Sure Seats at Ayala Malls Cinemas
I remember the time I watched the very first Star Wars movie, the inconvenience of having to endure a Standing Room Only situation somewhat marred the experience. It was a good thing that movie theater goers were allowed to repeat the movie then, so watching it the second time around while being comfortably seated was still possible. I had the pleasure of going through an entirely different experience recently when I watched the latest Star Wars movie at the Ayala Malls Solenad Cinemas with my family.
Ayala Malls Solenad Cinemas
Ayala Malls Cinemas opened its doors at Solenad Nuvali only last November 18 so we were pretty excited to try it out. What better time to do that than during the showing of a much-awaited movie like Star Wars. We managed to squeeze it in last Christmas Eve, hoping that by some miracle, the excitement about the movie would have died down a little, enabling us to watch it more comfortably with less people to compete getting seats with.
Sure Seats at Ayala Malls Cinemas
No such luck though with the number of people still lining up to watch it. One positive thing about it is that Ayala Malls Solenad Cinemas has the “sure seats” policy in place. This is one step further from the “guaranteed seats” we came to know when we were still watching movies at Alabang Town Center. More than the assurance that only enough people were allowed to come in as per number of seats available, the “sure seats” set-up in the theater provided specific seats to be occupied on a first come first served basis. All ticket holders know exactly where to go to find their seats.
Ultimate Convenience in Movie Watching
Ayala Malls Cinemas use SureSeat to provide ultimate convenience to the movie going public by making it possible to reserve tickets online and get the seats of choice in the preferred screening time. People who make reservations are advised to cancel reservations they do not intend to claim as no-show reservations that are not properly canceled are noted by the system which can result to being locked-out. The reservation fee of cancelled reservations still need to be paid though.
At Last, A Movie Theater in this Side of Laguna
For the longest time, the nearest movie theater in this side of Laguna is SM Cinemas in Sta. Rosa. Traffic and the large number of people frequenting the mall are highly discouraging factors. The opening of Ayala Malls Solenad Cinemas is a welcome respite from the opening of supermarkets one after the other in the area. As a side issue however, I can readily understand why these supermarkets chose to have their presence here based on the long queue in all of them during the Christmas season.
My Say
The cost of a movie ticket is not cheap. Watching movies used to be the least expensive form of entertainment to be had for at least two hours in an air-conditioned setting but that ceased to be the case several years ago. Movie goers therefore have every right to expect an atmosphere that is comfortable, clean, and safe.
The Standing Room Only set-up acceptable then in movie theaters is certainly a safety nightmare. My children were giggling when the “Walk to Safety” notice was being flashed on screen showing supposed to be movie goers walking like models to the exits in times of emergency. It is funny in a way but it did manage to drive home the point which is to remain calm during emergency situations.
The Sure Seats set-up also provides some lesson in discipline. A family of 4 seated in front of us decided to transfer to unoccupied seats at the middle aisle at the start of the movie, probably thinking those who reserved it were not coming anymore. But of course they did and that led to a little commotion which ended with the 4 going back to their original seats. Other than that, everything was in order.
For a family like us whose simple enjoyment consists of watching movies together, the presence of Ayala Malls Solenad Cinemas is very much welcome.
