2017 Ticket Sale

[Tartan_Glasto]

Has anyone experience of getting a coach ticket from Glasgow? Just wondering what the times were like and pick up location?

Both times I've been I've got my ticket in the main sale but I'm liking the idea of giving myself two opportunities cause I'm worried my luck will run out!

[Michaels denim shorts]

25 minutes ago, DropBeat said:

Hmm I might try and convince my group to try for a coach ticket this year, the second chance is tempting but it does sound a bit painful overall. But I think we'll be staying at Worthy View so at least we can carry more booze without tents. Can you still purchase 6 tickets in one transaction for coaches?

In the main sale yeah it's 6. It varies in the resales from memory, was 6 last year 4 the year before I think 

[Zoo Music Girl]

46 minutes ago, DropBeat said:

Hmm I might try and convince my group to try for a coach ticket this year, the second chance is tempting but it does sound a bit painful overall. But I think we'll be staying at Worthy View so at least we can carry more booze without tents. Can you still purchase 6 tickets in one transaction for coaches?

See I don't think it's painful at all (it stops you from overpacking for one thing), although of course it does limit the amount of booze you can physically take. My only gripe really is the location of the coach park in London. Oh and the fact that sometimes the See drivers don't really know where they're going - the guy on the way back last year was asking us for directions to the O2!

But when you get a coach you rock up just the other side of Pylon/Bushy and you're straight on site. I've very rarely had to queue. I've never driven on to the site (before I did coaches I got a shuttle from Bath & West or Castle Cary) but the distance to those car parks fills me with fear when heavily laden. 

Edited August 3, 2016 by Zoo Music Girl
Meant booze in general not just spirits!

[Comfy Bean]

1 hour ago, Tartan_Glasto said:

Has anyone experience of getting a coach ticket from Glasgow? Just wondering what the times were like and pick up location?

Both times I've been I've got my ticket in the main sale but I'm liking the idea of giving myself two opportunities cause I'm worried my luck will run out!

2013 got the coach down from Glasgow. 6.30am I think from the side of George Square. There were 2 coaches and everyone got all their stuff on. Worked out fine.

[billum]

3 hours ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

My only gripe really is the location of the coach park in London. Oh and the fact that sometimes the See drivers don't really know where they're going - the guy on the way back last year was asking us for directions to the O2!

Yes the O2 start location for London coaches has always put me off them. The train (from Paddington or Reading) works really well though, I'd recommend that as a good alternative.

[Zoo Music Girl]

Yeah I did the train once and it wasn't a bad option. Takes less time obviously. But I think my preference is still for coach as once you're on the next stop is the site. I found queuing with all my shit at Castle Cary and the scrum for the buses a bit of a pain. But yeah I would consider it again.

[stuartbert two hats]

8 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Yeah I did the train once and it wasn't a bad option. Takes less time obviously. But I think my preference is still for coach as once you're on the next stop is the site. I found queuing with all my shit at Castle Cary and the scrum for the buses a bit of a pain. But yeah I would consider it again.

Obviously?  Surely that massively depends where you're coming from.  I worked it out and it was slightly slower from Stockport than by coach - and Stockport is on a pretty direct line.

Of course, it didn't quite work out that way this year, obviously...

[Muppetmark]

6 hours ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Yeah this is the thing that always frustrates me - it takes at least an hour to get out of London that way, so it really adds to the journey time. 

I think, again from memory, that when you book a London return you have to choose the same time there and back. For the coaches that have times allocated later it doesn't seem to be the case?

i got a choice when i picked an 8am from london in the resale,  i almost accidentally picked 6am return in my panic but changed it to a more manageable 9 am 

[Zoo Music Girl]

1 hour ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Obviously?  Surely that massively depends where you're coming from.  I worked it out and it was slightly slower from Stockport than by coach - and Stockport is on a pretty direct line.

Of course, it didn't quite work out that way this year, obviously...

Sorry I should have quoted billum - I meant the train from Paddington vs coach from O2. Can't speak for other locations! 

20 minutes ago, Muppetmark said:

i got a choice when i picked an 8am from london in the resale,  i almost accidentally picked 6am return in my panic but changed it to a more manageable 9 am 

Ah I'm misremembering then. It was all the way back in 2014

[Quark]

So how much were / are the coach package tickets? Definitely going by coach and certainly want the extra chance of a ticket, but seecoaches don't sound the best.

Would it be bad form to get a coach package and then book a national express journey separately? Think I know the answer to that tbh...

[billum]

4 hours ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

I found queuing with all my shit at Castle Cary and the scrum for the buses a bit of a pain. But yeah I would consider it again.

Yeah that was particularly bad this year as the coaches couldn't get to the station through the 'flooded roads' until sometime after lunchtime (on the Wednesday), by when several trains had already chucked out their passengers and the car park was completely rammed with thousands of people and all their gear. Hours of queueing before getting on a bus, but from then on to the site was pretty OK. It's normally only about half an hour wait in my experience though, which I find OK (usually *far too excited* to notice!)

[Zoo Music Girl]

1 hour ago, Quark said:

So how much were / are the coach package tickets? Definitely going by coach and certainly want the extra chance of a ticket, but seecoaches don't sound the best.

Would it be bad form to get a coach package and then book a national express journey separately? Think I know the answer to that tbh...

Not so much bad form as you won't get your festival ticket! They give it to you on the coach, usually halfway there. I can't get remember how much coach packages were last time I went but someone else will know... I think it adds about £40-60 on which is more than National Express.

 

38 minutes ago, billum said:

Yeah that was particularly bad this year as the coaches couldn't get to the station through the 'flooded roads' until sometime after lunchtime (on the Wednesday), by when several trains had already chucked out their passengers and the car park was completely rammed with thousands of people and all their gear. Hours of queueing before getting on a bus, but from then on to the site was pretty OK. It's normally only about half an hour wait in my experience though, which I find OK (usually *far too excited* to notice!)

Good to know! I've not been that way since 2008...

[kalifire]

6 hours ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Yeah I did the train once and it wasn't a bad option. Takes less time obviously. But I think my preference is still for coach as once you're on the next stop is the site. I found queuing with all my shit at Castle Cary and the scrum for the buses a bit of a pain. But yeah I would consider it again.

I always go via a taxi to the drop off and a shuttle bus to PGA, but when leaving I get the train (apart from last year, when I accidentally got on the wrong shuttle bus and got taken to the drop-off, from where I arranged another taxi).

Taking the train is a bit of a 'mare. GWR don't run enough services on the Wednesday morning to cope with the number of people using the service, so there are huge queues at the station and quite a long wait. But, what are you going to do? Whichever way you slice it, getting out is a pain.

[DropBeat]

16 hours ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

See I don't think it's painful at all (it stops you from overpacking for one thing), although of course it does limit the amount of booze you can physically take. My only gripe really is the location of the coach park in London. Oh and the fact that sometimes the See drivers don't really know where they're going - the guy on the way back last year was asking us for directions to the O2!

But when you get a coach you rock up just the other side of Pylon/Bushy and you're straight on site. I've very rarely had to queue. I've never driven on to the site (before I did coaches I got a shuttle from Bath & West or Castle Cary) but the distance to those car parks fills me with fear when heavily laden. 

Ah good to know, thanks. The O2 isn't too far from me but definitely not as good as Victoria as a starting point. Sounds really good once on site though.

I've always got the train and I guess been lucky at Castle Cary each time with a fairly smooth transfer to site. Wasn't there this year but can imagine it must have been a different story.

Definitely going to make a case for the coach option to my group nearer the time! Main thing is the more chances at a ticket the better.

[Quark]

10 hours ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Not so much bad form as you won't get your festival ticket! They give it to you on the coach, usually halfway there. I can't get remember how much coach packages were last time I went but someone else will know... I think it adds about £40-60 on which is more than National Express.

Well that answers that question then!!  

[Zoo Music Girl]

1 minute ago, Quark said:

Well that answers that question then!!  

Yep, I think it's to deter people from buying coach packages and not using them. Anecdotally I've heard of the drivers giving out tickets as soon as you board or even when you get to the site, so it's hard to tell. In my experience they've given them out halfway there at a service station. 

[Quark]

1 minute ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Yep, I think it's to deter people from buying coach packages and not using them. Anecdotally I've heard of the drivers giving out tickets as soon as you board or even when you get to the site, so it's hard to tell. In my experience they've given them out halfway there at a service station. 

Makes perfect sense, as much to stop devious shenanigans like wot I was considering!

I dunno, it's just the combination of getting across town to the O2 and the idea of being given unmanageable departure times that's putting the wind up me.

[Zoo Music Girl]

Just now, Quark said:

Makes perfect sense, as much to stop devious shenanigans like wot I was considering!

I dunno, it's just the combination of getting across town to the O2 and the idea of being given unmanageable departure times that's putting the wind up me.

Well with London you can select your departure time, so that helps a bit. London (and I think Bristol?) are the only two you can actually choose your time, as opposed to it being given to you. I usually go for 8am and then try to leave super-early to get there before rush hour. (I'm in Shepherds Bush.) Next time I'm thinking I might actually go a bit later. 

[Quark]

45 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Well with London you can select your departure time, so that helps a bit. London (and I think Bristol?) are the only two you can actually choose your time, as opposed to it being given to you. I usually go for 8am and then try to leave super-early to get there before rush hour. (I'm in Shepherds Bush.) Next time I'm thinking I might actually go a bit later. 

I'd be coming up from Worthing way (still easier to get to London than Brighton) so it's just the reliability of Southern to get me into central that worries me!  Going to go for one anyway, definitely happy to sacrifice a bit of coach happiness for an extra ticket shot!

[Zoo Music Girl]

1 minute ago, Quark said:

I'd be coming up from Worthing way (still easier to get to London than Brighton) so it's just the reliability of Southern to get me into central that worries me!  Going to go for one anyway, definitely happy to sacrifice a bit of coach happiness for an extra ticket shot!

Ah fair enough - that would be a worry! If I were you I might go for a slightly later coach in that case. But yes, as you say, going for coaches gives you an extra go at the ticket sale so well worth it. 

[Bonedaddy]

Has anyone seen this 'Queue-IT' technology they're using on high demand ticket sales recently?

Arrive at the ticket website between some set certain hours, click to state you wish to join the queue, then at the start of ticket sales it assigns you a random position in that queue, regardless of how early you joined.  You're then notified how many people are before you and can broadly work out how long you have to spend in the queue.

 

Low stress, zero ability to influence but random queue allocation.

[Tartan_Glasto]

This is what they've used for the release of the Harry Potter play tickets. I'm not a fan of it.

Tells you that you can start to queue between 10am to 11am. When tickets go on sale, you're then given a random place in the queue. So you could add yourself to the queue at 10am and end up behind someone that added themselves at 10:59. The only positive is that you don't have to sit there stressing trying to get through, when you see you're 109,463rd in the queue despite being there since 10am you can just give up haha

[Bonedaddy]

Yep, that's the queue that i'm currently in (for the wife, possibly for her birthday this year, next year or Christmas.  Depending what's left!).

I've been able to get on with my day.  I haven't needed an IT degree.  I haven't needed to call upon 15 computers and 23 friends to assist.  It's ultimately very fair.  Although i suspect the opinion / reaction from these forums would not be a posituve one as we're generally people that are able to do many of those things to up our odds of hitting a Glasto ticket.  For Glasto, they'd probably need to state the number of GA, bike, coach/location tickets remaining in addition to your position in the queue.

I do think it's the best implementation of a high demand ticket event i've ever seen.

[Pinhead]

Its pretty fair now tbh since they plugged the 'back key' loophole. It will always be a nightmare now I think on ticket day - unless crap weather looks definite or a poor headliner is chosen...

[grayfitz]

I've been toying with the idea of going to the Bon Iver/National collaboration event in Berlin, but have just realised that it's likely going to fall on the ticket sale date.

I don't know what to do.