Going to the Super Bowl

AStack75 said:

You can EASILY go to the SB for under $10k for two people.
Game Tickets, I expect will be $2500-$3000 once next week rolls around. Hotel, rental car, airfare can easily be done for around $500 as long as you are willing to stay about 50 miles outside the city and not expect 5 star lodging.

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Thanks. I'm waiting to see if the prices drop. We would be looking at Air BnBs if we can't stay with some friends that live in the city.

KontradictioN said:

Thanks. I'm waiting to see if the prices drop. We would be looking at Air BnBs if we can't stay with some friends that live in the city.

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You can book a hotel now just as a placeholder. Just make sure you can get a full refund if/when you cancel. Most do as long as you cancel with at least 24 hours notice. Rental car usually doesn't require a deposit. Airfare is usually non-refundable unless you pay extra. That just leaves you with finding a ticket. Be careful there are scammers out there, especially on eBay. I've been to three SBs (38, 39, and 42). They are all amazing experiences that you can't replicate at home on a TV.

One of my sons (not a real sports fan) thinks we have a money tree in our backyard and was asking about going. I asked the little cheapskate if he'd pay. His response was that he'd chip in. I laughed.

I've never gone before but I've thought about it in the past. I just can't see paying the outrageous amounts that they're asking when I can use those funds in so many other ways.

Instead of taking one son to a SB I can watch the game on the boob tube with as many of my family and friends as I can fit in the house. I like that better.

AStack75 said:

You can book a hotel now just as a placeholder. Just make sure you can get a full refund if/when you cancel. Most do as long as you cancel with at least 24 hours notice. Rental car usually doesn't require a deposit. Airfare is usually non-refundable unless you pay extra. That just leaves you with finding a ticket. Be careful there are scammers out there, especially on eBay. I've been to three SBs (38, 39, and 42). They are all amazing experiences that you can't replicate at home on a TV.

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Hey AStack75, where did you buy tickets for those three Super Bowls? I'm looking for tickets now and there are so many ticket broker sites that are selling tickets (StubHub, SeatGeek, TicketIQ, TickPick, and so on) but I don't know which of those I can actually trust. Even if a site offers a full money back guarantee, the last thing I want is to make it all the way to Atlanta and find out that my ticket isn't valid. I can't seem to find anything online that speaks to which sites are the most trustworthy.

quadros13 said:

Hey AStack75, where did you buy tickets for those three Super Bowls? I'm looking for tickets now and there are so many ticket broker sites that are selling tickets (StubHub, SeatGeek, TicketIQ, TickPick, and so on) but I don't know which of those I can actually trust. Even if a site offers a full money back guarantee, the last thing I want is to make it all the way to Atlanta and find out that my ticket isn't valid. I can't seem to find anything online that speaks to which sites are the most trustworthy.

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Google ticket companies for reviews. Ive used StubHub and a Broker in person for the Super Bowl without issue. Ebay will work too, just check the sellers reputation.. Check the Super Bowl website itself for security features on a hard ticket. Usually there are holograms that show up under a black light. There will be fakes floating around.

Pay with a credit card so you're protected.

First time in history where the same 2 cities played each in the World Series and the Super Bowl.

Sox closed the deal and so will the Pats. History.

Triumph said:

Google ticket companies for reviews. Ive used StubHub and a Broker in person for the Super Bowl without issue. Ebay will work too, just check the sellers reputation.. Check the Super Bowl website itself for security features on a hard ticket. Usually there are holograms that show up under a black light. There will be fakes floating around.

Pay with a credit card so you're protected.

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Thanks Triumph. What worries me are all these stories from previous years where people bought from reputable ticket sites, but they didn't actually get a real ticket because the broker made the sale based on speculation. And they only find out on gameday that they won't have a ticket. I need to look around to see if any of these sites are selling actual tickets they already own.

How did you find a Broker in person, by the way? Are there brokers near the stadium leading up to the game selling tickets?

Comments:

a.) RE: Secondary ticket market...they all give you a 100% refund if they cannot produce your ticket(s). For SB 49, I went with a broker named SBtickets.com because they had a good price for upper sideline seats vs. NFL Exchange's upper end zone seats which were going for $700 more. How these brokers work is they wait for prices to drop 1-3 days prior to the game then buy them all in bulk...and distribute them. When I purchased my ticket, they only guaranteed me a section. Then they were unable to deliver for SB 49 because that was the only SB where prices went up prior to kick off. So, they sent me a refund...then I joined a class action suit filed in Seattle by some Seahawk fans who got screwed with airfare/hotel. I submitted a receipt for a new car tire I bought, gas, and food....sure enough I got my ticket refund back and about $300 for my "travel expenses" (I drove and crashed a friend's pad). If I had gone with NFL exchange...I'd have spent $700 more, but been in PERFECT POSITION to look down upon Butler's interception....hmmmm...hmmm....

b.) If you want GUARANTEED tickets in hand...go to NFL's official site and buy your ticket there. They can mail it to you or you can pick up your tickets (I picked up mine in Houston at the main NFL hotel).

c.) I did Houston for $7,000 total. 3K each for nosebleed 2 tickets upper 15 yard line...we had a direct view of James White's winning TD. $400 for two last minute unrefundable el cheapo air fare from LAX to Dallas that left at 7AM both times. $180 for a rental car from DFW airport for 3 days. $80 for one night at a hotel outside of Houston on Sat nite...about 40 miles away (we crashed at a Cousin's place in Dallas on Fri...and slept in the airport the Monday after the SB). $100 for parking at the SB (we wanted secure parking with our stuff in the car). $120 for gas from San Diego to LAX, parking at LAX, and gas from Dallas to Houston and back.

d.) We paid for it all with our tax return...and never regretted it one bit.

e.) If going to the game...bring a set of binoculars and a back up battery for your phone. The SB is a LONG DAY.........and you can't leave the stadium for HOURS after you get inside.

ViperGTS said:

We went to the NFL Experience here in Phoenix for SB49. One regret. Not camping out the team hotel 15 minutes away. Work and sort of bad weather but still....would have been cool. The NFL Exp is pretty cool, see lots of NFL players and it was a neat experience seeing all the NFLN and ESPN sets. Also saw the CSNNE guys doing their shows.

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Thanks for sharing that.

Were those - NFL Experience and the sets - more active on the game day or even ahead of it?

I walked thru a few in NYC when the SB was held in NY/NJ but since it was Peyton and the Seahawks, I was quite disinterested.

But this time it is different.

Since the ticket seems to be a lottery that I might play only on the game day, i am planning to give more importance to soaking up the atmosphere and the side events in ATL leading up to the game.

Going. Atlanta is only about 2 hours away. Pats are undefeated in Superbowl's i've attended so its a no brainer.

NYCPatsFan said:

Thanks for sharing that.

Were those - NFL Experience and the sets - more active on the game day or even ahead of it?

I walked thru a few in NYC when the SB was held in NY/NJ but since it was Peyton and the Seahawks, I was quite disinterested.

But this time it is different.

Since the ticket seems to be a lottery that I might play only on the game day, i am planning to give more importance to soaking up the atmosphere and the side events in ATL leading up to the game.

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We didn’t make it up for game day, but the couple times we made it up was during the week. I would imagine gameday is insane. As far as sets at least here in Phoenix, you had random network sets outside and then you had the NFLN set inside. For instance, at one point I turned around and Willie was walking by with escorts to the NFLN set. What a large, large man. You can see them on the set doing their shows.

The you had radio row inside where all the WEEI and Comcast guys are. You could walk through and see all that. Also, this was the whole Deflategate year so it toom some of the joy out of it. Which was a shame.

quadros13 said:

Hey AStack75, where did you buy tickets for those three Super Bowls? I'm looking for tickets now and there are so many ticket broker sites that are selling tickets (StubHub, SeatGeek, TicketIQ, TickPick, and so on) but I don't know which of those I can actually trust. Even if a site offers a full money back guarantee, the last thing I want is to make it all the way to Atlanta and find out that my ticket isn't valid. I can't seem to find anything online that speaks to which sites are the most trustworthy.

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StubHub, SeatGeek and TickPick should be fine. The last one doesn’t charge any commission from the buyer, so the prices there are usually cheaper.

I was at Houston for LI SB and bought my ticket through SeatGeek. They send you an email with their location at town (as I understand it’s a common practice for all major resellers) and you can pick up your ticket there.

If the tickets price drops, I’m thinking about going this time too. If anyone else plans to go from Europe, please pm me.

Last year i was in MIN...i would love be in ATL too...but overall trip is really huge...probably i tend to agree the tickets could go a little bit down in the next days...

I have used StubHub and TickPick - both are fine. TickPick is good because they don't add fees - the price they advertise is the one you pay, so you don't click a bunch of times and enter your CC info, only to find the tickets are $500 more than you thought.

Triumph said:

SB42 I met a character from Boston who knew no strangers. His father worked on the Red Sox grounds crew. Anyway, the character met a couple from Baltimore with tickets to the game. The husband worked for ESPN and at the last minute had to work the Super Bowl. I bought his ticket and sat next to his wife who was just a sweetheart.

SB46 I hung around the StubHub kiosk and spoke with everyone that would talk to me about tickets. I met a ticket broker from Canada who eventually called me with a ticket. Lots of Giants fans were in the same boat as me. Say what you want about them, but they want a bargain. Long story short, we waited the ticket prices out and they dropped like a rock day of the game. I bought my ticket 20 minutes before kick off.

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Wiluven said:

We tried to go to the SuperBowl in AZ -- We walked around the stadium for hours and the only pair of tickets that we saw sold for 13k. This was when ticket sites sold a bunch of tickets they never had -- there were tons of people at the stadium that had their tickets revoked hours before the game. Crazy...

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Thank you both for sharing your experiences.

Triumph -I was pretty much set on doing what you suggested - go the stadium, be prepared to wait as late as the kick-off (heck, I am prepared to miss the first few minutes of the game also), and try my luck.

But the experiences posted by the another member makes me wonder if the above is a good option. For, I am quite clear that if the price shoots up astronomically, I am going to walk away and not risk losing the money on a fake ticket. But if I do stumble across some guy willing to sell it 15 mts before the game @ a level I can stomach, I now have to consider if its worth taking the risk because I have no way of ensuring that the tix are genuine or could be revoked.

Do you agree?

Random musings - Maybe those going to ATL but not to the actual game can start a separate thread to share information and see if we can meet and watch the game at a Pats friendly bar together. If there are about 20 of us, maybe print some tee-shirts reflecting this awesome Patsfans.com site?

NYCPatsFan said:

Thank you both for sharing your experiences.

Triumph -I was pretty much set on doing what you suggested - go the stadium, be prepared to wait as late as the kick-off (heck, I am prepared to miss the first few minutes of the game also), and try my luck.

But the experiences posted by the another member makes me wonder if the above is a good option. For, I am quite clear that if the price shoots up astronomically, I am going to walk away and not risk losing the money on a fake ticket. But if I do stumble across some guy willing to sell it 15 mts before the game @ a level I can stomach, I now have to consider if its worth taking the risk because I have no way of ensuring that the tix are genuine or could be revoked.

Do you agree?

Random musings - Maybe those going to ATL but not to the actual game can start a separate thread to share information and see if we can meet and watch the game at a Pats friendly bar together. If there are about 20 of us, maybe print some tee-shirts reflecting this awesome Patsfans.com site?

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I’d be interested. I’m 30 minutes from the Falcons stadium

KontradictioN said:

If I can make the trip for $10k or less, I’m going. Need to do it on 2 tickets, though.

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Ebay has singles for 3k and 2 side by side for about 6k, but those so not have a seat number as of yet.

NYCPatsFan said:

Thank you both for sharing your experiences.

Triumph -I was pretty much set on doing what you suggested - go the stadium, be prepared to wait as late as the kick-off (heck, I am prepared to miss the first few minutes of the game also), and try my luck.

But the experiences posted by the another member makes me wonder if the above is a good option. For, I am quite clear that if the price shoots up astronomically, I am going to walk away and not risk losing the money on a fake ticket. But if I do stumble across some guy willing to sell it 15 mts before the game @ a level I can stomach, I now have to consider if its worth taking the risk because I have no way of ensuring that the tix are genuine or could be revoked.

Do you agree?

Random musings - Maybe those going to ATL but not to the actual game can start a separate thread to share information and see if we can meet and watch the game at a Pats friendly bar together. If there are about 20 of us, maybe print some tee-shirts reflecting this awesome Patsfans.com site?

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The Atlanta New England Patriots Fan Club

quadros13 said:

Thanks Triumph. What worries me are all these stories from previous years where people bought from reputable ticket sites, but they didn't actually get a real ticket because the broker made the sale based on speculation. And they only find out on gameday that they won't have a ticket. I need to look around to see if any of these sites are selling actual tickets they already own.

How did you find a Broker in person, by the way? Are there brokers near the stadium leading up to the game selling tickets?

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In person. SB46 had a stubhub kiosk that everyone looking for tixs hung around.