NYCB 2018-2019 Season

[Birdsall]

29 minutes ago, mille-feuille said:

I called specifically because I was worried about this -- being a millennial it was one of the first faxes I had ever sent and I was suspicious of the technology. 😂 They told me that my fax had been received and I have yet to get any sort of confirmation, so I assume they will just send the tickets.

I am a Generation Xer and I never trusted faxes either. Faxing is so retro. WTH is wrong with NYCB??????? I didn't think anyone faxed anything anymore! Seems like a ticketing system that would happen in a third world country! Although we do seem to be sliding into the third world now!

[Helene]

Online systems haven't been great at preventing scalping, but at least there's generally credit card security with a higher bar than processing paper, especially paper with CVV/CID codes, if they are required.

[canbelto]

The de Luz farewell is being processed. My subscription includes his farewell and I just got a call from a NYCB rep explaining to me the limited seating choices and asking me to choose a section other than my normal subscription section.

[Jayne]

GeXer here, I remember the mid 90’s trying to teach you a few grey haired folks how to fax.  In Japan, even today faxes are still used for confirmation documents because the courts recognize them as legally binding, judges distrust e-signatures, etc as too easy to manipulate.  Fax away!  

Now, if a Millenial will please help me figure things out my smart phone....

Edited July 12, 2018 by Jayne

[cobweb]

23 hours ago, canbelto said:

The de Luz farewell is being processed. My subscription includes his farewell and I just got a call from a NYCB rep explaining to me the limited seating choices and asking me to choose a section other than my normal subscription section.

So if your subscription happens to include that date, you don't get your regular seat? Not cool! Who would they be seating ahead of you, when you've already been assigned that seat on that date?

[canbelto]

23 minutes ago, cobweb said:

So if your subscription happens to include that date, you don't get your regular seat? Not cool! Who would they be seating ahead of you, when you've already been assigned that seat on that date?

No I;m in the same section, just in a partial view seat. They said that that date has so many subscribers that they've had to switch around the seating. Plus many of the seats will be reserved I assume for NYCB dancers, alumni, donors, Joaquin's friends and family, and so on.

[Helene]

If the farewell is part of an existing subscription, those subscribers should get to keep their seats; this was true for Farrell's, Tomasson's, Luders', McBride's farewells , and if they've changed that policy, that's appalling.  If it's a stand-alone, non-subscription "add-on," it should be open season for any who applies, and that means that your subscription seat or section or getting a ticket at all isn't guaranteed.

Edited to add:  A subscription performance can't have "too many subscribers": they can only sell a given seat to one subscriber.  If it is an add-on performance, then multiple people have the same seat as part of their subscription, and while they generally try to keep people close, that isn't always possible.  If they're taking away a subscription seat from a subscriber to reassign it to someone's friends and family, that is appalling.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

On 7/12/2018 at 10:13 AM, mille-feuille said:

I called specifically because I was worried about this -- being a millennial it was one of the first faxes I had ever sent and I was suspicious of the technology. 😂 They told me that my fax had been received and I have yet to get any sort of confirmation, so I assume they will just send the tickets.

One of Lee Lorenz' best from the glory days of faxing.

I can't figure out how to embed the image, so alas, you'll have to click through.

[canbelto]

45 minutes ago, Helene said:

If the farewell is part of an existing subscription, those subscribers should get to keep their seats; this was true for Farrell's, Tomasson's, Luders', McBride's farewells , and if they've changed that policy, that's appalling.  If it's a stand-alone, non-subscription "add-on," it should be open season for any who applies, and that means that your subscription seat or section or getting a ticket at all isn't guaranteed.

Edited to add:  A subscription performance can't have "too many subscribers": they can only sell a given seat to one subscriber.  If it is an add-on performance, then multiple people have the same seat as part of their subscription, and while they generally try to keep people close, that isn't always possible.  If they're taking away a subscription seat from a subscriber to reassign it to someone's friends and family, that is appalling.

Well I have a "make your own subscription" series. I picked de Luz's farewell as a date. I generally am given the same seat for all my performances but sometimes my seat changes.

[Helene]

I'm referring to standard subscriptions, where you are guaranteed your seat. 

With "Make Your Own," you are only entitled to the price break and priority processing before single tickets go on sale, but no guarantee for any performance or seat in any specific section.  That's the trade-off you make, and you, rightly, get what you get.  It's not really a subscription, despite the title, although they can extend subscriber benefits to people who buy bulk in advance, which is really what "Make Your Own" is.

[NinaFan]

21 hours ago, Helene said:

I'm referring to standard subscriptions, where you are guaranteed your seat. 

With "Make Your Own," you are only entitled to the price break and priority processing before single tickets go on sale, but no guarantee for any performance or seat in any specific section.  That's the trade-off you make, and you, rightly, get what you get.  It's not really a subscription, despite the title, although they can extend subscriber benefits to people who buy bulk in advance, which is really what "Make Your Own" is.

I guess that's really true.  I've had the same NYCB subscription for years.  I came close to changing our subscription this year as I preferred a different series.  In the end, since they could not promise me the same seats I decided exchanging tickets worked best for me.   Since programming has already been changed, it's just as well I left things alone.   As with ABT, most of our tickets are purchased as single tickets anyway.

[cobweb]

Note to Society NYCB members - thought I’d point out that renewal letters are included in the big envelope with the thick season brochure that arrived today (for me anyway). I don’t always open these as I am already quite familiar with next year’s offerings. Thought I’d point this out in case any of you are similarly inclined to toss it into the recycling bin. 

[abatt]

21 hours ago, cobweb said:

Note to Society NYCB members - thought I’d point out that renewal letters are included in the big envelope with the thick season brochure that arrived today (for me anyway). I don’t always open these as I am already quite familiar with next year’s offerings. Thought I’d point this out in case any of you are similarly inclined to toss it into the recycling bin. 

Thanks.  I was going to dump the envelope in the trash without ever opening it  until I read your post.

[abatt]

10 minutes ago, Leah said:

New subscriber here- when do we get our tickets? I’ve already gotten the opera and philharmonic ones.

End of August/early September.

[lmspear]

On 7/13/2018 at 11:59 AM, Helene said:

A subscription performance can't have "too many subscribers": they can only sell a given seat to one subscriber.  If it is an add-on performance, then multiple people have the same seat as part of their subscription, and while they generally try to keep people close, that isn't always possible.  If they're taking away a subscription seat from a subscriber to reassign it to someone's friends and family, that is appalling

There's one way I can think of to legitimately have "too many subscribers." The subscription services staff may be overwhelmed by subscribers trying to exchange their tickets for ones to the "special event" date.  Subscribers in this situation may have very limited choices as the seat they usually sit in on Tuesday won't necessarily be available on any other night. 😢

Edited July 16, 2018 by lmspear
Typo

[Helene]

Seat changes are supposed to happen after "regular" subscription seats are assigned: they have deadlines for this reason. Usually the progression is:

1. Process renewals, block those seats.

2. Process renewal change requests.  Block those seats.

3. Process new full subscriptions.  Block those seats.

Where there are various fixed series, then there's an internal hierarchy for how the seats are allocated, and from what I learned during a job interview, in general, they try to allocate the same seat throughout the series.  Even my little Met Opera 3-opera weekend visitor series seats were the same for all three operas.  There are many smaller series that don't guarantee any seats for renewal, like my mini-Met subscription.

The rest can be in various orders, but the tickets for all full subscriptions, where it's the same venue/same seat config, have been allocated, and the subscriber gets the same seat.

1. Add-on for regular subscribers for performances that are part of regular subscriptions

2. Makeyour own series

3. Subscriber exchanges

4. Subscriber single tickets

5. General public single tickets

If you purchase a full subscription after any of these deadlines, then they try to make you one out of what is left, which can involve calling you to work something out.  For example, they may have a great seat for 4 of 5 shows, but gave it to another subscriber in a ticket exchange and give you that option, in which case, if you renew, you have dibs on it.

Legitimate reasons for regular subscribers to lose their seats:

1. Change of venue.  Even if you get the sames seats for the same alternate venues, they may not be able to be in the same section, depending on size and layout.

This can be temporary, like in Houston in response to the hurricane, or Seattle and San Francisco when the theaters were upgraded to withstand earthquakes, or permanent, when a new facility is built.

2. Change of layout.  If they are building the stage out over your rows for a performance, your seats are going to change.

3. Change to series offerings.  PNB has done this twice since I've been in Seattle, when they've reduced the number of performances, and by doing so, changed Opening Night.  They bumped regular subscribers from their seats, because Opening Night people were prioritized.  (Happened to me in the first switch.) But that was for an entire subscription.

Either the de Luz performance is a regular subscription performance, in which case regular subscribers shouldn't be impacted, or it's a special/non-subscription performance, in which case, subscribers might have priority, but aren't guaranteed their seat.

[abatt]

The thing that's really annoying about being an NYCB subscriber is that they send you the subscription tickets about a month after the box office opens to the general public.  If you have tickets to exchange, you are going in for the exchange after the general public has already snapped up seats over the course of a month.  This really isn't fair.  All other cultural institutions that I've ever interacted with have permitted subscribers PRIORITY exchange before tixs go on sale to the general public. This situation at NYCB has been going on for years and is grating.

[Helene]

NYCB has had a tendency to be in a race to the bottom in terms of customer happiness.

I used to love to go to the NYCB Box Office with my list, and to stare at the neatly cubby-holed color coded tickets by date, etc.  When I was unexpectedly in NYC for the opening gala a few years ago, the person was so unfriendly, I thought for a moment that I was at the Met.

[sandik]

4 hours ago, Helene said:

I used to love to go to the NYCB Box Office with my list, and to stare at the neatly cubby-holed color coded tickets by date, etc.

I love those ticket sorter racks -- I remember them from the local Sherman and Clay ticket office here in Seattle when I was small.

[CTballetfan]

About a month ago I received a call from an NYCB sales rep asking me to renew my subscription. I couldn’t commit then, but on receiving a follow up email from her a couple of weeks later I called her and ordered a flex subscription of 3 performances of my choosing. Tonight I received an email from her giving me my seat assignments. Luckily I was able to be seated in the section of the orchestra I requested. It was worth it to spend upwards of half an hour with the rep when I ordered. She was attentive and pleasant and noted my specific seating request on the order. I was very satisfied with the experience. Tickets will be mailed in August. Very excited about the fall season!

[canbelto]

On 7/16/2018 at 9:12 PM, Helene said:

NYCB has had a tendency to be in a race to the bottom in terms of customer happiness.

I used to love to go to the NYCB Box Office with my list, and to stare at the neatly cubby-holed color coded tickets by date, etc.  When I was unexpectedly in NYC for the opening gala a few years ago, the person was so unfriendly, I thought for a moment that I was at the Met.

Wow that hasn't been my experience. They've always been extremely accommodating and friendly. There have been a couple times when Life Happened At the Last Minute and I couldn't use my tickets and they've always been great about finding a new date to exchange. 

Now the Met box office needs a lesson in manners and etiquette.

[yukionna4869]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlYtdSCjq9Z/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1e6w0htiru7qo

Could we possibly see Isabella LaFreniere debut in Diamonds this Fall?

[cobweb]

Whoa. I would totally be there. 

[vipa]

20 hours ago, canbelto said:

Wow that hasn't been my experience. They've always been extremely accommodating and friendly. There have been a couple times when Life Happened At the Last Minute and I couldn't use my tickets and they've always been great about finding a new date to exchange. 

Now the Met box office needs a lesson in manners and etiquette.

I have had great experiences with NYCB both in exchanging subscription tickets and renewing my subscription by phone. Everyone I interact with is so helpful. 

[yukionna4869]

3 hours ago, cobweb said:

Whoa. I would totally be there. 

Me too. With Savannah Lowery having left the company, I’m also hoping that Emily Kikta will get another shot at the solo girl in Rubies.