They say it’s better to give than to receive, but as the clock ticks
down in the final days before Christmas, why not do both this holiday
season?
If you still haven’t found that “wow” factor gift for the special
someone on your list, you can solve your problem right now with a single
phone call, and both you and your lucky recipient can be in the stands
at Met Life (aka Giants) Stadium on February 2 watching Super Bowl
XLVII, the biggest sporting event in the country.
Or maybe you and your giftee prefer ponies, pomp and
circumstance? Then why not enjoy the nation’s greatest spectator weekend
at the big, lavish, classy party known as “The Most Exciting Two
Minutes in Sports.” The Kentucky Derby is actually a weekend full of
parties, gala black tie balls, and two unbelievably entertaining days of
racing, the Oaks and Derby Day itself. I’ve written here at great length for Forbes.com about why the Kentucky Derby is so fantastic,
one of my all-time favorites, and why even if you don’t follow horse
racing it is a true Bucket-List experience, one of the most fun events
on earth.
For golf fans it doesn’t get much bigger or better than the Ryder
Cup, the only time golf’s greatest players come together to play for
honor and country rather than mounds of cash (at least until Rio in
2016, and with what will likely be a far stronger field than for the
Olympics). For 2014 the biennial event is being held at Scotland’s
Gleneagles Resort, one of the finest on earth (though the course they
chose leaves much to be desired).
So there you have it. Three of the biggest sporting events of 2014
are all still available in turnkey packages from the respective official
travel suppliers.
For the Super Bowl that would be Quint Events, which handles the official Super Bowl packages for
NFL On Location, the league’s travel arm, and still has its gold and
white packages across five levels of seat quality available. These
packages include full access to the high-end hospitality venue the IZOD
Center, with a full dinner menu of upscale cuisine and top shelf open
bar, plus live entertainment and celebrity NFL player autograph
appearances. The venue is available for three hours before kickoff and
90 minutes afterwards. You also get a gift bag with some commemorative
souvenirs, special VIP fast access security lanes into the stadium, and
access to preferred onsite parking. The packages are available with or
without hotel rooms for three nights at full-service midtown hotels like
the NY Hilton. The Gold Level B package with prime sideline club
seating is the best still available at $9,399 without hotel or $10,499
with lodging (double occupancy). The least expensive remaining packages
are the White Level H with end zone seating and run $4,899 per ticket or
$5,849 with rooms at the Roosevelt Hotel and all the same inclusions. I
wrote extensively two years ago about what the actual game-day
experience inside the stadium is like with these official hospitality
packages provided by NFL On Location.
For the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs racetrack’s official travel provider is Derby Experiences (also
managed by Quint Events), which still has plenty of packages – but
don’t dally as some of the most desirable seats, including the Trophy
Room, Derby Room and the best located reserved clubhouse seats are
already gone. Still, there are lots of choices, everywhere from the most
desirable seats in Millionaire’s Row (from $6,299) and the Turf Club
(from $4,999) to reserved grandstand seats at the top of the stretch
(the cheapest spot, from $1,999). Derby packages are far more complex
than Super Bowl or other sporting events because there are many options,
such as where you watch the racing from, which hospitality venues
within the track you have access to, where you stay, and what optional
parties and events outside of the track you decide to attend, from the
Winner’s Party at the Derby Museum to the black tie Julep Ball
beforehand. All packages are for both days and include seating and
hospitality twice over for Oaks Day and Derby Day. Because there are so
many moving parts, if you are considering the Derby, read my much more detailed piece on everything you need to know about attending historic 140th Run for the Roses. The Derby is always the first Saturday in May and the Oaks the day before, so this year it is May 2-3.
For the Ryder Cup, Premier Golf
is the exclusive North American ticket provider through its license
with the PGA of America, which means if you did not already secure
tickets through the earlier public lottery, they are the way to go.
Premier Golf has been selling packages and operating luxurious
concierge-style trips to Ryder Cups since 1991. The Ryder Cup will be
contested September 26-28, 2014 at Scotland’s famed Gleneagles resort
and these all-inclusive packages include 5-nights accommodations
(September 24-29) with breakfast daily, a welcome reception, and daily
transportation in and out of the resort, plus of course tickets. The
main difference is simply where you stay, with packages at the most
desirable spots such as St. Andrews vaunted Old Course Hotel running
$5,990 (double occupancy) and less premium choices such as the Malmaison
in Dundee at $3,700 for the same package