Crandon Park Tennis Center, Florida, United States

4lilheathen 5:00 PM Apr 11, 2015

Exceptional ADA services, great food, horrible 400-level seats
My husband and I went to the US Open last fall, but since Rafa didn't play, I wanted to try again. So we bought tix for the Miami Open, quarters through the finals (and of course, he went out in the 3rd round!). Five days of tennis, with a package deal for 400-level seats and then a daily double for the first day of quarters, cost $900 -- what one day of quarterfinals at the US Open cost. Our 400-level seats in Miami were closer than our upper 100-level seats in NYC, but the seats in Miami are horribly, painfully cramped. Seats in the 100- and 300-level were bigger and more comfortable, with a lot more leg room. If we went again, we'd likely spend more money for better seats (200-level are suites, which aren't really available to the general public). The seats were manageable for the first three sessions, because we were in the front row and had a little leg room and no one next to me. By the fourth session, in the 5th row, packed like sardines, I was in severe pain (I have a chronic pain condition that has left me disabled, and I had no idea the 400-level seats at Crandon would be so bad). After the first match, we went to Guest Services and requested a wheelchair and a switch to ADA seats. They were happy to do so. I was still in pain, but the with extra room it didn't get any worse. The following day, we switched the remainder of our tickets to ADA seats, and it made a huge difference in my comfort level. There are elevators at gates B and G, and we sat in the ADA seats right in front of gate G. It's on the southwest corner of the court and the view is fantastic (I brought my Canon 60D with 70-300mm L pro lens and got amazing pics). The same security staff worked that location every day, and when they saw my husband rolling me toward our seats, they'd usher folks along so we could navigate. I was clearly in severe pain during our first match in those seats, and the guard was concerned. He even asked how I felt the following day and was glad to see my pain was less! The staff in Guest Services was great. I was only able to catch the name of the man who swapped our tickets for ADA seats, Sharif. We love Sharif! Fabulous smile, happy to help, great attitude, fun sense of humor (he thought it was hilarious when I said to my husband, "Let's roll!" as I backed my wheelchair away from the ticket booth). But all of the staff were great, friendly, and accommodating. They have five free wheelchairs available for guests who need them (you fill out a form and leave your driver's license until you return the chair); it's first-come, first-served. They can't be reserved, which is the only bummer. But that just encouraged us to get there early for the finals sessions, which helped us beat traffic too (we got there at 11:30 for the 1 pm matches and there were 3-4 wheelchairs available each day). The staff overall at Crandon were fantastic. One guard saw us coming toward the small elevator to go downstairs after a match, and she booted all the able-bodied people out of the elevator for me and a man with a cane (she was nice about it and they didn't complain). The atmosphere is fun, and there are plenty of booths with sponsors giving away fans and other trinkets. We met world-famous tennis coach Nick Bolletieri and got an autographed book for our 13-year-old, who plays tennis. We saw Larry Ellison and his girlfriend stroll by, along with Darren Cahill and Chris Fowler. It's easy to access players when they're on the practice courts, which is where I got some of my best pics of Serena and Novak (you're only 20-50 feet away). Kids everywhere had the giant tennis balls, many loaded with autographs (tip: the players will do autographs after, not before, their practice sessions). The practice schedule is updated every morning on the Web site. The food was impressively good, especially since most of the stands at the US Open sold ballpark-quality food. I twice had the fried grouper on a Caesar salad because it was so good (perfectly cooked). They had crepes, a salad bar, tacos, pizza, you name it. Alcohol was of course expensive ($8 for 3-4 ounces of wine, $12 for a pina colada but it was yummy), but there were many options here, whereas at the US Open, you were essentially limited to Grey Goose and Heineken because they were the alcohol sponsors. As others have said, traffic can be a royal mess. There are only two lanes in either direction to the tournament, and only one way onto Key Biscayne. We spent more to stay on the Key after getting advice from others, and if you can find affordable accommodations and are planning to go to several sessions, I would recommend doing this (book far in advance, because cheaper options are gone fast). We still hit traffic for one session, but during the daytime quarterfinals sessions, it took us 20 minutes to do the 1.5-mile drive and park. Lot 2 is for ADA parking and the 400-level package parking. They have golf carts to shuttle you, but you do still have to walk. If you're unable to walk more than 100 feet, definitely bring your own wheelchair or electronic scooter. ADA parking is free, and you have to have your placard (if you don't have a permanent plate), and show your license and disabled ID that shows the number matching your placard, if your name isn't on your placard. Other quick tips: Bring a sun hat with a good brim, sunblock, and a refillable water bottle. They actually let us through security with our own filled water bottles, and others brought jugs to fill up. It will be 5-10 degrees hotter in the stadium than outside the tennis center because of all the concrete, so wear light-colored clothing. I got a bit of a burn and wore a long-sleeved swim shirt for the men's final, and used a spritz bottle to keep wetting the sleeves when I got hot! (I also scooped water onto my arms in the bathroom sinks, and this really cooled me off.) Long pants are helpful too. If you wear a long-sleeved button-down made of cotton, it will trap sweat and give you some built-in AC when there's a breeze (cowboys do this and it really works). Bring a jacket for evening sessions, as the temp drops quite a bit and it can be windy as well. On the two final days, they handed out free baseball hats, light blue on Saturday and bright orange on Sunday. They're embroidered and were $25 in the gift shop, so we got $100 in free hats. Get there early if you want one, and buy what you want early in the souvenir shop...it was packed after the men's final with long lines, and the official towels were sold out (but they're $30 and are bath sized, so they're not a great value). Feel free to PM me with any questions. The tourney was great fun, the crowd was lively (sometimes too much, with Simona Halep's fans disrespecting her opponents and disrupting play), and the experience was much more relaxed than at the US Open. Even the upper level seats have great views, if you can handle small, cramped seats. Spend more and you'll have a better experience. My only other complaint was that patrons in the 300- and 400-level seats can get up and return to their seats whenever they want, and they'll do so during game points. We asked security about it, and they said it was a security issue; they can't let fans gather at the entrance to each section. They do that for the 100-level courtside seats, so I call B.S. on that one. It was a much worse problem in NYC because there are more seats there, but it seems to be an ATP/WTA issue. The closer your seats are to the front row of your section, the less you'll be bothered by this, so choose your seats with this in mind. Great venue, great tournament, top quality tennis that you can get close to, great food, great value...if you're a tennis fan, definitely go!

4nancynj 5:00 PM Mar 27, 2013

Sony Open Tennis
If you are a tennis fan, you need to put this on your to do list. This is a great venue with a tournament that attracts all the top names. There are no bad seats in the stadium and the grandstand is up close and personal. It is a lively atmosphere with lots of shops and good food options, but not as crazy as the US Open. The venue is on Key Biscayne, just a quick ride from downtown Miami. The parking is a little unusual - you pay to park on the grass/dirt at a treatment plant then take a shuttle bus to the tennis center. We had no problems with it, but it takes about 20 minutes.