A Review of the Seattle Mariners VIP Press Club
It’s baseball season again, and in Seattle, T-Mobile Park got a serious upgrade in its VIP options. We take you through every detail you need to know in this comprehensive Mariners Press Club review.
Both the Diamond Club, a VIP underground bonanza of food and drink with seats behind home plate, and the brand new Press Club, were recently unveiled to season ticket holders. Come along as we look at the best VIP experiences in T-Mobile Park.
As you read, you should know that this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of our links, we earn a small commission. However, I purchased our season tickets to the Mariners Press Club at full price, and all opinions are my own.
The New Mariners Press Club
The Press Club is located on the club level, which you access through a new private entrance near the corner of Edgar Martinez Drive S and First Ave S. The VIP entrance is shared between Press Club and Diamond Club ticket holders.
First, you go through a metal detector and bag check outside. Then, you scan your tickets on a mobile kiosk and walk down a hallway to a small lobby. The lobby deposits you at a set of elevators, ready to whisk you up and into the brand new, premium space. If you’re visiting the Diamond Club, you stay on the main level rather than going up the elevator.
The elevator takes you up to the Press Club level, where you will have your tickets scanned again, so keep your phone handy. Each visitor receives a wristband in that day’s colors. You will be asked if you want to sit down for a meal before the game, or you can go right to your seat.
Once inside, Press Club visitors can choose to watch the game from inside or outside. There isn’t a view of the game from inside if you are sitting, but there are TVs placed throughout the club so you don’t have to miss a moment. There is a view if you are standing at the windows looking out, but if you’re that close, you might as well go to your seat.
Seating inside is a mix of couches, lounge chairs, banquets, and dining tables with chairs. There are different size groupings and more than enough seating for the entire press club to be inside at the same time.
Mariners Press Club Food and Drink
The back wall of the Press Club is dominated by a bar, serving top shelf alcohol.
There are two buffet stations set up on either end of the Press Club, serving a rotating menu of hot and cold dishes, snacks, and desserts.
Our family has a number of food allergies to contend with, and the menus aren’t consistent yet with allergy markings, but the staff is friendly and helpful in terms of navigating the options once you’re on site.
All food and drinks are included with your ticket price, so you can enjoy to your heart’s delight.
One touch we especially love (or hate? We’ll see…) for kids are the candy walls. Several of the room dividers are stocked with candy jars and dozens of options, which kept my kids endlessly entertained.
There is also a somewhat-hidden boxed snack section at the far sides of the Press Club, where you can find cotton candy, junior mints, full size candy bars, snack size chips and pretzels, and more. There is also a grab-and-go drink fridge with bottled water and soft drinks.
If you don’t want to miss a moment, staff will happily serve food and drink to your seat. There is a QR code on each armrest, and you place your order on your mobile device.
My favorite on the in-seat menu is the tuna poke and the guacamole and chips. We’ve also had the ice cream and queso and chips. The charcuterie trays seem to be one of the more popular items we see ordered, but we haven’t tried them yet.
Mariners Press Club Seats
As nice as the interiors are, however, the crown jewel of the Press Club is the seats. There are between 2 and 4 rows of seats per section, and you have never seen ballpark seating like this. The seats are plush, embroidered with the Mariners logo, and HUGE. They are also generously spaced out with a large armrest in between seats, meaning that you are not going to be bumping into a neighbor. Every 2 seats share a fixed cocktail table that is supposed to double as a charging station, although the chargers were never functional throughout the 2023-2024 season. They do offer portable chargers that you can borrow since the tables aren’t functional.
Above the covered seats, which start with row 2, are recessed heat lamps, an especially nice touch for Seattle’s questionable spring weather. There are definite gaps where the heaters don’t reach, so if you know you will need the heat boost, don’t choose an aisle seat.
On the in-seat menu, guests can also order hand warmers and blankets for free to keep warm on chilly nights. The hand warmers are yours to keep, but the blankets must be returned at the end of the game.
Possibly the best part of the Press Club seating, however, is the space between each row. If you hate having to stand up and let someone squeeze past you to get to their seat further down the row, the Press Club is for you. I could not even touch the seat in front of me with my foot fully outstretched (at 5’4”, I grant that I’m not a giant, but it is a noticeable and meaningful difference from a typical ballpark seat).
With just 210 seats in the entire Press Club, taking in a game here will put you in an exclusive crowd. The seats are sold only as season tickets and are sold out, but tickets do go up for resale on StubHub, so it’s possible for anyone looking for a high-end date night in Seattle to live like a VIP without shelling out $27,000 for a seat for the year. Prices vary per game, but you should expect to pay at least $400 per seat, with tickets going up over $1000 for some games.
If you’re not ready to pull the trigger on Press Club seats, take a look at our full review of the best seats at T-Mobile Park.
What are the Best Seats in the Press Club?
I’m biased to Section 4, Row 2. You might think that the front row is the best, but there are 2 main drawbacks to row 1 that you should consider. First, it is not covered unless the retractable roof is on over the whole stadium. Rows 2-4 are covered regardless, so if the weather looks questionable, you’ll want to be a bit further back.
Second, the front row has a glass partition keeping visitors safe. This is less obtrusive than many other kinds of railings and barriers, but it can interrupt your line of sight depending on how tall your party members are and how you are sitting in the seats. It’s not a problem for most people, but I’ve got kids, and I think about how the world looks for short people and this would be a problem for them.
Additionally, row 2 is ideal because it is the only row that really benefits from the overhead heaters. Row 3 might get a little of the heat, but rows 1 and 4 don’t get any, and the heaters are directly over row 2, making it the ideal spot in any weather.
Why Section 4? It’s the middle section, meaning that you are right behind home plate and have the best view of the park. The Press Club is small, and every seat has a spectacular vantage point, but if you’re looking for the best of the best, it’s in Section 4.
In the opening weekend games we went to, visitors on the extreme ends of the Press Club caught foul balls, so if you’re looking to bring home a souvenir, consider the front row on the very end of either side of the Press Club. In 3 games, 2 foul balls made their way into the Press Club, so keep your eyes open!
Here’s a view of where the Press Club seats are in T-Mobile Park.
Interested in snapping up some tickets yourself?
I no longer have season tickets in Press Club, but I can vouch for how great of an experience it is. If you’re looking for tickets, I recommend checking StubHub or SeatGeek. StubHub gives you more granular filtering options so you can find exactly what you want, and SeatGeek is the official partner of the MLB so they make ticket transfers pretty seamless.
Press Club Bathrooms
The Press Club bathrooms leave a little to be desired, in my opinion. The women’s bathroom has 5 stalls, and will be tight if there is a line, as there is little room to maneuver when inside. There are 2 sinks, and generally the bathroom feels small and dark. Lines do form toward the end of the game, but typically you won’t face a wait.
The men’s bathroom features 3 urinals and one closed stall, which doesn’t feel like enough for a section that seats 210 people.
To get to the bathrooms, you walk down a long hallway. The women’s bathroom is across from the entrance to the kitchen and adjacent to a housekeeping closet, which was open and confusing when I visited. My son walked into the closet looking for the bathroom before we turned and found the right place. With so much space in the main area, it’s unclear why they didn’t dedicate a bit more space to the bathrooms. A vanity table, better lighting, and more room to walk would have gone a long way to making it feel like a premium space.
Mariners Press Club VIP Parking
Press Club season tickets come with VIP parking in the Mariners garage across from the stadium for season ticket holders. VIP parking tickets typically retail for $80-$100 depending on demand, so this is a nice perk that makes the logistics of your luxury experience that much nicer.
VIP parking is on level 3, which is the fastest way to exit the parking structure at the end of the game. VIPs can also park on level 2, but you will end up in a long line trying to get out, so aim for level 3 when possible.
Not all ticket holders resell their game tickets with parking, so make sure to see if VIP parking is included in the tickets you are purchasing. If not, you can buy VIP parking separately for any home game.
Diamond Club vs Press Club
Until 2023, the Diamond Club was the Mariners’ premier VIP experience, and it is still a luxury experience. The Mariners remodeled and reimagined the Diamond Club in the offseason, and it boasts new interiors and renovated outside seats. Read our full comparison of the Diamond Club vs Press Club to see which one comes out on top!
The Diamond Club is twice the size of the Press Club, seating 408 compared to the Press Club’s 210. The Diamond Club’s interior spaces are also much larger, with more buffet food options, an espresso bar, and an ice cream / dessert bar. The Diamond Club’s interior spaces remain entirely underground, and visitors step up to their seats outside, which are in the first 8 rows behind home plate. As with the Press Club, there are TVs placed throughout the Diamond Club, so guests can keep up with the game while enjoying a bite.
Both clubs include a shared private entrance and all-inclusive food and drink.
Where the Press Club clearly wins, however, is on the seats themselves. The Diamond Club seats are plush and cushioned, but they are nothing like the thrones in the Press Club. If you hadn’t been in the Press Club, the Diamond Club seats would feel very impressive compared to the hard plastic seats in the rest of the stadium, but they do not hold a candle to the seating for Press Club visitors.
Where the Diamond Club wins, however, is on the choice of food and seating, as well as having larger and nicer bathrooms. The women’s bathroom in the Diamond Club has a mother’s room, and is larger and more brightly lit.
The finishings and “vibe” of both spaces is similar, with a clear aesthetic for brass, deep colors, and a “whiskey bar” feel.
Are Press Club Seats Worth It?
Press Club seats are expensive, but if you are looking for a VIP experience in Seattle, the Mariners Press Club delivers. I think it’s a perfect high-end date activity, even for people who don’t care a ton about baseball. Go to enjoy the food, drinks, experience, and watch the game. If you are a die-hard fan, there is no better experience…and I have been to several games in the suites. The Press Club is less private than a suite but the seats are significantly better and the food and drink options are a lot more varied.
So what do you think? Will you be taking in any Mariners games in the new Press Club?
