Headed to the Citrus Bowl? Here’s What It’ll Cost to Get from GRR to Orlando for Michigan’s New Year’s Eve Game

Michigan fans will be packing their maize and blue and heading right back to Florida later this month. The Wolverines are officially Citrus Bowl-bound, taking on Texas at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on December 31.

And if you’re thinking about making the trip, the big question hits fast: how much is it going to cost to get there?

I pulled together the current direct-flight options on Expedia from Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) to Orlando so you don’t have to. To keep things simple (and practical), these options assume you’ll fly out on December 30 (giving yourself a buffer for delays) and head home January 1 (just in case you’re back to work on Thursday, like me.)

Here are your flight options out of GRR:

Frontier Airlines: Departs: 5:24pm on 12/30 and arrives in Orlando at 8:24 pm.
Perfect if you want to work a full day before heading south.

Delta Air Lines: Departs: 7:00a on 12/30 and arrives 9:45a
A great option if you’re hoping to sneak in a half-day at Disney or Universal before game day.

American Airlines: Departs: 7:00a on 12/30 and arrives 10:46a in Orlando
Another early-bird option that still gets you into Orlando before lunchtime.

Then, you can enjoy the game and you’ll want to return on January first so you have two options to get your home direct from Orlando to Grand Rapids.

Frontier Airlines: Departs: 5:30 am and Arrives: 8:30 am into GRR
Painfully early… but it gets you home before breakfast.

Delta Air Lines: Departs: 12:10 pm. & Arrives: 2:55p
More humane timing if you’re not into 3 a.m. alarms.

Here’s the Cheapest Flight Combo (While It Lasts)

Suppose you don’t mind Frontier and you’re trying to keep this trip as affordable as possible. In that case, the best-priced pairing right now is the Frontier 5:24p flight out of GRR on 12/30, then, to take the very early Frontier 5:30 am flight out of Orlando on 1/1.

These two flights will run you around $419 for two adults after fees, which is honestly pretty solid for last-minute air travel.

If flying isn’t your thing (or you’ve got a car full of friends traveling with you), the drive from Grand Rapids to Orlando clocks in at around 17–18 hours depending on traffic and how many Buc-ee’s stops you make. It’s doable in a day with multiple drivers, or you can break it up with an overnight stop somewhere around Kentucky or Georgia.

Either way, if you’re looking for an excuse to root on the Wolverines or just get some sunshine with your Michigan fan spouse, it’s pretty affordable to go if you plan now.