MLB Road Trips Kick Off with East Coast 1 Tour

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 02:00 PM
May 7, 2009 - New York City
This is my favorite time of year. The baseball season is now in full swing, the weather gets to be a little more predictable, and teams are already jockeying within their divisions - a perfect timeThurman Munson's lockerfor a baseball road trip!

Today our East Coast 1 Tour began in New York City with a stadium tour of the Yankees' new home. What an impressive place! The tour starts in their museum that's inside the stadium. The museum has autographed baseballs from many of the Yankees players throughout history, stories about the different eras of the team, and interesting information about the stadium.

Here's a picture of one of my favorite items from the tour. As a catcher growing up in the 70's, I idolized catchers in the big leagues. Thurman Munson was one of the guys I loved to watch. We learned last year when we were in the Yankees clubhouse on one of our group tours that the Yankees had preserved Munson's locker since the day he died. No one had used it since. His locker was moved in tact to the new Yankee Stadium and is what you see pictured to the left.

Whether you are a Yankee fan or not, this baseball stadium needs to be on your "must see" list for one of your upcoming sports vacations. The team is such a storied franchise and they've presented their history well in the new venue.

Topics: baseball road trips, New York, sports vacation, Yankees, group tours, Yankee Stadium

We Went to Bat For You!!

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 12:30 PM
Big League Tours group on private stadium tour of Yankee StadiumMarch 24, 2009 - We know that times are tough so we went to bat for you. We were able to secure lower rates from our travel partners and are passing on the savings to you. So for a limited time, take advantage of lower rates on all of our group travel tours.

We want to see you at the ballpark this summer enjoying baseball stadium tours, meeting Big League players, or just enjoying the game that we all love so much. So check out the revised prices of our 2009 Tour Packages and reserve your spot today!

Here's a quick snapshot of the tour offerings with hotlinks to the details for each of the sports packages:
East Coast 1 - New York, Cooperstown and Boston from $2,000 per person*
East Coast 2 - New York and Boston from $1,750 per person*
Atlanta - Atlanta Braves from $975 per person*
Midwest - Chicago and Milwaukee from $1,400 per person*
Big Apple - New York Mets and Yankees from $1,325 per person*
Seattle - Seattle Mariners package from $1,200 per person*

*All prices are based on double occupancy

Topics: group travel, baseball tours, baseball stadiums, group tours

Big League Tours in the News

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 11:00 AM
February 15, 2009 - Big League Tours was featured in the Indianapolis Star today. Here's an excerpt from the article:
"Similarly, baseball is a passion for me that began at an early age. I grew up playing baseball, watching the game of the week on Saturdays and going to Riverfront Stadium every chance that I could. My dad and I used to talk about visiting every Major League ballpark, and we visited a few here and there. But when my son, who's now 11, started getting into baseball, we began talking about visiting all the parks, too. I realized that I had a window of opportunity to go to as many of the stadiums as I could with him and my dad before life passed us up and we no longer had the opportunity.
As I looked into the options of going with other tour operators or going on my own, I didn't like what I saw. Other tour operators offered seven- to 10-day package tours that had you on a bus for 3,000-plus miles, staying at cheap motels in the middle of nowhere and sitting in group seats in the upper decks. None of that appealed to me. I also thought that going alone wouldn't afford me some things that could more easily be done in a group.
I began pulling together a business plan. I surrounded myself with people with experience in group travel tours, and (who) had connections with baseball. Once the idea had jelled, the launch began in the fall of 2005 and the baseball travel tours began in 2006. We offer really cool opportunities for baseball lovers, like bringing in current and former Major League Baseball players to meet with our guests. We take private stadium tours and get special access to stadiums. It's been a real dream to think up and plan the tours the way that I would want to take them and to share that with other baseball fans."
Go to IndyStar.com to see the full article. You can also go to BigLeagueTours.com to learn more about the small group tours that we have available for the 2009 season.
 

Topics: group travel, baseball games, baseball tours, baseball travel, big league tours, group tours

Testimonial from One of Our Small Group Tours

Posted by Big League Tours on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 @ 10:30 PM
December 4, 2008 - Here's a letter that we received from one of our customers, Bob Ward of Texas. As you'll see, Bob traveled on one of our small group tours through the Midwest in August of '08. Here's what he had to say:

"I traveled with a relative and his 10-year-old grandson, who was awestruck most of the Dave Parker joins one of our group travel tours in Cincinnatitime. The Midwest 2 Tour was our first with Big League Tours and was by far the best of the four I have taken, the first three with another company.  George had taken two other tours with another company.

The price of all the tours (we've taken) was comparable, but the services provided by Big League Tours was far superior, in our opinion.

"The primary things that set Big League Tours trip apart from the others, in our opinion, was two-fold: 1) location and quality of the hotels and 2) location of the game ticket seats.

"On this tour, we visited four cities and ballparks (Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati). The hotels were all located within walking distance of the ballpark (15 minutes or less), and all our tickets were in the lower level. In one case, at Pittsburgh, the seats were right behind the visitors' dugout, and in Cincinnati, we were three rows from field level right by third base. Great seats at all parks, but the two mentioned specifically were special.

"Another added touch that we liked was the idea of staying downtown in the cities visited, which made it easier to become more familiar with the cities (Detroit has a fabulous river walk).

"On this tour, we had a sit-down visit with baseball great Dave Parker, a two-time major league batting champ, who had a long and illustrious major league career. This was a great experience for us. Parker was such a personable, down-to-earth person who acted as if he really enjoyed talking with with us and answering our many questions. He was especially good with the two 10-year-old Little League boys on the trip. This, to us, was the exclamation point to the whole trip.

"We would recommend traveling with Big League Tours, and this is a non-paid endorsement from the heart."

Bob Ward (Texas) and George Wood (California)

Thanks to Bob and George for the kind words about the group travel tours that we offer. We hope that you'll join us this year so that you can experience the difference of a Big League Tour!

Topics: group travel, Pittsburgh, big league tours, group tours, testimonials, Cincinnati

Purchasing Airline Tickets for Your Baseball Vacations

Posted by Big League Tours on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 @ 03:00 PM
Tips For Purchasing Airline Tickets
November 20, 2008 - Gas prices are falling, but airline tickets are pretty much staying the same.  To help find the best possible price during this holiday season. Individuals and small group tours need to keep some things in mind when purchasing their airline ticket.
  • Book directly: Airlines have begun giving discounts or vouchers to customers who book directly through their website.  It not only helps drive people to their website, but helps the airlines not have to pay that extra commission they would to priceline, orbitz, or expedia.
  • Sign up for their email: Many airlines offer special discounts to customers who sign up for their email and will sporadically send them out.
  • Look for flights at nearby airports: Depending on where you are flying to many times there are smaller airports who will have cheaper flights. So, if one of your baseball travel tours includes New York try flying into New Jersey.
  • Try to be flexible: Adjusting your travel days by a day or two may be able to save you in the long run.
  • Don't wait: If you find a deal don't wait to see if a better one more than often when you come back it will be gone.

However you decide to purchase your airline ticket make sure all of your baseball vacations get planned in plenty of time. 

Topics: sports travel and tours, baseball travel, baseball vacation package, big league tours, MLB tours, group tours

Check-In and Travel Tips

Posted by Big League Tours on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 @ 12:00 PM
November 3, 2008 - A lot of us dread going to the airport these days. It takes a lot of time to get through security, which means we must arrive earlier and it can sometimes be very frustrating. Listed below are some tips you can use before arriving at the airport to speed up the check-in process and help with an all around better experience.

Airport Tips
Before Your Tour Vacations
  • Check your itineraries for seat assignments and make any ticket changes you need.
  • Handle any special needs you might need before you get to the airport.
  • Check to make sure the contact information they have for you is correct.
  • Take care of any passports, visas, or any other important papers you might need way ahead of time.
  • Know the check-in requirements for your airport.
  • Know the requirements for the security checkpoints where you'll be traveling.
  • Check security check-point wait-times and allow plenty of extra time for busy holiday periods.
Baggage Tips
  • Put your name and phone number of your destination on the inside and outside of your bag.
  • Don't wrap your gifts since all luggage is subject to inspection. (If during a seasonal holiday please be aware of theft and consider sending your gifts by mail.)
  • Travel light when you can.  Try bringing one carry-on bag that will fit underneath the seat in front of you.
  • Carry valuables, medication, and travel documents in your carry-on baggage.
A great way to check for travel alerts and updates is the Transportation Security Administration website.

Topics: tour operator, sports travel and tours, baseball travel, group tours

2009 MLB Schedules Released

Posted by Big League Tours on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 @ 08:30 AM
Time to Plan Your Baseball Vacations!
Photo from seats on one of our group travel tours
September 18, 2008 - In a move never before seen this early, Major League Baseball released their complete 2009 schedules in mid-September. In past years, bits and pieces of the schedules would slowly come out from October through the end of the year and would be finalized in January. When we read the announcement that the schedules were to be announced, we expected to know when the Mets and Yankees were going to open their new stadiums and maybe to find out about a few other events. We were blown away to see every game for every team is available, today! Honestly, it felt like Christmas morning!

So now we're in the throws of putting together our 2009 baseball vacation packages and the slate is wide open. Where you would like to go? When do you want to travel? What do you want to see this year? We would love it if you would share your thoughts. Drop us a comment to let us know.

Now the tough part is waiting until the trips actually get here!!!

Click here to see the press release from Major League Baseball.

Topics: baseball stadiums, baseball vacation package, Yankees, group tours, MLB road trips, Mets

Midwest 2 Baseball Tour Begins In Detroit Rock City

Posted by Big League Tours on Sat, Nov 19, 2011 @ 03:30 PM

Baseball Road Trips Through The Crossroads of America



August 21, 2008 - After ending the Midwest 1 trip in Chicago we took a bus over to Detroit to meet the rest of our group for our Midwest 2 MLB road trip.  We stayed in an amazing hotel, just a few blocks away from the stadium, where each guest got to stay in style with their own personal suite.  Comerica Park in Detroit

This was a great way to start the trip and show our guests that we work very hard to give them first class accommodations in every aspect of Big League Tours sports packages.  The Toronto Blue Jays came down to the Tigers Den to take on the Detroit Tigers.  Unfortunately, for the Tigers the the Blue Jays came to play and ended up defeating the Tigers 6-4. 

We had the privilege of seeing A.J. Burnett pitch his 15th win for the Toronto Blue Jays.  He had a rocky first six innings, but his teammates were there to back him up.  They came back with a rally against the Tigers to win the the game.  To check out the official MLB stats please click here.

Topics: Comerica Park, Tigers, Blue Jays, baseball trips, baseball stadiums, group tours, MLB road trips

MW1 Baseball Trip Heads to Milwaukee

Posted by Big League Tours on Sat, Nov 19, 2011 @ 02:30 PM
Group Travel Tours Make Their Way To See The Brewers
August 19, 2008 - On Saturday the Big League Tours group headed out to Milwaukee for the day to see the Brewers take on the Washington Nationals.

If you have never been to Miller Park you should definitely put that on your Family Tours-Kid zone at Miller Parklist of things to do.  I'm not sure if I'm really a dome kind of person, but they make up for that in many other ways.  As our group tour made its way to the parking lot our guests were amazed with how many people were in the parking lot tailgating before the game.  Going to Milwaukee a couple of hours before the gates open is a great time everyone is barbecuing, playing yard games, etc. the usual tailgating lineup. 

Miller Park is also a great place for family tours to go they have an amazing area for kids to play and burn off some energy before the game.  The Brewers had a perfect game where hey defeated the Nationals 6-0.  Ben Sheets pitched a complete game on Saturday giving the Brewers a lopsided victory.  To check out official scoring please click here.

Topics: Milwaukee, Miller Park, baseball tours, Brewers, group tours

St. Louis Baseball Tour, Part III

Posted by Big League Tours on Sat, Nov 19, 2011 @ 01:00 PM
Sports Vacations in St. Louis
August 3, 2008 - Having been a lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan, I have Taguchi signing autographsnever been a fan of the Cardinals. However, I have to give credit to the Cardinals organization, the city of St. Louis, and the Cardinals fans - going to a game at Busch Stadium is a great time. The stadium has a great atmosphere, is very appealing aesthetically, and allows fans to experience baseball the way that it should be enjoyed.

Here's a photo of former Cardinal, So Taguchi signing autographs prior to the game. So was a St. Louis fan favorite and received a standing ovation when he pinch hit during the game.

It's a great place to visit if you are going to plan family tours, small group tours, or sports tours of any size. Watch for the tours that we offer next year that include games in St. Louis or with the Cardinals on the road. You'll enjoy great seats, great accommodations, and great baseball. We hope you'll join us!

Topics: baseball games, Phillies, group tours, Busch Stadium, Cardinals