WC: IIHF 2019 Bratislava

[vancouverism]

This is proving to be an exceptionally difficult tournament to organise a visit for. The city's accommodation stock has been sold out for months already, and what is available is truly insane (apartments for 500+/night, hotels and guesthouses charging 4+ times their usual rates).

Our only real hope is to find someone who wants to rent out their apartment for a couple of weeks at a reasonable rate.

Beyond that, the ticket sale was a complete debacle. I managed to snag four day tickets, three of which involve Canada (though they're playing against the three lowest-ranked teams in the group).

 

[palsoft]

Few days back i canceled an accommodation for five person (3+2) in tourist hostel Podnikateľské centrum Strojár - prenájom priestorov na podnikanie a ubytovanie , so you can try there - the prices were reasonable and it's not far from city centre nor the arena. Reason for this step is well known - I didn't get to the tickets

 

[Novak Djokovic]

Yeah, if there is no accommodation available, I'm glad I didn't manage to get the tickets. Planning on a day trip to Bratislava from Vienna, and catching a very irrelevant game (last minute) just for the experience.

 

[Jumptheshark]

The follow my team tickets went fast

 

[Jumptheshark]

The fact that all of team GBs follow my teM tickets are sold out tells me something is ofg

 

[Hesher]

There will be more tickets available in the coming weeks, they only sold out roughly 30 percent of the capacity.

 

[member 305909]

I guess Slovakia just isn't a traditional tourist-country so there is not a lot to offer in the way of accomodation. In the Czech Republic there is Prague which is a major tourist-destination but Bratislava in Slovakia doesn't have the same appeal.

Besides, Bratislava is reachable in a day-trip from Vienna anyway.

What is the main tourist-attraction of Slovakia? I think the Tatras. That's close to Kosice, isn,t it?

 

[Faterson]

What is the main tourist-attraction of Slovakia? I think the Tatras. That's close to Kosice, isn,t it?

Right & right. 70 minutes or so from Poprad to Košice with the Intercity train. It's possible or likely there'll be a price hike in the Tatras during the World Championships, too.

 

[member 305909]

Btw, as Belarus were relegated to div1a for next year are they protected against being relegated a further notch as they co-host the top-division tournament in 2021 so they can't be in div1b in 2020? A theoretecal question I know as they are very unlikely to finish last in div1a.

However, if they fail to win promotion back to top-division next year they will get promoted in 2020 anyway, whatever their performance is?

I think these rules about host-countries being guaranteed a spot in the top-division should be done away with. Rather change the hosts then.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Host team is guaranteed a spot regardless of what happens

 

[Jumptheshark]

I finally talked to someone from the IIHF and they are telling me that the follow my team tickets have sold out

looks like the organizers are switching up how they sell tickets

will be interesting what things look like for the December sale release

 

[Atas2000]

Btw, as Belarus were relegated to div1a for next year are they protected against being relegated a further notch as they co-host the top-division tournament in 2021 so they can't be in div1b in 2020? A theoretecal question I know as they are very unlikely to finish last in div1a.

However, if they fail to win promotion back to top-division next year they will get promoted in 2020 anyway, whatever their performance is?

I think these rules about host-countries being guaranteed a spot in the top-division should be done away with. Rather change the hosts then.

You can't change hosts.

Belarus is a great place to hold the tournament.

 

[member 305909]

Some years ago, I think it was 2009, Germany should have relegated but they were saved because they were the hosts the following year.

In their own tournament the following year they made it to the semi-finals.

 

[tobu]

So I managed to buy 2 daily tickets for 13th May to see my home team: first game is USA-FIN and then follows SVK-CAN. I am contemplating on whether I want to see the first game or not and whether it's possible to pass on (without profit) tickets to the first game to someone else or not.

 

[Jumptheshark]

still trying to figure out just what the hell slovakia did with their plan of selling tickets--in talking with guys who go every year they are confused this year

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

This is proving to be an exceptionally difficult tournament to organise a visit for. The city's accommodation stock has been sold out for months already, and what is available is truly insane (apartments for 500+/night, hotels and guesthouses charging 4+ times their usual rates).

Our only real hope is to find someone who wants to rent out their apartment for a couple of weeks at a reasonable rate.

Beyond that, the ticket sale was a complete debacle. I managed to snag four day tickets, three of which involve Canada (though they're playing against the three lowest-ranked teams in the group).

Here's an idea: Find a place in Vienna. It's 45 minutes away by train and an easy commute for the games. I am traveling to Bratislava for the games on the 12th of May.

Yeah, if there is no accommodation available, I'm glad I didn't manage to get the tickets. Planning on a day trip to Bratislava from Vienna, and catching a very irrelevant game (last minute) just for the experience.

Let me know when you're going. We could meet up.

 

[Faterson]

still trying to figure out just what the hell slovakia did with their plan of selling tickets--in talking with guys who go every year they are confused this year

I'd be confused if you weren't confused.

Here's an idea: Find a place in Vienna. It's 45 minutes away by train and an easy commute for the games. I am traveling to Bratislava for the games on the 12th of May.

Right. Amazing for civilization to be so close, isn't it? I'm walking over to Austria to buy groceries this afternoon as well. That's what you get for growing up in a city through which, directly, the Iron Curtain used to run. I mean, you used to wait on a bus stop and soldiers patrolling the Iron Curtain used to walk up and down the sidewalk, with their rifles loaded and ready to shoot, within a few feet from you. Sometimes, you needed to step aside a bit on the bus stop to let the soldiers pass through on the narrow sidewalk. These precautions were necessary to ensure the population remained imprisoned inside the Communist cage.

The commute doesn't quite work for Košice, naturally. People in the east will likely see this as their once-in-a-lifetime (OK: a-coupla-times-in-a-lifetime) opportunity to skin the visiting tourists alive, in terms of every dollar they can get out of them. Košice and especially the Tatras are still well worth visiting, but... That's also the consequence of having lived for over 4 decades under a regime that was impoverishing its people. I suppose the price to pay for that will be another 4 decades of the rawest, most ruthless capitalism (think of Chicago, the 1930s style – complete with mafia being entangled with the country's top government and law enforcement officials; a journalist and his fiancée being shot dead in their home, etc.)... and then, after those 4 decades of redemption, some signs of gentle civilization might perhaps return to these parts.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I'd be confused if you weren't confused.



Right. Amazing for civilization to be so close, isn't it? I'm walking over to Austria to buy groceries this afternoon as well. That's what you get for growing up in a city through which, directly, the Iron Curtain used to run. I mean, you used to wait on a bus stop and soldiers patrolling the Iron Curtain used to walk up and down the sidewalk, with their rifles loaded and ready to shoot, within a few feet from you. Sometimes, you needed to step aside a bit on the bus stop to let the soldiers pass through on the narrow sidewalk. These precautions were necessary to ensure the population remained imprisoned inside the Communist cage.

The commute doesn't quite work for Košice, naturally. People in the east will likely see this as their once-in-a-lifetime (OK: a-coupla-times-in-a-lifetime) opportunity to skin the visiting tourists alive, in terms of every dollar they can get out of them. Košice and especially the Tatras are still well worth visiting, but... That's also the consequence of having lived for over 4 decades under a regime that was impoverishing its people. I suppose the price to pay for that will be another 4 decades of the rawest, most ruthless capitalism (think of Chicago, the 1930s style – complete with mafia being entangled with the country's top government and law enforcement officials; a journalist and his fiancée being shot dead in their home, etc.)... and then, after those 4 decades of redemption, some signs of gentle civilization might perhaps return to these parts.

I fully understand why the prices are so high. Of course they want to take advantage of this opportunity. I lived in South Africa during the FIFA world cup and people massively overcharged for their guestrooms. I did the same. I was away for work a lot anyway so I made some good money with people paying up to 300 euros a night per person to stay at my place.

It doesn't bother me as much as it does others since I live so close anyway. When I flew to Copenhagen last May for a game the hotels were also more expensive than any other month. It is what it is.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I fully understand why the prices are so high. Of course they want to take advantage of this opportunity. I lived in South Africa during the FIFA world cup and people massively overcharged for their guestrooms. I did the same. I was away for work a lot anyway so I made some good money with people paying up to 300 euros a night per person to stay at my place.

It doesn't bother me as much as it does others since I live so close anyway. When I flew to Copenhagen last May for a game the hotels were also more expensive than any other month. It is what it is.

prices are always high

that is not the issue--the issue is their plan for ticketing

for Russia, Prague and Paris I was able to get fallow your team tickets on Dec 20th--but for Denmark and now Slovakia things have changed and the people I talked to last year who went to Denmark said that there were a lot of empty seats at games that were usually full

 

[vancouverism]

Here's an idea: Find a place in Vienna. It's 45 minutes away by train and an easy commute for the games. I am traveling to Bratislava for the games on the 12th of May.

Vienna is *not* 45 minutes away from Košice.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Vienna is *not* 45 minutes away from Košice.

Did I say that?

 

[vancouverism]

Did I say that?

Right here: WC: - IIHF 2019 Bratislava

 

[GBHockey]

Team GB have announced a series of warm up games prior to heading out to Kosice.

Wednesday 6th February: Great Britain v Dinamo Riga (KHL) – Skydome Coventry
Friday 19th April: Great Britain v Italy – Skydome Coventry
Sunday 21st April: Great Britain v Hungary – Planet Ice Milton Keynes
Saturday 27th April: Great Britain v Torpedo Nizhniy Novgorod (KHL)– Motorpoint Arena Nottingham
Sunday 28th April: Great Britain v Torpedo Nizhniy Novgorod (KHL) – Fly DSA Arena Sheffield

Great games for the GB fans unable to attend the WC and a good test for GB themselves but I'd expect losses in perhaps at least 3 of the 5.

 

[Elvs]

I'm just starting to look into the possibility of traveling to Slovakia with friends during the tournament. We are thinking about staying for 2 weeks, start in Bratislava, make our way to Kosice with a couple of stops on the way (including the Tatras) and then maybe back to Bratislava for playoffs.

That begs the question, how smoothly can one travel back and forth between Bratislava and Kosice by bus? The E58 seems to have shortest distance, but E75 and road 22 is nicer, no? And it's passing near the Tatras. What cities near the E75+22 are the best to stay in? Trencin, Zilina, Martin, Liptovsky Mikulas, Poprad, Presov?

Also, is there a railroad between all these places as well?

 

[Faterson]

Not the bus for Bratislava to Košice and vice versa. Everyone takes the train for that route, takes less than 5 hours with the Intercity train, and it passes through the Tatras (Poprad) along the way, so you can't really ask for a better connection.