Using Priceline(firstimer)

[lfw]

I am planning our first Disney trip for Feb/March and I am responsible for making accomodation arrangements for the 3 families travelling together. I have been doing all of the research so far, and they are counting on me to get the best deal/nicest accomodation for our budget. I would like to try Priceline, but I don't know what the bid level should be for each level. On the bid4travel site, people were getting 2.5*. Best West.LBV for $25. Anybody have an idea of what hotels would be considered 3*. 4* or resort, and what the appropriate bid range would be for each? We were planning on Amerisuites, but if we could stay on site, DD, or in a resort (Vistana or Oak Plantation) for a comparable price through priceline I think my travelling pals would be very impressed with my budgeting skills! There will be 6 adults and 6 children ages 6-9. Ideally we would like something that had nice heated pools, a poolside bar/snack area where adults could hang out after a hard day at the parks while the children played safely nearby. A fridge, and continental breakfast would be a huge convenience, but not a deal breaker. What star level should I chose to get these amenities? Any input is appreciated, I am almost fanatical about this trip, and have been reading this board almost daily since we started planning the trip in January. The information here is amazing!

 

[CarolA]

I think you should go back to Bidding for Travel and look at the Orlando hotels listing. That is the best listing I have seen. It does list the Swan/Dolphin as a 4 star (I think), but I don't think it has come up on Priceline in forever!

You will not get a Disney hotel! I am not sure about Vistana or Oak Planation, but I kind of doubt it. They just don't do this. The other problem is that the number of beds in a room is not guaranteed. They only gurantee one bed per room. I have gotten the Wyndham at least 3 times and I have always had a king bed. (however, I never requested two beds either!)

Also, keep in mind that you are not guranteed a Downtown Disney hotel. The Disney area includes Lake Buena Vista also.

 

[Jane E.]

As Carol suggested I would go look at the Orlando Hotels list on Biddingfortravel. In fact when I bid, I print the list up. If I see any hotels I don't like I won't bid for that level. Also sometimes hotels come up that haven't been used before so they won't appear on the list. I've used Priceline several times & have never had any problems. Remember with PL if you have a bid accepted you are stuck with it. You can't cancel it. With the amount of people you are travelling with have you thought of getting a house or a condo?

 

[CarolMN]

If I were in your position, I would not use Priceline. As one of the others posted, you are stuck with what you get. If you don't get a nice pool or the hotel assigns you a room with a king bed (they are only obligated to provide bedding for two), you would be stuck paying for a place that won't make you happy and may not even meet your needs. With PriceLine you must be willing to take whatever you get.

If you haven't already, take a look at MouseSavers and the hotel discount page on the DIS. All of the Hotels listed there and on MouseSavers are very nice and there are several that should meet your needs without costing an arm and a leg. (There is no guarantee that the BW LBV will be available for $25 next Feb/Mar anyway).

Good luck!

 

[lfw]

Thanks for the replies, you've convinced me that Priceline in not the way to go for this trip. I think the Amerisuites has everything we are looking for anyway, so I should just stop stressing and make the decision to stay there. (Unless I can get a good price for Tropical Palms, that would be like a camping holiday and Disney rolled into one!)

 

[horseshowmom]

I've been in the same place you are more than once. There's a lot of "stress" that goes with being the planner. Everyone is thrilled to let you handle the work, but you also have to worry about what happens if it doesn't turn out the way they want. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), I was paying for the accomodations, so there wasn't room for too many complaints in my case.

Everyone's vacation is different, but for a large group I kind of agree with Jane E. (particularly if money is an issue - and it always is at my house! LOL). We've rented houses several times and never had any complaints. You can actually rent houses with 3 master suites along with the extra rooms for the kids. Many houses now have gamerooms (pool table, etc.) along with the private screened in pool and jacuzzi. Some homes have pool slides.

The price should be much less than 3 hotel rooms. The larger houses (like you would need) usually have two separate living areas to provide more space too. I recently looked at one on vrbo.com that had an incredible poolside kitchen area (barstools and all).

Good luck on your trip!