On Wednesday 25, 2009 I was given the chance to go to the Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida to see the Orlando Magic versus the Miami Heat. Seeing that I am not from Orlando and that I have never been to the Amway Arena in the past I did not know what to expect. I have to say that now after visiting the arena; I was quite impressed at the venue and in the experience of seeing an Orlando Magic Game.
Amway Arena Information
Amway Arena
600 Amelia Street
Orlando, Florida 32801
(407) 849-2558
Amway Arena Parking
In driving down to the game we got stuck in a quite a bit of traffic that ended up taking us about 10-15 minutes to traverse before getting anywhere close to getting off the exit. I did get to see where the new Amway Arena will be located in 2010 as it is right off the highway and is bigger than life.
When we did show up at the Arena parking was crazy.
Being that we had not been to this venue in the past we did not know where to park. In asking the people directing traffic we did get to where we needed to be eventually (on the 3rd floor of a parking garage). The cost of parking $10.00 was reasonable and was similar to what we paid at our last event chaser event. The walk to the Arena was not far at all, and in walking up the larger outer stairs we were all excited for the game and the experience.
Amway Arena
In entering the Arena I noticed how small the concourse was, there were people everywhere and signage was a bit confusing which led us to walk all the way around the Arena instead of turning the opposite way and finding our seats immediately. I also found that restrooms were not easy to find right away either. One of our parties looked and looked and finally found one after almost walking around the entire venue.
Later, I noticed that they were placed in more inconspicuous places which made it seem that there were fewer that there were at first. The cost of food was reasonable for these types of events and I was amazed at seeing a true foot long hotdog that was larger than the bun itself. The arena was older but this added character to the overall experience.
Our seats were at the top of the Arena. We actually could only have been moved one row higher and we would have been in the highest row in the house. We also were at the far end of the Arena. I am not complaining about tickets, but in seeing this we didn’t know what to expect. As the game began, we were amazed to find that though we were high up, there truly was no bad seat in the house and instead we were able to see the entire game with quite clarity.
I also was amazed to see a packed house for this game. Being that it was the day before Thanksgiving, I did not know what to expect, but it was not a full house. I also was floored to the passion and loyalty that these fans showed their team. We were in a rowdy session and they were on fire for the Orlando Magic the entire game. I was also amazed at the fact that very few of the fans left until the very end of the game unlike other games that I have been to in the past.
Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat, The Game
They did a number of things during the game to engage the crowd and our section actually won the Big Donut as we were louder that the section next to us (basically this meant that we won a box of donuts – which did not go far in a full section). The staff of the Arena was doing a lot of things such as this during the game and the crowd loved it.
The game itself started out slow and the Orlando Magic trailed for most of the game. In the 4th quarter though the Magic came alive and ended in a nail biter with the Magic and Heat tying at 95 with 16 seconds to go. The Magic came up with a three point shot that placed them in the lead.
Then with 8.6 seconds left the Orlando Magic blew their chances with Miami as they missed two free throws that would have won the game. Instead the Miami Heat was able to get a shot in allowing them to win the game 99 – 98.
After the game concluded the concourse was a mass of humanity and I came to find it very difficult to get outside of the arena without quite a bit of pushing and shoving on my part. This had a lot to do with the tight confines that I mentioned running into earlier on coming into the arena itself.
In leaving the arena and going back to our car, traffic was crazy and it took us 20 minutes to get out of the parking garage and another 10 minutes to get out of the congestion into a clear street which led us home. The one thing that was a blessing in disguise was the fact that we had brought a GPS with us which allowed us to find other ways around the traffic that we would not have had without it.
Overall it was a great game and great venue. There were a few pitfalls that I mentioned, but I would definitely go to the venue again. Thanks again to RazorGator for the great Miami Heat Tickets!
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