I did Emerald Coast several months out from my transition and as others have stated found it very useful on game day. When UAL called, I contacted FTI to set up sim practice two days prior to my interview (a bit conservative, but I gave myself plenty of time in my prep plan). I think I contacted them about 3 weeks out and got to pick the time I wanted - it's a two hour block in the same sim that the interview is conducted in and many (most?) of their IPs are UAL. They'll give you a good brief, and then you'll fly the profile. Was it worth it? Definitely and everyone in my interview class did the same. I can't imagine floundering in that thing in suit and tie without ever having flown it. They don't expect you to be perfect, but it's still worth the $1100 to get the feel of the sim so you're not completely FUBAR with your evaluator. EC's prep for the ORM scenario was also excellent.

Best of luck.