally. But, once you got into the room you were allowed to stay in and browse as long as you liked.

 

So I'm thinking the Tea Party is not lottery based on the last email that was sent from Volks USA "To attend this magical event, please make a reservation by May 27th!"
I'm not sure if Volks ever stated the Tea Party entry was ever a lottery but it's not really stated as such. Sophie and Angela are stated as a pre-order and the outfit is as well but lottery will be conducted since it's limited.
Am I wrong? Am I missing the fine print that this is all a lottery?

 

Thank you Nell!
Of course everything is right in front of me and I need someone to show me

I want to say that this year has had more advertisement than 2017, but again I'm going on poor memory. The wording on the last email makes me think all those who showed interest will be getting in the Tea Party? I don't know, wishful thinking I guess.

 

Ah, that's so funny! I literally just brought this up with my group, too. We're 3 potentially 4 people and weren't sure if we should do 2 companion tickets or if everyone should apply. The way the email that was just sent out was worded, this seems like more of a pre-order style reservation than a lottery style reservation. The specific Marriott where DollPa will be is one of the hotels near the convention center, so it's massive as far as event space goes. I wish the wording was a little more clear on this, because the last thing I want to happen is everyone enters what we believe is a lottery only to have it be a regular reservation instead.

Edit: "Please keep in mind that applying does not guarantee entry to the Tea Party." is what's on the actual purchase page, while the email says, "Reserve a spot now and pay at a later date! A Tea Party ticket for Dolpa in LA 4 will grant you entry to many fun and exclusive events!" So now I'm wondering if it's not guaranteed, is that lottery or just first come, first serve? XD

 

Yes! Today's email is seriously giving me ideas and I want to share my speculations. I missed the 2017 event but it's been stated that in the end almost all if not all people who entered got into the tea party, vs 2015 where there was many sitting outside.

I shouldn't be posting late night on DoA with dolpa conspiracy theories, tbh.

 

I just decided to ask them on Facebook. I'll report back if/when I get a reply!