Spring Training Tickets - When....From Who...?

Question

I'm interested in getting tickets - for the first time - for the Giant's 2007 Spring Training in Scottsdale. These are going to be a BIG birthday gift for my hubby (his birthday is in January...but I like to plan in advance) When do they go on sale?

Also - I went to their web site, and looked at their Spring Training Packages. They seem pretty expensive - approx $700 per person for the hotel, car, tickets, etc for just two days. Have any of you ever attended Spring Training? Are the packages worth it..or should I just get the tickets and book everything myself?

Answer 1

First off, I've been to Spring Training in Arizona every year for the past 5 years with a few of my friends. I can tell you that it's an extremely relaxing, enjoyable, and intimate setting to take in a baseball game. Almost all the teams train and play in Phoenix, with a few others playing a few hours down the road in Tucson.

The schedules themselves are released a few months before Spring Training games begin in March. Tickets will go on sale in January sometime, and can be purchased online through the Giants' website.

One key is to look at the schedule and find a clump of games that you'd enjoy seeing. A second key is paying attention to where the games are being played. It's not very common for teams to have back to back home games, so usually a little driving is involved to see a single team play over the course of a few days. (This is, of course, part of what makes Spring Training in Arizona so enjoyable... Seeing the various parks is always enjoyable.)

Hotels are a bit trickier. I always stay in Peoria near the Padres' training facility, but in order to get a good hotel at a fair price in close proximity to your team's training facility you'll have to book a few months in advance. Phoenix hotels all get a little more expensive during the month of March, as Spring Training has become a huge attraction in the city. If you have a particular weekend or stretch of days you plan on staying then I suggest making the reservations as soon as you're comfortable doing so.

The one thing you want to avoid is Tucson... The Giants play in Scottsdale, and you don't want to travel 2.5 hours to Tucson to see them. I suggest instead seeing another team at another ballpark... Some nice ones are Peoria Sports Complex, where the Padres and Mariners play, and Surprise Stadium, where the Rangers and Royals play.

We consistently get this trip done at around $100 per person for 4-5 games and 3 nights or so at a hotel. A hotel will run at anywhere between $90 and $130 a night for a standard room... prices can go into the $200's at certain places, as well. Tickets are cheap, even for good seats, so the biggest issue is the hotel. Also it is worth noting that many games do sell out - especially Cubs games and Giants games - so it's worth buying tickets as soon as you know which ones you'd like to go to.

Anyway, sorry for the long winded answer... Buy the tickets, book the hotel yourself, and everything should be fine.

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A note to the poster below... I hope you aren't talking about the greyhound track west of Phoenix off I-10... That thing was run down and abandoned the first time I saw it 5 years ago. Now it's even worse, with broken windows, graffiti, and dust and dirt surrounding the building.

Answer 2

Just get the tockets and book everything else yourself.

Tickets for individual spring training games go on sale usually a few days before the game. I would contact the team and see their policy

Answer 3

It is a better value to book flight, hotel, car and Tix seperatly as you are probably going to want to see the games you want and not the games they give you in a package... Also check out the greyhound track outside Pheonix its a blast!!!!