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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

London 2012 charging for babies

116 replies

DoodleAlley · 15/03/2011 09:16

AIBU to think its extortionate that London 2012 are charging full price for all people including babies for all but a few events.

How can they justify charging for a baby which won't take up a seat?

We'd love to apply for a ticket but are thinking about trying for a second child before, oh, the next year and a half. But buying another twenty pound plus ticket for a child which might not even be conceived or might be 6 months old seems crazy.

And we just dont have the option to leave a baby with family.

How can this be encouraging children to be involved?!

OP posts:
ragged · 15/03/2011 13:42

Not sure what you meant, Bonkers, but most the events I have looked at attending do not offer child tickets. Most the events that end in medal presentations don't have child tickets, for instance.

The qualifying heats, preliminaries, that kind of thing is where the kid tickets are being sold. There is only one track cycling event (out of 4 or 6 sessions, that I can find) that has any children's tickets, for instance. Most of the Judo events end in medal presentations, too.

It is going to be very complicated process of choosing what to apply for, for us!

crapbarry · 15/03/2011 13:43

I asked about this a while back :o here

I was told in no uncertain terms that I was being deeply unreasonable :o

as it happens, I'm totally in agreement with you - it's a ridiculous ticketing set up.

celtiethree · 15/03/2011 13:48

I went on line this morning.. Was keen to seen what was available for a family of 5 - we are keen on cycling, swimming and gymnastics. As posted above only the early heats offer discounted tickets. Looking at the sessions we are interested in minimum price, i.e the worst seats are £50. So £250 quid for each session - plus the cost of travel and stay to London. To cap is all off only the earlier sessions will allow you to buy more than 4 tickets - so not only are we priced out we can't even get tickets for our family group. Rubbish process, have been looking forward to trying to get to this once in lifetime event!!!!! But seems that you are only welcome if you are over 18 and loaded.

megapixels · 15/03/2011 13:54

YANBU. A babe in arms should not have to have a ticket.

I don't get the leave baby at home arguments either. What is the problem with having a baby at an outdoor, openair event? Sure the baby gets nothing out of it, but it's the same with picnics or any family event you go to. Doesn't mean you leave them at home every time you step out of the house.

I took my then 4 year old to a cricket match and she had a really good time, jumping up and cheering even at the wrong moments! They enjoy the ambience of the event even if they don't understand everything going on.

PfftTheMagicDragon · 15/03/2011 14:12

The whole ticket system is ridiculous. Some events are less than 2 hours long! SO you can pay for your ticket, spend hours getting there, only to have to vacate your seat 100 minutes later. Crazy talk.

lIllyall · 15/03/2011 14:31

if the child is less than one can you get in free or is a 6 month old 50p?
I think it should be for seats YANBU whatever next, charging extra for pregnant people?

Greythorne · 15/03/2011 14:31

megapixels:
I don't get the leave baby at home arguments either. What is the problem with having a baby at an outdoor, openair event? Sure the baby gets nothing out of it, but it's the same with picnics or any family event you go to. Doesn't mean you leave them at home every time you step out of the house.

Quite.

crapbarry · 15/03/2011 14:41

lIllyall - it's £1 for 0-1 year olds, so from birth to 2, it's the same cost. Ridiculous if you ask me. I'm 'ordering' a baby ticket just in case DH and I have DC2 by then, but the whole thing is absurd.

tiokiko · 15/03/2011 14:43

YANBU - we are hoping to go as a family (family member competing) to sessions of 'premium' events where there are no child-price tickets. Babysitting not an option as whole family will be there (if we manage to get tickets which is doubtful).

I expected there to be a cutoff where 2 yrs+ or whatever would have to pay but I will have to pay full price for our 2yo and a 9mo which is pretty unbelievable.

GabbyLoggon · 15/03/2011 14:48

doodle alley, I am suprised at that Doodle.

But I expect to be watching it on TV (God willing)

Tell Ceb Coe if you are really bothered.

lexxity · 15/03/2011 14:56

Well we're not going. I just can't afford that kind of money for four of us. We really wanted to see the equestrian show jumping but it's either travel hours for a few hours at cheapish prices or travel hours for more hours and pay a small fortune to include medal ceremonies as no child tickets available, we'll watch from home.

GoldenBeagle · 15/03/2011 15:01

You can only 'pay your age' at a few events which have the blue flag against the event in the schedule - mostly the qualifying heats etc.

You don't have to have a Visa card - you can also pay by cash or cheque. But you can't use other credit cards.

KatieWatie · 15/03/2011 15:02

I'm currently pregnant and applying for just the 2 tickets for me and DH. IF we get them (and by all accounts that's a big IF!) then I'll come up with something for babysitting - London is commutable for us and I can hopefully get G'ma and G'dad down from Yorkshire for a nice sunny day with the fruit of my loins Grin, or taking himher to see some sights while we pop into the Greenwich stadium for a couple of hours...

Can't think of anything worse than taking a 9-month old to see Gymnastics and it screaming just as some poor girl's concentrating on a run-up for the vault...

pranma · 15/03/2011 15:11

The only events I am interested in are the Equestrian ones and the tickets are over £100 for the sessions I'd like so on a pension there is no way we can afford 2 tickets :(

BoffinMum · 15/03/2011 15:44

I was really looking forward to this, but we are a long way from London and don't have family to step in and babysit, so we are looking at five full-price tickets most probably. It all seemed like the Dome - someone else's fun, someone else's celebration, aimed at I am not sure who. As a disabled non-wheelchair user with very limited mobility who can't do things like this without another adult in attendance I don't get a carer's ticket either (unless I hire a wheelchair for the day). Hmm

Woodlands · 15/03/2011 15:51

I was wondering what the situation was for under 5s, I assumed that at least babes in arms would go free!How crazy, especially when you have to buy tickets 1.5 years in advance so you don't even know whether you're going to have a baby in that time. My DS will be 2. If we apply for any tickets for blue flag events we'll apply for a ticket for him too, but the other things we're going to try for we won't bother. If we get tickets we'll just get my mum to babysit! Luckily we live in east London, only a couple of miles from the Olympic park, so that shouldn't be a problem for us. But I can see it's a big pain for people in the OP's position.

golemmings · 15/03/2011 15:57

We're taking out 2 to the canoe sprints; they will be 10 months and almost 3.

I'm also annoyed that we won't be able to see any finals with them - I'm not paying £100 for one on a lap and one in a sling!

Not sure what they'll get out of it - a family day out - some sitting in stands, maybe a weekend with friends down south. I doubt it'll make much more impression on them than the races they see nearly every weekend over the summer but we're going anyway!

Fiddledee · 15/03/2011 16:27

We won't be doing ours as a family day as youngest will be 3.5 and he won't get anything out of it, so either DH and myself will go together or one of us takes DD. I find these family days out are far from relaxing especially given all the transport chaos which is likely. I am afraid I will have a few long lost friends/family coming to stay with us as we can easily commute in.

geordieminx · 15/03/2011 16:31

To all those who have the "babe in arms" theory, just exactly how do they police it?
Under 1's? potential to lie about age/have to have proof of age
Babies that can't walk? If I carry my 3 year old, then he isn't walking

Any child that doesn't need a seat? Potential for every family to bring a child, not pay for them, meaning they are taking up a "place" that could gave been given to a paying customer..let's not forget, that whether they have a seat or not they are counted in the official "capacity"

tiokiko · 15/03/2011 16:46

Geordieminx - I have been told categorically that 'every human being' entering an Olympic venue will need a ticket, regardless of age or whether they need a seat or not.

DC #2 will be 9m by then so will be in a sling or on my knee, but s/he will need a ticket costing up to £325 for the sessions we need to go to.

So no need for them to police it as everyone will have to have a ticket - unbelievable.

timmyshine · 15/03/2011 16:49

Its a bit off, I could not have guessed they would sink that low.

geordieminx · 15/03/2011 17:14

Well that's what I mean, every person whether they need a seat or not is counted towards the official capacity for H&S reasons. If every adult brought a baby/child that wasn't charged for, the venue would only make half as much money, and they stadium would only be half full, but at capacity.

Original poster
DoodleAlley · 15/03/2011 17:34

I've been to events where you have to book a ticket for little ones but it's free. So that allows them to plan for h&s, even limit the numbers that can do that but I don't think it should be an excuse for charging for a babe-in-arms....

OP posts:
tiokiko · 15/03/2011 17:40

Hmm, I do know what you mean re H&S and I guess the rules are the rules but...I am struggling with the fact that depending on the tickets we get, it could cost an extra £1.5K for a baby for the sessions we need.

I know there's always controversy over Olympics tickets so this is pretty much par for the course. Hopefully, it will be worth all the angst and cost if we actually get the tickets we need.

EvilTwins · 15/03/2011 18:03

tiokiko - am intrigued that you say you "need" tickets. I've just put my application in, but I want the tickets, I don't need them.