CAA Arena — Attraction in Ontario

Went there 2017 November 1st for the first game played in Belleville by the Belleville Senators AHL team. I had never been in the arena before so I cannot make any comparisons with what it was like before the renovations. I was worried about parking so arrived quite early and it was not hard to find a space. However, was advised that the lot I parked in would not be available for subsequent games so parking might end up a problem. There is a shuttle bus from the Quinte Mall which I might take in future. The arena is part of a large complex with three other arenas plus aquatic and other sports facilities; all run by the City of Belleville. I think my tax dollars are well spent here, it is an impressive facility. We got pretty good seats in the arena. They were a bit tight and the drink holders cut into my knees so I hope those will be removed. Sight lines were good, mind you were only about three rows from the ice itself. Washrooms were hard to find and there was a massive line up, even at the men's. There were other washrooms but they were on the far side of the security line so they could not be used by people who didn't want to leave. The arena has a big, hanging down display for graphics and game highlights. Senators video people were walking around getting pictures and video. One problem was that some of their video suffered from rolling shutter artifacts - verticall lines became jagged. I didn't try out any of the concessions so cannot comment on the food and drinks. For a small city the arena is impressive; perhaps a few things could be improved such as washrooms, parking and seats but overall I feel my tax dollars...

Pros Great lighting Great ice surface Bright modern easy to read Scoreboard Clear, good quality sound system. Friendly staff

Cons Everything else. Seriously.

Confusing, poorly marked and lit parking. Extremely dangerous parking across the street where you have to dodge 4 lanes of traffic on a dark road with no crosswalk or signals in sight.

Basically unmarked entrance. It was marked something completely different and we weren't quite sure we were in the right spot. Just got lucky following some other people.

The rest of the arena was much of the same. What food there was is hidden in the ends above the top of the stands.

Speaking of food, what they had was the bare minimum and it was expensive. Over $20 for some Popcorn, Nachos and two drinks.

-Cramped seating. Had to basically wrestle the old guy beside me for enough space. Good thing I was beside my small wife so my arm and part of my leg took up her space. I'm not a huge guy either.

Awful washrooms. Not sure if I just missed some bigger ones, but the only two I could find were cramped, dated, dirty and only had 3 urinals and 3 stalls. Not nearly enough for an arena this size.

Hideous design and architecture. I thought when they spent $20,000,000 on it they might try to make the building look at least a little bit modern.

While I wasn't in a suite, looking up I can't imagine why anyone would spend money on them. It looked like some cheap Canadian Tire furniture put together behind some regular seats.

While there are some small positives to the arena, I highly doubt I'll ever be catching a game there again. It was a thoroughly...

It’s an oddly renovated recreational centre which was the former home of the now departed Belleville Bulls. Still retains the bones of the old arena but the facelift has been mostly positive.

The Good:

great screen/board, HD quality etc. The lighting (of the ice) is fantastic Sound system is Bose and high quality The Host - this is the guy that does the walk around announcing and contests etc. don’t know his name but as of Dec 29, 2018 as I write this - he was engaging and immensely talented. the service, ushers etc all seemed to be pretty friendly and engaging.

The Bad

green seats still leave behind the rec centre feel but in the interest of sustainability, environmental concerns, they might as well continue to use the seats until they need replacing. Not a huge Deal

The Ugly

concessions pricing is off the charts expensive. Bag of popcorn $6 - unbelievable. Slushies for $5 and tall boys of Coors and Molson Canadian $9.25. I’m more apt to accept high booze prices but seriously $6 for popcorn?

when on the main floor it wasn’t immediately obvious where the concessions stands and washrooms were. All these big fire doors were closed and you had to push them open to get around. A bit oddly laid out.

Overall:

Glad to see hockey back in Belleville and judging by the attendance, it seems Belleville is glad as well. Will return but I’m not buying...