Priceline Express Deals

[Tom_E_D]

It does have 800 reviews & also says 2 double beds. Do any other hotels have double beds?

Are there any other hotels in the greater Orlando area that have double beds? Very likely. Are there any that Priceline calls 4*, 800 reviews, 8+ rated, with a $35 resort fee? Very, very, very unlikely. As it is, Priceline seems to have only one 4*, 800 review, 8+ rated hotel in the Bonnet Creek area (Are you looking in Bonnet Creek? You didn't say) and it's the Dolphin, which happens to have double beds and a $35 resort fee. Further confirmation: Priceline shows the Dolphin as $251 as a transparent deal when I search your dates; your Express deal is $215 after 14% off. The math matches. I'd say it's a 99.99% chance that you've found the Dolphin.

The remaining question is whether it's a good deal. Priceline Express deals have a fee which they hide under "Taxes and Fees" when you look at the final price. It's about 10% of the room rate. That means you're only really saving about 4% if it says 14%. Meanwhile, you're locking yourself into a non-refundable deal. You'll ultimately have to decide whether it's worth it, but I recommend that you check out what the refundable rate would be to stay at the Dolphin for your dates before committing to a non-refundable rate. Marriott offers various discounts for AAA, Seniors, etc. including, as already mentioned by someone above, Disney Annual Passholders. Is there any chance of the price going lower between now and your trip? Yes, but there is also a chance it'll go higher. I don't know enough about how the Dolphin's prices fluctuate to predict which way it'll go. Good luck.

 

[JJTNY]

Tom nailed that advice, right there.

 

[Tom_E_D]

Tom nailed that advice, right there.

I've learned from the Expert.

 

[Bella749]

Are there any other hotels in the greater Orlando area that have double beds? Very likely. Are there any that Priceline calls 4*, 800 reviews, 8+ rated, with a $35 resort fee? Very, very, very unlikely. As it is, Priceline seems to have only one 4*, 800 review, 8+ rated hotel in the Bonnet Creek area (Are you looking in Bonnet Creek? You didn't say) and it's the Dolphin, which happens to have double beds and a $35 resort fee. Further confirmation: Priceline shows the Dolphin as $251 as a transparent deal when I search your dates; your Express deal is $215 after 14% off. The math matches. I'd say it's a 99.99% chance that you've found the Dolphin.

The remaining question is whether it's a good deal. Priceline Express deals have a fee which they hide under "Taxes and Fees" when you look at the final price. It's about 10% of the room rate. That means you're only really saving about 4% if it says 14%. Meanwhile, you're locking yourself into a non-refundable deal. You'll ultimately have to decide whether it's worth it, but I recommend that you check out what the refundable rate would be to stay at the Dolphin for your dates before committing to a non-refundable rate. Marriott offers various discounts for AAA, Seniors, etc. including, as already mentioned by someone above, Disney Annual Passholders. Is there any chance of the price going lower between now and your trip? Yes, but there is also a chance it'll go higher. I don't know enough about how the Dolphin's prices fluctuate to predict which way it'll go. Good luck.

Thank you for all your help! I was looking in the Bonnet Creek area. I also checked out some discounts directly through Marriott and unfortunately nothing great came up.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

What’s the sweet spot for when to look for WDW inventory? Going Nov 17-20 and not seeing much on there right now. Fingers crossed for Yacht.

 

[beebee2786]

I'd say right before? I've never booked Disney through Priceline but I always got my deals fairly last minute which can be a problem for actual vacation planning. Lately I've just been seeing what must be Dolphin or the Waldorf Astoria for Express deals in Bonnet Creek. I once scored and got the Grand Californian (at Disneyland obviously), last minute. That was amazing.

 

[JJTNY]

What’s the sweet spot for when to look for WDW inventory? Going Nov 17-20 and not seeing much on there right now. Fingers crossed for Yacht.

In normal times (what are they?) Hotwire tends to drop things 4-6 weeks out or so, but there are no hard and fast rules. Priceline was similar, but has not had any real drops of Disney resort deals for several months now. But, both have had times where they release deals going out until the end of the year at points.

My general advice is start checking weekly or so 3 or 4 months out, then increase to a few times a week about 2 months out.

Hotwire has not released any *good* Disney deals since the end of August and those only ran to the end of September. I think most of us did not expect any deals around the 50th - but a week or so ago some 11% off deals started appearing for the 3rd week in October. But, the hidden deal fees eats up any savings at that % off, so they are not worth booking. You want to see more like 20% off at least, but I prefer 40-60% off to make the non-refundable aspect worth it.

If I were to guess - and be aware they surprise me all the time even though I have tracked them for years now - If they are going to drop any deals in the near future, I'd say any deals for end of October and into November would probably happen soon. Guess we'll see!

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Thank you! Very helpful! I’ll keep my eyes peeled.

 

[FlowerMaria]

Hello! I am look at Priceline on Dec 6-9, there is an Express deal in Bonnet Creek 4* at $239 down 56% from $539. The amenities includes horseback riding, shuttle, electric car charging and much more. Is this Wilderness Lodge? Thank you!

 

[JJTNY]

Hello! I am look at Priceline on Dec 6-9, there is an Express deal in Bonnet Creek 4* at $239 down 56% from $539. The amenities includes horseback riding, shuttle, electric car charging and much more. Is this Wilderness Lodge? Thank you!

Hi! Amenities aren't the greatest tool to identify resorts as both Priceline and Hotwire play around with those and they aren't very consistent over time.

The guest rating and review count along with that 4* rating are much more helpful. I tried searching those dates and not seeing a $239 deal, (which isn't unusual since sometimes different people see different results), but I do see a $539 non-hidden deal for Dolphin.

My guess is the deal is for that - if you go back and see it is an 8-guest rated resort with 800 reviews, then very likely Dolphin as it is the only resort in Bonnet Creek with all 3 of those ratings. If you click through to booking page and see it has double beds and a $35 mandatory (resort) fee, then it has to be Dolphin.

There just aren't any Disney resorts showing up on Priceline or HW hidden deals right now, except for some random non-good ones, like the FW Cabins for almost $400 per night on Priceline Express sometimes. Hopefully we'll see some good deals soon!

 

[FlowerMaria]

Hi! Amenities aren't the greatest tool to identify resorts as both Priceline and Hotwire play around with those and they aren't very consistent over time.

The guest rating and review count along with that 4* rating are much more helpful. I tried searching those dates and not seeing a $239 deal, (which isn't unusual since sometimes different people see different results), but I do see a $539 non-hidden deal for Dolphin.

My guess is the deal is for that - if you go back and see it is an 8-guest rated resort with 800 reviews, then very likely Dolphin as it is the only resort in Bonnet Creek with all 3 of those ratings. If you click through to booking page and see it has double beds and a $35 mandatory (resort) fee, then it has to be Dolphin.

There just aren't any Disney resorts showing up on Priceline or HW hidden deals right now, except for some random non-good ones, like the FW Cabins for almost $400 per night on Priceline Express sometimes. Hopefully we'll see some good deals soon!

Thank you!! You quick reply is very helpful before my curiosity got the best of me

 

[Animal]

And if I may offer some succinct advice. I'm in the camp that says booking an opaque reservation for a non-Disney hotel isn't worth the mental energy/risk. The only exception I choose to make is on hotwire, when occasionally I see Swan/Dolphin room choices that include heavily discounted suites. As Tom points out, when it says you're saving 20%, you're only saving 5%. The math changes when you see Boardwalk or Yacht Club at 56% off (which is a solid 40% after fees).

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Have the Boardwalk or Yacht popped up on there lately? I’ve been checking tons of dates various days/weeks out and am seeing nada

 

[JJTNY]

Have the Boardwalk or Yacht popped up on there lately? I’ve been checking tons of dates various days/weeks out and am seeing nada

Edit: For some reason I typed "end of August" below, brain cramp I guess. Fixed to say October.

Nada is the key word, especially for Deluxe resorts.
You may see some random Pop or Movies/Music deals show up end of October, but those are the 11% off ones that are not worth booking at all. Fingers crossed something changes soon - but Disney seems to be keeping a tight hold on rooms at this point.

 

[Kanab69]

Edit: For some reason I typed "end of August" below, brain cramp I guess. Fixed to say October.

Nada is the key word, especially for Deluxe resorts.
You may see some random Pop or Movies/Music deals show up end of October, but those are the 11% off ones that are not worth booking at all. Fingers crossed something changes soon - but Disney seems to be keeping a tight hold on rooms at this point.

This is useful info. Thank you!

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

I ultimately snagged a 3 night at Pop for ~$200/night. I'm fine with it. The costs for the other resorts, while nicer and more convenient, were not worth the 3x multiplier, IMO

 

[Rjw615]

Priceline 10% off- 7X66SG6PT7A

Must be booked by 10/23

 

[happ]

If anyone has a Chase card, check for a Priceline offer. I found this on one of my cards today.

Earn 5% back on your Pricebreaker powered by Priceline purchase when you spend $50 or more, with a $12.00 back maximum.
Introducing Pricebreaker powered by Priceline: our highest rated hotels at up to 50% off retail. Hotels give us exclusive deals only if we sell them discreetly. With Pricebreakers, you won’t see which of the 3 hotels you get until after checkout, but it’ll always be a highly rated hotel at less than the retail price. Offer expires 11/18/2021. Offer valid one time only. Payment must be made directly with the merchant. Offer only valid on prepayment purchases with Priceline, including Pricebreaker and Express Deals. Offer not valid on payments with travel provider (hotel, airline, car rental, etc.) Payment must be made on or before offer expiration date.

 

[shanew21]

If anyone has a Chase card, check for a Priceline offer. I found this on one of my cards today.

Earn 5% back on your Pricebreaker powered by Priceline purchase when you spend $50 or more, with a $12.00 back maximum.
Introducing Pricebreaker powered by Priceline: our highest rated hotels at up to 50% off retail. Hotels give us exclusive deals only if we sell them discreetly. With Pricebreakers, you won’t see which of the 3 hotels you get until after checkout, but it’ll always be a highly rated hotel at less than the retail price. Offer expires 11/18/2021. Offer valid one time only. Payment must be made directly with the merchant. Offer only valid on prepayment purchases with Priceline, including Pricebreaker and Express Deals. Offer not valid on payments with travel provider (hotel, airline, car rental, etc.) Payment must be made on or before offer expiration date.

That’s 1 fastpass for flight of passage…so I guess it’s something

 

[Lewisc]

And if I may offer some succinct advice. I'm in the camp that says booking an opaque reservation for a non-Disney hotel isn't worth the mental energy/risk. The only exception I choose to make is on hotwire, when occasionally I see Swan/Dolphin room choices that include heavily discounted suites. As Tom points out, when it says you're saving 20%, you're only saving 5%. The math changes when you see Boardwalk or Yacht Club at 56% off (which is a solid 40% after fees).

Possible parking fees and possible free breakfasts can more then offset savings for most opaque bookings.

I'd expand your exception to include high end properties which can be identified. I'm referring to resorts like Waldorf and Hyatt Grand Cypress. Make sure you include their $$ resort fees when evaluating price.