anyone been to estero?

So, I'll be in FL for the break, and was seriously considering going down to the tourney. Anyone who's been there, how hard are tix to get? Are they at the CU tix office? How about accomodations around there?

Let's Go Red
--Steve M

I am also contemplating going, but I've never been, so I have the same questions. Some folks responded to my earlier inquiry, saying we don't get a particularly big turnout there, but I can't think of a nicer thing than enjoying sunny Florida and CU hockey at the same time.

Some things I remember about Estero 2000:

1) Tickets are offered as part of the Everblades season package, so there is actually a limited number of seats. That doesn't mean you'll necessarily have trouble getting in, but despite being nearly "sold out," the arena definitely wasn't filled. I believe we bought tickets directly through the Everblades box office, not through Cornell, but perhaps someone else in my group remembers otherwise.

2) Accomodations right near the arena are apparently sparse, or at least that's what I recall hearing from John Whelan. A number of us preferred to treat it like a combination beach vacation and New Years party that happened to have some hockey games, so we got rooms at a condo-type resort in Ft. Myers Beach. That was nice, but the weather was not terribly cooperative, so it probably wasn't worth the money for the beach proximity (though the condo was spacious and well-appointed, e.g., dishwasher and complete dish/silver/glasses set in the kitchen, screened-in porch, etc.). And then the drive to the arena from there was annoying, especially since there's only one main road onto and off of Ft. Myers Beach - but it's also at least a half hour away regardless. If I went again, I'd probably try to stay a good deal closer to the arena, and make the beach the day-trip (or only stay the weekend).

3) Seafood is cheap, plentiful, and very good in the area if you avoid the really touristy restaurants.

Beeeej

Count me in the "really contemplating going" group. If I could secure a cheap enough flight (NY to either Ft. Lauderdale or West Palm Beach), and then things fell into place with tix and convincing the 'rents to either gimme the car for 2 days or come with me over to Estero (they'll be in Delray Beach for a couple-week vacation), then it becomes very tempting to get down to Florida for the tourney.

Plus, a few days of 80 degree weather wouldn't be too bad after the weather these last couple weeks in Ithaca....

I highly recommend JetBlue if you're looking for cheap tickets. You can actually get a direct flight from Kennedy to Ft. Myers, which is about the same distance as Ft. Lauderdale (of course, you can also get a flight to Ft. Lauderdale if you prefer).

Or, if that doesn't work out, consider Southwest out of Islip (or Albany if that's closer to you). They'll route you through Baltimore, but you'll be in Ft. Lauderdale in about 4 hours and enjoy a very cheap fare.

Sorry, what was I saying, Ft. Myers is much closer to Estero than Ft. Lauderdale. Anyhow, JetBlue will get you to both cities.

for something to do...they just finished a waterways tour in the estero area. supposed to be pretty sweet. Read it in the american airlines magazine
for trips from ny to florida i would suggest jetblue and southwest also. jetblue is the best airline on which i have ever flown.

JetBlue is definitely the way to go; I took it from JFK to Fort Myers this past March -- DirectTV, cheery flight attendants, no problems. If you book on the website, it's usually $5 cheaper each way.

Also, if looking for advice on good places to eat, try the Florida message board at this excellent food site: [www.chowhound.com]

You might also check out www.flyertalk.com

It's an online community of people who travel a lot (mainly business travelers, as you might expect). They offer really good/seasoned hotel, food, and flight advice.

Okay, dumb question, but will the Estero tourney be televised? Thanks!

NUMBER FREAKING FOUR! Unbelievable!!

We recently decided to attend the Everblades Tournament. I checked with Sue Detzer about tickets. She told me that the unsold tickets from Cornell's allotment have been sent back. Cornell will be seated in and around Section 108. The Ticket Office number is: 941-948-7825, ext. 1500.

There are a number of hotels north of the arena. The team will be staying in Bonita Springs which is right near North Naples, FL. We got rooms at the Doubletree Suites in North Naples. It's about 13 miles from the rink.

Larry

Tickets are apparantly also available on ticketmaster.com

Just search for Everblades Classic.

Although with a $5/ticket "convenience" charge and not being able to select what section you sit in, I guess it's worth the trouble to call the TECO box office.

Alright, I guess now that I heard a bunch of my fellow t-bone compatriots are going to be in the area, I too was thinking of how to get there. Checking out JetBlue, I cant seem to find any flights to FT Meyers from JFK. A quick check on Amtrak and I realize why they are going under.. can someone suggest some alternate means of getting down there?

It appears that the flights down to Ft. Myers around the dates of the tourney are all sold out. However, the return flights all have seats on the Dec 30th. That's a busy, busy week to travel.

Here's what I would suggest. Take American Airlines Flight #423 from JFK to Miami on December 27th. It gets you into Miami at 6:30pm-ish. Rent a car and drive to Estero. Then take Jet Blue Flight #64 on the return out of Ft. Myers on December 30th. Gets you back to JFK around 5:00pm or so. That way you only have to make the drive from Miami and not back to it. Renting a car and dropping it off at a different location is no big deal at all and doesn't cost extra (trust me, I do it allll the time for work). Also, despite what many have you believe, one-way tickets these days are really no more expensive than round trips.

does anyone know the ACTUAL gametimes? ticketmaster lists them as 4 or 7:30 ( i guess game 2 is undecided, i'm more concerned w the maine time), and cornell's schedule lists them as 5pm.

-mike

I'm looking at the tickets now and they say games are at 4:00 and 7:30.

- Peter

For the second straight year, the Everblades College Classic--in only its third year of existence--features the strongest group of four teams of all the holiday tournaments in the country, in my opinion. This year's field is:

Maine (#2 USCHO, #1 USA Today, #2 RPI, #2 PWR, #2 KRACH)
Cornell (#3, #3, #1, #1, #1)
Ohio State (#11, #11, #5, #7, #7)
UMass (others receiving votes [#17 USCHO & #16 USA Today], #19 RPI, #20 PWR, #15 KRACH)

USCHO wrote that these teams "may be the toughest field of any of the holiday tournaments."

[www.uscollegehockey.com]

not to add to the confusion but....uscho on their schedule for next week notes that the game vs. maine is at 5 eastern

how difficult is it to obtain tickets? (ie will it be possible day of the tourney)? do tix for both days need to be bought? how much are they charging?
who all is going?

Robin '98

I was able to buy walk-up tickets two years ago; however, Everblades season ticket holders have had the tournament included, so there are fewer tickets for general sale than you might think. Each day has its own ticket, and face value is $14.

Laura Stange has kindly informed me that the Cornell-Maine game is scheduled for 7:30 pm EST on Saturday, December 28. As I write this message, USCHO's schedule correctly notes the 7:30 scheduled start time. The games the following day are scheduled for 4:00 and 7:30.

is the OSU/ UMASS game before the Cornell game, then?

Yes, Ohio State and U Mass will play at 4:00 pm. Finally, R.J. Umberger and Dave Steckel will play for OSU in the holiday tournament. They played at the WJC in 2000 and 2001.