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Hi
Whilst we will be in the Tampa area in July/August i would like to take the family to see the baseball.
I have chcekd out the TBDR website but it is too early for single game pricing etc to be published.
Any guidance on best deals etc, where to park, sit would be very helpful.
Cheers
N
We went to see the Tampa Bay Rays play at Tropicana Field [their home ground] in May 2008. We bought the tickets in March so you might have to wait a couple of months before they go on sale. We got ours through the Tampa Bay Rays website. We bought the cheapest tickets, $9 each, with all fees on came to $26.75 for 2 tickets. I recommend just paying this amount as the view we had of the game was brilliant, we were high up and directly behind the batting area [if thats the right term] and had a great view of the field and the whole stadium.The exact place we were sitting was Upper Deck, Infield, Section 300 row J. As far as I can remember you can see where you sitting before you purchase the tickets. On the receipt you print off it tells you the tickets are on International Will Call - they are held at the ticket office at the stadium and you get them on the day before you go in, follow the instructions on the receipt.I suggest buying tickets as soon as they go on sale as it was a Saturday night when we went and it was sold out.
As for parking, we parked in an official car park, I think it was $10, no where else to park, allow plenty of time to get to car park as it was very busy, must of taken half an hour from joining queue to parking up.
We really enjoyed the night, it was an amazing experience, the stadium is massive, there was entertainment before, during and after game,loads of food outlets, the atmosphere was great and the game itself is easy to follow.
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums...1134_TBR01.jpg
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums...1157_TBR02.jpg
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums...1222_TBR03.jpg
We went to see Tampa Bay Buccaneers play Washington Red skins and all i can say is that if its as well organized as the American Football was then you have nothing to worry about. Parking was right outside the ground (not cheap at $20 per car) and the Stadium was well sign posted and Policed with no sign of any trouble. We were half way up from the playing field and had a great view
I am sure you will have a great time.
FYI:
They have removed "Devil" from their name.
Other Info:
The Rays' will start in February 2009 having their Spring Training in El Jobean / Port Charlotte, FL just minutes away from the Gulf Coast town of Englewood & Rotonda.
We also booked Bucs tickets via their website, picked them up at the box office at the ground on the day (make sure you select will call when you book), great seats and the fans, stewards couldnt have been better. We had our son with us who was only three at the time and we had a blast, everyone made us really welcome and kept checking we were ok.
If you book through the team web site then you'll have no hassle. Parking etc no probs either.
I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time. Highly recommend the exerience of the baseball, we caught a game in Toronto a few years back and the whole build up and atmosphere was great.
Brilliant night out and great value for money, we enjoyed it so much we went to see the Yankees play when we were in NYC.
Nic
We are also planning a trip to see a Rays this year. During our holiday, there's a 3 game series verses the LA Angles between 9-11 June. You could call it the Disney Derby. The offical website now has details and ticket prices up for those games, so July/August tickets will hopefully be posted soon. The website looks really straightfoward to use too.
The next problem is where to sit. Best view is probably behind the batter like in the above pictures (which are amazing BTW!) and you might catch a few foul balls. On the other hand, there are decent cheap seats out by the left field foul pole, where you might see a home run come your way, but the diamond is a bit far away.
To those that have been, once you are in your section, are you able to leave your section and wander round the statium? A lot of ballparks are open plan, in that you can visit other sections and watch the game from different angles, albeit you can't sit down of course. Reason I ask is it's a long game, and I'd like to be able to stretch my legs and see the rest of the stadium.
The Bodger, who were the Rays playing in those pictures? It looks very busy (ie a good atmosphere?). I have heard that Ray's aren't that popular and Tropicana Field can be empty for some games, but guess hope last years World Serie's run has changed that a bit?
The Rays were playing Chicago White Sox when we were there. The Rays won that game and they were unbeaten that season up till then, not sure how the season ended as I have'nt followed it since then.
You're free to walk round the stadium but you can't go to any other seating areas as there are stewards checking your ticket. You can visit the manta ray touch pool which is free, but they only allow a limited amount of people per visit and only a certain number of visits a game, we got in on the last visit which was I think before half the game had been played so its probably best to do this as soon as you get in. If the batter hits the ball into the pool [does'nt really go in as there is a net above] it counts as a home run or something, not sure of correct term.
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums...24839_rays.jpg
Will there still be games taking place in September?
Seeing these pics has convinced me I need to go!
Could you go if you had a young baby along with you or would it be inappropriate?
There is a lot of games in September so there should be one on whatever date you go, the games are 1st to 6th, 18th to 23rd and 28th to 30th.
I'm sure there would be no problem taking a young baby as its a seems a very family orientated event.
Just noticed on Rays website you now get free parking if there is 4 or more in your vehicle,less than 4 its $15 to park close to stadium or $10 for more remote parking lots, cheapest ticket to get in is $10, so its only gone up $1 since last year.
Also a update on what happens if a batter hits a ball into the pool, Florida Aquarium gets $2,500 and another $2,500 goes to the charity of the batters choice.
Baseball games are definitely family oriented: cool and relaxed atmosphere, lots of young kids, lots of songs [clap]: check out on the web the lyrics of "take me out to the ball game"[msnwink]
Of course you could be sitting next to the ultimate fan who'll get excited and throw peanuts at the players, but there's little chance of that (did happen to me once though: had never met such a perfect image of a redneck before ;)!
I can't imagine a baby would be a problem, unless he/she starts screaming at the top of his/her lungs and can't be stopped, which always seems to be the case in the most embarrassing situations (deja vu...[msnembarrased]).
The game is really easy to follow but can be [u]very long</u>, so you want to sit in the shade if you're going day-time specially with kids. When I was living in Kansas City we used to bring a cooler and have a family picnic there... not sure they allow that anymore[msnscared]? There's always plenty of (junk) food anyway: huge bretzels and hot-dogs being my personal favourites:D. With a Bud of course[beer]
We've been to a Rays game and saw them beat the Yankies. Great fun and our girls loved it. Would definitely go again! [msnsmile]
All very useful info. Thank you.
I have since found out that the Yankees are in town when we are there.
The games are scheduled to start at 7.oo pm local time.
Now tell me..how long do they go on for and so when will they finish? Will it be safe to go backl tothe acr late at night?
What time should we arrive to soak up the atmosphere?
Questions....
Thanks
Official statistics: average baseball game lasts 2hrs 48 mns.
Can be shorter, can be much longer. No way you can tell.
Baseball has its own leisurely pace, and depending on the teams in presence and how they're playing, you can see a lot of action, or none, or something in between. You're talking major teams here, so you should see some good pitching!
If you get tired or bored, you just leave. I've done that many times (you beat the crowd out of the parking lot too [msnwink]).
I think the parking lot should be safe, although I've never been to that specific stadium. You'll certainly see security people on your way in, why don't you ask them?
And keep in mind that it can be a long walk from your car to the entrance of the stadium, (a lot like the parks [sporty] !!!). You want to allow time for that. I try to be there before the game starts, to feel the excitement build up, but it's a personal matter.
Nath.
The earlier you get there the easier it will be to park but then it ends up being a long night. We stayed right till the end and came out with everbody else so felt very safe, as we did for the whole holiday but if you are parked in a more remote lot you might have to be more careful I suppose like you would anywhere.The stadium is between two main roads on the outskirts of St. Petersburg.
We've never been to a USA sporting event. Looks good from the photos. Might try it.
The Rays'have started their Spring Training in the new stadium at
El Jobean / Port Charlotte,FL the stadium is truly magnificent the seating arrangement has been designed so everybody has a really good view of the game
The stadium is just minutes away from the Gulf Coast town of Englewood & Rotonda.
All tickets for 2009 Spring Training long since sold out.
The Rays were American League champions in 2008 and runners-up in the World Series, losing to the Philies. It was an amazing season for an otherwise average team - think Blackburn Rovers in the days of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton (1996?)
So I'm expecting tickets to be hot this year and might be harder to get.