How Far In Advance

[TheDMan]

I just booked a 7 night cruise out of Fort Lauderdale for Feb 06 and I was wondering how far in advance I should book my Hotel.

 

The only other cruise that I've taken was out of Galveston which was only a 4 hour drive so I didn't have to worry about getting a hotel.

[Flip2cruise]

I just booked a 7 night cruise out of Fort Lauderdale for Feb 06 and I was wondering how far in advance I should book my Hotel.

 

The only other cruise that I've taken was out of Galveston which was only a 4 hour drive so I didn't have to worry about getting a hotel.

 

You can book it now if you want. Just make sure you can cancel it, if your plans change. Are you planning to use Hotwire or Priceline?

[TheDMan]

Thanks Liberty for the quick response. I haven't used Hotwire or Priceline before, but I'll look into them.

[wrp96]

I'd look for the best, cancellable deals that you can find now and then book it. After that keep looking for better deals, I do this every time I book a hotel. This way I'm ensured of a hotel room but I can also still look for a better deal.

 

I'm going to Dallas next weekend and have had it planned for months. For the same hotel, the price has gone down over $100 dollars per night over time, so I've just rebooked every time I've seen a better price. This particular hotel frequently is full and I didn't want to risk loosing my hotel room by waiting, just in case a better price came available.

[tinsel57]

I always book as early as I can with the cancellation option and keep checking back. Adjust as you can if you can. Sometimes you'll find a sale but if it's a popular place sometimes not!

[KruznKel]

I booked our hotel pre/post stay in Miami 03/06 last month with no cancellation as I know it is a popular time and I wanted a guaranteed room with no hassels.. it is up to you when you book and how flexible you are with prices and dates.. but I would book as early as possible and if you can get the cancellation option go for that.. if fesible.. have a great trip!! :)

[ChuckyMoe]

I want to book Holiday Inn Port of Miami for 13 of us next January. The price is a little high right now with the option to cancel. I can get it cheaper without the cancellation benefit but would prefer to have the cancellation option as we have not paid in full yet.

 

Do the hotels get ticked if a better price comes up and you cancel and rebook at the same hotel?

 

Thanks for your help.

[tinsel57]

I don't think that tactic is anything new to them, it goes with the territory. Most of the time when you speak with reservations you've got an 800# and rarely is that department located in the hotel itself unless you call their direct line. If you were to call and book your new room at the discounted price and call back to cancel your old reservation I bet you wouldn't get the same person! But I also don't think they'd care if you booked one and then immediately cancelled the other. It's just a job to them! Nothing personal.

[love2vacation]

We stayed in Miami pre-cruise a couple years ago- our cruise left on March 1st. I booked our hotel in August or September for the next March. Of course March begins spring break so that has to be taken into consideration. I found a great rate called "See Florida". I can't remember if I googled Florida tourism or Miami tourism but anyway we stayed at the Radisson Deauville Resort and Spa for 78.00 a night. The price was so cheap that I had my husband call to make sure it was really booked! :eek: You might try one of those avenues for a search.

[fun cruiserz]

Hey Chuckymoe - I am from London, we are almost neighbours!! When in January did you need your hotel for. I just tried to book Holiday Inn Port of Miami for January 28/06 and the entire hotel is completely booked!! Not one single room left and it is still 7 months away! I am going to call Holiday Inn Miami International tonight and try to get a room there, hopefully they aren't booked. I learned my lesson, book early!!

[ChuckyMoe]

Hi neighbour. We are going on January 21st - our cruise is on January 23rd so we thought we would get a couple of days relaxation beforehand. I guess by the looks of it, I better get myself going and book the hotel right away. It still is showing openings right now. We have never stayed in Miami. We have always stayed in Ft. Lauderdale but decided it would be a nice change.

[fun cruiserz]

ChuckyMoe - I ended up calling the hotel to find out if they were really booked full or not and it turns out that the Miami Marathon is the weekend of Jan 28-29 and the runners have booked the whole hotel. I did end up getting them to release one room to me so I booked it but that was after alot of convincing on my part. You should be fine for the weekend before as long as there isn't something major going on in the city that would cause the hotels to book up fast.

[ChuckyMoe]

Andrea - I just booked 4 rooms for Jan. 21 - 23. I took the higher rate for the cancellation benefits but they told me that I could change that and get the lower rate for non-refundable if there were still rooms available. At least I feel better now that we aren't stuck with no rooms period. If something better comes alot great, if not that's OK too.

 

Anne