Booking Opens Today!

[Petrushka]

Stand by your computers Proms booking opens at 9am today.

Not overly impressed with this season's programmes so only going for 9 Proms this year.

[amateur51]

Stand by your computers Proms booking opens at 9am today.

Not overly impressed with this season's programmes so only going for 9 Proms this year.

Being a wuss, I've decided that it's likely that this Summer is going to be a scorcher and therefore I'd rather stay at home in the relative coolth of my flat and listen on the radio/TV

[PhilipT]

So .. how are people doing? I got into the Waiting Room at about 9:20, and the queue is going down at about 1 a second, so I'm looking at about 10:20.

[pilamenon]

Just finished - got in after about 6 minutes and had a 15 minute wait or so from 800 or so. Only one problem - my Cadogan Hall request that I'd put on the Proms planner wasn't there, and when I tried to buy it separately after my main transaction, it put me to the back of the queue. Now relying on someone else to get that ticket.

Main worry was that the cat insisted on jumping about over the computer - had visions of being logged off just as I got to the front of the queue.

[bluestateprommer]

Well, it took me something like 10 or so minutes actually to get into the e-queue, with continual refresh starting at 9 AM your time (I refuse to state what time it is here ), and another 27 minutes to wind down to my spot where I could actually log in. However, having said that, I admit that I got the main thing that I wanted, but it only occurred to me later maybe to add on something else. But I thought of that too late, so in principle, I'd be back of the line. Oh well, assuming I make it over there in one piece, I'll have to line up in the Prommers' queue normally for the rest of the items :) .

[Donnie Essen]

I forgot to get out of bed. Was 4300 or something in the queue about 25 minutes ago, now I'm 3419. I don't mind too much. Ain't booking for a lot.

[Mr Pee]

Don't like the Royal Albert Hall.

Can't stand London in the Summer.

Staying at home with my HD TV and Radio 3.

[Donnie Essen]

I thought this thread would be real active this morning. I ain't too hot on the Albert Hall either. The sound kinda sucks. Booking way less than last year.

[prokkyshosty]

Greetings all! Yes, be advised to do all your business when you're in there, as once you get dumped out, you go back to the end of the queue, which was 3000+ last I checked. So much for my second thoughts on one particular show that I didn't include in my Planner.

The big question for me today was... booking opened at 4am in the states, do I stay up or do I wake up early?

[Ferretfancy]

Nightmare!

I got on the site at 9.00, but was told there were already 4000 odd in the queue, which was very odd, as the site was not supposed to be accessible before that time. Did 4000 people log in simultaneously? Anyway, I finally got to book my season ticket at about 1045, but the system failed to recognise my card details, even though I repeatedly entered them correctly. I decided to use a different card, but the same thing happened until I reset my password, more wrestling!
Finally got my confirmation at 11.15.
The joke is that as season ticket holders we will still have to send in passport photos by post!

Nobody who wasn't insane would design the Internet like this if starting it all over as new technology, but they let the nerds loose didn't they?

[Simon B]

My strategy this year was to only book at this time for those events where I calculate demand will be exceptionally high. I'll take my chances on tickets for other events nearer the time so I don't have to put up with whatever randomly chosen poorly located seats the system chucks at me. Or just queue up and Prom. One (the only?) advantage of my (and all my colleagues) being made redundant in January and now working as a short-term contractor wherever in the country (mostly Cambs/Herts for some reason) I can peddle my skills is that I get some control of my time rather than being dictated to by the corporate clunking fist. "I'm unavailable on afternoon X" comes at the price of zero income on afternoon X, but at least I get to go to the Proms without a fight.

I was contemplating getting an arena season ticket for the first time, but in the event there aren't really enough concerts of interest to justify it, and I'm not sure I'm quite ready for all that standing up...

In the event I logged in pretty much on the dot of 09:00 (bleary eyed as I didn't get in from last night's BBCPO concert in Manchester til about 02:45), and quickly got into the queue at about number 500. It didn't take long to get through the waiting room, and I'd created a plan for the few "priority" concerts I wanted tickets for at this stage.

I was alarmed to see that there were already no stalls tickets for the Gothic (can the demand really be -that- high?!) and since I'm organising tickets for a group and there's not going to be a second chance to hear this piece (probably ever!) I had to take what's on offer and hope for the best. Loggia boxes - can't stand them, but it was the best on offer, so...

Got tickets for the Venezuelan Mahler 2 (could be a disaster, could be fabulous so worth the risk, certain to sell out pronto). They're too close to the stage, but again, best on offer, and procrastinating will just result in no tickets for this one.

Also got tickets for Gergiev/Kirov Swan Lake - miraculously in the right place, the only ones.

Finally CBSO/Nelsons and Bychkov Verdi Requiem (both too far away from the stage - I love random seat allocation) as spending what could be a scorching summer Sat/Sun in a queue instead of at the seaside isn't my idea of fun!

For the other 15 or so I might go to, I'll take my chances either once specific seat-selection is available, or by arena promming.

Hope everyone else gets the tickets they want.

[prokkyshosty]

Ferret, sadly, sounds about right. I clicked obsessively from 9.00 to about 9.15 before I got into the waiting room at what I thought was the earliest possible moment .... at about 1500. I thought it was a disaster, but I guess I got lucky -- as soon as I got out I tried to go back in and the queue was somewhere around 5000. As for the card details, I had problems for weeks leading up to today where the website wouldn't remember my change of address, demanded new passwords constantly and generally seemed like it wasn't the most robust of websites. Still, glad you got it, and perhaps I'll see you in the season pass queue. Bring the ferret!

Anybody not get what they wanted? My only problem was 2nd Tier for Brian's Gothic being sold out, I ended up in the Circle. But if I was so early in the process and the Gothic was already limited, I'm worried that some folks here might not have gotten it.

[Simon B]

Update - site now says "Prom 29 has sold out" - that's the Venezuelan Mahler 2. No surprises there then...

[Donnie Essen]

My strategy this year was to only book at this time for those events where I calculate demand will be exceptionally high. I'll take my chances on tickets for other events nearer the time so I don't have to put up with whatever randomly chosen poorly located seats the system chucks at me.

That's what I've done. I'll take a look at the other stuff when I can pick the seats. Got tickets for the Havergal Brian symphony (could only get the circle though). Lucky enough, I guess.

[Petrushka]

Logged on at exactly 9am but despite continual refresh didn't get in until 9.20 by which time I was 4773 in the queue. Going down at a rate of about 1 a second so still took nearly 2 hours. By 11.00 Prom 29 had sold out so I'll be in the Arena for that one. My seat for the Gothic is in the Circle. Got everything else OK.

Did anyone get through before 9am as some claimed last year.