Rogers Place: part II: What is the good, the bad, the ugly what to improve

[Jumptheshark]

other thread is nearly at 1000

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=2121695&page=40


so the oiler kings have started to play and we have had the advance previews and reviews of the place

lets continue on here with the discussion about the new arena and what we like, do not like and what needs to be improved

Click to read more...

 

[Snipez*]

Holy moly. My child would be scared of that "friendly mascot" lol

Apparently this one was chosen as the most cuddly out of 2000+ kids. Must have been in an angry mood the day they voted..

 

[McPuritania]

I thought you believed it to be a issue, actually. you specifically posted the question on here then complained that someone might accidently glace down and see your junk.

then we were commenting on how it isn't a big deal. don't ask a question and then not expect some replies.

So I guess I have to look forward to you having a bee in your bonnet towards me now, since we had an argument that one time. I'm not worried about someone "accidentally" glancing at my junk, I was speaking about the people who ****ing stare at your junk, which has happened to me more than once.

Replies are fine, but when people ask why it's some big issue when it's not, I'm going to make that distinction. If that bothers you, tough I guess.

 

[Oildrum]

How are the lack of dividers even an issue, what do you do at an Eskimos game? You're shoulder to shoulder at Commonwealth.

I would be willing to bet it was a cost cutting measure, the dividers aren't cheap.

 

[glendroid]

Loge Review

Got to watch the Oil Kings Home opener from the Loge section the other night. It was a fantastic experience. Drove right in to the Rogers Place underground lot and was directed to an elevator. Before boarding there is private security checks and ticket scanning. No lines = awesome. Then the elevator takes you right to the loge level.

There is so much space on this concourse it feels like its own arena almost. I just wish there was more concessions on this level as the menu for food the servers carry around is very limited. Had reservations for Curve but cancelled them at the last minute. Menu sounded quite delicious and the prices aren't that bad as I've heard the quality is good from others. One thing to note, anything you order via your section server comes with an 18% service charge. 2 beers ran around $27.50 after tax and the charge. The Spicy crispy chicken sandwich and fries was excellent and the portion was humongous (barely finished it). I was very impressed even for the $13.50 it costed. Would 100% order it again. All in all I've had a great food experience at Rogers on my 4 visits so far. Prices seem fair and inline for the quality and flavor so far. Lets hope these portion sizes don't increase as time goes on. Also noticed they have branded burger wrappers! Cool!

Sight lines are unreal from here. You can sit or stand and either way, its great. If you want to try it out, do it for an Oil Kings game to save some cash. Oilers games range from $1500 to $2200 per game for all 4 seats.. so yeah haha.

Here are some photos!

 

[McPuritania]

How are the lack of dividers even an issue, what do you do at an Eskimos game? You're shoulder to shoulder at Commonwealth.

I would be willing to bet it was a cost cutting measure, the dividers aren't cheap.

It isn't. I asked, got my answer, and that was that. Everyone who keeps the conversation about it going is making it an issue.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

Got to watch the Oil Kings Home opener from the Loge section the other night. It was a fantastic experience. Drove right in to the Rogers Place underground lot and was directed to an elevator. Before boarding there is private security checks and ticket scanning. No lines = awesome. Then the elevator takes you right to the loge level.

There is so much space on this concourse it feels like its own arena almost. I just wish there was more concessions on this level as the menu for food the servers carry around is very limited. Had reservations for Curve but cancelled them at the last minute. Menu sounded quite delicious and the prices aren't that bad as I've heard the quality is good from others. One thing to note, anything you order via your section server comes with an 18% service charge. 2 beers ran around $27.50 after tax and the charge. The Spicy crispy chicken sandwich and fries was excellent and the portion was humongous (barely finished it). I was very impressed even for the $13.50 it costed. Would 100% order it again. All in all I've had a great food experience at Rogers on my 4 visits so far. Prices seem fair and inline for the quality and flavor so far. Lets hope these portion sizes don't increase as time goes on. Also noticed they have branded burger wrappers! Cool!

Sight lines are unreal from here. You can sit or stand and either way, its great. If you want to try it out, do it for an Oil Kings game to save some cash. Oilers games range from $1500 to $2200 per game for all 4 seats.. so yeah haha.

Thanks for the update!!

Also WTF @ those beer prices.

 

[StupidGenius]

Thanks for the update!!

Also WTF @ those beer prices.

Please clip a quote like that in the future. My thumbs thank you in advance.

Beer prices seem steep, but they're bigger servings. They're virtually the same price per ounce as they were at Rexall.

 

[Renly Baratheon]

Thank you for relating your experiences. I went to the open house but I can't wait to watch a game in our beautiful new arena!

 

[Hugo McStiglitz]

Please clip a quote like that in the future. My thumbs thank you in advance.

Beer prices seem steep, but they're bigger servings. They're virtually the same price per ounce as they were at Rexall.

Yeah, from what I've heard, it's maybe 2-4 cents per ounce difference depending on what you are getting.

 

[the pen is mightier]

So, the drink rail risers aren't in yet, so that's a bummer. At least the people in front of us have tiny heads. One bonus of the DRL seats is being able to spin the seats around during intermission and people watch.

Food/drink options seem close enough. Not many garbage cans though.

Also the escalators up to the upper bowl are big. Started to lose my balance near the top, so elevator it is. Still impressive though.

Beer is expensive, it whatever. Feel bad for the servers, as 2 Rickards work out to $20 exactly.

All in all, so far so good. But I will say, rexall was like an old worn in pair of shoes, whereas Rogers feels like a sweet new pair that needs to be broken in.

 

[Section337]

Nice to eat downtown (3 Amigos), before wandering over early to the game.

Did a lap of the concourse, easy to do, somewhat surprised that despite multiple stores, none that are really big.

Took the big escalator up top. They were throttling the load of people allowed on it at one time. About 20 people, then 10 steps worth of emptiness.

Saw the seat rail issue in person, seemed to be a problem up top, but not down below. Glad they stretched a bank barrier behind those seats, hopefully stops people from hanging over you.

The railings in the upper section are a good thing.

Seats good. Scoreboard is amazing. Pre-season hockey felt more pre-seasony than ever, after already watching some world cup hockey.

Went for a wander after the second period, but did not get far. Around section 117, ran into an unmovable mass of people, where there seemed to be a woman's bathroom, Pizza 73 and an Oilers' store. Fortunately I never get anything between periods, because it did not strike me as an enjoyable activity. In general, don't think the upper concourse is going to be much better than Rexall.

Stayed in my seats, row 2 in the 200s until 3 stars, stood up and found the stairs out of the section empty. There was a backup to go down the stairs, but we used a set of stairs, which were way better than out of the gallery at Rexall. There is a bit of a backup from those stairs, passed the big elevator and a store, but it was wide open once you get to the scanners.

Way better walking out into the city streets, than into a parking lot. Had 103rd avenue closed and police directing traffic at 102nd. By the time we hit Jasper, people were well dispersed. Easy getting out of my buddy's parking garage and a quick trip home.

A few disappointments, I missed my old season ticket comrades, but think the new building is a major step forward.

 

[alphahelix]

I have to say that the food/drink lineups were at least as bad if not worse than Rexall in most of the 'normal person tier' concourse areas when I was at the game the other night

 

[Markous]

From watching the stream on the oilers website it took some getting used to seeing the players faces on the bench instead of the penalty box.

Is that a NHL mandated thing with new rinks? it's one of the unique things i liked about the coliseum.

 

[T-Funk]

I have to say that the food/drink lineups were at least as bad if not worse than Rexall in most of the 'normal person tier' concourse areas when I was at the game the other night

The lineups seemed to move faster than the sth event I thought. The bobby nicks grill ran out of the ability to even make fries 2 minutes into the game apparently. I'm sure it was fixed though.

Getting out of the rink and getting home was very uneventful. Figured the concert goers complaints were unfounded.

 

[Jepprey]

From watching the stream on the oilers website it took some getting used to seeing the players faces on the bench instead of the penalty box.

Is that a NHL mandated thing with new rinks? it's one of the unique things i liked about the coliseum.

pretty sure Rexall was the only arena in the league that had cameras facing the penalty boxes.. iirc.

 

[Section337]

Oh yeah, and it is so bright compared to Rexall. There were a few points where I was getting some glare off the ice.

Plus the sound system is noticeably better to this non-audiophile.

 

[Cloned]

The lineups seemed to move faster than the sth event I thought. The bobby nicks grill ran out of the ability to even make fries 2 minutes into the game apparently. I'm sure it was fixed though.

Getting out of the rink and getting home was very uneventful. Figured the concert goers complaints were unfounded.

What was the goal horn like?

Same as the Oil Kings one?

 

[Markous]

What was the goal horn like?

from the one goal i caught watching the stream it kinda sound like the cranked goal horn from the playoffs of yore.

 

[LoudmouthHemskyfan#1]

So, that was...interesting.

I'm not sure quite what to make of the experience. I imagine it will change once we all find our routines in the new building.

A big part of this was expectations. I wish they wouldn't have built it up so high. It is NOT the greatest thing since sliced bread - at least for us upper deck dwellers.

The whole thing looks so plain right now. Just gray everywhere. I imagine this has to change - right?

There are a lot of straightforward fundamental mistakes that were made. It is evident that they did not assess how people will move through this thing, or how some other buildings move people around efficiently. There are choke points that clog up. No excuse for this. Zero. I can't imagine why they would find this desirable. I do however see it as consistent with the current ethic of planning in all areas of life that does not prioritize convenience or keeping people moving. That community seems to believe lines, blockages and waiting are not only tolerable, but desirable. I have a real problem with that.

Leaving was much easier that expected which was a relief. Highly recommend the staircases. They're pretty solid. I think we'll go down to the main concourse unless it's a simple pizza and beer we're looking for during the games.

The food? A bunch of it is the same. That was pretty disappointing, but I had low expectations. It would have been very cool to follow either a Safeco Field model of getting the basics bang on, or the model of other arenas that integrate actual franchise stores into the offering. Having a Wetzel's Pretzels, Starbucks, Tim Hortons and a Harvey's (or what have you) makes so much sense yet that was never the approach. It should have been. It is simply better. The fancier stuff? Not my style. Sure I'll try the butter chicken and whatever - but I still can't get a milk shake. I still can't get chicken wings. At least they did add garlic fries...but 6 bucks for fries and 7 for garlic? Come on... I will say my hot dog was fresh and tasty and about the same price.

The experience in the new building feels very segregated. Again - I really don't see the demand for this. Why have solid barriers in the lower bowl? There aren't a mass of people trying to storm the club section. Remember back in the 90s when they'd actively chase you at Eskimo games if you wandered into the wrong area? Just silly.

I hope the kinks get ironed out and people keep listening. I imagine the food will evolve but probably not far enough because they started with the wrong approach. I'm very concerned that everything will be whitewashed for a number of years and the 'shut up and like it' approach will reign...but I hope I'm wrong.

 

[LoudmouthHemskyfan#1]

from the one goal i caught watching the stream it kinda sound like the cranked goal horn from the playoffs of yore.

No. Same horn as Rexall last year. Don't like it.

 

[LoudmouthHemskyfan#1]

The lineups seemed to move faster than the sth event I thought. The bobby nicks grill ran out of the ability to even make fries 2 minutes into the game apparently. I'm sure it was fixed though.

Getting out of the rink and getting home was very uneventful. Figured the concert goers complaints were unfounded.

They were running out of a lot of things. Didn't have certain condiments, etc.

You could tell it was a sprint to the finish and pre-season.

 

[Timo]

My third event at Rogers Place tonight, open house being the first and Oil Kings beings the second.

Starting to really get the hang of the building as a whole!

Got there at 5:30 and entered on the LRT side, walked around to Ford hall and entered the rink. I'm on a mission to try the core signature dishes each visit. Took the escalator to the upper concourse and started searching for perogie nachos. Did a lap, couldn't find them. Checked the app, which told me they were at the whitemud kitchen and headed straight there. Once I got there the worker informed me they didn't have them, which was disappointing. So in response I asked for the tottine, but the worker informed me they didn't have bacon for it. Disappointed again. I took an extremely easy to find elevator with a supremely helpful employee down to the main concourse and came upon Alberta smoked. I love pulled pork, so picking the pulled pork sandwich was easy. I loaded up with a ton of extra sauce which was left to the side in bottles and bought a Pepsi. $20 in total for my meal, which included chips. The sandwich was fantastic. I will abolsutely be back. You DO pay more, but get great quality in return.

Made our way to our seats and watched the game.

The rink is incredibly well lit and has impressive sight lines. I'm in section 232, so I see why people mention how steep it is, but I don't see it as a problem. Seats are nothing to write home about. The seats to my left are part of the bowl contour, and are angled towards each other... can't see that being comfy for those two people.

The scoreboard is massive and clear, but as a musician what has really stood out to me is how good the sound system is. It's loud, clear, and full of dynamic.

The atmosphere in the building was lacklustre for the most part until the Oilers did things, which is to be expected.

During the second intermission I used the Mens room to the right of my section. I expected an absolute backlog of people, but found that even though it was super busy, the line was moving exceptionally quick. The urinals are fine. The lack of dividers don't bother me at all. Middle of the intermission and I was out of my seat, peed, made it back to my section in under four minutes. That's really good.

I did notice congestion in areas, but to me it appeared that most of that was due to people not utilizing the actual standing areas and just conversing in groups at the bottleneck.

After the 50/50, which I didn't win, the place half cleared out. After the final buzzer, I walked to the stairwell exit right near by, found my way to the main concourse, took a left into Ford hall and another left to the pedway around to the LRT side exit. The people flow was a zillion times better than Rexall. I got out with so much ease, it was actually crazy. The drive out of the area was also SUPER easy.

In summary, the more time I spend in this building, the better and easier it gets. I have no doubts that people will have bad experiences, and that it will take a good year to sort out the bugs... but personally, I'm loving it.

*Written on my iPhone, so I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes*

 

[LoudmouthHemskyfan#1]

I was impressed with the wifi. I did some Facebook Live video from the rink pre-game and in the intermissions and it worked great.

 

[Cloned]

My third event at Rogers Place tonight, open house being the first and Oil Kings beings the second.

Starting to really get the hang of the building as a whole!

Got there at 5:30 and entered on the LRT side, walked around to Ford hall and entered the rink. I'm on a mission to try the core signature dishes each visit. Took the escalator to the upper concourse and started searching for perogie nachos. Did a lap, couldn't find them. Checked the app, which told me they were at the whitemud kitchen and headed straight there. Once I got there the worker informed me they didn't have them, which was disappointing. So in response I asked for the tottine, but the worker informed me they didn't have bacon for it. Disappointed again. I took an extremely easy to find elevator with a supremely helpful employee down to the main concourse and came upon Alberta smoked. I love pulled pork, so picking the pulled pork sandwich was easy. I loaded up with a ton of extra sauce which was left to the side in bottles and bought a Pepsi. $20 in total for my meal, which included chips. The sandwich was fantastic. I will abolsutely be back. You DO pay more, but get great quality in return.

Made our way to our seats and watched the game.

The rink is incredibly well lit and has impressive sight lines. I'm in section 232, so I see why people mention how steep it is, but I don't see it as a problem. Seats are nothing to write home about. The seats to my left are part of the bowl contour, and are angled towards each other... can't see that being comfy for those two people.

The scoreboard is massive and clear, but as a musician what has really stood out to me is how good the sound system is. It's loud, clear, and full of dynamic.

The atmosphere in the building was lacklustre for the most part until the Oilers did things, which is to be expected.

During the second intermission I used the Mens room to the right of my section. I expected an absolute backlog of people, but found that even though it was super busy, the line was moving exceptionally quick. The urinals are fine. The lack of dividers don't bother me at all. Middle of the intermission and I was out of my seat, peed, made it back to my section in under four minutes. That's really good.

I did notice congestion in areas, but to me it appeared that most of that was due to people not utilizing the actual standing areas and just conversing in groups at the bottleneck.

After the 50/50, which I didn't win, the place half cleared out. After the final buzzer, I walked to the stairwell exit right near by, found my way to the main concourse, took a left into Ford hall and another left to the pedway around to the LRT side exit. The people flow was a zillion times better than Rexall. I got out with so much ease, it was actually crazy. The drive out of the area was also SUPER easy.

In summary, the more time I spend in this building, the better and easier it gets. I have no doubts that people will have bad experiences, and that it will take a good year to sort out the bugs... but personally, I'm loving it.

*Written on my iPhone, so I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes*

Must have taken you like an hour to write that on the iPhone.