August 25, 2019 2 Comments

Traveling to Mexico City with La Porra de Mexico; A Review

Hello Soldados!

As we prepare to return to Mexico City for the October and November official League of Nations Cup I wanted to take this opportunity and give you all a little insight into what we learned from our first trip as a group and how those lessons are helping us establish the itinerary for this trip. Check out the photos of our 2017 adventure here on Facebook, link. 

As we prepare for this year's travel we have been pushing a poll so we can figure out exactly what you would like to do as a group. If you haven't take the poll please do so here. This will help us greatly. 

In 2017 La Porra de Mexico traveled to CDMX for the Mexico v. USMNT match, the World Cup qualifier for qualification to Russia 2018. Overall it was a great time but here is what we learned:

Ticket | Club Seats Cost

For this match we were given the opportunity to attend the game from the Corona Club, which has been renamed the Coca Cola Club, a VIP club that is located in the lower level, field view, near the corner flag. The view was amazing, probably no more than 15 feet from touchline. How was the view to the opposite goal? It was good. As a Porra that usually sits behind the goal the view was the same or better than our usual seats. The key difference for us was that the Corona Club included in seat food and drink service. I think everyone was extremely pleased with the options and service. Every single row had three or four servers who would take your order and bring your food and drink items to your seats.  Food options included burgers, fries, hot dogs, nachos, tacos al pastor and beef fajita, and other options. Mexican beers were freely available and included a commemorative cup.

There was no limit. An additional plus to the Club section was the roof top. It rains a lot in Mexico City! We were able to avoid a downpour throughout the game and even allowed to stay one hour after the match, with beer still flowing, to wait out the rain. These seats were awesome and everyone truly enjoyed the experience.

Poll results to date: 48% preferred the VIP Club Ticket Experience

Party Bus | Double Decker Open Air Bus

We worked with a local company and rented a double decker open air bus. Transportation to and from the game is problematic as a group. A big bus like the one we rented is difficult for navigating the narrow streets of Mexico City. Also, the open air double deck was fun for a bit but quickly created problems due to the low hanging power lines. It was very challenging to get the bus through the city, to the

stadium, and back. What we realized is that smaller buses or vans, with indoor seating, would be easier to take to and from the stadium. For the upcoming games we will be looking for these types of smaller options but still including a party atmosphere with music, drinks, and cool people.

Poll results to date: 75% preferred welcome party + tailgate party + bus

Hotel Accommodations | 5 Star Hotel with Breakfast and Wifi Included

For the trip we offered a trip package with and without a hotel option. We figured that some people would want to try and find hotel accommodations on their own.  Those of us that booked the hotel included package were EXTREMELY happy! We obtained a 5 Star Hotel, usually ranging in price between $200-$300, depending on availability, in the middle of downtown Reforma, which included breakfast and wifi. The hotel breakfast is amazing! All your traditional Mexican dishes such as chilaquiles, freshly squeezed juices of every variety, on the spot cut fruit, and pan dulce were included. This breakfast was the perfect way to start the day. The hotel had other dining options and a premier spa. For those of us traveling with a non-soccer fan spouse or significant other, or you ladies doing a girls trip, I booked my wife a full spa day for under $200. I am talking like the full package with facials, mani-pedi, sauna, mud baths, and more. Let’s just say that my wife is very agreeable to traveling to Mexico City for Mexico games. Free wifi inside the hotel is also a major plus! While using American carriers in Mexico has become easier, it is very much data consuming to be on social media, upload photos, and look up information on data plans. The hotel’s extremely reliable wifi allowed us to do all that we needed to do on our phones, download the information we needed, uploaded what we wanted, and save our data for emergencies.

Poll results to date: 50% preferred $150+ 5 Star Hotel with Wifi + Breakfast

Tailgate Party | Taco Party at Park

This was a fun and relaxed event. We ordered a taquero who came out to a cool location at Chapultepec park and provided tacos and drinks. While the event was nice, we are thinking of improving this event, bringing it indoors, and adding more entertainment.

Poll results to date: 75% preferred welcome party + tailgate party + bus

Welcome Party | Museo de Tequila y Mezcal

Our welcome party became a highlight of the entire trip. Many of the Soldados who traveled with us ended up enjoying the welcome party more than the match itself. The party included a tour of the museum, dinner, drinks, and entertainment. We capped off the event with a special appearance by Luis Roberto Zague. Everyone had a great time enjoying some comradery, traditional Mexican food, and dancing and singing the night away with a Vicente Fernandez and Juan Gabriel impersonators. This event was an expensive add on to the travel package. We have not decided whether or not to include a welcome party, either at the museum or another venue, in this travel package because these two games, unlike the Mexico v. USMNT, are being played on a Tuesday night. We are still in talks with the venues about potentially hosting the event on a Saturday or Sunday for those that wish to travel from either Friday or Saturday to Wednesday.

Poll results to date: 75% preferred welcome party + tailgate party + bus

Mexico Travel for October and November

Although we are still waiting for the final numbers to come in from some vendors and the FMF for tickets, we have decided that we are not going to split the packages up like last time. Its TOO MUCH WORK for us to do and it becomes extremely complicated! It is easier for us to keep the package options to two options and make it all inclusive. The two packages we will have are a 2 day package, arriving Monday night and checking out Wednesday after the Tuesday game, and a 4 day package with arrival on Saturday night and checking out Wednesday.

If you haven't taken the poll and you are interested in attending with our group please take the poll and help us ensure we set up the package as perfectly as possible for everyone. 

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