PalmCon moving out to sea
Palm Beach County’s very own comic con will be cruising to the Bahamas this fall.
PalmCon, the original West Palm Beach comic book and entertainment convention, will take place aboard Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s Grand Classica Oct. 12-14.
“We could bring a demographic that they don’t normally reach and the reverse — they could bring a demographic that we don’t normally reach,” says Martin T. Pierro, the founder of PalmCon and the owner of comic book publisher Cosmic Times. “This area doesn’t have anything like this.”
PalmCon, which started in 2011, celebrates cosplay, superheroes, science fiction, anime, video games, role playing games, fantasy card games and pop culture. Most of the
PalmCon conventions have been staged at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in downtown West Palm Beach.
“The [comic con] convention scene in Florida was getting very, very crowded,” adds Pierro. “You’ve got MegaCon in Orlando and MegaCon is adding a second show in Tampa. SuperCon is having three shows a year in [South Florida]. There’s the Tampa Bay Comic Con. If we continued at the convention center, we would be just another show at the convention center. We just wanted to do something that would make us stand out in the crowd.”
In addition to the PalmCon’s comic book guests, celebrities, gaming, cosplay, contests, writers/ creators workshops, live entertainment and vendors selling collectibles, comics, toys and art, guests can enjoy the Grand Classica’s eight dining options, spa, casino, boutiques and live entertainment as they sail to Grand Bahama Island.
Interior stateroom will start at $185 per person while ocean view staterooms will start at $245. A terrace stateroom will cost $544 per person.
“If you go to, for example, SuperCon in Miami, you pay for your Miami stay, you pay for your food, you pay for your entry into the convention. With this cruise, your room is right there within the convention. Your food is part of the offer. And, when all is said and done, you’re in the Bahamas.”
For more information or to book passage, call 800-293-3832 or go to BahamasParadise Cruise.com/deals.php.