BallReviews
General Category => USBC Tournament => Topic started by: northface28 on February 19, 2013, 01:45:13 PM
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Been checking every morning for the last week and roundtrip out of Chicago is holding steady at $473-$506 roundtrip. Add in food/lodging, looking at $1k to bowl 9 games. Any alternative methods people are using to mitigate costs?
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Nope its getting kinda stupid if u ask me. I just try not to think about it. I try to make a mini vacation out of it...the problem is its not in vegas or orlando...I wouldn't complain a bit if it were either of those two..
Baton rogue lame
Reno lame
Reno extra lame
El paso still lame
Reno fml
Reno already f'd my life
??? Somewhere hoepfully that doesnt suck and is actually a vacation hot spot...
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Southwest had a deal if you bought your tickets and flew before June 8, the roundtrip out of CHI was only 350ish...we bowl June 15-16, so couldnt take advantage, paid for the flight at 450ish, for myself and fiance...$900 for both of us to go to Reno...SUCKS!
If it was Vegas...no big deal...Reno, not the greatest of places
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I wish they'd have it in Dallas, Albuquerque, or maybe even Oklahoma City. Those are only a 4-5 hour drive from Amarillo. I'd definitely go to Nationals then.
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You can also look into the credit cards that give you Miles with purchases. Most basically give you a free roundtrip flight for signing up. You just pay the annual fee, usually $50-$60.
Also don't forget, bags are free with southwest. You can only see their fares on their website. Avoid Spirit at all costs. They have small seats and charge for carry-ons, and all checked bags.
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Southwest had a deal if you bought your tickets and flew before June 8, the roundtrip out of CHI was only 350ish...we bowl June 15-16, so couldnt take advantage, paid for the flight at 450ish, for myself and fiance...$900 for both of us to go to Reno...SUCKS!
If it was Vegas...no big deal...Reno, not the greatest of places
I hear you, my gf and are looking at $900+ in airfare alone. We both have a fundamental issue spending that kind of money to "vacation" somewhere we would never ordinarily consider going.
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I wish they'd have it in Dallas, Albuquerque, or maybe even Oklahoma City. Those are only a 4-5 hour drive from Amarillo. I'd definitely go to Nationals then.
They did have it in Albuquerque roughly 13 years ago.. that was a nice trip.. 8 hour drive from Vegas, or the 55 minute flight. Very nice place.
I'd love for it to be in OKC. I'd have a free place to stay, as all of my aunts/uncles and my father live there! I'd also love for it to be in either Omaha or Lincoln, NE.
Dallas would more than likely be the preferred choice, as they could completely use the ITRC for the event, depending on how big it is. Flights to there will definitely drop when the Wright Amendment expires at the end of next year. That means that SWA could fly from anywhere in the country directly to DAL without having to stop in a state bordering Texas.
BL.
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We're looking at paying $600 roundtrip from the upper east coast. Being from where we are that's about the same price every year flying on SouthWest. In my 15years the only one that has been remotely close was Syracuse, which we drove to.
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Not that this will help the east coast bowlers this year or the next few years, but Riggs posted in his blog a few weeks ago that Syracuse is bidding for 2018. With the drop in entries and the change to oiling schedules that reduces the # of teams that bowl each day, I would think that Syracuse will finally bring the open back to the east coast.
For the bowlers bowling after the June 8th southwest sale cutoff, there is usually a 2nd southwest sale announced after spring break in March for the 2nd half of the summer. Has been the last 2 years at least.
Also for those willing to drive 7 hours and were getting a rental car anyway, look into flying to Vegas and drive to Reno. Rates seem to always be cheaper for Vegas.
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Do your aunts/uncles have room for the rest of us? ;D ;D
I wish they'd have it in Dallas, Albuquerque, or maybe even Oklahoma City. Those are only a 4-5 hour drive from Amarillo. I'd definitely go to Nationals then.
They did have it in Albuquerque roughly 13 years ago.. that was a nice trip.. 8 hour drive from Vegas, or the 55 minute flight. Very nice place.
I'd love for it to be in OKC. I'd have a free place to stay, as all of my aunts/uncles and my father live there! I'd also love for it to be in either Omaha or Lincoln, NE.
Dallas would more than likely be the preferred choice, as they could completely use the ITRC for the event, depending on how big it is. Flights to there will definitely drop when the Wright Amendment expires at the end of next year. That means that SWA could fly from anywhere in the country directly to DAL without having to stop in a state bordering Texas.
BL.
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Priceline, I bought a ticket out of Ohare on American for under $300..the same ticket on Americans website was $480....Im flying to Reno on a wed and back home on sat.
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I've always driven. First time I went was Billings from Chicago right after 9/11. Flying bowling balls was out of the question, so 4 of us packed up close to 50 bowling balls in the back of a rental minivan for our teams, and drove in shifts to get there. Had a blast driving there. I even drove to Corpus Christi. I would rather roadtrip than fly and pay overinflated prices. Heck, I would even take a train if I could, just so I could experience the travel. YMMV (literally)
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Unless you know someone who works for Southwest, like a guy on my travel team, and gets to fly for free. Yes that's me. Only way I would go back to Reno if I didn't have to pay flight.
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Not that this will help the east coast bowlers this year or the next few years, but Riggs posted in his blog a few weeks ago that Syracuse is bidding for 2018. With the drop in entries and the change to oiling schedules that reduces the # of teams that bowl each day, I would think that Syracuse will finally bring the open back to the east coast.
For the bowlers bowling after the June 8th southwest sale cutoff, there is usually a 2nd southwest sale announced after spring break in March for the 2nd half of the summer. Has been the last 2 years at least.
Also for those willing to drive 7 hours and were getting a rental car anyway, look into flying to Vegas and drive to Reno. Rates seem to always be cheaper for Vegas.
Negative for flying into Vegas, though fares may be cheaper.
Try flying into Sacramento, Stockton (Allegiant), or Oakland. You're looking at a 90 minute drive from Sacramento, a little under 2 hours from Stockton, and 3 - 4 from the Bay.
Vegas, while nice, is a 2-lane drive all the way up, with only 3 - 4 places to stop for gas (Beatty, Tonopah, Hawthorne, and Fallon). It's a harsh drive, especially during the summer, when it is monsoon season. Flying into Sacramento, while down the hill, will be much easier physically.
Do your aunts/uncles have room for the rest of us?
My friend, my parents were born in SE Oklahoma. If you drew a line down I-35 and split the state, you could mention any town east of I-35, and I probably have relatives living there. ;D
BL.
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The 2008 USBC Open Championship was held in Albuquerque, NM! There and Las Vegas was two of my favorite locations!
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vk, did you name your own price or was that an advertised price? I have been afraid to name my own on a flight.. Had great success with hotels and car bidding though.. On a side note, a month or so ago, booked our flights for $360 round trip direct flights on SOuthwest out of Chicago...
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it was advertised....
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Check the Southwest website on Tuesdays and Wednesdays - those are the cheap days. Got ours out of Milwaukee for $320 after they had been $375 for eons.
And one thing about Southwest is that if prices come down you can rebook at the lower price for no fee ... you get the difference in credits for a future flight that must be booked within a year of the prior booking.
And no baggage fees on Southwest for first 2 checked bags!
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Like user bradl mentioned.. Try flying into Sacramento or San Francisco.
I booked my flights from Wilkes Barre, PA to San Fran for $279 ea, one-stop. I've done this the last two trips and I don't mind the drive at all. Just a heads up though, Donner Pass can get the occasional snow into April, so plan your trip accordingly.
To me, the savings and scenic drive is worth the extra effort and time since a direct flight from here to Reno is over $500 right now.
My flight, rental & hotel costs added together is gonna be about that (splitting the rental & hotel costs with another guy) this way. Good luck & hope this helps.
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Southwest is the way to go it seems. I booked a round trip ticket out of Atlanta for $288.00 a few weeks ago. It had been up in the mid $400s. But I knew that pretty early in the morning is the time to go airfare shopping. I logged straight into Southwest's site around 7:30 on a Wednesday and saw the fares for very cheap. However, the fares were for March through May. If you went out in June and July, the fares went back up.
If it is still a couple months out before you go, I would still be patient and make sure you jump on every morning as early as possible and see what the fares are. If you go in less than a month, you may be stuck with the higher fares.
Another option, is instead of flying out of Chicago or wherever, you may want to check around to other airports within a reasonable driving distance of not only your hometown, but maybe fly into Sacramento and drive over to Reno (120 miles?). I have done that a few times. Once I flew into SAC and saved about $150. Another time, instead of flying out of ATL, I flew out of Birmingham Alabama on Southwest and saved a good amount of cash. When we went to Corpus, I flew into San Antonio and drove down and saved some more cash.
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$543 roundtrip today, so much for Wed being the cheap day. 8) This is the highest ive seen it in weeks. Are you guys flying nonstop or connecting flights? Ive flown connecting flights from USBC the last two years and lost a 3 ball tote each year.
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$543 roundtrip today, so much for Wed being the cheap day. 8) This is the highest ive seen it in weeks. Are you guys flying nonstop or connecting flights? Ive flown connecting flights from USBC the last two years and lost a 3 ball tote each year.
I have a connecting flight each way. So far I have not had an issue with lost equipment.
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If you all are adamant on SWA (I am to, so don't get me wrong), you may want to look at Ding! for your fares. You'll generally get them cheaper through their app than what they post on their sites on Tuesday and Thursday. Again, you'll have to jump on them fast, because the Ding! offers end at certain times.
Right now, here's where you'll want to fly into if you want alternates to Reno, in order of distance (closest to farthest from Reno):
SMF (Sacramento)
SCK (Stockton - be aware, this would be Allegiant, and they don't fly everywhere)
OAK (Oakland)
SFO (San Francisco)
SJC (San Jose)
FAT (Fresno - This may be a puddlehopper, so may be more expensive)
If you are looking for the 7 - 8 hour drive, instead of Vegas, and dealing with the 2-lane drive all the way up, consider SLC (Salt Lake City). It's roughly 8 hours east, and all on I-80.
But I'd definitely say that SMF is your best bet for an alternate. I also recommend it because.. well, I live in Sacramento! :D
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Stockton isn't really a good option as the only connection is through Las Vegas. So if you are going to connect through Vegas anyway, take the Allegiant hope from Vegas to Reno instead. You can find a lot of Allegiant flights into Vegas, but be aware, they don't all run daily.
If you all are adamant on SWA (I am to, so don't get me wrong), you may want to look at Ding! for your fares. You'll generally get them cheaper through their app than what they post on their sites on Tuesday and Thursday. Again, you'll have to jump on them fast, because the Ding! offers end at certain times.
Right now, here's where you'll want to fly into if you want alternates to Reno, in order of distance (closest to farthest from Reno):
SMF (Sacramento)
SCK (Stockton - be aware, this would be Allegiant, and they don't fly everywhere)
OAK (Oakland)
SFO (San Francisco)
SJC (San Jose)
FAT (Fresno - This may be a puddlehopper, so may be more expensive)
If you are looking for the 7 - 8 hour drive, instead of Vegas, and dealing with the 2-lane drive all the way up, consider SLC (Salt Lake City). It's roughly 8 hours east, and all on I-80.
But I'd definitely say that SMF is your best bet for an alternate. I also recommend it because.. well, I live in Sacramento! :D
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Stockton isn't really a good option as the only connection is through Las Vegas. So if you are going to connect through Vegas anyway, take the Allegiant hop from Vegas to Reno instead. You can find a lot of Allegiant flights into Vegas, but be aware, they don't all run daily.
If you all are adamant on SWA (I am to, so don't get me wrong), you may want to look at Ding! for your fares. You'll generally get them cheaper through their app than what they post on their sites on Tuesday and Thursday. Again, you'll have to jump on them fast, because the Ding! offers end at certain times.
Right now, here's where you'll want to fly into if you want alternates to Reno, in order of distance (closest to farthest from Reno):
SMF (Sacramento)
SCK (Stockton - be aware, this would be Allegiant, and they don't fly everywhere)
OAK (Oakland)
SFO (San Francisco)
SJC (San Jose)
FAT (Fresno - This may be a puddlehopper, so may be more expensive)
If you are looking for the 7 - 8 hour drive, instead of Vegas, and dealing with the 2-lane drive all the way up, consider SLC (Salt Lake City). It's roughly 8 hours east, and all on I-80.
But I'd definitely say that SMF is your best bet for an alternate. I also recommend it because.. well, I live in Sacramento! :D
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If you decide to fly to sacramento or san fran and drive to Reno, make sure to check car rental rates. I was going to fly from Chicago to san fran, drive to reno, and fly home from reno to Chicago. But the one way charge for a rental car was $400 for about 1 day since I was returning to a different state and not the same location that I rented from.