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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be really angry no access to Olympic park has not been well publicised?

78 replies

ChocChipCookieMuncher · 08/08/2012 00:10

DH and I booked time off work today to take our 2 DD's to Olympic park as they have both got so into the games over last week or so. We didn't apply for tickets originally and know they are like gold dust now so no chance! We thought (wrongly!) we'd look around public areas outside the venues and just see the park and soak up the atmosphere. We've watched and listened to hours and hours of coverage and at no point have we heard it mentioned that the areas which look 'public' on TV (people milling around, watching on screens etc) are ticket only access. We also saw nothing on website flagging that up when we went on to get directions to Olympic Park. Feel completely stupid and gutted we wasted holiday, lots of money on train tickets to London (we live in Leeds) and our kids (and us!) were gutted Sad. Are we the only people to have somehow not picked up on this crucial info in all the Olympic excitement? Blush

OP posts:
ThePigOnTheWall · 08/08/2012 09:32

Lurked, you genuinely thought you didn't need a ticket to get into Disneyland?!?! Really?!?! Well I've heard it all now

gladders · 08/08/2012 09:36

YABU - you should have checked.

Also YABU to state that you can come down and see Hyde Park at any time. Hyde Park at the moment is amazing - big screens and lots of special Olympic stuff to do - NOT like at any other time you might pop down to London

Nancy66 · 08/08/2012 09:37

Ermm...I'm pretty sure Lurked is being sarcastic!

slartybartfast · 08/08/2012 09:37

i wondered the same op, but if i wanted to actually go to olympic park, i would have done research Wink
but i couldnt decide whether the people on olympic park were there waiting to go in to a ticketed event or had already been in. or just came in, but to not do research seems slightly daft

AKMD · 08/08/2012 09:37

YANBU, I didn't know that either. Good thing we ran out of time to visit on Monday or that would have been us too. We had tickets but not for an Olympic Park venue.

porcamiseria · 08/08/2012 09:38

awwww! I would have made same mistake I bet

ThePigOnTheWall · 08/08/2012 09:42

I hope so nancy.

slartybartfast · 08/08/2012 09:58

ths is what i would havbe done most likely

eurochick · 08/08/2012 10:41

I agree with the others who have said that it has been pretty well-publicised in the press, with stories about it selling out, etc. (and I have also seen a few threads on MN about whether you need a ticket to get into the Olympic Park).

Having been there yesterday, the Park is absolutely swamped between events. It would be dangerously overcrowded if anyone could wander in.

Original poster
ChocChipCookieMuncher · 08/08/2012 21:46

Thanks for all your comments folks. Now feel a complete turkey of course Blush. We never intended to go to Olympics so hadn't taken much interest in ticketing. Never tried to buy any. I've honestly never heard it mentioned in media - but probably because we weren't intending to go so it must have passed me by. It was a spontanious thing the night before as our DDs have got so into it (which we didn't anticipate tbh). I suppose we assumed it would be like other big sports stadium - you can access the areas outside them even though you don't have tickets to enter the venues. I still maintain that it should be on the homepage of the website - somebody who doesn't think you need a ticket doesn't go into the buy 'tickets' pages of the site ! Anyway - will just content ourselves with tv coverage now! Smile

OP posts:
cornflakegirl · 08/08/2012 22:39

It's a bit harsh to say the OP should have researched - you only research things that you are aware you don't know. It's not like she wondered whether she'd need a ticket, and then decided to chance it.

Hope you found other stuff to do in London, OP.

ChitchatAtHome · 08/08/2012 22:46

But you are on MN, why wouldn't you just ask on here?!

hmc · 08/08/2012 22:50

Sorry you were disappointed OP. I agree that there should be very obvious reminders in bold typeface all over their website that Olympic Park is ticket only access (although in my case I had absorbed this info from news reports etc)

Stardust01 · 08/08/2012 23:40

Sorry OP, I think that when you consider the security implications, it becomes obvious that they're not just going to let unchecked members of the public have access to the areas directly outside the main stadium/arenas.

I have also heard about 'tickets for the Olympic park' on the news, and via the website.

BrittaPerry · 08/08/2012 23:53

If it is any help, we visited Stratford the week before the Olympics to see family, and it was pretty exciting just walking about (and dd1 loudly speculating on who was and wasn't an athlete...)

justintimefortea · 09/08/2012 02:04

As someone who went to the women's triathlon on Saturday - well you missed an absolute TREAT on Weds by not going to Hyde Park to see the mens... absolutely brilliant EVEN when it was busy and seen from afar.

There are times when I am thankful DS has ASD - wouldnt dream of not planning...

Toughasoldboots · 09/08/2012 02:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bronze · 09/08/2012 02:29

I heard a NBC bod describe the screens at the park as being similar to Henman hill/ Murray mound and as that is free I wouldn't have clicked the park wasn't too

bronze · 09/08/2012 02:31

Bbc
Phone I'm English not American

camdancer · 09/08/2012 05:56

Today is the open water swim at Hyde Park. There will be lots of space there and it's free. If the atmosphere is even half what it was for the triathlon it is going to be amazing. BT London Live is also there - so lots of big screens and places to buy food.

btw, I thought that Henman Hill was inside Wimbledon, so although you don't have to have show court tickets, you still need to get a ground ticket to get there. (But I haven't been so could be wrong.)

mummytime · 09/08/2012 06:11

Herman hill isn't free to get to either, you have to pay to get inside Wimbledon in the first place.

QuiteOldGal · 09/08/2012 06:14

We were at the tennis on Sunday and the Hill is inside Wimbledon, in fact you could buy £10 passes for it at the start of the Olympic games so I guess you would need a ground pass for it normally

JeezyPeeps · 09/08/2012 07:41

Laughing that it's 'harsh' to suggest the op should have researched it. In what world is that harsh? It's a little late, yes, but maybe it will make the op think a little more about future trips to other places and avoid disappointment.

Surely if you are taking time and effort to go somewhere you haven't been before, it's only sensible to check out the details in advance?

bronze · 09/08/2012 11:58

Well that's funny because I wasn't entirely sure if Henman hill was free so googled it quickly before I typed and found at least three places that said it was free

bronze · 09/08/2012 12:01

blog.hostelbookers.com/travel/watch-wimbledon/
This one for example which is the first link that comes up if you google
Tickets to Henman hill