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abs2512
Posts: 611 Forum Member
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I have tickets to a morning Athletics session (10am) and also at the same time a ticket for a trip up the Orbit (10.30am). I gather that once I leave the Olympic Stadium I cant get back in but if I don't go in until after my trip up the Orbit will my seat still be available. In my mind I am sure that my seat will be avilable no matter what time I enter the stadium, but I can't find an answer on any of the help pages (although I haven't looked very hard) and it's such a trivial thing I don't want to waste the time of customer services.
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Ask your question as you enter. And ask again..and maybe once more too.
If they say no...then forget the mangled iron and enjoy the real spectacle.
If they say yes, you may still decide to sit put. I would.
Enjoy.
You'll be fine - on the days I went there were occasions when I saw people arriving two hours after the scheduled start. (Eg if there two basketball matches in a session)
The only problem you might find is some chancer might try to occupy the seat in an effort to get a better view - I saw that a few times as well:) But every time they left without fuss when the ticket holder arrived.
You won't lose your seat - the day I saw the athletics during the Olympics one guy didn't turn up until 11.30am when the session started at 10am (as he only wanted to see Bolt in the 200m heats).
You could try getting to the Orbit early - say 9.30am (they might let you in early).
Definately worth asking - I'm sure if there's a space they'll try to accomodate you.
When I went to a basketball session we found our view was obscured by safety rails:( but we spoke to some nice people at the ticket resolution tent and they quickly found us some better seats:)
What I mean is that because most of the tickets have been sold someone is going to have to decide at what point do seats where people haven't turned up will be made available to people with the day passes.
In the Olympics I saw people turning up for only one of a two game session, or being an hour late for a session. Unless they are going to be turfing people with day passes out if 'full" ticket holders turn up there is going to have to be some sort of cut off. Which I haven't heard of yet.
The purely day passes are great but were designed for a less successful Paralympics
I don't think there will be any problem re. deciding when to let people use "empty" seats.
Assuming you are correct - and I do agree with you - that day pass was created because it was felt that the paralympics wouldn't be that popular I suspect they would have worked something like this:
On the day of a session it would be known how many seats were unsold - lets say 500. They would then allow the first 500 day pass holders in who would be told to go to the ticket resolution tent to get a seat/ticket. Thanks to the electronic scanning system they employ it'll be a fairly straightforward process - one of the volunteers told me that the scanners at each venue are linked. (Why she told me is a intriguing story - suffice to say I nearly wasn't allowed into the Velodrome:eek: )
So there won't be someone scanning the venue for empty seats because a sold seat is regarded as occupied. (I'd assume if they scan people who leave early those seats couod also be made available.) I accept all this is conjecture on my part but from what I saw and experienced it seems quite plausible.
Now I suspect with the popularity of the Paralympics the above won't come into play as much as originally envisaged but I wouldn't be surprised if some tickets are deliberately not sold to allow some day ticket access - imagine the fuss if people bought day tickets/passes and no one could use them...
The system they used in the Olympics of checking people out if they left early and reusing the seats will certainly be used but I still think demand will be very high so any link to information on numbers set aside for day passes would be interesting to see.
eg:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19371503
Mr Deighton explained: "If you take the venues like goalball where effectively you have got a mixture of people in that venue and about a quarter of seats will be general admission for people who want to watch that sport - then there will be about three-quarter of the seats that will be for people who are rotating through on a day pass.
When my parents went to the Olympic opening ceremony rehearsal, their view was obstructed by a massive wall blocking most of their view. My dad took a picture of their view and showed it to a member of staff and they found them some better seats.
So that basically means that theres loads more tickets they could have sold then
I'd try getting up the Orbit earlier than your 10:30 time. If you end up queueing for that, and your athletics session ends at 12:40, you'll be running out of time and that'll be it; you won't be able to stay on for the next session in the stadium.
I was thinking of doing that - getting to the Park around 9ish in the hope that I could get on early, if not, then I think I'll give the Orbit a miss - I'll only get one chance to get inside the Stadium but the Orbit will be there after the Olympics so will have an opportunity to go up it after the games have finished