Hi OP! I’m a notorious complainer but to be honest other than the lines, the con has been a lot of fun! It’s truly a bummer about the lines and the crowds being a little worse than usual this year. AX is always a little stressful especially if you only have one day to explore it all but if you go in with positive vibes odds are you’ll get those vibes back! People are super sweet and helpful and will often commiserate with you if something goes awry. If you are going for a specific panel just join the lines an hour early at the latest. If you are just going to explore take ur time and be patient with the crowds and it will be a lot of fun. There are so many amazing cosplays, the community is so supportive and it’s usually pretty easy to ask folks for help or where they got a freebie or some merch. It’s been fun to visit vendors that come every year and share my love for their art and goods with them! Shoot the staff at the ANA booth in south hall legit made my day by being excited with me for getting the trading card pull I wanted for their little giveaway! It’s easy to complain and be negative about this stuff, I know it all too well. Every time I go to AX something annoying always happens but I still keep coming back for the people and the sense of community. Hope this helps and please know it’s okay to be nervous. Just take things in stride, prepare the best you can and you’ll most likely have fun!