Passed my CCIE DC late last year. Haven't seen many posts around DC although I know many have been passing lately so I decided to post some things.
Location
Took a Lab at SJ and at RTP. Between the two I prefer RTP. Easer to get into and out of. No traffic worries. Layout of RTP was in cubes while SJ was in tables against the wall when I was there. Lunch was delivered at RTP, in SJ you go to the cafeteria. There are pro's and cons to both since sometimes people vote to eat heavy greasy food in RTP, however I think everyone tends to finish quicker and get back to the lab vs in SJ where you have to walk to the cafeteria and wait for food to be made, etc.
Studying
Key for me was hands on. Videos are a good overview, but there is really no substitution for getting hands on actual equipment. Used both INE racks and PEC as well as some friends racks towards the end. The problem with having segregated racks from PEC and vendors is that you really need admin access to go through all the tasks you need to truly master the hardware. UCS emulator is pretty helpful to get familar with UCS so you're not blindly clicking around everywhere. I think the Mock Lab scenario's are very helpful from INE, the issue is finding the equipment to do everything fully. Since I work hands on with DC equipment, alot of the concepts and syntax are very familiar to me. I think this would be a very difficult lab to pass if you just are relying on rented lab time.
Taking the lab
Keep track of your windows. It was easier for me when I got done with a section to close the ones I wasn't using to avoid making mistakes. I had read through Brian's blog and tried out his tips about writing things down and keeping track of points as you go, but for me this ate up time unnecessarily. I found a linear approach taking each task in order to be the best way for me to do it instead of jumping around.