WOW, I've done priceline for years now and never realized there was any bonus stuff offered!
Priceline bonuses aren't mentioned much, they are one of the hidden gems you have to dig for.
Did you do a name your price for that rate, or was it just the reg priceline rate with the bonus applied?
Let's say you have a $10/day bonus for up to 5 days, with a 3 day minimum. You bid $20/day for 5 days on a 3 star. Priceline adds the bonus and makes your bid $30/day. Let's say instead that you want to stay for 10 days. You bid $20/day again. Priceline divides the max bonus by the number of days and makes the bid $25/day. Something to consider:
Le's say you wanted to spend 3 days close to Universal and 3 days close to WDW. You have your $50 bonus, $10/day for 5 days. You bid $20/day on the Universal hotel. Priceline adds in the bonus and makes it $30. You win
Now you go to bid on your other 3 days. You bid $20. Priceline adds nothing. You have one chance to use your bonus so pay attention to the details and maximize what they give you.
I am always wary of the NYP option in Orlando because there are sooooo many nasty places you could get!! And as you mentioned, you can get slammed with resort fees from too many properties!
If you go to sites like betterbidding and biddingfortravel you can usually get an idea of what hotels are awarding winning bids. You can also get a list of hotels in your star range and research them. Between these 2 strategies you can get a decent idea of where you will end up. If you also are on a budget, especially one trying to get off as cheaply as possible, go in with the attitude that you are looking for a comfortable, safe to sleep and you can be pleasantly surprised when you get something that exceeds your expectations. I've been using Priceline as long as there's been a Priceline and I can say that I've never had a room that would have made me regret bidding on it. Something like a resort fee is an annoyance but it still only made the room $33/day.
Here is a little tip you can use as an insurance policy if you are the skittish type. I've never had this not work though theoretically it's possible at a super busy time. Let's say you wanted to stay in Orlando for a week but you're nervous about being stuck in a dump for that amount of time. Bid for 2 or 3 days. When you win, Priceline will tell you the name of the hotel and offer to extend your stay at the same rate.
Now you have a name, a location and a rate. Open another window in your browser and check out the hotel. Read the reviews. Call the front desk and ask if they have a resort fee or charge for parking. Satisfy yourself that it's where you won't mind staying. If it isn't you only have it for 2 days and can look for something else. If you like it then extend your stay at the same rate. It will actually cost you a couple of dollars more because they will charge you a 2nd booking fee but it's worth it for the peace of mind.
Running the numbers, I think we could do 4day tickets for around $500 for all of us (after the GAD discount), room at the cheap hotel would be $160 for 5 nights. Travel there and back would be around $300 (gas and hotel each way). And then some food ($120=$30/day?-my kids are super light eaters and it'd just be one meal, plus a treat here and there). Parking at the parks $50 for 4 days. Total would be around $1100. Can I get it cheaper than that?
Bring your own treats, don't buy anything at the parks. Look at local yard sales or thrift shops for souvenirs, your kids won't know the difference. Do your research now on your hotel and the area around it. Does it have a fridge? If it doesn't does it have an ice machine? Between those 2 you can store food. Find out what supermarkets are in the area (Publix and
WalMart Supercenters are the dominant markets in the area though there is also Winn Dixie and other smaller ones). Look through the sales circulars so you can plan your meals in advance. If you are all light eaters one rotisserie chicken and a couple of sides can be a main meal with maybe even some leftovers to nibble on later. Rotisserie chickens are on sale this week for $4 at our local market, look for sales like that.
If you have the means to post here for information you also have the means to look and see what's on sale at the Orlando markets the week you go. Plan accordingly. Look and see what's on sale at home now. Think in terms of easy meals and snacks you can transport down, especially stuff that doesn't need to be refrigerated. Even stuff you can freeze for later. Today my wife bought orange juice for $1.25 a gallon container. It went into the freezer. March 5th when we drive down it will be in the car and starting to thaw out by the time we get to Orlando. Nice cheap healthy drinks. Plan, plan, plan, look at every bargain in terms of how it can be used for your vacation. Money you save now is money you don't have to spend later.
See if your hotel has a free or cheap shuttle and ask yourselves if the inconvenience is worth $14/day to you.
Oh, and more info on the timeshare thing please. I don't know that we'd mind a presentation if it meant free tickets. But we'd have a 5 and 2 year old with us, so would that even be an option?
The resorts all have daycare centers and will keep the kids entertained while you tour.
