We did not. 5 hours of queuing too. We clicked on the moment they became available and were 250,000th in line! :(

That definitely didn't go to plan - 344,688 in the queue on my laptop and 138,589 with my mobile - got near the top after nearly 4 hours when the massage came up about lots of demand and no tickets left 

Well done Seagull  

Wonder if I should have used a VPN to access?

I've already booked Eurostar and accommodation (more fool me ), so will keep an eye on resales etc

Indian Wells

Going to this tournament has been on my bucket list for quite a few years so was really excited that I have managed to pull it all together. It really is a lovely place to be and Spring is definitely a good time to visit. As well as the tennis, there are other things to do here such as the Joshua Tree National Park (go early in the day) so you can definitely build a good trip. Sitting by a pool in the sun for a couple of days is also very welcome at this time of year!!

There may be too much information here for some of you but thought I would capture it in case any of you are also lucky enough to plan your own visit in the future.

Tickets started going on sale last July - the first batches were for the first weekend, then Tues to Thurs and then the final weekend. You could buy tickets for Stadium 1, 2 or 3. Stadium 1 tickets gets you your seat for the day and access to unreserved seating on all other courts.Stadium 2 and 3 ditto but no access to stadium 1.
Individual session/day/ground passes came on sale later. Qualies came on sale last at $10 for each day. Seating at the top end could be very expensive but the higher up you go, the cheaper the cost.
I had tickets for each session on court 1 but even whilst I was here, you could still buy individual sessions on court 1 so if you wanted, you could just buy the ground pass and then get stadium 1 tickets as and when depending on the schedule.
You can buy the tickets directly (including choosing your seat) from the Indian Wells Tennis website.
I will try and attach a seating plan but seats on the SW side are preferable otherwise you are looking into sunshine all afternoon.

docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer

So tickets secured I booked flights BA through Dallas. (Flying to LA and then drive might be another good option).As we have friends who live in Dallas we stopped off for a couple of days and then travelled to Palm Springs on the Sunday night. We stayed in Rancho Mirage which is about 25 mins away from the tennis. If i came again, I would definitely stay closer. There are better located hotels nearer to the tennis in IW itself which run shuttles or you can walk to. Packages available at some of these.
Where we stayed, you start running up costs of Ubers which can get expensive in the mornings and evenings.
Hiring a car and parking is an option but the queues to get in and out were long. Ubers have a dedicated pick up and drop off point.

Getting around the grounds is very easy and lots of courts to watch play. The first Saturday is definitely the busiest day and by Tuesday the schedule outside is starting to get a little thin so if you are going for ground pass only, definitely recommend going early (you might able to get some Brits in before they get knocked out!!).

Anyhow a fantastic trip and thoroughly recommend. Ive been here on my own since Saturday but it being America, people talk to you anyway(!). As Ive said I often prefer doing tennis this way so that I can see the matches that i want.

Weather is good but chilly at night so heading back to UK weather on Friday is not something I am particularly looking forward to!!!

If any of you do plan to go, get in touch and otherwise hope this is of some interest.

Thinking of Miami next year!

Thanks Brittak. Really appreciated.

-- Edited by seagull on Wednesday 13th of March 2024 06:24:44 PM

Glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I found Palm Springs a little uninspiring when I went (no tennis for me though): We drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas & the Grand Canyon & back via Lake Havasu City (London Bridge!) and Palm Springs, and PS was definitely not a high point for us.

christ wrote:

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Glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I found Palm Springs a little uninspiring when I went (no tennis for me though): We drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas & the Grand Canyon & back via Lake Havasu City (London Bridge!) and Palm Springs, and PS was definitely not a high point for us.

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 Get the bit about PS. I wouldnt stay here this long if it werent for the tennis! 

Unfortunately I saw 0 tennis. Total disaster. We had tickets for Friday daytime and it was a complete washout. The weather for most of the weekend was dreadful - all our other activities were canceled too.

Maybe next year...