Citrus Bowl Ticket-Buying Guidance Requested
Having already planned a trip to Disney World for two weeks from now, my family and I are extending our trip a day to go to the Citrus Bowl. We don't yet have tickets, however, and they're currently pretty pricey for a family of 4 (see https://seatgeek.com/2016-citrus-bowl-michigan-wolverines-vs-florida-ga…).
Anyone with more experience attending bowl games than me (I haven't been to one since the 2004 Rose Bowl) have any advice as to whether prices are likely to go up or down as we get closer to kickoff? If they're likely to only go up, I'll just buy now, but I'm not averse to trying to buy tickets even on the day of if prices are likely to decrease significantly (though given we have two little kids, we need them to all be together).
Any help/guidance appreciated.
EDIT: Thanks everyone for the ticket advice, and for instilling the fear of God in me re: Disney World that week. :)
December 14th, 2015 at 10:43 AM ^
About this a couple of weeks back, but basically most agree that the prices will go down the day of the game dealing with scalpers at the event. Even as you get close to kickoff you can negotiate the price down further. With these bowl games, so many tickets are given to locals (and scalpers) and they are going to try to dump those tickets.
I'm going to the game as well, and won't buy tickets beforehand. I'll get a better deal on gameday.
December 14th, 2015 at 10:43 AM ^
I'm in a similar boat but also wondering where the Michigan alotment is located so we can sit with the MIchigan fans instead of those wearing jorts.
December 14th, 2015 at 10:45 AM ^
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December 14th, 2015 at 10:47 AM ^
StubHub
I just checked StubHub and have been following the tickets there for a couple of weeks. There are LOT of tickets around $150-170 in the high corners and such that seem reasonable (to me). My thoughts if I were taking kids it would be better to have the tickets in advance and not mess around with trying to get them the day of the game.
A ticket priced at $175 is about $50 more than you would be paying for face value Michigan Stadium tickets in a comparable location (although nothing compares to Michigan Stadium!).
December 14th, 2015 at 10:51 AM ^
December 14th, 2015 at 11:02 AM ^
Is Disney ever not crowded??? Serious question.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:07 AM ^
But at Christmas? Good luck even moving.
Also, pro-tip: Avoid whatever park has magic hours. Even if you are staying on site (and you should definitely be staying in site) EVERYONE goes to that park that day.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:12 AM ^
Best time to do Disney is very late February through mid-April.
As a resident of Orlando for 5 years, you can just forget it at just about any other time. God love you people that go in the heart of summer. Its just horrible mid April through late November becasue of the heat.
Summary: crowds less bad than insufferable heat.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:13 AM ^
December 14th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
I agree with that. As a annual passholder I would say October is decent but they run the stupid Halloween thing in the evenings which you have to pay extra for, same thing in December. Best time in my opinion is probably January. April-September is rain every day.
We will also be going to the Citrus bowl when we get back from Michigan. I will be employing the scalper on gameday strategy.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:09 AM ^
Was at Disneyland (Cali) on Saturday and it was insane. I remember it being not so crowded...in the 80's.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:10 AM ^
Probably the best times to visit depending on your and/or kids schedule is in September - weekdays as kids are just back in school and also that week right between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We did the later twice and it was awesome in terms of the Christmas decorations are all up and the lines were literally non-existent.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^
Orlando area resident here - with kids. SInce you said "serious question" I will bite.
The Magic Kingdom is ridiculously crowded almost every day, although you can randomly get lucky. The other parks do have down times still. Year in and year out the busiest week is 12/24-1/1. The couple days on either end can be equally bad. The second worst week is Easter, followed by the other "long weekend" holidays - Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Labor Day. If you can go from mid-Jan through Feb, end of April through mid-May and middle of Sept through middle of Nov, you will have the best luck (and the best weather.)
Best way to enjoy the Magic Kingdom is to get Park Hopper passes and go to the MK for the first few hours that it is open and the last few hours and do a less crowded park in the middle. Or schedule your Fast Passes between 11 and 6 and do a few of the other things that you don't really have to wait too long for in the middle of the day (Tom Sawyer Island, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Steam Train, Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor, Mickey's Philharmagic, ride the Monorail, etc.)
I hope this helps keep one or more MGoBlogger sane while they are down here.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:44 AM ^
is a great time to go except for Presdients/MLK weekend). If you are from the Midwest it will be warm enough (you'll be in shorts and the locals will be in winter gear).
December 14th, 2015 at 12:20 PM ^
I was told the parks are the least crowded between Thanksgiving and Christmas because the kids are in school and it is too close to vacation time to take vacation. We once went right after New Years - we drove there from the 1991 Gator Bowl and spent the rest of the week there and it emptied out fast after January 2. We were watching them dismantle Christmas. Every day something else was gone.
December 14th, 2015 at 12:54 PM ^
The least peak seasons are:
January 6 -31, February 1 -23, September 1-30. October 1-12
the peak times are:
Jan 1-5, March 22 -31,April 16, Apr 29-30, May 1-5, Nov 26-30, Dec 20 -31
Dates change slightly each year depending on when Easter and other holidays fall.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:10 AM ^
I know...we're dreading Disney that time of year, but our oldest has now been asking for a while now, and we've never been able to make it work. So we figured we'd just bite the bullet.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^
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December 14th, 2015 at 3:26 PM ^
Unless you have a family tradition of going there and your child is under 10, do yourself a favor and go to Cedar Point.
For young children - I'm sure its fabulous.
For people that are very nostalgic and basically grew up going there -again, I don't blame you.
Everyone else, if you've never been there and you do not have younger children, be prepared to say "WTF" a lot.
December 14th, 2015 at 10:56 AM ^
But I would just like to add that Disney is out of their damn minds with ticket prices. $100 per day, per person, is just way too much.
We used to go every few years, but the last time we went I just felt like I was getting screwed with my pants on every step of the way. Also, why the fuck do they want my thumbprint to get into their park?
Walt is probably spinning in his grave at the way his empire is being managed.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:00 AM ^
Yet Disney is reporting record numbers for attendance. Disney will keep rising prices as long as people keep going.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:11 AM ^
They keep charging more and more and people are still lining up to get in. I can afford to go, but I don't feel like I'm getting anything approaching my money's worth there. A big chunk of the working / middle class has been priced out of going at all. I think the tickets would cost less than $40 if the prices had been raised at the rate of inflation.
Walt built those parks so that the average family could go have a nice time without breaking the bank. Profits be damned, he'd be pissed that the average American family can't really afford to go to Disney World without taking out a loan.
/end rant
December 14th, 2015 at 11:17 AM ^
Nothing like a $7-8k vacation w/flights/tickets/hotel/food.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:41 AM ^
If I'm going to spend that much on a vacation, we're going to Europe. Or Hawaii. Or Riviera Maya (which is fucking awesome if you ever get the chance to go). All inclusive, big hotel suites, babysitters and kids clubs, legal Cuban cigars that they're not dicks about you smoking where you want to, etc etc.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:18 AM ^
I'm pretty sure they have a bunch of discount codes if you search. For example, if you search like Groupon for Orlando, then you can find discounts on packages. Also, you got to look at combos for hotel and admission - those are usually much cheaper. The other place I would look at is to see if anyone qualifies for the Senior Discount or the Baby Price (I don't think they check age, just give you a look to see if it's realistic).
Another idea for Disney is to go w/ a few other families and get the "Group" discount. Usually 10-20% off at least.
Just a few thoughts, it really depends on your specifics, but there are ways to make those things work out. When I was a kid, we were broke, but we still managed to go to Six Flags a few times because we used the Coke can discounts and other things. Also packed our own food and just came back out the parking lot to eat, etc.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
But that probably doesn't justify just how high the tickets are.
December 15th, 2015 at 6:39 AM ^
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December 14th, 2015 at 11:24 AM ^
December 14th, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^
Unless those families were jewish, or black, or communist, or wanted to form unions, than fuck em.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
Yeah, Walt had some issues. Most titans of industry do.
They don't sell copies of the "International Jew" at the Henry Ford Museum either. And they don't appreciate it when you ask why after having a few cocktails.
December 15th, 2015 at 6:38 AM ^
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December 14th, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
If the myth were true that he was cryogenically Frozen like Ted Williams, I would not want Disney spinning too fast. But since he was (I believe) cremated, I don't even know how he goes about spinning. Like in a Dyson vacuum cleaner? One of those tornado simulators at the science museum? Explain, please.
In conclusion, the day I spent at Walt Disney World was one of the longest in my life. The same goes for Epcot. I don't begrudge folks their trips to the Magic Kingdom, but it's not my thing and - thankfully - not my family's thing either.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:24 AM ^
I live a couple hours away and last Christmas was the first time I have gone in like 16 years. I grew up with Cedar Point and King's Island...Disney is not the same kind of park.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
I just checked prices for Universal....they are $147 for 1 day. $105 for a day at Disney now looks like a deal.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
Does the $147 also include Islands of Adventure which is next door? That's the park with all the cool rides. You can access both parks but that ticket obviously would cost more.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/universal-orlando-resort/#tickets
That's the site I send my out of town friends to. I can get them slightly cheaper through my employer but both Universal and Disney have ridiculous prices.
December 14th, 2015 at 1:01 PM ^
that is both parks...having said that, for $166.99 you can get a two day ticket and $176.99 gets you 3.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^
I was there two years ago (almost 3 now I suppose) and it was less than $100.
December 14th, 2015 at 11:41 AM ^
Have to admit, I've stayed in every resort and done every park every season of the year. This is the absolute worst time of year to go. I'm sure security will also be at new heights as it should be. If you don't stay on a site property and take a pool break midday you are asking for a divorce or throwing down with some loud, obnoxious stranger trying to beat the system. Also the parks will shut down by 9:00 Am as they will be at capacity. Even with Fast Passes you wont see much of the park and will spend a fortune.
I recommend flying into Sanford, not staying anywhere near the parks, and seeing things like NASA. Cirque du Soleil is expensive but very worth it in the Marketplace.
December 15th, 2015 at 6:33 AM ^
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December 14th, 2015 at 11:13 AM ^
I have tickets through the AD but it looks like I might not be able to use them. I will know for sure in the next day or two. Email me at [email protected].
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December 14th, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
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December 14th, 2015 at 11:47 AM ^
May be interested in 4 of those.
December 14th, 2015 at 12:12 PM ^
I just emailed you also for my wife and I.
December 14th, 2015 at 12:22 PM ^
I would be really interested. Having a hard time getting tickets.
December 14th, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^
I e-mailed you as well=) Thank you!
December 14th, 2015 at 1:57 PM ^
you're about to get real popular real fast lol
December 14th, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^
You need to have a strategy and your day will be more like the Great Race than a leisurely time. Also plan on arriving BEFORE the park opens for early admission. If you don't plan with Park Hoppers/Multiday tickets or staying on site (which give you benefits like getting in early) and use Fast Passes, I'd recommend not going or be on sedatives with low expectations.
Definitely check out advice Disney blogs (google Disneyworld planning blog) and you'll find many good ones. Also Disney PassPorter written by some Ann Arborites is a useful book. All the prep work you do will pay off.
December 14th, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^
"All the prep work you do..."
I suppose this is my biggest beef with Disney (besides the price). Isn't vacation supposed to be vacation?
December 14th, 2015 at 12:48 PM ^
Disney has a resort in Vero Beach. That is relaxing, but not cheap either. Going to WDW during peak season requires all most as much planning as going to Europe.