TenerifeSharon

How can I get a list of Hotwire hotels in San Francisco please:D

Go to betterbidding, scroll down to California, and then open the Hotwire list at the top of the page!:)

I am thinking of trying Priceline to book my hotel for November 18th. I have never booked with them before, is there anything I should know upfront? Also should I be looking for something closer to the airport or to the port? We are cruising on the Pride of America on the 19th of November so we will have a day to sightsee before we board the boat. We will also be staying over in Honolulu when we finish our cruise. Any help regarding hotels would be great!

Hi Rosebud,

There is actually A LOT to know before you start bidding (you do mean Priceline Name-Your-Own-Price and not their regular purchase option, don't you?), but once you've done your homework, it can be very easy to get a great hotel at a great price. Do some serious reading at betterbidding and/or biddingfortravel to see what has been won and at what price. Also be sure and check here on CC to find out what your fellow cruisers have won and recommend. Don't overbid (since you have plenty of time to keep trying, and even if you don't want to change your choice of stars* or city areas, you can keep repeating bidding every 24 hours), and don't think that you can necessarily win a "better" hotel by bidding higher. Once you've won your first hotel, you'll probably never want to book lodging any other way. :)

I've used Priceline for hotels throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia and most recently, Santiago, Chile! (4* hotels at 2* prices)

BTW - For Honolulu, my opinion would be that, if you only have 1 night to enjoy the city (pre and post cruise), don't stay out at the airport - there's not much out there. You'll waste too much of your precious time travelling into and out of the city (even though the trip is not very long -- there is a lot of traffic).

TenerifeSharon:

You had me going for a minute! Interesting comment on the Mercury, will not get the chance to see her.

The sea was calm on this one but getting up at night to P (being a 60+ male) was an adventure, being closer to the bathroom would have been better then.

Also walking the length of the ship from the dining room to the cabin helped with the weight gain!

BTW, I would like to hear about the Meridian as compared to the Equinox if you would be so kind. Interesting stuff for us Celebrity fans.

How could anyone not LOVE their first cruise??

The Meridian was very special for us -- to make a long story short: We had actually booked a mediterranean cruise on a 3* ship to celebrate our 10th anniversary. About 4 weeks before our sailing date, the ship was sold. The ship also belonged to Chandris and, in exchange, they offered us the Meridian cruise leaving from San Juan instead (the only additional cost was the r-t flight from Germany -- which was not expensive as they also had a flight offer). The best part -- besides the fantastic cruise itself -- was that because the 3* ship (Victoria, IIRC) was so inexpensive for the suite that we had booked instead of an OV (no balconies back then:p), they ended up giving us the biggest suite on Meridian as an even exchange. That was our first -- and last, to date -- suite! But, the trip was so fantastic that we were hooked!:D

BTW - back then the butler (a new experience for us) even told us we SHOULD buy alcohol at the island stops so that he could prepare cocktail parties in our suite for our new cruise friends. No limits back then on what was allowed to be brought onboard. Gee, if CC had existed back then, we probably would have had more than just 2 gatherings in our cabin during the 12 nights. ;)

What great memories!

They are terrible, TERRIBLE cabins!:p You will just hate them;););). (That's why we've booked them 3 times on previous cruises. Actually, even better were the similar ones on Mercury - 8004 etc.)

Actually, as wonderful as they are (o.k., now I've admitted it), be sure that you aren't likely to react to the "motion of the ocean", as you will feel every one of the waves in these very forward cabins!

Is there a way one can search for a specific cabin post here?

Do you mean a complete listing of all the cabin references here? If so, check out posting number 1282 -- which contains a link to librarylady19's fantastic spreadsheet.

I looked up the thread re the cabin number, but no info for this cabin. i think there was info for 1580, should i assume the same for this cabin?

#1577, was noisy. am i on the opposite side of the ship, since I am in a even cabin versus an odd cabin?

 

also does anyone know if the bed is closer to the balcony or bathroom? do people prefer one over the other or is it pretty even as to preference?

 

this is OT but are all hop on hop off buses in a city the same company? when I google it, there are different sites, is one company better than another? should i buy the ticket ahead or there? if it is only 10% less ahead of time I will buy the ticket there, less chance of losing it.

 

i don't know how to ask a new question, only how to reply. can someone help me?

 

thanks,

This thread is really only for reports of cabin experiences on Solstice class ships.

To start a new topic, or ask a new question: Go to the original page of Celebrity Cruises threads (or go to the Ports of Call area about the hop-on, hop-off buses). Close to the top -- above all the topics, you will see a blue button "New Thread". Describe your topic briefly in the title (so that CCers notice it), and then in the Message area state your question. Hope this helps.:)

There are many reasons we LOVED our balcony cabin to Alaska. Here are two of them...

 

We saw many humpback whales from our cabin. This one was right below our cabin. We got beautiful pics of the tail...

 

 

One morning we woke up with this amazing sunrise...

 

 

That is one absolutely fantastic sunrise! Beautiful:D And the "whale of a tail" is pretty darn good also:D:D

I went to one of the bidding sites and found someone posted a question for the same 2 nights stay we are interested in. There are several cruise ships departing to Hawaii around that date. The precruise stay is 9/15-9/17/10. They were researching Hotwire. According to the response from the site and the description of the hotels, the Sutton Place was $119 a night and the Sheraton Wall was $112.45. Can you tell me which is closer to the cruise port? Which would you recommend. Both are posting a price of a minimum of $194 a night through their sites. I may just accept the hotwire pirce if I can get a winning bid for around $100 a night for the same dates on Priceline.

Try checking out the Vancouver (westcoast departures) or Alaska boards here and maybe one of the resident experts could help you further. I know that Sutton Place is just off of Robson Street (main shopping street in Vancouver), and I also had friends that won the Sheraton on Priceline last year before their Alaska cruise. They had no complaints, but neither were they overwhelmed! I think that the HW prices are good for both (are those final prices or plus taxes etc.?), but you could probably do at least as well using Priceline, especially since it is so late in the Alaska season

Happy hunting!.

I am looking to bid on a room at priceline for one day only. We only want the room after our cruise to freshen up and store our luggage before our flight out at 10:30 P.M. We are two couples splitting the cost of the room.

My question is do I have to state four adults when bidding for the room? We are not staying overnight.

Interesting question, and I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to answer definitely. The only problem I see would be that you would not be guaranteed early check-in for a hotel that you might win on Priceline. If you are not allowed to check in until 3PM (as we have had happen on occasion), your purpose would be defeated!

In what city do you need a hotel? Have you tried calling a few hotels in that area and asking about the possibility and price of a "day room"? You might try checking the bidding help sites that I mentioned above to find out which hotels in your desired city have had Priceline results, and then call a couple of those hotels to ask your question.

Sorry I can't be of more help.:)

Ever since I found this bidding info thread, I have checked it every few days. I am also new to priceline. I have read and followed advice given. I have reviewed the better bidding sites recommended. We have 117 days till our cruise out of Vancouver. I'm trying to be patient and wait till we get closer to our sail date to start bidding. Of course if I see someone got a winning bid for September and a good price, I will bid immediately. Once we get a winning bid, I will be happy to post here. I think this is a great site. It helped me to consider priceline or hotwire. I would love to save a $100 a night and use it for food or tours. On our travel next year I'm looking to book Montreal for 2 couples. I too would like to know if you have to do something special or just list 4 adults and the site will automatically give you two rooms.

 

Thanks everyone for your input.

Hi Mary,

Priceline's rules state that they will only guarantee a room for 2 adults. If you want to book for 4, you need to put that information into your bidding form -- requesting 2 rooms for however many nights. In many cities (especially large ones like New York), fire laws don't even allow for 4 guests in a room. If you show up with 4 people and have only booked one room, you may end up paying full rack rate for the second couple -- IF the hotel still has availability.

Keep reading here and on various bidding information sites (betterbidding, biddingfortravel etc.), and once you understand the priceline business model thoroughly, don't hesitate to start bidding now. It is not too early for September, as long as you realize that there is no refund possible for any reason, (excepting perhaps for floods, storms, etc. that - hopefully will NOT - take place in the area to which you are travelling. Although we have done some last minute (within a week or so) bidding, I have also gotten us some great properties 10 - 11 months before our trip, including Sydney, New York, San Francisco, Munich etc. etc. It's saved us a lot of $$$$. Once you've won your first hotel room via Priceline, you'll probably not want to book any other way.

Hi - Can't seem to fnd your email addy for an excel request.. Please email it to me @ rubyslippers@gmaldotcom

Hi Kitty,

You can find Sandi's eMail address right under the picture on her posting (not her avatar) -- left side towards the bottom, just above her past cruises.:)

A great job, Sandi -- many thanks!

Just got The Westin Seattle for $1 on priceline for May 29th. After taxes it cost me $30.14. Not bad.

Congratulations -- that's fantastic! :D Sounds like it might have been a "glitch" bargain, since PL usually won't accept any bids of less than $35 (before taxes) for a 3* or $40 for a 4*. Were you upgraded? Or, what star category were you bidding?

Have a look at post # 729 of the Solstice class Cabin Information Compilation STICKY at the top of the Celebrity boards (librarylady19). Hope you can link it from there.

I booked a condo with a kitchen Hotwire and was assigned a regular hotel room with no kitchen. Hotwire says we booked you in a condo building but don't garuntee your unit will be a condo. Very misleading right?

 

They will not let us cancel and will not switch us to another condo with a kitchen. Has anyone else had experience with Hotwire and any tips on who to call to get them to honor the condo they said they were giving us?

On the Hotwire page which you used before booking, what were the icons shown for the condo offer? Was there a picture of a kitchen/ette? You can still access this information by logging in, then looking at the top right of the Hotwire homepage, "My Account", then checking the hotel/condo amenities that are listed for the offer you bought.

If it says - or shows - kitchenette, then contact Hotwire again and make them aware of the fact that you are not getting what you booked. I have found them to be helpful if you can prove that there was actually misrepresentation. GOOD LUCK.

Does he always start the noon announcements with "Guess who?" :D

Just sucessfully bid $ 80.00 per Night on **** PriceLine for Pre-Cruise (2 Night) Hotel. Got the WestGate for 01-30-2010 and 01-31-2010. Reviews are pretty positive :) Only downside for us is that there is no pool. But Happy none the less !! Generally, Web Prices were around $ 185.00 - $ 200.00 per Night. WhooHoo.......Thanks for starting the Original Thread and all the helpful comments that have been posted. CC is awesome !!

If you like "old world charm" and elegance, you will love the Westgate. We just completed a 5 night stay there also won on priceline ($71 per night), and had a wonderful time. It is located right across the street from Horton Plaza, and the hotel has the most fantastic personnel we have ever encountered. We were treated like royalty and not like priceline winners. Enjoy - we'd go back in a heartbeat!:p

We (3 couples) booked our cruise through Priceline and were to get emailed vouchers for 2 free nights and a bonus night (bonus cash of $140 + $70) to use at Priceline for a "name your own price" hotel.

 

We got the email. However, it had two separate links to use the bonus cash, one link for the two nights and one link for the 1 night. This makes it difficult to get all 3 nights together at the same hotel.

 

Even worse, we can't figure out how we can all end up at the same hotel using the "name your own price". Any ideas???

 

We are contemplating setting up three laptops and hitting the buy it now at the same moment to increase our odds, realizing it probably won't.

 

I've emailed Priceline customer service but wonder if I will even get a response.

I don't think I would use your method to hope that you will all get rooms at the same hotel. Even hitting the "Buy" button simultaneously, there is always the possibility that Priceline doesn't have 3 rooms in their inventory for the same hotel for the same night(s). Could you save your bonus cash for another hotel stay? Or can all 3 couples live with the possibility of being separated for the hotel stay? Check the lists at betterbidding and biddingfortravel to see how many different hotels at the same star level are posted for the city you are interested in booking.

Good luck!

1 night - pre-cruise...

 

$64.00 + taxes =$79.96 ~ 2 adults, 2 kids....

 

Any feedback on this hotel would be great!

 

Thanks!

Hi,

If this was done on Priceline, has the hotel guaranteed that 2 adults + 2 kids will be accomodated at the bid price? Priceline bidding only guarantees that there will be a bed or beds for 2 people (as opposed to hotwire, where you enter the total number of guests). You might want to check with the hotel, or plan for the possibility of either paying additionally for the extra 2 or not all of you appearing at the check-in desk.

Sorry, can't help with the Solamar info, except that it is pretty highly recommended (you might want to have a look at tripadvisor for ratings). We recently won a Priceline stay at the Westgate in San Diego, and it was wonderful. I'm sure Solamar is as good or better! Enjoy.

Deck - 8

Cabin # - 8279

Category – 1A

Starboard or Port Side - Port

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – Bath

Quiet Cabin –Yes, very. Although close to the elevators, a separating wall from them kept any noise away.

Balcony View - no obstruction, view straight out to water, to front and back (saw almost everything portside)

Balcony Size? ENORMOUS for a 1A, the largest possible. (approx. 90 sq. ft.)

Was wind a problem? No, as cabin was the first one after the hump.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? No. Storage was sufficient (barely) for 14 night cruise, might have been a problem for a longer trip.

Any other comments? An absolutely great 1A cabin.

Just finished a 5 night Priceline stay (non-cruise) at the 4* Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego (Dec. 3 - 8). Won the bid at $71 per night and it was fantastic - nicest staff we have ever encountered, and a great, centrally located, beautifully furnished hotel.:)

Renaissance - Ft. Lauderdale PLANTATION, not DOWNTOWN

4* @ $57 per night - April 9 - 11, 2010 (Total $114.00 + $21.72 = $135.72)

Bid 3* Downtown - $55 - rejected

Bid 3* Plantation - $57 - accepted and UPGRADED to 4* Renaissance

Not too shabby:D

We actually prefer Plantation pre-cruise so that we can spend a day at Sawgrass Mills (and no parking fees at the hotels generally, as compared to Downtown). Our TA cruise leaves from Miami, but we don't mind the short drive from Ft. Lauderdale -- and our departure is a Sunday = less traffic.

HAVE A GREAT CRUISE, DONNA!!! You've earned it!:D

Thank you Sharon!!! I got a Seattle Radisson Gateway at the airport for 56.00 plus tax total 71.00. I bid 44.00 and Priceline advised 12.00 more, but with Sharons advise, i bid $1.00 more each time, until it only took the 12.00, but I was happy with that!!!! My first one booked.

SUPER -- congratulations!! And you will now discover that Priceline is addicting. It gets exciting each time you wait for the results! Have a look and see what the hotel would have cost "retail".:D