Oh wow! By the looks of things, I'm guessing my experience on Thursday (5/12) may have been the last that allowed linesitters. Interesting! I definitely understand why the RR wanted to do away with them though, it seemed most people that used linesitters had already seen the show, although I feel bad they are out of such a lucrative job.
I meant to go ahead and post my timeline sooner, but I needed to take a day to rest and recuperate - waiting in line is very emotionally and physically exhausting (doesn't mean I won't do it again, haha)! I hope it helps any future cancellation campers get a general idea of how things go.
11:20PM, Wednesday (5/11) - Arrive at the RR steps to camp out for the 7PM Thursday (5/12) show, there are six people in line ahead of me - two independent linesitters, two SOLD guys, and two girls. There's another man also waiting, but he's in line for Friday so he lets me sit in front of him.
12:00AM-3:00AM - We all introduce ourselves and establish what tickets we want - all the line sitters are getting doubles, while the two girls ahead of me want premium seats. I also want doubles - if all goes well, I would be getting the ninth and tenth standard tickets sold.
3:30AM - A seventh person joins the Thursday line, he wants a single ticket. We all reintroduce ourselves and spend some more time chatting. It turns out the premium girls had been waiting for tickets for the Wednesday show, but they ran out when they were at the front of the line, so they figured they would take a break, come back, and try their luck at the Thursday show. Talk about dedication!
3:50AM-6:05AM - Sleepy time! The two girls head back to their hotel to rest, since the whole line agrees they've secured the first two spots for premium tickets. They allow me to curl up in one of their chairs and nap.
6:05AM-7:00AM - Wake up feeling nauseous and have a small snack before trying to sleep more - the nearby hotels won't let me use their bathroom, so I trek to the Starbucks in Times instead. There are four available bathrooms nearby - the closest is the Marriott, followed by the Paramount, Starbucks, and McDonald's. All are free to use as long as you are allowed in.
8:00AM-9:00AM - The two premium girls come back, the SOLD guys wake up and put away their tents, and we all spend some more time discussing the line rules, who's getting what tickets, and sharing funny stories. I dub everyone who's been waiting with me (nine people in total, including the man first in line for Friday) "the Midnight Crew".
10:00AM - The RR opens, the manager and the bouncer (I think? I never got their names) come out and wake up the first two guys in line, and ask us to help clean the area and put away all chairs and tents.
10:30AM - Another man joins the line, a tourist from Sweden. He "will take anything he can get" and is in second place for single tickets.
11:00AM - The RR has us all pack up and move from the steps to the left of the theatre, to the sidewalk on the right. A white woman and her young daughter, as well as two other girls join the line soon after, they all want premium tickets - the line count is now 13.
11:10AM - The first two premium tickets are sold! The girls from the Midnight Crew get them and leave the line after receiving a flurry of hugs. Everyone in line was super supportive when others get tickets - we would clap, hug, and take photos for them.
11:30AM - The Swedish man gives up - turns out he'd never heard any of the songs and didn't really care abut the play, he just got wind of the hype. We bid him adieu and our line count is now 10.
11:50AM - Three more premium tickets are sold. More applause!
12:00PM-1:00PM - Six more people join the line - they ask me questions about the rules, and then chat amongst themselves. Of the Midnight Crew, the two independent linesitters, the two SOLD guys, myself, single-ticket guy, and the man first for Friday remain.
1:30PM - My roommate arrives!
2:00PM - The Hamilton twitter tweets the new cancellation rules, and we all discuss them. The two SOLD guys and their manager are obviously very worried, and after talking with single-ticket guy and some of the rest of the line, we decide we won't make a fuss abut it unless the bouncers at the RR do first. I believe I said something along the lines of "You arrived before the rule announcement and we will vouch for that, so don't worry. Whether they'll enforce the rule now or next show is up to the RR, but we're not gonna personally chase you out of the line".
3:00PM - Two more premium tickets sold.
4:00PM - Everyone in line checks the lotto, no winners.
4:30PM-5:00PM - The entire line is ordered to stand, and people that already bought tickets are beginning to line up down the sidewalk. The linesitters in the first two spots switch out with their patrons, and the SOLD guys follow suit. We hug them good-bye and they wish us good luck - the Midnight Crew is now down to myself, the man waiting for Friday (who is standing outside the queue), and single-ticket guy. There's a family of four first and second in line, a woman and her two girls, and two ladies before us. The back of the line is stretching into the 20s, I'd estimate about 25 people.
5:30PM-6:00PM - Six lottery tickets are sold. Apparently three poor chaps had won two tickets each, but hadn't picked them up. The family of four get tickets, as do the two young girls, but their mother cannot buy a ticket due to the purchase limit. She is friends with the female couple in front of us, and they attempt to get my single-ticket buddy to wait for a double instead so she can go in with him. He is understandably torn.
6:30PM - The line of people who had already bought their tickets is nigh infinite, and the cancellation line is stretching pretty far back as well. The ladies in front of us manage to confirm that tonight's show is going to have a late start, both by talking to the bouncer, and because their group (including the girls' mother) has seen the show ten times.
7:00PM - Three standard tickets are sold. The women in front of us rush in, and the fate of the last ticket falls to myself and my roommate. Our single-ticket buddy is still waffling over whether he will wait for a double to allow the girls' mother in, or take it. My roommate tells me to go because she doesn't want to see it without me, but I've been waiting for so long that I deserve it. I make my decision, pull the single-ticket guy from the line, and push him towards the bouncer. He gets in.
7:05PM - I am the last person from the Midnight Crew in the line for Thursday tickets. My roommate is super anxious, and the man first in line for Friday is hovering around trying to reassure us. Some of the girls behind me ask whether those were the only three left, and ask me what I'll do if so - I tell them I'm not sure abut the tickets, but I'm not giving up and am gonna keep waiting.
7:15PM - The last few stragglers with tickets run to the theatre. I see the bouncer come out and mouth "I have tickets" - I hold up two fingers and he nods. I grab my roommate and we rush to the box office; I hear the cancellation line applauding behind me.
7:20PM - The last two tickets are sold. My roommate and I take our seats - I managed to snap a photo of the stage right before the lights dim. Our seats were $177 each, Orchestra Row F, numbers 105 and 106. If you missed the first photo I posted, here it is again - we were very close, I didn't use the camera zoom!
Whew! That ended up being longer than I anticipated, but I figured something in-depth and organized might be of good help to people who want to try cancellation camping. It was my first time waiting and very much a success. It goes by fast if you make friends and talk to people, and there is no exaggeration when I say that by the end of the wait, it feels like a mini-family. The mother of the girls didn't get tickets in the end, but was happy for her daughters AND for the guy who ended up taking the single ticket. We all want the same thing here, and seeing people's hard work pay off is super heartwarming.
The best part though (besides the show itself) was that the premium girls and the single-ticket guy from the Midnight Crew ended up in the section behind me, so we all managed to get handshakes and fistbumps in before the show started. Mission accomplished, Midnight Crew!
FINAL TALLY
TICKETS SOLD: 18; seven premium, six lotto, and five standard
HOURS WAITED: ~20
Updated On: 5/14/16 at 05:25 PM
