Benidorm Palace tickets: how to book

What the ticket on this site is

The ticket you can book from this page is for the show at Benidorm Palace, a cabaret theatre on Avenida Severo Ochoa. The booking page describes a Vegas-style evening of dancers, acrobats and magicians, with a running time of about two and a half hours, and the ticket reaches your phone straight after you book. You choose the date and the option on the booking page, in your own language and currency. It is a show ticket, not a dinner package. The venue sells dinner packages itself, and the sections below explain how the two routes compare.

• The show, as a mobile ticket
• Your date and option, picked on the booking page
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
• Reserve now and pay later

Show only, or dinner as well?

The venue sells a ladder of tickets. The bottom rung is show only, then a reserved table with a snack and a glass of wine, then dinner-and-show packages, then premium dinner tiers with a VIP area. Its dinner menus come in meat, fish, vegetarian and gluten-free versions, and the venue says the special diets are prepared when you ask in advance. Dinner guests also have to reach the building before the dinner cut-off, or the meal cannot be served and the right to a refund is lost. If you want food in the same booking, use the venue's own site. If you only want the show, the ticket here is the simpler route.

Shared tables on show-only seats

The venue states that on show-only bookings, tables may be shared with other guests when the organisation of the room requires it. Two friends may not mind that at all. A family of five who want to sit together, or a group marking a birthday, may. The venue's own table and dinner tiers are the route to a reserved table, and its phone number and email are on its contact page if you would like to ask what suits your party before you book. Whatever you choose, book everyone in one go, so the party is booked for the same date and the same option.

Booking here or with the venue

Both routes lead to the same theatre. Booking through this site lets you cancel up to 24 hours ahead at no cost, reserve now and pay later, and use a booking page in your language. The venue sells tickets too, online, at its box office and by phone, with cards, cash at the box office and Bizum on the web. Its terms differ. A change of date or a refund needs 24 hours' notice, and the refund route depends on an optional paid cancellation service bought with the ticket. Decide which set of terms you prefer before you pay, because the two differ.

What kind of night to expect

A revue strings separate numbers together instead of telling one story, and it alternates ensemble dances with individual acts. That is the shape of a night at Benidorm Palace: dancers, acrobats and a magician, according to the guests who have written about it. This season's production, Trivium, adds a thread of its own. It follows a young magician who has lost his magic through three imagined worlds, and the venue describes it as music, dance and visual storytelling rather than dialogue. Productions change by season, so check which one is on sale for your date.

Read next: What a revue is: a night of variety

When to book

The booking page flags this show as likely to sell out, so choose a date early if you are travelling in a busy holiday week. The venue lists its regular show nights as Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and the booking calendar shows which dates are open. Christmas, New Year and other galas are separate events with their own rules, and the venue asks for a week's notice there instead of 24 hours. Before you pay, confirm that your date shows the regular production and not a gala, and read the start time on your confirmation once it arrives.

What guests say about the evening

Travellers who have reviewed the show praise the performers, the lively choreography and the polish of the production, and many call it a worthwhile night out. Two cautions come up. Some find table service for drinks slow, so order early instead of waiting for a pause in the show. And one guest, seated to the side of the stage, describes a less direct view, so think about where in the room you might end up. Neither complaint is about the performance itself, and both are easy to plan around. Reviews on the booking page come from guests in the UK, Germany and Romania, among other countries, so expect an international room.

The photographer and other extras

Guests describe a photographer taking pictures as they arrive, and the venue lists a photographer among its services. Guests say a print is an extra, so ask what it costs before you say yes. Food and drink are add-ons on the night as well, and some guests mention waiting for them. The venue also sells souvenirs, including a magazine and a DVD. None of this is part of the ticket, which means you can decide at the door what you actually want, rather than meeting a surprise at the end of the evening.

A checklist before you pay

A few minutes of checking saves most of the problems guests report. Read what your chosen option lists on the booking page, and do not assume that dinner or drinks come with it. Count your party and decide whether a shared table is acceptable. Pick a date that is a regular show night. Note the cancellation deadline. Save the mobile ticket where it works without a signal. And decide how you will get home afterwards, because the show is an evening-into-night outing.

• Read the option's inclusions, not just its title
• Decide whether a shared table is fine
• Choose a regular show night
• Note the 24-hour cancellation deadline

Read next: How to get to Benidorm Palace

Groups, families and celebrations

The venue runs a dedicated page for bachelor and bachelorette parties, which says larger groups get advantages and a welcome cocktail, and lists dinner, bar service, a minibus service and parking among its offer. For smaller parties and families, the show ticket here works the same way: pick a date, choose the option and book everyone together. The venue also sells separate ticket and menu options for younger guests, so if children are in your party, compare those with the options on the booking page and ask the venue if anything is unclear. Decide early who handles the booking and watches the cancellation deadline.

Who this isn't for

Skip this show if you want a small, close room. Benidorm Palace is a large theatre with a big stage, so the appeal is spectacle, not intimacy. It is also a poor fit if you need a meal included without any add-ons, if you want an early night, or if you want a guaranteed table to yourselves on a show-only ticket. And if you are after one story-led play with a plot from start to finish, a revue is a different thing: it gives you variety, and the next act is never far away.