To think that arriving at the olympic stadium 2.5 hrs early is abit excessive

[tinkcantwaittomove]

Is it really necessary to get there so early
Has anyone else been
What time did u arrive
We r due to see athletics 10 till 12 am

No, you don't need to be there that early for security checks. However it's worth getting there early to have a look around.

If you just want to get in and get into the stadium - 40 minutes is probably enough

Agree with Nancy. I've been several times, including to the Athletics yesterday at 10. Security moves very quickly - the slowest part is the bit from Stratford station to the park but that's not a big deal.

I found it a bit confusing due to the crowds inside the Olympic park and it is a bit of a walk to get to the various sites so we needed extra time to find our way around.

If you get there early you can have a look around the site and the gardens which are lovely. You might also be able to use your ticket to get admission to other events if you have extra time - we saw goalball and wheelchair basketball.

They say allow 2hrs don't they? We got there a good bit before and had a nice wander round. It's a shame to go straight into your event and then straight home again. Go earlier and soak it up :)

We went to the actual Olympics last month and went in via the West Ham entrance. It took about 3 mins to get through security. Can't say if the arrangements are the same for the Paralympics.

We found that it too 25-30 minutes to get off the train to being clear through security.

Can you have a look around after the event or does it have to be before? I've got a morning athletics event so was planning to see the park after that.

Yes you can Kelly

We were there this morning. Got there about 8:15 and was sat in my seat with a bacon sandwich and cup of tea by 9:05!

You can wander round the park after your session, yes.

It was the most brilliantly organised and staffed major event I've ever been through. My longest wait, of about 5 minutes, was to reclaim the buggy at the end!

We went for 10am this morning. Go through the West Ham entrance, the security is quicker there. I'd suggest arriving an hour in advance to get to the right bit of the stadium and to queue to fill up your water bottles.

I'm not sure how the security can be any quicker at West Ham - we walked straight through at Stratford on a very busy day with pretty much all the Park venues in action.

I agree - aim for an hour in advance to have a bit of a poke around and grab refreshments before things start.

WEst Ham is a long walk - we went to the park twice and twice ignored pleas to get off at West Ham. Both times we went to Stratford and both times it took just minutes to get through security.

there's no need to go to West Ham unless you want to

We walked straight through at Stratford too.

And there was no need to queue to fill water bottles. There were available taps behind the concession booths within the stadium cordon.

When we went there, we cleared security around 8am and did a bit of exploring before our athletics session. We had breakfast in the sit down restaurant next to the Copper Box, which had comfortably slow service (they checked our event first), visited the mega shop, and got to our seats around 9.30am. The pre-session atmosphere is good, so it's fine to take your seat early.

Thanku ladies for all ur responses We got up early were staying in a premier inn 3 miles from olympic park We left hotel @ 7:50am caught tube all fine fairly quiet Got to olympic park @ 8:30am All very organised amazing experience