Royal Opera House booking period 1 experiences

[JohnS]

Just managed to complete my booking for Period 1 - very rusty after so long and ended up having to buy my two packages separately and then add some extras as a third transaction. Broadband just about held up and I’m delighted with the tickets. Here’s hoping this is another step in the return to pre COVID familiar ways.

[bangorballetboy]

Subject to the below, I also got everything I wanted (including some places that were greyed out on the seating plans).

 

Some of the insights and Linbury shows weren't on the calendar yet (I think the only dance related one was Connecting to Cohan).

[Richard LH]

21 hours ago, JohnS said:

Just managed to complete my booking for Period 1 - very rusty after so long and ended up having to buy my two packages separately and then add some extras as a third transaction. Broadband just about held up and I’m delighted with the tickets. Here’s hoping this is another step in the return to pre COVID familiar ways.

Good news...!

 

Just wondering about the procedure - do you chose a package type than chose each seat from the relevant "View seat map for pricing details" for the each performance?

 

Also  I was wondering if folk's earlier bookings are showing up  on these seat maps,  for those performances - i.e. being greyed-out for anyone now generally viewing those pages?  As far as I can see, they are not, but  based on a fairly random before-and-after view. If so, do the greyed-out seats only show up once your particular priority (or general) booking date arrives? 

[Guest oncnp]

1 hour ago, Richard LH said:

Good news...!

 

Just wondering about the procedure - do you chose a package type than chose each seat from the relevant "View seat map for pricing details" for the each performance?

 

Also  I was wondering if folk's earlier bookings are showing up  on these seat maps,  for those performances - i.e. being greyed-out for anyone now generally viewing those pages?  As far as I can see, they are not, but  based on a fairly random before-and-after view. If so, do the greyed-out seats only show up once your particular priority (or general) booking date arrives? 

Choose a package first, purchase it, then you are taken to the production page where you choose production/performance from the drop down list.

 

The seat maps are not updated.

 

The only thing that didn't work (for me, may have for others) yesterday was the seat view, which wouldn't load. But as I already knew what seats I wanted not a problem. Might be irksome otherwise. 

Edited August 4, 2021 by oncnp

[Richard LH]

7 hours ago, oncnp said:

Choose a package first, purchase it, then you are taken to the production page where you choose production/performance from the drop down list.

 

The seat maps are not updated.

 

The only thing that didn't work (for me, may have for others) yesterday was the seat view, which wouldn't load. But as I already knew what seats I wanted not a problem. Might be irksome otherwise. 

Thanks oncnp...so do you get to see a seat map showing available/greyed out seats after you choose production/performance from the drop down list? 

[Guest oncnp]

6 hours ago, Richard LH said:

Thanks oncnp...so do you get to see a seat map showing available/greyed out seats after you choose production/performance from the drop down list? 

 

Yes - the map will show the available seats. 

[bangorballetboy]

16 hours ago, Richard LH said:

Thanks oncnp...so do you get to see a seat map showing available/greyed out seats after you choose production/performance from the drop down list? 

 

The booking process has not changed.

[LinMM]

Am so lucky that via a friend on the Forum here have just got a ticket for the one performance I didn’t want to miss on Nov 19th! Am so happy about this and a seat that I would have chosen as a preference anyway in the Balcony if it had not gone already. 
Still hoping to book another couple of performances on the 24th Aug but this really takes the pressure off!! Am very grateful. 
 

[Lizbie1]

Friends+ opened this morning - all seems to have gone very smoothly and we still have the old seat map. I'm still waiting on my confirmation email but otherwise it was all done quickly. The booking area of the site does seem to be running slowly, though, so it's probably worth having more than one tab on the go.

 

Some of the "greyed out" areas from the seat maps previously published were available, some not, I think.

[Blossom]

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

Friends+ opened this morning - all seems to have gone very smoothly and we still have the old seat map. I'm still waiting on my confirmation email but otherwise it was all done quickly. The booking area of the site does seem to be running slowly, though, so it's probably worth having more than one tab on the go.

 

Some of the "greyed out" areas from the seat maps previously published were available, some not, I think.

I found it a little bit of a hairy experience this morning. Everything was going very smoothly until my payment was processing. Payment was taken and on redirect to site, everything crashed, 'my events' didn't update, i didn't get a confirmation email but the money had been charged. I then struggled to log back into the site....It was a bit of a painful 30 min wait, while watching alternative seats disappear before my eyes!! 

[Lizbie1]

When I was checking back on something a bit later I noticed it had logged me out from the "main" site and logging in again wasn't working, though I still seemed to be logged in on the booking area. Strange - I hope nobody has been put out by this.

[Geoff]

The Friends office confirmed that although the site worked fine last week, this morning it unfortunately locked “a number of people” out for about twenty minutes (ie they couldn’t start booking until 9.20am). From the other accounts above, I suspect interrelating issues triggered various problems.
 

Wonder if the Brighton (?) company is still responsible. I am not surprised to hear there are still some problems with the website, they have only had a year or so of lockdown to fix things. 

[Lizbie1]

In their defence, it's very likely there was a spending freeze on for at least part of that time. This kind of development doesn't come cheap.

[Candleque]

My booking experience went well this morning. Too well — I went over my budget 😲

[Lizbie1]

43 minutes ago, Candleque said:

My booking experience went well this morning. Too well — I went over my budget 😲

 

Those Romeo and Juliet prices sure do stack up!

[Richard LH]

8 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

When I was checking back on something a bit later I noticed it had logged me out from the "main" site and logging in again wasn't working, though I still seemed to be logged in on the booking area. Strange - I hope nobody has been put out by this.

I had  the same sort of experience...and at one point I couldn't find a way back to my  Members page with the  upcoming events I had just booked. It was ok once I cleared the browsing history and logged in anew.

[Richard LH]

22 hours ago, LinMM said:

Am so lucky that via a friend on the Forum here have just got a ticket for the one performance I didn’t want to miss on Nov 19th! Am so happy about this and a seat that I would have chosen as a preference anyway in the Balcony if it had not gone already. 
Still hoping to book another couple of performances on the 24th Aug but this really takes the pressure off!! Am very grateful. 
 

Nov 19th is one I don't want to miss either, and was able to book today.☺

Edited August 12, 2021 by Richard LH

[MJW]

Pleased to say that my booking went relatively smoothly today and so much easier than under the temporary arrangements. The website was very slow first thing and it wouldn't let me log in - wasn't sure whether the slowness was the ROH's website or my employer's internet connection!

 

Have had the complication of trying to anticipate a possible (second( operation in the autumn so have left a big gap between R&J and Giselle and hopefully I can fit it in then!

[FionaM]

As a novice to packages and a lowly friend for which packages booking open tomorrow … is there a limit on the number of tickets you can buy .. ie is it a package for 2? 

Edited August 12, 2021 by FionaE
Clarification

[Richard LH]

1 hour ago, FionaE said:

As a novice to packages and a lowly friend for which packages booking open tomorrow … is there a limit on the number of tickets you can buy .. ie is it a package for 2? 

It's  up to 9! 

[FionaM]

47 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

It's  up to 9! 

wow … that’s way too generous 

[EVWS]

Package booking went very smoothly this morning - only performance that wasn't available to book at all was the opening night of The Dante Project, not sure if it's already sold out or just not open to package booking but it didn't have that date listed as an option to book at all 

[Lizbie1]

4 minutes ago, EVWS said:

Package booking went very smoothly this morning - only performance that wasn't available to book at all was the opening night of The Dante Project, not sure if it's already sold out or just not open to package booking but it didn't have that date listed as an option to book at all 

 

There only appears to be a good-ish choice of seats left in the Amphi for the first night, so if you were booking elsewhere that might explain it.

[ninamargaret]

Managed to get an excellent package at a horrendous cost but consoled myself with the excuse I hadn't spent serious money on tickets for,18 months. Rather embarrassed to note that I had almost forgotten how to book on line - thought the system was playing up and then discovered it was me being daft!

[Richard LH]

4 hours ago, EVWS said:

Package booking went very smoothly this morning - only performance that wasn't available to book at all was the opening night of The Dante Project, not sure if it's already sold out or just not open to package booking but it didn't have that date listed as an option to book at all 

Yes I noticed that...there seem to be no package options for its first night. 

[ninamargaret]

Decided to go for 1st performance after the first night. That way I get the pleasure of seeing Bonelli and can see the original cast when it is,streamed. Given the high cost of tickets this year streaming will be very useful.

[FionaM]

Package booking went smoothly for me too.  Thanks for the help I was given or found here.  
 

I was surprised that my DANTE date choice had less availability than others … then realised it’s Ed Watson’s final performance 😉

[bridiem]

44 minutes ago, FionaE said:

I was surprised that my DANTE date choice had less availability than others … then realised it’s Ed Watson’s final performance 😉

 

Thank you for mentioning that, FionaE - it hadn't occurred to me! I abandoned package booking this morning because it didn't include the 1st night of Dante Project, but I've now booked one including the last night instead. Exciting to be booking tickets again!

[capybara]

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

 

Thank you for mentioning that, FionaE - it hadn't occurred to me! I abandoned package booking this morning because it didn't include the 1st night of Dante Project, but I've now booked one including the last night instead. Exciting to be booking tickets again!

 

I think that a lot of us have initially been 'felled' by the exclusion of the first night of Dante from package deals and have quickly switched the extraordinarily timed matinee on the 30th.

Agree that it's great to be booking again despite some frustrations with the process.

[Beryl H]

I've just booked 4 amphitheatre ballet tickets on a whim when I realised packages were available today, and I did get my favourite seats which I don't seem to these days. I was also able to use a Gift Certificate which lowered the price even more.

 

I suppose I can book the other performances I want when Friends booking opens on Tuesday?

 

Surprising how easy it was and great to get back in the swing!

 

 

[Richard LH]

4 hours ago, ninamargaret said:

Decided to go for 1st performance after the first night. That way I get the pleasure of seeing Bonelli and can see the original cast when it is,streamed. Given the high cost of tickets this year streaming will be very useful.

Presumably you mean the next  available package performance? Since after the first night on the 14th, the same (Watson) cast is listed  for the 15th.

 

 

 

[ninamargaret]

Thanks Richard, Tesco should have said first available package . Booking and talking (or posting)sensibly isn't coming easily after so long. Thanks for correction

[jmhopton]

Well, eventually succeeded in booking for Romeo, Giselle and Nutcracker but it was a very stressful experience. Whenever I login and see it says you've got an hour to book I think great, but once you've selected a ticket it seems it defaults to 30 minutes which when you've got 5 or 6 tickets to buy and your equipment starts malfunctioning isn't very long! To start with I got through to the website within a minute of logging on at 9am which was great. Then I went to select my first ticket and it just kept egg timing away as soon as I selected it before I could even put it in my basket. Tried logging out and logging in again but just the same. Felt my stress levels rising and tried my phone which I prefer not to use as selection is quite fiddly on a small screen. Something came up for £122; certainly not within my price range!! I went to get this biro I was given which has a rubber top to it for mobile phone use and this seemed to work not too bad. At least there was no egg timing and once you'd got the size of your seat dot OK I managed to book what I wanted. However, by that time I'd only 5 minutes left to purchase and had problems with my seat certificate number which meant revisiting the original email (nearly 18 months ago when I cancelled Swan Lake).  Though I did get a nice surprise as I realised I actually had 2 gift certificates which was great. Then PayPal was problematic, then I had a message saying I needed to contact the box office which I ignored and put my card details in. Finally it went through!!!!!!! The ROH confirmation email came quickly too. I do think they need to give you a bit longer, though fortunately once I'd started to pay the system seems to recognise this and gave me extra time which is just as well as I ended up taking well over 30 minutes. I'm now going to lie down in a darkened room!