I've been here several times. But as always, your...

I've been here several times. But as always, your first impression of a place leaves a lasting one. On any other visit, my rating would have been a 5. While there are a lot of people here, this place has a great atmosphere, is very clean and well maintained, and there are excellent food and drink selections.

Those are the positives, the HUGE negative is their treatment if their handicapped patrons. There are very few WCA seating sextions, and most of the seats are compaion seats. I've seen several times where you can't even purchase a WCA seat but there are three or four compaion seats available, which defeats the entire purpose of having those seats available. That's #1, #2, if you are disabled, they are supposed to be able to accomidate you when you arrive, but there is so little WCA seating that its impossible to get a seat and there are A LOT of stairs in that upper bowl. On the phone, they'll tell you purchase a seat in the lower bowl because fhere are less stairs, but for you and a compaion, $200 per person is a lot of money. But my #3 and biggest let down at SAP center is their staffs clear lack of understanding of hanicapped. Our seats were in section 224, which has access from the elevator. I purposely bought seats there because again, there were no WCA seats available, in the top row, right off PL. We get to the elevator, and my husband has a clear handicap, a cane, a limp, and one leg is shorter than the other. I kid you not, we were told by the usher at the elevator to go use the stairs because only penthouse level people at parties and in suites are allowed to use the elevator. We left the elevator, it took damn near 10 minutes for him to walk back over to our section. From there he attempted to use the first set of stairs, he made those adter some struggle, but when we rounded the corner, it was clear he wouldn't be able to make the second set not just because of the amount of stairs or how steep they are, but because the railing doesn't run all the way up and there was nothing for him to hold on to. I had to run all the way to the top and ask the usher at the top of the level what I should do. She said to go use the elevator. When I explained to her what happened she had me go all the way down to the desk by the rear entrance. I told him to wait there because it would take him another 5 minutes to get back down the stairs while I walked all the way over to the desk. When I got there, I explained what happened, and they offered us an escort. It took my husband another 5 minutss to get down the stairs, another 10 to get to the elevator, and about another 15 to 20 minutes between the elevator and our seats. All in all, it took almost an hour from the time we got inside to being seated. The experience was so bad, my husband has been reluctant to return to SAP. Each time I go now, I have beg someone to come with me because he refuses to repeat that experience. Not to mention the standing in line outside because they wouldn't let him in early so he could get to his seat, even after I explained his situation. Their staff lacks the knowledge, understanding, and compassion towards handicapped patrons and their situations.