There is a difference but not much. Honestly, I have sat in the lux boxes (which are below the section that is below the lower promenade and you still are far away. The only difference is that you are wined and dinned in the lux boxes and most of the people who are there aren’t there for the tennis so we got the outside balcony seats. It’s also cool if you have binoculars and can see who is in the other boxes. I used to spend hours looking into the Donald’s box.
It is very crowded at the Open every day and it can take time to get into Louie and Grandstand. The best thing to do, imo, is get to either Louie or Grandstand for the first match and then go between the two through the connecting tunnels. I have often stayed for a whole day on both those courts. And when you are there for many days/nights in a row - it gets tiring going from court to court to court after awhile.
Before I had reserved seats in Louie or if there is a match I really want to see on any court, I often go to that court the match before, take any seat and then move down as close as possible at the end of that match.
There are several new courts (4,5,6 ) right next to the new practice courts and there is seating overlooking the practice courts now. You can also watch the practice courts from the top row of those new courts. I really liked watching matches on those courts last year.
Court 17 is also a great court to watch a match.
Here is map of the grounds.
http://www.usta.com/US-Open/us_open_grounds_map/
Honestly, if you don’t care if you see Roger, Djoker, Rafa, Isner, Serena, Venus or Maria you will have plenty of great matches to see. You can always wander into Ashe and find a seat in one of the bottom rows of both the promenades if you really want to see someone who is playing there. The ushers don’t bother you much once you are up there. We used to have an usher who we bribed to move us down but they got rid of all the old guys several years ago.
Also, since you will have day and night session tickets you need to bring a jacket or sweatshirt. It can get quite chilly at night. They come in handy for putting on your seat so your legs don’t burn too - or using to wipe off seats if it’s rained. But back packs aren’t allowed and neither are big bags (there is a size chart posted on the website so make sure you check it before you go.)
I also recommend going to the Patio Cafe for lunch if it’s really hot out. It is well worth paying a little more to have wait service.
