The Belfast Christmas Market opens on Saturday, November 15. It’s on the grounds of City Hall.
I usually prefer to plan my own trips and avoid group tours, so I’m leaning towards just booking the Belfast portion with the group and then doing the rest of the country by myself either before or after (probably after)…
I’m with you, and the price is a little higher than I’d like.
That said, a contact of a contact went this past November and said the tour far exceeded expectations and couldn’t recommend it highly enough.
That’s good to hear! I also thought it was a little on the high side, but I usually stay in airbnbs that are much cheaper than hotels would be. Getting to do things with the team/other Miami fans definitely ups the group tour value to me, though. Since that’s allegedly the purpose of the trip and all… 
I usually do the same. I use the Rome2Rio app for coordinating European area ground travel.
Because I just really needed something to look forward to right now, I booked my flights and put down my deposit for the tour! I’m not flying back until 12/10 so should have plenty of time to explore the rest of the country after the Belfast/hockey portion of the trip. The trips portion of my Delta app was looking sadly bare but is much better now! 
Just booked a flight on Nov. 24 (Monday) to Dec. 2 (Tuesday) for $592 out of Cincinnati, round trip to Dublin. Three-hour layover in Philadelphia on the way to, 2.5-hour layover in Heathrow on the way back.
Two-hour bus ride to Belfast is ~$30. Coming back to Dublin on Sunday.
O’Hare has some very cheap direct flights.
Does anyone know of any other Miami program participating in a collegiate event outside of the country?
Hockey has had Canadian teams play in Oxford (and lost every time!) but I can’t recall a Miami team playing outside of the country.
The synchronized skating team competes internationally. And the football team had the Bahamas Bowl a couple years ago
Jamaica Classic for basketball in Montego Bay in 2017
Basketball played a pre season game in the Dominican Republic recently I think
Yeah, football of course. Duh.
I have no idea what the deal will be with tickets if you’re not going with their package. I asked a BLC friend of mine. Not sure if anyone here knows any more.
If we’re on our own, it looks like there’s an early bird special for 43 pounds (57 dollars) for all four games available on the rink’s website.
I didn’t realize visas were required for a stay in the UK and EU…gotta get that taken care of.
Just back from Belfast and would highly recommend taking a Black Taxi tour if you want to see and learn a bit about the Troubles.
Also, Patrick Radden Keefe’s book (which has been turned into a mini series on Hulu), “Say Nothing”, is an excellent read on the topic.
Thanks for the recommendation – looks fascinating and I’ve been reading about the area as well.
I’m definitely interested but I’m not sure how much free time I’ll have there.
Kind of watching the $$, but where do you recommend staying?
We stayed at Bullitt Hotel in the city center area. Walkable to restaurants and bars, with a fun coffee, bar and restaurant setup at the hotel. But I have to confess I haven’t looked where the hockey arena is so I’m not sure if this would be a good spot for that purpose.
Looks like maybe you just need an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization)- £16 and you can apply online
https://www.aerlingus.com/prepare/passports-and-visas/travel-to-from-britain/
The ETA requirement is new…I think it just went into effect in the past month or two. Basically the UK’s response to the US now requiring EU and UK citizens to get visas. It sounds like it should be a pretty quick and easy thing to take care of.
Yeah, it just kicked in recently for US citizens. I got one last month for an upcoming trip and it took maybe 10 minutes to apply and got an automated approval within a few hours. It gets linked to your passport number for border control to see, so nothing to print or worry about showing when you arrive.
Just be careful to do it directly through the UK government and their official app, other places will charge you more to “help you”.
Was told tickets are general admission except for a section for people who purchase the travel package.