I enjoy listening to sports pundits putting down Seminole fans saying that we are spoiled with all the success and are jaded when it comes to post season bowl games. I tend to agree that bowls that select FSU as one of their participants usually do not do as well financially as they would do if they chose other schools like Notre Dame or Michigan.
Since my family and I have attended 16 FSU bowl games and numerous road games with the Noles - we have learned many tricks that have allowed us to go to bowls on a shoe string.
One guy on a call-in radio show - obviously a Play Station All-American said, "Seminole fans can go to the Orange Bowl with a $10 bill and a copy of the Ten Commandments - and not break either one."
I intend to prove that guy correct. I would like to chronicle how we intend to get down and back to Miami and the Orange Bowl without having my wallet break a sweat.
Rule Number One - Never buy bowl tickets up front ahead of time. Have you seen the prices on bowl tickets these days? Over $100 each - and regular fans end up sitting closer to the flight path of Miami International Airport than the playing field. It never fails that 30 minutes before game time - there are plenty of good seats outside the stadium for $5 - $10 - $15. My wife and I walk around with our little seating charts expecting to sit between the 30 yard lines within 20 rows of the field for under $10. At the ACC Championship Game - we sat on the 20 yard line, row 15 for $10 a piece. We paid more money to park and tailgate than we did for the game.
Rule Number Two - Stay with someone that lives near the stadium. My friend Gary graduated from my old high school class of 1966 - made his fortune in the garment industry - and retired to Plantation FL - a couple miles from the stadium. He insisted we come to visit him - and he did not have to ask us twice.
Rule Number Three - Why put 1000 miles on your family car when there are fantastic deals for rental cars on the internet? Do not ask me how - but my son found a coupon on the net that got us a rental car for a week for $43 - yes $43 the whole week - not per day - and that includes taxes. The internet is an amazing place to find deals - and all you need to do is look.
Rule Number Four - Take advantage of places like priceline.com for hotels on the way down and back. My wife landed hotel rooms in Disney Village for $60 a night to break up the long 500 miles to Miami.
Rule Number Five - Get your money's worth out of those Florida Resident Yearly Disney Passes. Since Disney is half way to Miami - it is a great time to notch some time on the Adventures after the tourists leave on January 5th. We bought yearly passes for $200 each and intend to get $2000 of use out of them.
Yes - Florida State has been in 20 straight bowls or something like that. Seminole fans are spoiled. Yes - they are jaded. They think it is their birthright to be playing in the top BCS bowl every year. Even in a "down" year like 2005 - an ACC Championship over Miami and Virginia Tech - $17,000,000 of BCS money - many of the Seminole faithful will ho hum the game in front of their HDTV.
But Seminole fans are also astute. They have learned how to party like the big boys using very little of their allowance. Follow along on our visit to the Orange Bowl. See if Harry and Nancy get good seats - good times - for next to nothing..
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