Priceline Express Deals

[SarahC97]

How does Better Bidding work?

There's a search function at the top of the page. It looks at Hotwire and Priceline for you, then you can click their link if you see a price to want to go to the site.

 

[FreeTheTikiBirds!]

What is the deal lately with all of the Express deals being MORE expensive than their normal listing? I got so excited finding GF and CSR until I saw the original price was actually less...

 

[TangledHairDon'tCare]

What is the deal lately with all of the Express deals being MORE expensive than their normal listing? I got so excited finding GF and CSR until I saw the original price was actually less...

Are you sure they're the same resort? That seems very strange.

 

[Louie7080]

What is the deal lately with all of the Express deals being MORE expensive than their normal listing? I got so excited finding GF and CSR until I saw the original price was actually less...

Or are the room types the same? I don't think you can tell what the room type is for an PE deal though.

 

[FreeTheTikiBirds!]

I found the CSR on BetterBidding.

3.5* in Bonnet Creek, the right amenities, and they're telling me the express deal is $211 when Priceline is telling me the regular price is $204.

When I compared the number of TripAdvisor reviews they're almost exactly the same. Maybe I'm doing this totally wrong. HotelCanary stopped working with Hotwire for me.

 

[ShadeDK]

Glad to hear that others have had success with the Priceline reservations. I, however, have not been so lucky. For the posterity of this thread and different experiences, I'll pass along what I've encountered so far.

I booked an express deal last Thursday for a late summer stay at AKL-Jambo. Like others, the confirmation number from Priceline did not work in MDE right away and so I waited (as well as confirmed through Priceline support chat late Friday that it could take up to 48 hours). The number still was not working yesterday (Day 4) in MDE. I saw on here, however, that others who booked the same resort in the last few days had been able to link their reservations using Priceline's confirmation number. I contacted Priceline support by chat again last night to ask if they could confirm the reservation and provide the internal Disney confirmation number (which should be available as soon as Priceline made the booking even if Disney's internal number was not yet connected with the Priceline confirmation number - basically, give me Disney's internal number so I can link the reservation in MDE). The support person said that she contacted Disney Wholesale, who told her they would need Priceline to fax a request to them and that it would take 24-48 hours to resolve. She was not able to give me a Disney confirmation number. Something didn't sound ... right.

Today - day 5 since my booking - the Priceline confirmation number still wasn't recognized by MDE. I contacted Disney Wholesale myself to see if I could get a confirmation number. The Wholesale person was immensely helpful and knowledgeable - even though, after taking my name and reservation dates, she had to tell me that they had no record at all of any booking under my name. She even checked AKL and AKL-Kidani to see if they'd moved the reservation there. Nothing. I asked how long it usually took for Priceline bookings to show up in their system - up to 48 hours. She thought that 5 days was unusual and that it seems as though Priceline had not made the reservation. (I'll add that, as of last night, AKL-Jambo was still showing up as an express deal for the exact same dates that I selected).

I then spent an hour on the phone talking to Priceline support and then a manager (the latter couldn't talk fast enough trying to get me off the phone after it was escalated). The support person told me that a case already had been opened (for what??) and sent to the back office - which he said would take 10 business days for the back office to resolve. After objecting to that, he put me on hold to speak with Disney Wholesale - when he came back, he told me that he was told Disney's practice was not to release that information until 10 days before the stay begins (completely false). I kept trying to explain that was not the case - and that if Priceline in fact had made a reservation it should be in Disney's system by now and an internal Disney confirmation number available. He said that they were contacting Disney, but again it would take 24-48 hours for anything to show up. I was finally transferred to a manager - who also put me on hold to contact Disney only to get back on the line and tell me that I should hear something within 3 days. I kept reminding them that they had charged me for the booking immediately, but so far could not provide any evidence that they had actually made the reservation with Disney. So it seems as though I will be waiting at least several more days trying to bring this to resolution. I'll continue trying MDE to see if the Priceline confirmation works, but I'm not optimistic. Not that I was expecting it, but none of the Priceline support ever even suggested a refund or cancellation option.

It's a shame - as the Priceline express deals seem like something I would use quite often. Clearly they seem to work for most people on here - seems fantastic if it works as intended. It's one and done for me, however, after this experience. Half the price, but ten times the headache.

 

[biochemgirl]

Glad to hear that others have had success with the Priceline reservations. I, however, have not been so lucky. For the posterity of this thread and different experiences, I'll pass along what I've encountered so far.

I booked an express deal last Thursday for a late summer stay at AKL-Jambo. Like others, the confirmation number from Priceline did not work in MDE right away and so I waited (as well as confirmed through Priceline support chat late Friday that it could take up to 48 hours). The number still was not working yesterday (Day 4) in MDE. I saw on here, however, that others who booked the same resort in the last few days had been able to link their reservations using Priceline's confirmation number. I contacted Priceline support by chat again last night to ask if they could confirm the reservation and provide the internal Disney confirmation number (which should be available as soon as Priceline made the booking even if Disney's internal number was not yet connected with the Priceline confirmation number - basically, give me Disney's internal number so I can link the reservation in MDE). The support person said that she contacted Disney Wholesale, who told her they would need Priceline to fax a request to them and that it would take 24-48 hours to resolve. She was not able to give me a Disney confirmation number. Something didn't sound ... right.

Today - day 5 since my booking - the Priceline confirmation number still wasn't recognized by MDE. I contacted Disney Wholesale myself to see if I could get a confirmation number. The Wholesale person was immensely helpful and knowledgeable - even though, after taking my name and reservation dates, she had to tell me that they had no record at all of any booking under my name. She even checked AKL and AKL-Kidani to see if they'd moved the reservation there. Nothing. I asked how long it usually took for Priceline bookings to show up in their system - up to 48 hours. She thought that 5 days was unusual and that it seems as though Priceline had not made the reservation. (I'll add that, as of last night, AKL-Jambo was still showing up as an express deal for the exact same dates that I selected).

I then spent an hour on the phone talking to Priceline support and then a manager (the latter couldn't talk fast enough trying to get me off the phone after it was escalated). The support person told me that a case already had been opened (for what??) and sent to the back office - which he said would take 10 business days for the back office to resolve. After objecting to that, he put me on hold to speak with Disney Wholesale - when he came back, he told me that he was told Disney's practice was not to release that information until 10 days before the stay begins (completely false). I kept trying to explain that was not the case - and that if Priceline in fact had made a reservation it should be in Disney's system by now and an internal Disney confirmation number available. He said that they were contacting Disney, but again it would take 24-48 hours for anything to show up. I was finally transferred to a manager - who also put me on hold to contact Disney only to get back on the line and tell me that I should hear something within 3 days. I kept reminding them that they had charged me for the booking immediately, but so far could not provide any evidence that they had actually made the reservation with Disney. So it seems as though I will be waiting at least several more days trying to bring this to resolution. I'll continue trying MDE to see if the Priceline confirmation works, but I'm not optimistic. Not that I was expecting it, but none of the Priceline support ever even suggested a refund or cancellation option.

It's a shame - as the Priceline express deals seem like something I would use quite often. Clearly they seem to work for most people on here - seems fantastic if it works as intended. It's one and done for me, however, after this experience. Half the price, but ten times the headache.

I'm sorry you are experiencing this. If you want this reservation, it may still work out, but it will not be easy. Here's my story: I had a similar experience with my AKV-Jambo PL booking at the end of December. I have booked successfully with PL in the paste so I knew something was wrong. It took me 7 days to get confirmation and during that time I spent hours on the phone between PL and Disney Wholesale. Many of those calls simply ended with the stall tactic of "it takes 24-48 hours" or "a case has been opened." I was also told at one point by PL that Disney had no inventory and my reservation needed to be cancelled (another diser posted about this too). Finally, it popped up in MDE as Kidani Village. PL insisted my reservation was for Jambo and denied that Disney had me in Kidani. After several more days passed and hours on the phone, a PL rep talked to Disney Wholesale and got my reservation straightened out. There is something hinky about AKV-Jambo reservations that PL is selling.

 

[ShadeDK]

I'm sorry you are experiencing this. If you want this reservation, it may still work out, but it will not be easy. Here's my story: I had a similar experience with my AKV-Jambo PL booking at the end of December. I have booked successfully with PL in the paste so I knew something was wrong. It took me 7 days to get confirmation and during that time I spent hours on the phone between PL and Disney Wholesale. Many of those calls simply ended with the stall tactic of "it takes 24-48 hours" or "a case has been opened." I was also told at one point by PL that Disney had no inventory and my reservation needed to be cancelled (another diser posted about this too). Finally, it popped up in MDE as Kidani Village. PL insisted my reservation was for Jambo and denied that Disney had me in Kidani. After several more days passed and hours on the phone, a PL rep talked to Disney Wholesale and got my reservation straightened out. There is something hinky about AKV-Jambo reservations that PL is selling.

Thanks - I had read that some people have had issues with PL - and that often the confirmation will finally work, so I'll keep checking it. I have plenty of time to straighten this out, so it's really more the aggravation and time. The parts that bother me most, however, are PL's insistence that I have a reservation despite nothing in Disney's system, and the misinformation (like the comment that reservations don't show up in the hotel systems until right before the stay). I'd never expect the PL reps to know everything about Disney reservations - but I'd feel for any inexperienced guests who were told something similar by PL and then thought they couldn't link their reservations for FPs, MBs and DME until days before they arrived.

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

Glad to hear that others have had success with the Priceline reservations. I, however, have not been so lucky. For the posterity of this thread and different experiences, I'll pass along what I've encountered so far.

I booked an express deal last Thursday for a late summer stay at AKL-Jambo. Like others, the confirmation number from Priceline did not work in MDE right away and so I waited (as well as confirmed through Priceline support chat late Friday that it could take up to 48 hours). The number still was not working yesterday (Day 4) in MDE. I saw on here, however, that others who booked the same resort in the last few days had been able to link their reservations using Priceline's confirmation number. I contacted Priceline support by chat again last night to ask if they could confirm the reservation and provide the internal Disney confirmation number (which should be available as soon as Priceline made the booking even if Disney's internal number was not yet connected with the Priceline confirmation number - basically, give me Disney's internal number so I can link the reservation in MDE). The support person said that she contacted Disney Wholesale, who told her they would need Priceline to fax a request to them and that it would take 24-48 hours to resolve. She was not able to give me a Disney confirmation number. Something didn't sound ... right.

Today - day 5 since my booking - the Priceline confirmation number still wasn't recognized by MDE. I contacted Disney Wholesale myself to see if I could get a confirmation number. The Wholesale person was immensely helpful and knowledgeable - even though, after taking my name and reservation dates, she had to tell me that they had no record at all of any booking under my name. She even checked AKL and AKL-Kidani to see if they'd moved the reservation there. Nothing. I asked how long it usually took for Priceline bookings to show up in their system - up to 48 hours. She thought that 5 days was unusual and that it seems as though Priceline had not made the reservation. (I'll add that, as of last night, AKL-Jambo was still showing up as an express deal for the exact same dates that I selected).

I then spent an hour on the phone talking to Priceline support and then a manager (the latter couldn't talk fast enough trying to get me off the phone after it was escalated). The support person told me that a case already had been opened (for what??) and sent to the back office - which he said would take 10 business days for the back office to resolve. After objecting to that, he put me on hold to speak with Disney Wholesale - when he came back, he told me that he was told Disney's practice was not to release that information until 10 days before the stay begins (completely false). I kept trying to explain that was not the case - and that if Priceline in fact had made a reservation it should be in Disney's system by now and an internal Disney confirmation number available. He said that they were contacting Disney, but again it would take 24-48 hours for anything to show up. I was finally transferred to a manager - who also put me on hold to contact Disney only to get back on the line and tell me that I should hear something within 3 days. I kept reminding them that they had charged me for the booking immediately, but so far could not provide any evidence that they had actually made the reservation with Disney. So it seems as though I will be waiting at least several more days trying to bring this to resolution. I'll continue trying MDE to see if the Priceline confirmation works, but I'm not optimistic. Not that I was expecting it, but none of the Priceline support ever even suggested a refund or cancellation option.

It's a shame - as the Priceline express deals seem like something I would use quite often. Clearly they seem to work for most people on here - seems fantastic if it works as intended. It's one and done for me, however, after this experience. Half the price, but ten times the headache.

Ugh at this point I think I’d just put a claim in with my credit card company. Not worth the headache

 

[ShadeDK]

Ugh at this point I think I’d just put a claim in with my credit card company. Not worth the headache

I'll give them a few more days for the reservation either to show up or for PL to resolve it. Disputing the charge is an option if that doesn't occur - although PL's terms are heavily weighted against the consumer when it comes to disputes and chargebacks (particularly for express deals). Basically - PL works great when everything goes smoothly, but can go bad quickly on the customer service side if there's a problem. That's the "price" of the discount I suppose.

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

I'll give them a few more days for the reservation either to show up or for PL to resolve it. Disputing the charge is an option if that doesn't occur - although PL's terms are heavily weighted against the consumer when it comes to disputes and chargebacks (particularly for express deals). Basically - PL works great when everything goes smoothly, but can go bad quickly on the customer service side if there's a problem. That's the "price" of the discount I suppose.

Right but still you dont have the reservation within an appropriate time frame. But maybe it will sort out in a few days. Did you happen to use Amex? I think they are better at just clearing up disputes

 

[TangledHairDon'tCare]

Glad to hear that others have had success with the Priceline reservations. I, however, have not been so lucky. For the posterity of this thread and different experiences, I'll pass along what I've encountered so far.

I booked an express deal last Thursday for a late summer stay at AKL-Jambo. Like others, the confirmation number from Priceline did not work in MDE right away and so I waited (as well as confirmed through Priceline support chat late Friday that it could take up to 48 hours). The number still was not working yesterday (Day 4) in MDE. I saw on here, however, that others who booked the same resort in the last few days had been able to link their reservations using Priceline's confirmation number. I contacted Priceline support by chat again last night to ask if they could confirm the reservation and provide the internal Disney confirmation number (which should be available as soon as Priceline made the booking even if Disney's internal number was not yet connected with the Priceline confirmation number - basically, give me Disney's internal number so I can link the reservation in MDE). The support person said that she contacted Disney Wholesale, who told her they would need Priceline to fax a request to them and that it would take 24-48 hours to resolve. She was not able to give me a Disney confirmation number. Something didn't sound ... right.

Today - day 5 since my booking - the Priceline confirmation number still wasn't recognized by MDE. I contacted Disney Wholesale myself to see if I could get a confirmation number. The Wholesale person was immensely helpful and knowledgeable - even though, after taking my name and reservation dates, she had to tell me that they had no record at all of any booking under my name. She even checked AKL and AKL-Kidani to see if they'd moved the reservation there. Nothing. I asked how long it usually took for Priceline bookings to show up in their system - up to 48 hours. She thought that 5 days was unusual and that it seems as though Priceline had not made the reservation. (I'll add that, as of last night, AKL-Jambo was still showing up as an express deal for the exact same dates that I selected).

I then spent an hour on the phone talking to Priceline support and then a manager (the latter couldn't talk fast enough trying to get me off the phone after it was escalated). The support person told me that a case already had been opened (for what??) and sent to the back office - which he said would take 10 business days for the back office to resolve. After objecting to that, he put me on hold to speak with Disney Wholesale - when he came back, he told me that he was told Disney's practice was not to release that information until 10 days before the stay begins (completely false). I kept trying to explain that was not the case - and that if Priceline in fact had made a reservation it should be in Disney's system by now and an internal Disney confirmation number available. He said that they were contacting Disney, but again it would take 24-48 hours for anything to show up. I was finally transferred to a manager - who also put me on hold to contact Disney only to get back on the line and tell me that I should hear something within 3 days. I kept reminding them that they had charged me for the booking immediately, but so far could not provide any evidence that they had actually made the reservation with Disney. So it seems as though I will be waiting at least several more days trying to bring this to resolution. I'll continue trying MDE to see if the Priceline confirmation works, but I'm not optimistic. Not that I was expecting it, but none of the Priceline support ever even suggested a refund or cancellation option.

It's a shame - as the Priceline express deals seem like something I would use quite often. Clearly they seem to work for most people on here - seems fantastic if it works as intended. It's one and done for me, however, after this experience. Half the price, but ten times the headache.

I'm sorry yours hasn't gone as smoothly as mine, especially considering we booked on the same day and for around the same time! I contacted PL and they told me some of the same stuff as you, but they also offered me a full refund if I didn't want to wait to see if the reservation went through.

 

[disneyworldmagic_]

I'm sorry yours hasn't gone as smoothly as mine, especially considering we booked on the same day and for around the same time! I contacted PL and they told me some of the same stuff as you, but they also offered me a full refund if I didn't want to wait to see if the reservation went through.

Yes, so sorry to hear! There is a user in here a few pages earlier who mentioned they had to wait 12 days to connect their reservation. Hopefully yours connects soon!

 

[ShadeDK]

Thanks all - I'll update whatever happens. It's useful information to pass on since experiences differ. Glad others have had success - that's the way it should be. It's not our only trip down this year, so at least this isn't make-or-break.

As part of my earlier post, I'd really hoped that the Law of Premature Internet Rants would kick in, so that I found my confirmation number worked immediately after putting that up. Alas, I wasn't so unlucky.

 

[Araminta18]

I agree with the poster who says there's something hinky about the PL express deals for AKL--most of the problems I've read about on here and reddit and other places have been with PL and AKL. I booked WL and YC and the confirmations worked immediately. Such a weird thing about AKL! Hope you guys are able to get it all straightened out--that's so frustrating!

 

[TangledHairDon'tCare]

I agree with the poster who says there's something hinky about the PL express deals for AKL--most of the problems I've read about on here and reddit and other places have been with PL and AKL. I booked WL and YC and the confirmations worked immediately. Such a weird thing about AKL! Hope you guys are able to get it all straightened out--that's so frustrating!

Hmm, could be something to this since my CSR express deal worked immediately too. Do you think its something to do with DVC? All of the deals I have seen are for AK Villas.

 

[SarahC97]

Hmm, could be something to this since my CSR express deal worked immediately too. Do you think its something to do with DVC? All of the deals I have seen are for AK Villas.

I agree. The bookings I've done through PL for Sports and CSR worked right away. Interesting...

 

[CJK]

I agree with the poster who says there's something hinky about the PL express deals for AKL--most of the problems I've read about on here and reddit and other places have been with PL and AKL. I booked WL and YC and the confirmations worked immediately. Such a weird thing about AKL! Hope you guys are able to get it all straightened out--that's so frustrating!

Agreed! We booked BWI and had no trouble linking to MDE.

 

[momincolorado]

I had a priceline booking for AKL back in December, got the confirmation # right away and was able to link it immediately. I think the problem is the DVC booking not the regular resort rooms.

 

[Araminta18]

I had a priceline booking for AKL back in December, got the confirmation # right away and was able to link it immediately. I think the problem is the DVC booking not the regular resort rooms.

That would make sense; DVC availability for cash seems to be a bit wonky anyways, much less through a third party.