I want to try Priceline but I'm scared!!!! Advice please!

[Llisa]

I'm worried that I'll end up at a hotel that's further away from Disneyland than I'd like - I'd prefer something that's 15 minutes (or less) walking distance. On the other hand, the idea of getting a bargain rate is very appealing - lol. Those of you who've used Priceline, could you please provide your input.

Thanks in advance for your help.

PS - in case it's relevant, we're planning on spending the last week of June at Disneyland.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Don't do it without www.biddingfortravel.com. We never go it without them.

If you go 3* there are only a few hotels that aren't within walking distance (Hyatt Regency Orange County is one), but the Anaheim Resort transportation is very efficient and generally not too much of a hassle.

Priceline only guarantees accomodations for two adults. That being said, we've never had a problem getting a room that meets our needs. Registering for you hotel's frequent-stayer program is helpful in getting preferred rooms and nice deals on upgrades.

Non-smoking is automatically requested by Priceline, but not guaranteed. Again, rarey a problem, but figure your odds of getting a smoking room increase with higher occupancies.

With a little legwork, an educated bid is very easy to make and it's difficult to come out anything but a WINNER!

Good Luck!

 

[year2late]

Hyatt Regency is my most frequent winning bid....definitly not walking distance, but I totally agree that the bus system is efficient.

Bidding for travel is a valuable site for Priceline bidding. It will clue you in on how to get a free rebids in order to achieve the best deal.

I am too chicken to use it for airlines myself, but I get fabulous deals on rental cars all the time.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Aifare on Priceline is a tough proposition. It works best where there is limited intineraries between two points and you can reasonably narrow down the possibilities to less than a half-dozen posibilities (all of which you would be willing to work with to save a few bucks).

I just recently won a bid for Seattle to Maui (UAL through SFO). I saved about $350 over the cheapest airfare at the time. By eliminating red-eye flights, I was able to limit the return to one routing. All flights going were at reasonable hours. About an hour of research and a patient bidding process led to a great savings (all-told, I think I re-bid about 6 or 7 times during the course of one evening).

There is almost limitless re-bidding on airfares by restarting using other city names adjacent to the airport.

 

[Katybug236]

to get the hyatt Regency what price did you guys plug in?

 

[Uncle Buck]

No guarantee, but the Hyatt has been hitting as low as $32/night lately.

 

[JenniferW]

I LOVE Priceline and use it often, but it means that you have to be flexible and happy with what you get. I've bid for May in Anaheim and gotten the Hyatt Regency and other times have gotten the Marriott. If you are particular about the exact location it is not for you. Also, make 100% sure you will be travelling since it is non refunable. Looking at the priceline and expedia bidding link will help immensely. It took me a few times and reading through it and a few dry runs before it all made sense. Once it did, we use Priceline for all the hotels we can.

Jenn

 

[year2late]

Originally posted by Katybug236
to get the hyatt Regency what price did you guys plug in?

You will not be bidding for "Hyatt Regency". You will be bidding for three star hotels in the DL are (one mile radius).The site I have listed below gives a list of bids /hotels....check it out. My bids have been $27 - $40.

If you go to the site Biddng for travel it will give you hints on how to get free rebids to get the lowest winning bids.

 

[HomeChicken]

the marriott (10 min walk to DL)took our bid of $80 for a night. on 4/8/03 and we thought it was well worth every penny of our bid. I'll have to try "bidding for travel" next time. we have used priceline 4 times for hotels and always bid for the most star hotel and always been happy with our purchase.

 

[year2late]

Bidding for travel(.com) has been a great help.

Their instrctions on "free rebids" was the best!

 

[disneychrista]

I agree that the bidding for travel's FAQ's have some pretty good info. The moderators of the board though, can be a bit on the harsh side, so posters be ware.

I bid $33 and got the Hyatt. I feel sorry for anyone who paid more for the basic room, because it was very dirty (old dirty/stained carpet, the ironing board cover was stained/dirty, the bathtub appeared to have toothpaste in it). We ended up paying for an upgrade and that room was still dirty (carpet stained.

I will still likely bid on priceline again because that is how we can afford to go BUT you can bet if I get the Hyatt again, I will be inspecting the room BEFORE accepting it.

 

[year2late]

I have never had such a problem with our frequent stays there. Hopefully it was a fluke.