Very expensive. Save $1000 by buying all your stuff on your own, and that includes tickets from a 3rd party broker.
If I have to, I'll use Soccer Travel for match tickets. They did a great job for away games to Jamaica and Mexico in 2001, and also did a great job getting tickets for my wife and me when we went to a few club matches in Italy a couple of years ago.
Since I was uncertain about USSF outcome and I was concerned soccertravel would be flooded with responses post-draw, I put in a deposit with soccertravel and entered the USSF wish-list as well (confirm # in the 8000s) So far, pretty happy. They have decent communications and seem to know what is up with tickets and so forth. At first, they were offering Italy and Ghana, but seem amenable to changing to Czech and Italy as per our request. I think the downside is lack of choice -- they find a hotel for you and you had better like it. That means you can't, say, stay 2 days pre-Czech in Hamburg, spend 2 days post-Czech in Dusseldorf, spend 2 days in Heidelberg pre-Italy, etc. The plus-side (from what I've been told by someone who used them in France), is that they work on getting you face value tickets to other matches that aren't sold out. Although those aren't the most exciting, it helps to take in a neutral match or two just to enjoy the spirit of the event. I'm probably not the most budget-concerned BS poster, but it's a nice back-up to be assured of having tickets, hotel, someone to iron out problems in what will be a crowded country where I speak little Deutsch. That's worth the extra $1000 to be certain of having a great experience.
I would also like to think that Soccer Travel's tickets are from a different allotment, i.e., that given by the hosts to various travel agents. Those who can afford this would then leave more TST tickets available to Sammers, etc.
as mentioned previously by another poster, they are easily $1000 over what you could spend on your own... however, seems to be a decent package. I didn't go with it because I wanted more flexibility in traveling around Bavaria and being locked into certain cities wasn't conducive. If you are going JUST to follow the USA and don't mind spending the cash, by all means, do it. At least you are guaranteed tix! Good luck... maybe see you there?
I am sure for the WC they'll have their stuff together, since I am sure they'll have people from their company on the ground over there, taking care of things and helping people out whenever issues arise but... I used them to obtain tickets and hotel to the US/Holland friendly in Amsterdam back in February of '04. The hotel was great, the reservation was set up and the place was very nice, but the tickets were a hassle. They were suppose to be at the hotel for us, they weren't. It took 6 or 7 calls to the US just to get in touch with someone at SoccerTravel. It took them 2 days to locate the tickets they were suppose to provide at check-in and get them to us. We received them the morning of the match -- which was cutting it just a little too close for me. Anyway, would I use them again? For a large event where they'll have staff on the ground, yes. For an event when they just book your package and you run the risk of them not having all their "ducks in a row" when you arrive, probably not.
I am going with the whole family (wife, 4 kids: 19, 18, 14, 10) so Soccertravel seems like the only way to do it. So far Antonio seems to have the act together..pricey but convenient. P.S. on another note...any suggestions for a group of 6: trains vs renting a van to get around ?
I have also used them a couple times and recommend if you're willing to pay extra for peace of mind. They were willing to accommodate plans that differed from the prepared package, but this was for Caribbean trips with a relatively small number of people. Don't know if the situation would be the same for the WC, but worth asking if you don't want to follow their exact itinerary. Antonio is a good guy and a soccer fan, too.
Antonio hooked me up with a match ticket and bus transportation in Mexico City last Easter (I had arranged my flight/hotel on my own) and I thought Soccertravel did a great job. I was paying for peace of mind since I was solo on that trip and didn't know the city or the language. If the packages appeal to you and you can afford them, I would say "buy it". You will recieve great service and from nice, responsive people.
That's with ANY broker. I was a travel agent for seven years, and at least these guys are reputeable. Yes, you'll pay a massive premium, but for many of the places they have packages it's worth it. Would you really want to spend time in Central America without having everything completely planned out? Especially as a US fan? I sure as heck wouldn't.
No tengas miedo Si ahorras $1000, tu puedes pagar por clases de espanol - cuando conoces a la lengua no tienes miedo de viajar o quedarte en un pais latino.
My trip for me and my friend is being done through soccertravel. We are doing the two week option for the whole first round So far I am very happy with them. If I have had questions they are answered promptly and seem to be really flexible with plans. They may be a bit more expensive but Ive never been to Europe and I wanted peace of mind in that my trip was setup correctly including my biggest worry, tickets. After all the messages and such of people having trouble getting faxes in and such I am even happier I decided on this route as I dont have to worry about hoping to get tickets. I asked around with some local agencies and soccertravel was the lowest price out of all of them. I just have to work a couple weeks of overtime but I think its well worth it. If anyone was thinking of using soccertravel I would recommend them fully.
seconded... went to Korea and was happy (despite the fact that I could have done it cheaper)... of course, had we been drawn into a group in Japan (I had a firm quote before the draw), it would have been much better to be with the group since Japan was 10 times more expensive (I went there after the US was knocked out)... btw, they are a lot cheaper than the other packages that I have seen floated around... and, I don't know about you, but I have been looking at tickets from brokers and they are running $400-600 a copy... I suspect that you will be able to get one cheaper there, especially for some unfancied matches (but may get screwed at the same time)... bottom line is that 2 of my chldren (grown) got tix through the lottery, one is still in search of tix and my wife and I are with SoccerTravel... rand
To answer a couple of questions...... If you can avoid using an agent to organise a trip do so, Germany is one of the easiest places on earth to get around, the transport and infrastructure are fantastic. I moved here from the UK 18 months ago, and it's a different world in that respect. Also hotels and stuff are cheap if you know where to look. On the trains, you can get all kinds of deals for groups.. E.g at the weekend you can buy a ticket for 30 EUR which you can use to go any distance within Germany for 24 hours (unlimited) for up to five people. The only condition is you don't use the super fast ICE or IC trains. Check www.bahn.de it has an international guest section in english. In the west, English is so common, German is not required (other than to get over the embarrasment stage) Not sure abouit the East however. I find Germany extremely easy to survive and get around etc, for a non speaker.
Anyone care to throw out some specifics on "pricey"? Say for a couple tickets to a couple games and a hotel for a week? Is airfare usually part of the package?
No it isnt - thats when it gets pricey. $2500-3000 for tickets, bus, hotel, breakfast.... oh, but no airfare. I remember back when I was considering SoccerTravel, it came out to $19/day for breakfast!!! All I eat is a bowl of cereal! That's where they get their money, skimming (or scooping) off the top on stuff like that.
I booked with soccer travel in the summer after losing the FIFA lottery. At the time they had a package for $995 for the three first round games and a 10 day three country rail pass. So far they have been very helpful in responding to any questions that I have in a timely fassion.