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Even though Super Bowl LII is less than a week away, Philadelphia Eagles fans still have time to book their trip to Minneapolis.
But just how much would the trip north cost? Would it be worth it? Are there other, and maybe better, options to better spend your money and still get that Super Bowl fill, or at the very least sports fill?
At this point, the Eagles’ championship matchup against the New England Patriots is sold out. Fans still looking to purchase tickets for the game are now forced to use secondary websites such as NFL Ticket Exchange, StubHub or SeatGeek.
This is where things start to get pricey. And since I’m sure most of you aren’t going to the Super Bowl alone, we’re going to do this little exercise as a pair. Two tickets, two round-trip flights and a hotel room for two.
Tickets alone range from $2,697 to $399,000 on secondary websites. Double that and we’re talking $5,394 to $798,000. And that’s before seller fees.
Our goal is to be cost effective. We’re trying to find the cheapest round-trip flight, hotel and tickets to the game — for two — possible. So your best bet, as it stands Friday night, is to get your tickets through SeatGeek. Including fees, a pair of tickets — in Section 319, Row 14 — cost $6,471.87.
Once your ticket in the door is squared away, you can move on to your hotel room.
Using both Expedia and Trivago, your best bet for the cheapest one-night stay — yes, one night — is with the Metro Motel Inn, which comes in at $500 and is just eight miles and 11 minutes from the stadium.
So why a one-night hotel room?
The cheapest two-ticket flight back to Philadelphia leaves Minneapolis at 12:10 a.m. on Monday.
Flying American Airlines, you would leave Philadelphia at 5:35 p.m. and get in to Minneapolis at 12:01 p.m. Not much sight seeing but we’re going for cost efficiency. Again, looking for the lowest price possible, you have a flight to catch 12:10 a.m. Monday morning. Yes, a little more than six hours after kickoff. So pack light!
In all, the round-trip flight costs $1,080.
Adding everything up, a two-person trip to Minneapolis for Super Bowl LII comes in at $8,051.87.
But does $8,051.87 sound too rich for your blood?
It is just one weekend after all.
Well, there are some other ways you can spend your $8,051.87 and still fill your NEPA sports needs.
Still want to watch the Super Bowl? What about a unique experience with more than just one of your friends or close one?
You could always rent the entire club level at PNC Field and have what Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders president and CEO Josh Olerud calls “the biggest Super Bowl parties around” with the big game being played on the scoreboard out in center field as you and 400 of your family and friends enjoy the Super Bowl.
Want to pocket your $8,000 and instead enjoy a once in a lifetime experience come springtime? The RailRiders will also let you rent out PNC Field and host a home run derby or pickup baseball game with your friends under the lights with the video boards on and a fully catered meal for a little less than $8,000.
The Wilkes-Barre Scranton/Penguins also offer a variety of packages for $8,000.
There are four different 40-game full-season ticket packages alone that you could purchase for at or around $8,000: Six glass seats, which is front row on the glass, 10 red zone seats, which are located around the lower bowl and not behind the Penguins’ net, 11 gold zone seats, which make up the majority of the upper bowl and behind the Penguins net, and 14 blue zone seats, which are sections 201, 202, 219, 220, 223 and 225.
If you’re looking to bring more than 100 of your closest friends to a sporting event, both the Penguins and RailRiders are there for you. You can purchase 357 red zone tickets, 392 blue zone tickets and 460 blue zone tickets for a single Penguins game. There’s always Dollar Mondays, when you could purchase 8,051 lawn tickets this season at PNC Field.
When it comes to RailRiders season tickets, you’ll have three options: Ten infield box seats and 13 Budweiser RailHouse Bar or field reserve seats.
You could always purchase 53 Penguins jerseys and 84 RailRiders home jerseys at either team store too.
So maybe you don’t want to go to the Super Bowl and still want to host a killer party but at your own home.
As you probably would imagine, $8,051.87 can get you a long way.
First thing’s first is your television. You can purchase a 85-inch Sony 4K Ultra HDTV for $4,999.99. Then why not pair your new TV with a surround sound system? A Samsung – 5 Series 1000W 5.1-Ch. 3D / Smart Blu-ray Home Theater System will run you up to $299.99.
With $2,751.89 left over, why not round out your $8,051.87 with some brand new Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl jerseys, coming in at $119.99 each? That’ll buy you 22 jerseys, which is more than enough for your family and friends, and will allow you to get a nice variety to stock up for the game.