2025 Tour Blog

This tour will focus on the USA NHL Eastern conference, featuring at least 3 of the original 6 NHL Teams and Stadiums. We will be leaving Australia on December 29, 2024 and returning on or before January 11, 2025 [estimated]. The trip is contingent on the 2024|25 Draw which is published by June 30, 2024. We will then confirm the itinerary, game tickets and attractions.

Our tours are for all ANZ supporters of hockey, not just the ICE. So far we have had fans from the Bears, Mustangs, Canberra, Newcastle, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and even in NZ.

Over the years we have come up with a simple formula for operating and booking these tours.

• Leave just after Xmas and returning around the 11th of January ready for the work in the New Year.
• Fully inclusive and chaperoned Tours.
• 4-5 NHL Games in ICONIC stadiums.
• 2-3 Unique experiences including stadium tours etc.
• 2-3 Optional Extras including NBA, NFL and NHL.
• Internal Coach travel [6 of the 12 days] with no single coach leg over 5 hours travel.
• 50/50 Balance of personal time and tour inclusions.
• Payment Terms to help our travelers afford the costs.

Like all of our tours, we are offering a fully inclusive package including; 

• Return economy flights* from your Australian capital city.
• 11 nights | 12 Days away. 
• 4 Star Accommodation + Breakfasts included.
• Coach Travel between cities [longest trip 5.0 hours]
• 5 Cities ~ Chicago, Columbus, Washington, New York and Boston.
• 5 Elite Games of NHL Ice Hockey in Iconic Stadiums. 
• A range of FREE attractions.
• East Coast Tour Hoodie.

Note we use the best group fares with United Airways and they may not always be able to be upgraded. 

On the tour this year we will be flying into Chicago and out of Boston. We will visit at least 5 cities along the way, including;  

• Chicago
• Columbus 
• Washington
• New York
• Boston

The draw has been released and we have confirmed 5 NHL Games, comprising or eight different teams along the route.

We typically book Middle Bowl or Tier and try to get our group all together.

Expect 2-3 Unique Game experiences including photos, center ice, stadium tours as we proceed etc.

This year we have some amazing "optional extra games" to offer our travelers, and he way we will book well in advance of the tour beginning; 

• *NHL Winter Classic 'Chicago V St Louis' - expect about $500.00 per ticket.
• *NFL or NBA Game of the Tour' - expect to pay about $300.00 per ticket.
•  Three-day additional trip + plus flight to Toronto [unchaperoned] after the tour conclusion, to 'Toronto to see the Maple Leafs' and the Hockey Hall of Fame - expect to pay $1450.00 extra for this side trip. [You will also be required to get a Canada Visa and exit Toronto back to Australia. 

NOTE: *Both of these events are outdoor, probably uncovered [open air] and likely to be extremely cold and heaps of fun.

Every year we try to include at least 4-5 free additional experiences as we progress through the tour.  This may include museums, attractions and free events. This year we will focus these inclusions in Washington DC and stadium tours in Chicago and Boston Gardens. 

We will be staying at mostly Hilton and | or Marriott Hotels [4-4.5 STAR] along the way and they all feature free WiFi and Buffet Breakfasts as part of the packages. We try to get Hotels as close as possible to the 'NHL Stadiums' as we possibly can. For this tour see HOTELS.

Chicago and First Hotel for VISAS

Hotel : Palmer House

Address : 17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60603

USA

• Hilton Columbus Downtown
• Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC Downtown
• Double Tree by Hilton Boston Downtown
• Hilton New York Times Square

CANADA 

• Hotel: Novotel Toronto Centre
• Address: 45 The Esplanade, Toronto ON M5E 1W2

We will have a dedicated luxury coach [and probably Driver] from Chicago through to New York. Most buses have a toilet and have free WIFI, but coverage in US is not great, especially when leaving the BIG cities. 

We stay at 4 star hotels, usually Marriott or Hilton, that provide free WIFI and Breakfast. We offer ; 

• Single ROOM - one queen or king bed.
• Shared ROOM - one queen or king bed.
• Twin Share - two single or double beds.

You can nominate you travel buddy or we can nominate another person in a Twin Share. 

This year we have achieved our minimum of 30 travelers to run the tour. We also have a maximum capacity [luxury coach] of 48 travelers. 

We will take new registrations until August 30, or until booked out.

We are still confident that the cost is under $10K AUS for this tour. [EG : Last year $9790.00]

• Adult Twin Share [either twin or shared queen rooms] = Under $10K per traveler.
• Adult Single Room = Under $12K per traveler;

Land only option, if you would like to make your own way to the start of tour [EG Buy your own air tickets], we offer a land only option at roughly $3500.00 under the prices above.

Terms; 

We will ask you to pay a holding deposit of just $300.00* to reserve your spot until the draw is released and confirmed [June 30, 2024] and game tickets are locked in. We will then ask you to confirm your booking and pay another $700.00 to complete a full $1000.00 deposit.

Payments: 

• By end of July - 30% of the balance
• By end of August - further 30% of the balance
• By end of September - 20% of the balance
• By end of October - Remaining Balance + any selected extras

*Fully Refundable by July 20, 2024.

The following exclusions will apply for this tour like this;

1. Lunch and Dinner most days.
2. New Years Eve Celebrations.
3. Souvenirs and Shopping.
4. OPTIONAL GAMES and Attractions - as above
5. Travel insurance ~ all travelers will need to secure travel insurance prior to beginning this tour. We can assist if you are not already covered [usually about $350.00]
6. Visas ~ all travelers will require a travel visa to US for this trip. Expect to pay about $40.00 for these [combined]. Use this direct link and beware of expensive intermediatory and brokerage sites. Allow14 days for processing but most are issued on the spot.