Vue Cinemas - why bother allocating seating?

jackieb

I go to Cineworld and it always allocates seats.

I used to phone beforehand and pre-book the seats. I'd get to speak to someone and actually pick the seats I wanted. Now, I can only get a machine and you just get allocated the most central seats. I don't pre-book anymore. I have an hour's drive to get to my nearest cinema. I usually buy my tickets a few days beforehand if i'm in town now, as I do have favourite seats.

Outside the screen there are ushers/assistants. They take your ticket, rip it in half and give you the stub, then tell you where your seat is (ie. up the stairs, 5th row from the front)

fluffnutter

aliasojo wrote: »

Maybe they've had new seating put in since the last time you were there? They'd have a cheek if it really is still the same seating.

A friend went last week and there's no change. That's what's confusing me...

Lokolo

viktory wrote: »

My local cinema, Cineworld, ask to search your bags before letting you in the cinema. They confiscate snacks that have not been bought on site at vastly inflated cost. Thankfully, I can manage 2 hours without food or drink.

Wheres theres a will, theres a way

ellay864

At my Vue the VIP seats are slightly different tho at first glance we didn't actually realise that. They're set in the centre toward the back and we sat in some recently without realising what we'd done. Only realised when they came to check tickets of people sat in them and made us move...and there were loads of empty seats there but NOBODY was gonna get to sit there if they hadn't paid the premium!!

tartantotty

I prefer allocated seats, mostly due to the fact the cinema is an hours drive away, and to gert a decent seat if its a free for all and a popular film I would have to leave ages early, and I can't always do that. My H2B is also 6ft 6, so prefers an aisle seat so he can sit with his legs out a bit, or the 2 seats right at the back in the aisle. We book online and it makes the whole thing easier!

Oh and we take our own snacks, cos people are usually to scared to challenge him!

z1985m

aliasojo wrote: »

No, that's not the case. We paid at the counter, the girl showed us her screen and told us to pic seats. I've never used a machine or computer to get a ticket before.

well, that was the case with me. i went to the computer, saw that you had to pick seats, thought nah. went to the counter and wasn't allocated any seats. we go to the cinema alot and have never ever been allocated seats when buying from the counter. even on really busy showings (like ts3) maybe your cinema is different.

System

I tend to use cineworld over vue, partly because of this but have had the same problem in the past, in that case i asked rather loudly that they move as they were sat in my seat. I do feel a mamber of staff should be on hand to enforce it though.

(my flatmate also works at cineworld so i guess im lucky i get to share his free cinema)

GEEGEE8

Went to Cineworld to see Inception and it was packed.. ended up at the front section and I ended up feeling motion sickness.. erghhh.. I do get this is cars and boats, but never in the cinema. It was that the screen was too close and the floor was vibrating with explosions in the film.. couldn't even eat my popcorn..

isplumm

shellsuit wrote: »

The only seats avilable which were showing online were the premier/larger seats near the back, which are more expensive than the other seats.

!

Hi,

I know you wouldn't have done - but did you by any chance select the more expensive seats in the drop down box - so when you went to choose your seats it only showed you the more expensive seats??

Mark

isplumm

shellsuit wrote: »

The only seats avilable which were showing online were the premier/larger seats near the back, which are more expensive than the other seats.

!

Hi,

I have just had a look at the Odeon site - it is a bit sly - when you select your film, it comes up with a screen allowing you to select seats - there are two tabs - one standard, one premium - it is the premium one that comes up automatically - so I suspect that you didn't realise you were on the premium tab - when I clicked on the standard tab, it didn't allow you to reserve a seat - so if you are coming from a long way, you need to pay extra to guarantee a seat - hmmm ... that is not good.

Mark