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re: Cost of attending CFP.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 2:25 am to QuackAttack716
Posted on 1/7/16 at 2:25 am to QuackAttack716
Seems like last weeks tickets were more expensive than the championship .
Someone got paid a lot of money to make these dumb decisions .
Someone got paid a lot of money to make these dumb decisions .
1
Posted on 1/7/16 at 2:37 am to JBearden
This is one of the many reasons I miss the BCS. I just don't see what the playoffs add to CFB over the BCS (although I'm sure the extra games add to TV's bottom line it hasn't done anything to make the competition better or the product better). OTOH they've taken away quite a lot, even some of the excitement of the football season and post-season.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 2:48 am to MullenBoys
Flying into Vegas Saturday Morning via Spirit Airlines non-stop flight from New Orleans for an incredibly low $273 for my wife and I round trip - First time flying Spirit - hearing horror stories about delayed or cancelled flights. We shall see.
Renting a midsize SUV - 5 days for $160 (Great rate in Vegas from Sixt) and driving 210 miles to Sedona, Arizona - arrive by 2 pm. Staying at Sedona Rouge Resort & Spa for 5 days for $650 - did some hard negotiating for that rate. It's off season and freezing cold up in the mountains in Sedona now but it's beautiful - check it out LINK.
Driving 100 miles down to Glendale gameday and back post game. Shuttle from Holiday Inn Express parking lot in Peoria to University of Phoenix Stadium for $30. 2 Tickets in Section 123 Row 39 $1630 - paid a little too much for the tickets. If I had waited a few days I could have bought similar tickets for $600 each.
Cost: $2743 excluding meals, shopping & entertainment for 5 days.
Went to Cotton Bowl Play Off as well. Total cost $1800 including airfare for 2 from New Orleans, 2 nights at the DFW Airport Westin and game tickets - plus shuttle tix from Arlington Hilton to Jerry World and peddle Taxi from shuttle stop to and from Stadium ($20 each way to go about 500 yards in freezing cold).
Renting a midsize SUV - 5 days for $160 (Great rate in Vegas from Sixt) and driving 210 miles to Sedona, Arizona - arrive by 2 pm. Staying at Sedona Rouge Resort & Spa for 5 days for $650 - did some hard negotiating for that rate. It's off season and freezing cold up in the mountains in Sedona now but it's beautiful - check it out LINK.
Driving 100 miles down to Glendale gameday and back post game. Shuttle from Holiday Inn Express parking lot in Peoria to University of Phoenix Stadium for $30. 2 Tickets in Section 123 Row 39 $1630 - paid a little too much for the tickets. If I had waited a few days I could have bought similar tickets for $600 each.
Cost: $2743 excluding meals, shopping & entertainment for 5 days.
Went to Cotton Bowl Play Off as well. Total cost $1800 including airfare for 2 from New Orleans, 2 nights at the DFW Airport Westin and game tickets - plus shuttle tix from Arlington Hilton to Jerry World and peddle Taxi from shuttle stop to and from Stadium ($20 each way to go about 500 yards in freezing cold).
This post was edited on 1/7/16 at 3:14 am
Posted on 1/7/16 at 3:29 am to bamaoldtimer
I'm driving distance from both DFW and PHX but the flight price to Phoenix wasnt too horrible right after the CottonBowl at the time. That said the ticket prices were just crazy 
stubhub has dropped big time though.
The rose bowl trip i took a few years ago was very pricey though
stubhub has dropped big time though. The rose bowl trip i took a few years ago was very pricey though
Posted on 1/7/16 at 5:33 am to silverstreak02
That's $1200 for crappy flights and you can't get home until Wednesday. The gouging extends even to LA and San Diego. I hope they lose their arse this year.
This post was edited on 1/7/16 at 7:01 am
Posted on 1/7/16 at 7:19 am to nc14
- booked flight before Cotton Bowl, $700 for wife and me (Atlanta to PHX Monday on Southwest, PHX to DC to Atlanta Tuesday on United)
- Holiday Inn between downtown and stadium on pts, free
- 2 tickets through TidePride, $900
- rental car for 1 day through Costco, $40
- one fillup of half tank gas, $35
- parking through TidePride, $50
So, in total, $1,725 for 2? I mean, it's expensive, but I knew it would be expensive.
This trip, outside of the insane cost of tickets, is actually going to be cheaper than the Cotton Bowl trip. But the face value of tickets is stupid expensive, and we got the cheapest. We also added 2 days and changed the flight to San Diego on Saturday then drive to PHX (5.5 hrs) day of game, but I'm not including that stuff.
- Holiday Inn between downtown and stadium on pts, free
- 2 tickets through TidePride, $900
- rental car for 1 day through Costco, $40
- one fillup of half tank gas, $35
- parking through TidePride, $50
So, in total, $1,725 for 2? I mean, it's expensive, but I knew it would be expensive.
This trip, outside of the insane cost of tickets, is actually going to be cheaper than the Cotton Bowl trip. But the face value of tickets is stupid expensive, and we got the cheapest. We also added 2 days and changed the flight to San Diego on Saturday then drive to PHX (5.5 hrs) day of game, but I'm not including that stuff.
This post was edited on 1/7/16 at 7:22 am
Posted on 1/7/16 at 7:48 am to nc14
When I looked right after the SEC Championship the flights out of Bham were already ridiculous. Like $1200 each and terrible arrival/departure times. Tehy were a little better out of Atlanta. Found some for $725 each leaving early Saturday morning and returning late Tuesday night.
The fact is the bowls, NCAA, and ESPN really don't care much about attendance. They all get their money because technically the game is sold out. The schools are contractually required to buy a set amount of tickets and its up to the schools to sell them. So the only people that will lose their arse are the schools if they're not able to sell all of their allotment. So the best way to beat the system is not buying tickets from the school, but on the secondary market.
The fact is the bowls, NCAA, and ESPN really don't care much about attendance. They all get their money because technically the game is sold out. The schools are contractually required to buy a set amount of tickets and its up to the schools to sell them. So the only people that will lose their arse are the schools if they're not able to sell all of their allotment. So the best way to beat the system is not buying tickets from the school, but on the secondary market.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 7:48 am to five_fivesix
quote:
I said this was gonna be a big issue for the playoffs when it was announced two years ago. The expense of traveling to two bowl games across the country for most fans, around the holidays, is going to kill attendance. They need to move the first round to a home game for the higher seed.
And make it one of the first games played.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 7:50 am to AaronDeTiger
Everyone keeps saying it will kill attendance..........the Cotton Bowl was at max capacity and I guarantee this game will be as well, regardless of how things look at the moment. I didn't get a great look at the Orange Bowl, but in my quick views of the crowd it looked pretty close to maxed out.
The Sugar Bowl was 100% filled last year as were the Rose and Natty. So, seems to me like they will be at 6/6 in 100% capacity for these games, even if people bitch about the costs.
The Sugar Bowl was 100% filled last year as were the Rose and Natty. So, seems to me like they will be at 6/6 in 100% capacity for these games, even if people bitch about the costs.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 7:59 am to SummerOfGeorge
I saw plenty of empty seats in the Orange Bowl. There were a couple of very conspicuous blocks of empty seats in the end zone upper decks. Thise may have been closed due to the renivations going on, i dont kbiw. Also saw entire rows that were empty in the lower bowl. But I'd guess it was still 90% capacity.
The games will probably always get good attendance. The average fan with kids just won't be one of those in attendance. Not students when student tickets are $550 like they are for Alabama students. And that's a shame.
The games will probably always get good attendance. The average fan with kids just won't be one of those in attendance. Not students when student tickets are $550 like they are for Alabama students. And that's a shame.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 8:02 am to The Spleen
quote:
The average fan with kids just won't be one of those in attendance.
I mean, people just can't do it every year. We graduated in 2008, haven't been to any of the title games during our run. We decided this year that since we finally got season tickets and had a chance at face value tickets that we would go to both playoff games if we made it. If we do this again next year we won't do it (well, maybe Atlanta since we live here). It is definitely a "once in a decade" type thing for most people, but for us it was worth it. But we are blessed and can afford it, a lot of folks aren't.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 8:03 am to bamaoldtimer
$350x2 for tickets
$1200x2 for flights
$350x3 for hotel
$50x3 for car
$4300 before any food, entertainment, etc other than tickets to game.
Tickets are about face value right now. The demand is not as high as it has been. The repeat trips for Bama plus the 2 game playoff is definitely driving the demand down.
$1200x2 for flights
$350x3 for hotel
$50x3 for car
$4300 before any food, entertainment, etc other than tickets to game.
Tickets are about face value right now. The demand is not as high as it has been. The repeat trips for Bama plus the 2 game playoff is definitely driving the demand down.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 8:05 am to elposter
quote:
$1200x2 for flights
$350x3 for hotel
Good gosh. $350 a night for a hotel? Are you staying at the Ritz? You can Express Deal Priceline a Hyatt/Sheraton/Westin downtown PHX or downtown Scottsdale for $150 - 250.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 8:06 am to bamaoldtimer
That is because Birmingham is a tiny airport with limited flights, but lots of gumps.
Right now, a flight from Atl to Las Vegas is $140 bucks on Saturday. And that is right this minute. A direct flight from Atl to LAS is $179.
That is pretty cheap. I've made the drive between Phoenix and Vegas as well. Not bad, maybe 3 hours. So, drive over to Atl, park, fly to LAS, rent a car at the airport to Phoenix, drop it off in Phoenix and you are talking right at $200 bucks to get their - flight plus about 4.5 hours driving.
Right now, a flight from Atl to Las Vegas is $140 bucks on Saturday. And that is right this minute. A direct flight from Atl to LAS is $179.
That is pretty cheap. I've made the drive between Phoenix and Vegas as well. Not bad, maybe 3 hours. So, drive over to Atl, park, fly to LAS, rent a car at the airport to Phoenix, drop it off in Phoenix and you are talking right at $200 bucks to get their - flight plus about 4.5 hours driving.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 8:06 am to bamaoldtimer
We started looking the day we got back from Miami. It was going to be about $5000 for my wife and I to go leaving from North Carolina. Not including food and lots and lots of adult beverages. Flights were already multi-stops and 12 hr travel days. It appears Phoenix is not a very travel friendly host city. I know of at least 4 charter buses full of Tigers coming from Vegas for the game. Had a great 4 days in Miami though!
Posted on 1/7/16 at 8:07 am to Pelican fan99
Almost every diehard Michigan State fan I know opted out of the Cotton Bowl and decided to go to Arizona if they won. I think that was a relatively easy call this year given the likelihood of a loss against Bama and that Arlington/Dallas is not the best holiday vacation destination. An easier opponent, plus NOLA/Florida/ California on New Year's would make it a tougher choice.
I'm sure there were cheap ways to do the trips on your own, but the Michigan trip packages to just the Citrus Bowl were kind of obscene.
I'm sure there were cheap ways to do the trips on your own, but the Michigan trip packages to just the Citrus Bowl were kind of obscene.
This post was edited on 1/7/16 at 8:10 am
Posted on 1/7/16 at 8:08 am to Tiger n Miami AU83
quote:
That is because Birmingham is a tiny airport with limited flights, but lots of gumps.
Right now, a flight from Atl to Las Vegas is $140 bucks on Saturday. And that is right this minute. A direct flight from Atl to LAS is $179.
That is pretty cheap. I've made the drive between Phoenix and Vegas as well. Not bad, maybe 3 hours. So, drive over to Atl, park, fly to LAS, rent a car at the airport to Phoenix, drop it off in Phoenix and you are talking right at $200 bucks to get their - flight plus about 4.5 hours driving.
Yea, the problem with the Vegas flights is timing and connection in Denver. If you are planning to go for 2-3 days and timing/possible weather issues don't matter than Frontier to Vegas is fine, but Frontier from ATL to Vegas means you have to change planes in Denver and that can be a crapshoot this time of year.
But yea, I agree. You can still fly into Vegas, LA, San Diego from Atlanta for a lot less than directly to PHX, and all 3 are 5-6 hour drives. We are doing San Diego for the weekend and a drive across the desert to PHX Monday morning. I'm looking forward to it.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 8:09 am to Bunk Moreland
quote:
Almost every diehard Michigan State fan I know opted out of the Cotton Bowl and decided to go to Arizona if they won.
Interesting. They showed up en masse in Dallas. Pregame outside and wandering around Uptown the night before I was sure they were going to outnumber us 60-40 (ended up roughly even).
Posted on 1/7/16 at 8:09 am to SummerOfGeorge
I hear ya. We're fortunate enough that we could afford it if we decided to go, but we'd have to sacrifice something later this year. We'd be stretching it if we took both kids though. And the sacrifice would be a beach trip or work to the house or contributions to 529 plans, etc. It just wasn't feasible in light of that, and I have several friends in the same boat. And we're all in our 40's and well established in our careers. Definitely if we had planned on it and saved for it all year, that'd be a different story.
Posted on 1/7/16 at 8:10 am to The Spleen
quote:
We'd be stretching it if we took both kids though
Oh yea, anything more than 2 would be pretty much impossible. We have 2 little ones but they are 1 and 4, so they haven't quite earned a trip like this year. The 4 year old is at the Florida Atlantic/MTSU game level at this point
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