Tips for traveling to watch Jays in NCAA tournament?

[slaw]

Exploring the possibility of trying to catch the Jays' first round game in the tournament. For those that have done it before, what is usually the process?

Basically, wait until Selection Sunday to see where they are heading and if it is not in driving distance, then buy a plane ticket that night? I imagine plane tickets four days before the game are not cheap.

Looking at the first round sites, what cities are most likely? (Yeah, so much can happen between now and the tournament in terms of seeding).

Stubhub for the tickets?

[HoopsFan01]

I'm looking to do the same thing. I'd also like some insight on what the process normally looks like for people that go regularly!

[TXJaysFan]

My recommendation is to try and book anything in advance that you can. Prices the week of will be expensive. And, thinking of future years, booking even farther in advance is better. Right now, you won't see the savings that you would if you had booked in January or December.

Most hotels allow you to book in advance but also cancel without penalty (usually they give you 24 or 48 hours before check in) - although make sure to read the fine print as every hotel and even room type could be different. You may need to pay for the slightly higher price for flexibility, but that will be worth it in the long run as waiting to book would certainly be more expensive.

Southwest allows you to book a flight and then cancel for a travel credit. So, if you think you'd eventually be able to use those travel credits later in the year, you can book in advance on Southwest to multiple cities and then cancel on selection sunday. No penalty, other than it'll be refunded as a travel credit.

Delta, which would be a nonstop option for Salt Lake, has a refundable option. It is more expensive but would still be cheaper than waiting until Selection Sunday. I assume other airlines do this as well.

Most airlines allow free cancellations if you book with points, so that is obviously the best option, if you have the points.

The Jays are right on the borderline of being a top 4 seed. If they are top 4, they would get sent to the closest possible location. Sadly, Omaha isn't an option, so none of the options are great (like Des Moines and Denver last year). If I had to bet, I would say Salt Lake City. There are closer options (Indy and Memphis are the closest and Pittsburgh is even slightly closer than SLC). But there are so many good eastern and midwest teams that the competition for those spots will be quite tough.

If they are a 5 seed or higher, all bets are off and they could get sent anywhere.

As for tickets, I would price shop ticketmaster and stubhub. That said, if you are ready to go as the bracket is announced, you might be able to get seats direct from the source. Salt Lake has plenty of seats available right now without looking at the secondary market.

Personally, I'm second weekend or bust this year. Booking for just four possible options is easier than the variability of the first weekend. Now the Jays have to just make it so I can go!

[jays69]

I flew to Denver from Omaha with a few friends for the first two tournament games last year. We booked the flight and hotel within 24 hours of the bracket unveiling, and the pricing was reasonable considering how close Denver is to Omaha. I am a 3-year lower bowl season ticket holder and donate $6k a year. I submitted a request through the Creighton ticket office for tickets to the games as part of their offering to season ticket holders, and I received nosebleed seats in Denver. I ended up selling them on the secondary market for under face value because the seat locations were so bad, and I purchased better tickets on vivid seats. Ticket prices were expensive for four seats together 15 rows up from the floor towards the corner of the arena. We had a lot of fun, probably because Creighton won their games, and we are planning on travelling to the games again this year. I am planning on getting game tickets on the secondary market again, but this year I will offset that cost by selling the tickets I reserved for Omaha's first and second round games.

[JayMob]

If they are top 4, they would get sent to the closest possible location.

Not really. A #4 seed gets the leftovers, basically, so there's hardly an advantage compared to a lower seed. Only the #1 seeds really get the choice spots depending on how the cookie crumbles.