Priceline - Miami ?????

[dolphincruiser404]

Which zone do I use on Priceline for Miami??? Which is closest to the port?

[Barb_and_Sean]

I think I used downtown the last time I did it... I wound up getting the airport marriott which was okay but had customer service issues like you wouldn't believe. I won't be staying there again... though it was pretty inexpensive with Priceline.

[bbrad8]

If you are looking to stay close to the port, you are looking for the downtown zone. Suggest going to biddingfortravel.com or betterbidding.com for assistance before bidding. These sites will help you a great deal!

 

Bruce

[dolphincruiser404]

Has anyone ever had a bad experience with this??? I have never used Priceline, and it seems to good to be true!!!!!!!

[debandbill]

If you want a hotel closest to the port, you would bid a 3* Downtown Miami. Your are guaranteed not to get anything less than a 3* hotel if that is what you bid. You are guaranteed to get a hotel in ONLY the zone or zones that you bid, IOW, you will NOT get a hotel near the airport if you only bid Downtown.

 

I have never had a bad experience with Priceline but I did spend some time studying the Biddingfortravel website before I started bidding. This site will enable you to make a bid which is more likely to be accepted. You will be able to see the hotels in each zone and in each star rating including links to the hotel websites and links to reviews of those hotels by individuals who have stayed there thru Priceline. Reports of getting the Hyatt Downtown Miami for $35 are very true...I did it and got the same price for the Sheraton the next year (Late November, early December timeframes.)

 

If you have further questions, ask away. The bidding process is not that hard but there is a lot to learn before you do it. The one thing you have to know is that once your bid is accepted, you are locked into that hotel and if your travel plans change, you have no recourse. Also, you are only guaranteed accomodations for 2 people, but its very easy to bid on more than 1 room and for the price, its worth it.

 

As with anything, do your homework and you will get a great hotel for a great price without a lot of stress!

[medolee]

Has anyone ever had a bad experience with this??? I have never used Priceline, and it seems to good to be true!!!!!!!

 

I have used many times for different areas. We have NOT been dissatisfied yet!!

[dolphincruiser404]

Well, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I did review biddingfortravel.com, but still had no luck. From what I heard, I was hoping to get away with a 3* under $65. It didn't happen, and I decided maybe I will stick with my original plans and drive down the day of the cruise. Perhaps this is because the time of year? Or could it be b/c it is last minute? Maybe I'll give it a try some other time.

[debandbill]

What date are you looking for?? There is sometimes no rhyme or reason on when and how bids are accepted...it all depends on what hotels need to sell rooms. Did you add any bid zones that don't have a 3 or 4 star hotel as this ups the chance of an accepted bid in the zone you want because, like I said, you can only get at or above the * quality you designate.

 

By studying the bidding process, you can rebid with adding zones and uping the price slightly. Its is spring break time so that may be working against you if your timeframe is now, otherwise last minute is sometimes the best time to bid. Don't give up on Priceline. I had my bids accepted the first time in Miami, but it took me several times with 72 hour blackout periods in between to get an accepted bid in Vancouver. You just have to know the system and be persistent.

 

Good luck in any case with your current and future plans and cruises!

[JerseyGirl23]

Well, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I did review biddingfortravel.com, but still had no luck. From what I heard, I was hoping to get away with a 3* under $65. It didn't happen, and I decided maybe I will stick with my original plans and drive down the day of the cruise. Perhaps this is because the time of year? Or could it be b/c it is last minute? Maybe I'll give it a try some other time.

 

Last month I begain my 3* Downtown bid for December. I started at $40 and raised it $5 with each free bid. I was able to get 2 nights at the DoubleTree Grand Biscayne Bay for $55 a night, including a Saturday.

 

Keep trying every 72 hours.

[dolphincruiser404]

I guess I will give it another try before we leave. I am trying to get it for this Thursday night. I guess I may seem cheap, but I don't want to pay a lot for a hotel. This was a last minute cruise anyway, and we didn't get a great deal (I paid the same price for this 3 day as my 7 Day Mariner) and we aren't looking to spend a ton of money, especially when we could drive to the port the day of.

[cruisinfanatic]

I think I used downtown the last time I did it... I wound up getting the airport marriott which was okay but had customer service issues like you wouldn't believe. I won't be staying there again... though it was pretty inexpensive with Priceline.

 

You didn't bid downtown if you got an airport hotel.

[cruisinfanatic]

Last month I begain my 3* Downtown bid for December. I started at $40 and raised it $5 with each free bid. I was able to get 2 nights at the DoubleTree Grand Biscayne Bay for $55 a night, including a Saturday.

 

Keep trying every 72 hours.

 

You are way too early for December. You probably would have done better bidding in July or August.

[setcarp]

There is an interesting thing on bidding for travel that shows you how to re-bid before your 72 hours is up. Pick a high star rating and click each zone to see if they offer that star rating. So if you bid 4* downtown and get rejected, add a zone that does not have a 4* and raise your price by $5. But they do say wait the whole 72 hours before trying to rebid the same thing without changing.

[ronaldfelder]

If you want a hotel closest to the port, you would bid a 3* Downtown Miami. Your are guaranteed not to get anything less than a 3* hotel if that is what you bid. You are guaranteed to get a hotel in ONLY the zone or zones that you bid, IOW, you will NOT get a hotel near the airport if you only bid Downtown.

 

I have never had a bad experience with Priceline but I did spend some time studying the Biddingfortravel website before I started bidding. This site will enable you to make a bid which is more likely to be accepted. You will be able to see the hotels in each zone and in each star rating including links to the hotel websites and links to reviews of those hotels by individuals who have stayed there thru Priceline. Reports of getting the Hyatt Downtown Miami for $35 are very true...I did it and got the same price for the Sheraton the next year (Late November, early December timeframes.)

 

If you have further questions, ask away. The bidding process is not that hard but there is a lot to learn before you do it. The one thing you have to know is that once your bid is accepted, you are locked into that hotel and if your travel plans change, you have no recourse. Also, you are only guaranteed accomodations for 2 people, but its very easy to bid on more than 1 room and for the price, its worth it.

 

As with anything, do your homework and you will get a great hotel for a great price without a lot of stress!

 

 

 

In 2003 I used priceline for a four star in the downtown area. Our hotel whose name slips my mind was just across thebridge fromt he ships. It was a plus $300 room that I got for $70. Priceline was very easy to use and would recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap hotel. I realize that you never know what hotel you are getting for your bid. We just lucked out.

 

Ron

[DCT61]

When using PRICELINE for a 4 star hotel in the downtown MIAMI zone, you know what hotel you are going to get...its the INTERCONTINENTAL and the only hotel in that rating....makes it pretty easy!

[djbleach]

I Love Priceline!!!

We use It whenever we can. Some cities (smaller) don't have any priceline rooms. We are going to New Jersey and needed a room. I kept trying and getting rejected. Whenever 72 hours were up, they'd send an email. I'd try again. Finally after about a month the same bid $70 was accepted. It is so weird because I kept using the same dollar amounts and nobody would bite. Finally , bingo.

I really , really dig priceline for hotels. Haven't gotten any plane tickets and only used it I believe once for a rental car.

Good luck.

[ronaldfelder]

When using PRICELINE for a 4 star hotel in the downtown MIAMI zone, you know what hotel you are going to get...its the INTERCONTINENTAL and the only hotel in that rating....makes it pretty easy!

 

 

 

That's the hotel that we stayed at. Thanks for the name. Coudlnt' remember. Also didn't know that you had no other choice if you chose a 4 star hotel in downtown Miami.

 

Ron

[pboedeker]

3* downtown...2 rooms: winning bid $33/night. Hyatt Regency!

[debandbill]

PBOEDEKER....please give the date(s) of your successful bid...makes a lot of difference...might help the OP a little.

[JerseyGirl23]

You are way too early for December. You probably would have done better bidding in July or August.

 

 

I looked at the final bids for 3* from last year, compared them also to a Saturday and Sunday night in December 2004 (just like our reservation) and we still got a good deal. The hotel's website has it at $189 a night. I'm very happy paying $55 for Biscayne Bayfront.

[CruisinDawn]

We kept bidding for our 2/24/05 precruise night and got rejected up to $125 or so a night for a 3 star, booked the Holiday Inn right acrosss from Bayside direct for llike $95 a night. Found out the Food & Wine Festival was that weekend thus the full hotels, even Al Roker from the Today show greated us from the beach on the morning news. Boat show is always in Feb too. Might want to call the convention center to see if something big is happening to know why low prices are not getting picked up by priceline, otherwise sit back and count your savings, more money for boat drinks!!

 

Bon Voyage

Dawna

[39august]

I have gotten Hyatt or Sheraton downtown 3 times for a $35 bid which I twice had to agree to up by $9. However, last month I tried many times with bids up to $50 and had to finally bid $70 and got the Sheraton for April 7, 2005. Anyone know if there's something big going on that week? Some websites were showing serveral hotels, including Hyatt, not available.

[dolphincruiser404]

I think that there are probably a lot of different things going on in Miami this time of year. The weather is just perfect here!