Hamilton Cancellation Line- Page 56
Hamilton Cancellation Line
tmm709
Swing Joined: 5/14/16
#1375Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 3:34pm
ammurp said: "I'm confused as to why people are saying line sitters are requesting to swap out of the line with their clients at 5pm...must not be the SOLD guys because they wait in the line for the entire wait up until their client gets called into the box office.
Not anymore due to the new policies. I have a SOLD reservation for next week in which I paid for the line sitting fee plus the $177x2 because at the time they were able to sit in line, walk in, and buy two tix, then swap. Now they've refunded the $177x2 and told me that they were changing the time to 5pm. Then theoretically, we would swap and I would walk in and buy the 2 tix. However this apparently didn't go very well last night as I'm told, so now I think I'll be canceling my SOLD reservation and try to get last minute StubHub tix or possibly the premium tix.
"
ammurp
Chorus Member Joined: 5/6/16
#1376Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 3:38pm
tmm709 said: "ammurp said: "I'm confused as to why people are saying line sitters are requesting to swap out of the line with their clients at 5pm...must not be the SOLD guys because they wait in the line for the entire wait up until their client gets called into the box office.
Not anymore due to the new policies. I have a SOLD reservation for next week in which I paid for the line sitting fee plus the $177x2 because at the time they were able to sit in line, walk in, and buy two tix, then swap. Now they've refunded the $177x2 and told me that they were changing the time to 5pm. Then theoretically, we would swap and I would walk in and buy the 2 tix. However this apparently didn't go very well last night as I'm told, so now I think I'll be canceling my SOLD reservation and try to get last minute StubHub tix or possibly the premium tix.
"
Oh interesting. I had SOLD hired for next week too but they did not tell me they were trying that out.
tmm709
Swing Joined: 5/14/16
#1377Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 3:49pm
Interesting indeed. They may be waiting to see how tonight plays out. If it goes badly like last night, I figure they may have to cancel their existing reservations. I don't see how they can continue taking reservations (and money) knowing 100% that they won't be able to get tickets.
ammurp
Chorus Member Joined: 5/6/16
#1378Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 4:06pm
tmm709 said: "Interesting indeed. They may be waiting to see how tonight plays out. If it goes badly like last night, I figure they may have to cancel their existing reservations. I don't see how they can continue taking reservations (and money) knowing 100% that they won't be able to get tickets.
"
Yeah I'm thinking they're trying their best to keep this going of course. Hopefully they are being very up front with those who have hired them yesterday and over this weekend that there's a heightened chance of not getting tickets.
#1379Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 4:30pm
adamgreer said: "What if you have to go to the bathroom? If you leave to do that and your friend stays in line for you, is that considered swapping out? Who is policing this? From my experience, there's nothing worse than when patrons try to enforce the rules on their own, with their arbitrary system of enforcement."
No swapping should really mean no swapping for any reason. Both parties come to the line TOGETHER with empty stomachs and bladders and don't consume anything while waiting to cause the need to go. The RRT is trying to keep the wait time manageable where one is not on line so long and wouldn't need to go use the bathroom or be on line so long that you get hungry and need to get food while on line but again, the rules are going to be open to interpretation. To really restrict the line wait, it could have stated only one person per purchase--even if you're buying two, just one person on line for a two ticket purchase. Would maybe make people reconsider showing up at midnight and earlier.
ammurp
Chorus Member Joined: 5/6/16
#1380Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 4:39pm
I agree no swapping should mean no swapping at all...and for what it's worth, I'm doing the wait for my husband and I. But I somehow really doubt that if you had to use the washroom that others in the line would be adamant that no you can't leave the line for ten minutes to go. Up until now that hasn't been an issue, people have kindly let people leave the line for small amounts of time to do such things, right? I guess I'll see this week if that changes
#1381Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 4:50pm
ammurp said: "I agree no swapping should mean no swapping at all...and for what it's worth, I'm doing the wait for my husband and I. But I somehow really doubt that if you had to use the washroom that others in the line would be adamant that no you can't leave the line for ten minutes to go. Up until now that hasn't been an issue, people have kindly let people leave the line for small amounts of time to do such things, right? I guess I'll see this week if that changes
"I waited alone 17 hours for my husband and I (got not tickets) he showed up 2 hours before curtain incase we got in. I drank no beverages and packed 4 protein bars. The folks on line were very nice in "holding" my spot to go to the bathroom--mostly trips to warm my hands under the running faucet cuz it was getting cold in that wait out there in March. But according to the new rules, that's breaking rule: #1 Patrons may not swap out or hold places on the line.
We are civil to one another, but when it becomes survival of the fittest, who's not to say someone will protest that my spot was held for ten minutes. One must imagine any scenario because the line can become an episode of "Survivor"!
ammurp
Chorus Member Joined: 5/6/16
#1382Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 4:59pm
MyFavoriteBrunette said: "
"I waited alone 17 hours for my husband and I (got not tickets) he showed up 2 hours before curtain incase we got in. I drank no beverages and packed 4 protein bars. The folks on line were very nice in "holding" my spot to go to the bathroom--mostly trips to warm my hands under the running faucet cuz it was getting cold in that wait out there in March. But according to the new rules, that's breaking rule: #1 Patrons may not swap out or hold places on the line.
We are civil to one another, but when it becomes survival of the fittest, who's not to say someone will protest that my spot was held for ten minutes. One must imagine any scenario because the line can become an episode of "Survivor"!
Bahahaha I'm picturing Jeff showing up and it being the ultimate endurance challenge.
I for sure agree with you, you just never know who you'll be waiting with and how seriously they'll take the new rules. I'm definitely planning on bringing major snackage and I'm blessed with a seriously large bladder, but I know I'd let someone in front of me take 10 to run to the bathroom next door. I guess once I get there first order of business is getting a feel for who all is in the line and hoping we're all cool calm and collected people :)
"
#1383Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 5:23pm
Does anyone know what time people were lining up today/yesterday (due to the new rules?)
i am thinking of going on Tuesday and getting there around 4:30...I did it last week and was 1 away from getting in but if there are no line sitters allowed, then I would have gotten in...what do you guys think?
#1384Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 5:24pm
ammurp said: "Bahahaha I'm picturing Jeff showing up and it being the ultimate endurance challenge."
LOL! "Women...We Get The Job Done"
Ehlbee
Swing Joined: 5/11/16
#1385Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 5:25pm
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
tmm709
Swing Joined: 5/14/16
#1386Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 5:50pm
Thanks for the info! Do I understand correctly that the 7 premium tix were sold 4 to 8 hours before showtime?
ammurp
Chorus Member Joined: 5/6/16
#1387Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 5:51pm
Wow, 18 tickets!! 6 lottery tickets?! That's crazy. Definitely makes me feel more at ease about waiting this coming week.
That was extremely civil of you guys for agreeing that the rules were posted after the line sitters got in line and you wouldn't insist on forcing them out of the line. Good on you guys! I'm kind of excited about the experience I have in store.
#1388Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 5:52pm
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.
i don't quite understand how the mom with two girls in front of you didn't get in because of limits (weren't they three people replacing two line sitters?), but otherwise I loved reading your recap, especially this part, which made me laugh so hard. the fact that he stumbled across the "hype" knowing nothing about the show, the fact that he invested an hour of waiting in line for something he knew nothing about... I'm obsessed. I wonder how he explained this part of his trip when he went home.
#1389Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 6:03pm
ammurp said: "Wow, 18 tickets!! 6 lottery tickets?! That's crazy. Definitely makes me feel more at ease about waiting this coming week.
That was extremely civil of you guys for agreeing that the rules were posted after the line sitters got in line and you wouldn't insist on forcing them out of the line. Good on you guys! I'm kind of excited about the experience I have in store."
what day/time are you planning on coming? Maybe we will be line buddies?
Ehlbee
Swing Joined: 5/11/16
#1390Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 6:06pm
tmm709 said: "Thanks for the info! Do I understand correctly that the 7 premium tix were sold 4 to 8 hours before showtime?"
That's correct! The premium tickets were brought out and offered to us as they became available, it was fairly random. The bouncer would come over, tell us what tickets he had available, and we would all point out the person who was next for them. Teamwork!
tmm709
Swing Joined: 5/14/16
#1391Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 6:20pm
That's correct! The premium tickets were brought out and offered to us as they became available, it was fairly random. The bouncer would come over, tell us what tickets he had available, and we would all point out the person who was next for them. Teamwork!
Good to know, thanks!
Ehlbee
Swing Joined: 5/11/16
#1392Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 6:23pm
Anakela said: "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.
i don't quite understand how the mom with two girls in front of you didn't get in because of limits (weren't they three people replacing two line sitters?), but otherwise I loved reading your recap, especially this part, which made me laugh so hard. the fact that he stumbled across the "hype" knowing nothing about the show, the fact that he invested an hour of waiting in line for something he knew nothing about... I'm obsessed. I wonder how he explained this part of his trip when he went home."
We all chuckled to ourselves as well! He was good company though, even if he didn't stay too long.
The swap with the mom and her kids actually confused everybody in line - the bouncer had to come and try and makes sense of it, and even I stepped forward and talked to everyone arriving to make sure what was happening was acceptable. Here's the lowdown:
Two line sitters in front were holding spots for the first couple, the mother and father. Mom and Dad each had one child with them, so they got the first four tickets.
The next line sitter was holding one spot, for Mom, who was buying two tickets - for her daughters. The daughters were young, 11 and 9, and obviously couldn't buy their own tickets. Mom talked it over with the bouncer to be allowed to stay and watch them since they were little, and since she was paying for the tickets. However, since the RR only allows someone to purchase a maximum of two tickets, she could only buy seats for her daughters, and not herself. This is why she tried to ask single-ticket guy to wait for a double so she could go in with him - she wanted him to buy the tickets because she had already reached the limit, and then was going to pay him back.
The final line sitter was holding a spot for one of the two ladies in front of me, who was buying a ticket for herself and her partner.
If I had not pushed single-ticket guy into taking the last single ticket, he wouldn't have been able to see the play, because someone further in line would have gotten it, and myself and my roommate would have taken the last two double tickets regardless. I think we made the right choice here - single-ticket guy was a Midnight Crew waiter, and the girls' mom had seen the show already. Plus, her daughters were just fine by themselves - they got the last two unclaimed lotto seats and sat next to the kids from the first family.
#1393Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 6:45pm
Aah, gotcha - they were trying to be three people replacing ONE line sitter. I'd missed that the second line sitter was for someone else.
Yeah, if I was waiting behind single ticket guy and he suddenly became two tickets guy for some woman who was trying to cut the line on top of hiring a line sitter I would not have let that slide. Correct call there.
NYfanfromCA
Broadway Star Joined: 10/13/15
#1394Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 6:52pm
Where is the cancellation line? I looked for it last night at about 11:15 pm and couldn't tell where it was, or if it was even started yet. There was a huge mob of people waiting at the stage door and I could not see how there could be any room for a cancellation line.
I saw the matinee today and there was another huge crowd at the stage door. It was jammed packed everywhere!
#1395Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 6:55pm
Anakela said: "Aah, gotcha - they were trying to be three people replacing ONE line sitter. I'd missed that the second line sitter was for someone else.
Yeah, if I was waiting behind single ticket guy and he suddenly became two tickets guy for some woman who was trying to cut the line on top of hiring a line sitter I would not have let that slide. Correct call there.
By the same token, he had the same right as anyone else to request two tickets and give the second one to whomever he chose. Seems everyone on line chose to be forthcoming about their intentions, but he had no obligation to do that either. I agree he made the right decision, both for himself and for those further back on the line.
I saw the show in November and I have a friend who's dying to see it as well, with the original cast. We've been checking out the resale sites and almost had two orchestra tickets on Tuesday for $536 each from Stubhub, but by the time I attempted to check out, they were gone. I'm not willing to pay $500 plus for mezzanine, but my friend is. I have 2 tickets each for October, November and December that I got for face value on TM on 3 separate occasions. Those are for my kids and their significant others, and one for me.
Will try again this week for anxious friend and myself. Can't take time off from work to do the cancellation line, and I don't think I could last that many hours anyway.
#1396Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 7:07pm
MISH2 said: "By the same token, he had the same right as anyone else to request two tickets and give the second one to whomever he chose. Seems everyone on line chose to be forthcoming about their intentions, but he had no obligation to do that either. "
Valid point.
Jennabee
Understudy Joined: 5/12/16
Ehlbee
Swing Joined: 5/11/16
#1398Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 7:43pm
I see a lot of people worrying about swapping out to go to the bathroom - I don't think this will be a problem even with the new rules.
Most people waiting in line are there for an average of 10 hours - if anyone could avoid using the restroom for that long, I would be extremely impressed. Everyone in our line was very adamant about people keeping proper places - if someone had to leave and go to the bathroom, and a new person complained upon their return, we would vouch for their spot. Once you join the line and have waited a while, that is Your Place, and everyone in the line keeps the order. Plus, since the bathrooms were right next door, most people were only gone about 10-15 minutes, and I feel it would be silly to punish such a small absence - especially for something we can't put off doing.
When the first two premium tickets came out, one of the Midnight Crew girls was in the bathroom, and her friend only had enough to buy her own ticket. Everyone in line vouched for her friend being next for the ticket - even other people wanting premium tickets, and we all waited for her to return so she could buy it. The first girl went into the box office to get the ticket, and when the second came sprinting back down the street for hers, we all clapped and cheered.
The cancellation line is a family, it's what makes the experience so memorable. Cannibalizing each other over needing to pee just isn't worth the potential fights.
#1399Hamilton Cancellation Line
Posted: 5/14/16 at 8:43pm
MyFavoriteBrunette said: "ammurp said: "I agree no swapping should mean no swapping at all...and for what it's worth, I'm doing the wait for my husband and I. But I somehow really doubt that if you had to use the washroom that others in the line would be adamant that no you can't leave the line for ten minutes to go. Up until now that hasn't been an issue, people have kindly let people leave the line for small amounts of time to do such things, right? I guess I'll see this week if that changes
"I waited alone 17 hours for my husband and I (got not tickets) he showed up 2 hours before curtain incase we got in. I drank no beverages and packed 4 protein bars. The folks on line were very nice in "holding" my spot to go to the bathroom--mostly trips to warm my hands under the running faucet cuz it was getting cold in that wait out there in March. But according to the new rules, that's breaking rule: #1 Patrons may not swap out or hold places on the line.
We are civil to one another, but when it becomes survival of the fittest, who's not to say someone will protest that my spot was held for ten minutes. One must imagine any scenario because the line can become an episode of "Survivor"!
"
You should really change your name to 17 hours bc you never stop mentioning that.
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