Are season passes mailed or does one need to pick them up somewhere?

[Guest]

I just got a nice little printing of individual tickets mailed to me, and a "voucher" for my chamber season pass, but no other mention of my arena season pass. I assume I shouldn't worry, but what's the usual procedure for these things?

(and yes, I have mailed in my passport pics)

[cavatina]

I think you were supposed to have told them whether you wanted to pick it up at the box office, or have it mailed to you. If I were you, I'd put in an e-mail or phone call just to see what's going on. I'd hate to be caught the first day without it!

[David Underdown]

The season tickets are always the last thing to be sent out. The photos have to be individually stuck on and each ticket laminated. I don't remember there being an option to collect. Normally if you're a season ticket holder who's ordered other tickets there's a covering letter with those tickets saying that the season ticket will follow.

[prokkyshosty]

Thanks for the info. I shall wait a bit longer. David, looking forward to meeting both you and your buckets. Hopefully I'll have remembered to change my dollars into a real currency that's worth something first.

I got an email message saying I've won my chance to get Last Night tickets in the lottery. Today, everything's coming up Prokky!

[cavatina]

I don't remember there being an option to collect.

I do--it was in one of the confirmation emails. You'd remember too if you lived overseas and had to weigh the annoyance of braving the box office on the first day with the probability your post office was going to screw up and lose it entirely. I didn't have a problem with the post last year, so decided to roll the dice and chance it again.

I got an email message saying I've won my chance to get Last Night tickets in the lottery. Today, everything's coming up Prokky!

You do know having a full season pass means you automatically get a standing place yourself, don't you? Hope that helps!

[Hilaryjane]

I spoke to someone at the box office yesterday, who informed me that they are waiting for the BBC to send them the season tickets so that they can start processing them.

[prokkyshosty]

You do know having a full season pass means you automatically get a standing place yourself, don't you? Hope that helps!

I do, but as this is my first time promming, I have very little faith in my ability to stay standing night after night. The younger me could do it, but the older me is a very, very lazy person. So every couple of weeks I've treated myself to a seat somewhere in the hall. As for the Last Night, who knows what shape I'll be in by September!!

[cavatina]

Oh, don't worry--you'll be surprised at how fast you get accustomed to it! Unless you're right at the front, it's usually okay to sit down--or even stretch out, when there's room. (If there's ever a problem, you're definitely going to hear about it, so I wouldn't fret about it too much. ) If you queue early enough, you can even get one of the handful of chairs in the back, off to the side, and around the fountain in the center. If you're worried you might not feel like standing all the way through, you could always stick to the edges-- that way, you know you'll always have space to nip your toes over the white line and sit sideways.

Here's a little tip that helped me: if you have low blood pressure and are sensitive to heat, make sure you stay hydrated and aren't standing with your knees locked to avoid fainting. I had a couple of close calls, but unlocking my knees definitely helped. Here's a funny story from another discussion board:

We were always told not to lock our knees when standing during choir performances. Sure enough, a gal in the Soprano section (and this was back around 1980) did that during a concert of very weird 20th century music. Honest-to-goodness, about the time the conductor was giving us the cut off for this one odd piece of music, this soprano on the front row started walking forward then fell forward as she passed out, taking with her a music stand and a set of chimes. The conductor gave the cut off, signaled to some of the guys to come and help to remove her, and a friend of mine in the alto section (who was a nurse) went with them off stage.

And then the audience applauded.

Honestly! It took the conductor coming back to explain what happened before they realized it wasn't all part of the performance!

There you have it...

[prokkyshosty]

Thanks cavatina! Precisely the sort of information I'm happy to learn from the veterans on this board. Indeed, my pre-game strategy is to hug the white line on the sides so I can step out and back in again if its too crowded or I need to just shake out a cramp.

I fully expect the moment of truth will come about three hours into William Tell... Lord knows what I would've done if I had had to stand through Die Meistersinger on the second night last year.

[cavatina]

Re. the Meistersinger: it was wonderful, and the time flew by like a dream! If your legs have you worried, why not do a little strength training between now and then? Bulk up your thighs a little at the gym with squats, leg presses, and plenty of protein...even an at-home resistance band would help condition you. Handy for tossing in your suitcase, too! Just think of it as a little extra "insurance", if you will.

Just remember, whatever you look like, there are plenty of Arena regulars who are guaranteed to be older, scrawnier and/or flabbier than you are...and if they can do it night after night, you can too. Which brings me to a rather delicate subject-- do you have a preference for standing at the front? If so, it's worth remembering that as a Season prommer, the closer to the front row you get, the more...competitive...the atmosphere.

Something most people learn the hard way is that the Arena is NOTHING like a regular concert venue where you can casually move closer if you see a space. Don't even think about it! If you didn't do your time in the queue, you can't have the spot next to people who did. Period.

Speaking from experience, if you don't want to risk getting screamed at, it's best to avoid the extreme front left entirely. The people in the back are fairly chill, the day trippers on the right are friendly and normal...but the front left gang? Let's just say that even though there are many interesting people there, overall, the social dynamics are a bit of a cross between a junior high school playground and a matriarchal troupe of hamadryas baboons.

Let's just say there's one rule of thumb that will always see you through your Arena Promming experience: when in doubt, ALWAYS give a wide berth to 1) formidable-looking old women, and 2) peevish-looking chaps with glasses. Seriously, tangling with anyone who fits the above categories is fifteen thousand kinds of bad news, so don't even bother. When dealing with FLOWs and PLCWGs, your best option is to smile, keep your mouth shut, and just get out of the way.

Hope that helps!

[Hilaryjane]

Something most people learn the hard way is that the Arena is NOTHING like a regular concert venue where you can casually move closer if you see a space. Don't even think about it! If you didn't do your time in the queue, you can't have the spot next too people who did. Period.

Speaking from experience, if you don't want to risk getting screamed at, it's best to avoid the extreme front left entirely. The people in the back are fairly chill, the day trippers on the right are friendly and normal...but the front left gang? Let's just say that even though there are many interesting people there, overall, the social dynamics are a bit of a cross between a junior high school playground and a matriarchal troupe of hamadryas baboons.

Actually, Prokky, the people on the extreme front left are "friendly and normal". The only difference to the day ticket people is that, when you have been in the queue all day, we don't really take kindly to people arriving approximately two minutes before the concert starts and standing in the half inch of space between the first and second row. I doubt that many people would be happy if that happened to them.

When you arrive at the Proms, please come and say hi to us in the queue. We are really a very friendly, crowd, honestly!

[cavatina]

Actually, Prokky, the people on the extreme front left are "friendly and normal". The only difference to the day ticket people is that, when you have been in the queue all day, we don't really take kindly to people arriving approximately two minutes before the concert starts and standing in the half inch of space between the first and second row. I doubt that many people would be happy if that happened to them. When you arrive at the Proms, please come and say hi to us in the queue. We are really a very friendly, crowd, honestly!

Now now, HJ--just because you're one of the nice ones doesn't mean you're contracturally obligated to stick up for the difficult ones.

Anyway, what's wrong with giving people a fair warning the first few rows on the left have their own strict code of propriety, and making sure everyone understands it's not like a regular open concert venue where you come and go as you please? It's a public service all around, I'd say. If it saves a few people getting screamed at and having their heads lopped off over nothing, so much the better.

[David Underdown]

Really not sure what other sort ofconcert venues you have in mind. It's always seemed like basic courtesy not to try and take an already occupied piece of floor. Yes, there are a couple of people (and it really isn't much more than that), whose initial reactions can be OTT, but most people explain the situation politely and the explanation is accepted and the person moves away to find some vacant space. Some insist they have "the right" to stand wherever they want, but this is usually sorted out by reference to the stewards.

[gedsmk]

when are the weekend passes being mailed out, and how long do I have to queue for at the concerts (if I have one)?

[David Underdown]

I'd imagine they'll be sent out at the same time as they get round to the season tickets, possibly slightly sooner as they don't need the photos or lamination. As to length of queue, you are of course guaranteed entry provided you arrive at least 20 minutes before the start of the concert (this is a slight change to previous years, it used to be 10 minutes), but as mentioned above, don't expect to be that near the front if you do that. It's never an exact science, but knowing which weekend(s) you've got tickets for would help give you some pointers