MAXII Posted August 31, 2012 #1351 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Date: May 06, 2013 Number of nights: 1 (post cruise) Hotel: BW Pus Bayside Inn Rating: 3 star Area: San Diego Downtown Site: Priceline Winning Bid: $95 Taxes & Service Fees:21.27 Total Price: $116.27 Very happy - complimentary breakfast & shuttle and super location. For those of you that like Priceline bidding, note that the zone for the downtown area of San Diego is pretty extensive and you could end up with a hotel that means a $35 plus taxi fare. I scouted things out for a week or two and came up with the best way to narrow things down is to avoid anything over a 3 star for the downtown zone - most of those available through the bidding process have shuttles at no charge and are close enough to the airport that a cab would mean around $11 - $18. Another good way is to use Hotwire and just ensure that the shuttle icon shows in the amenities. There are currently two re-bid Zones you can use that have nothing over a 2.5 star, I bid at 85, then 90, then the 95. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvcruzin Posted September 1, 2012 #1352 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Just got this 3-1/2 star hotel for one night in October for $100. Saved $63. Did you bid up to this amount? Or did you use the Express Deal? Just curious as it's been going for $65-$75 in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMRick Posted September 2, 2012 #1353 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I'm up to $80 for the end of December and so far it's not accepted it. Did you bid up to this amount? Or did you use the Express Deal? Just curious as it's been going for $65-$75 in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvcruzin Posted September 2, 2012 #1354 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I'm up to $80 for the end of December and so far it's not accepted it. $75 is the max I've gone so far for the end of November. I'm hoping once Fall hits they will release some rooms. The doubletree just dropped to $125 so it should be soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mescat4 Posted September 26, 2012 #1355 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Westin Gas Lamp fro $70 on Priceline today for nite of 11/30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocJim Posted October 2, 2012 #1356 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Patience pays off, pre-cruise for October 13th sailing of Sapphire Princess. Date: October 11th – 13th, 2012 Number of Nights: 2 Hotel: The Westin Long Beach Rating: 3.5 star Area: Long Beach, CA, Convention Center Taxes and Fees: $32.36 Total Room Cost: $192.36 Regards, Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usviking Posted October 2, 2012 #1357 Share Posted October 2, 2012 (edited) Crowne Plaza - San Pedro 1/01/2013: $95 + $22.00 = $117.00 1/16/2013: $95 + $21.97 = $116.97 In the past, I have been able to get the Crowne Plaza for $65 or $75 before taxes & fees, so it was not fun going this high. I decided to go up to a bid of $100 before considering an alternative because DW and I are comfortable at the Crowne Plaza for one-night stays before and after cruise, believe the free shuttles to/from the pier add value, and believe that Priceline bid prices are trending up for the Crowne Plaza. I am a bit surprised by the difference in taxes and fees for this winning bid ($22) and the winning bid reported above by DocJim ($32.36 for 2 nights = $16.18 per night). For those who like the details, here is the bid history associated with these bookings for 3.5* in San Pedro: 09/27/12: bid $65 area 3 - rejected. Added area 2, bid $70 - rejected 09/28/12: bid $75 area 3 - rejected. Added area 2, bid $80 - rejected 09/29/12: bid $85 area 3 - rejected. Added area 2, bid $90 - rejected 09/30/12: bid $91 area 3 - rejected. Added area 2, bid $93 - rejected 09/30/12 for 1/16/13: bid $95 area 3 - accepted 10/01/12 for 1/01/13: bid $95 area 3 - accepted I kept the bids for these two dates the same until 9/30/12 when I raised the bid to $95 for the second night to speed things along. . Edited October 2, 2012 by usviking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokeesmom Posted October 3, 2012 #1358 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Just got Sheraton Hotel & Marina for two nights, Nov. 2 & 3 for $100 plus tax. Location is almost perfect for what I wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocJim Posted October 3, 2012 #1359 Share Posted October 3, 2012 USViking, I am surprised too. I went back to my confirmation to verify my numbers. Strange that San Pedro would be so different from Long Beach. Also strange that the tax is different between your two individual nights when the rate is the same. Summary of Charges Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $80.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Guests Per Room: 2 Number of Nights: 2 Room Subtotal: $160.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $32.36 (USD) Total Room Cost: $192.36 (USD) (All prices are in US dollars) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usviking Posted October 3, 2012 #1360 Share Posted October 3, 2012 USViking, I am surprised too. I went back to my confirmation to verify my numbers. Strange that San Pedro would be so different from Long Beach. Also strange that the tax is different between your two individual nights when the rate is the same. I did a quick google search and it appears that San Pedro has a higher occupancy tax than Long Beach, which explains part of the difference. If Priceline charges a percentage fee based on room bid rate + occupancy taxes it might explain all of the difference. I will let the 3-cent difference for two individual nights at the same rate go unexplained. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvcruzin Posted October 6, 2012 #1361 Share Posted October 6, 2012 I've been bidding almost daily and the taxes & fees can vary by the day of the bid. UsViking - what was the express deal rate for your dates? It's been $99 for mine. DocJim - have you stayed in Long Beach before and cruised out of San Pedro? Just curious if it's a better option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usviking Posted October 6, 2012 #1362 Share Posted October 6, 2012 UsViking - what was the express deal rate for your dates? It's been $99 for mine. Depending on the day, it was $99 or $100. I stuck with Name Your Own Price hoping for better price - so I ended up saving about $5 off the express deal rate. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvcruzin Posted October 11, 2012 #1363 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I have been bidding almost daily for a while. I noticed Hotwire had the rate down to $78 tonight so I took a chance. I may have been able to get it for $65 a night but started with $70 and it hit right away. 11/22 & 11/23 $70 x 2 = $140 + $28.64 = $168.64 So those still trying be patient. It should eventually drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usviking Posted October 11, 2012 #1364 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I have been bidding almost daily for a while. I noticed Hotwire had the rate down to $78 tonight so I took a chance. I may have been able to get it for $65 a night but started with $70 and it hit right away. 11/22 & 11/23 $70 x 2 = $140 + $28.64 = $168.64 So those still trying be patient. It should eventually drop. Good job. I just checked the Priceline Express Deals for 11/22 & 11/23 and it is also showing a nice drop down to $71 per night for 3.5* in San Pedro. I usually like firming up all my reservations as close as possible to the time I book a cruise just to have everything in place. In the future, if the nightly rate appears much over $65 - $70, I will have to wait and watch the Hotwire rates and the Express Deal rates more closely. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usviking Posted October 11, 2012 #1365 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Good job. I just checked the Priceline Express Deals for 11/22 & 11/23 and it is also showing a nice drop down to $71 per night for 3.5* in San Pedro. I usually like firming up all my reservations as close as possible to the time I book a cruise just to have everything in place. In the future, if the nightly rate appears much over $65 - $70, I will have to wait and watch the Hotwire rates and the Express Deal rates more closely. . Out of curiosity, I just checked the Priceline Express Deals for 3.5* in San Pedro for 11/22 and 11/23 individually as one-night stays. For 11/22 the Express Deal shows $100 and for 11/23 the Express Deal shows $98. So, it would appear that there is a discount for booking the two nights consecutively. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMRick Posted October 11, 2012 #1366 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Hasn't dropped yet for my December cruise. I have been bidding almost daily for a while. I noticed Hotwire had the rate down to $78 tonight so I took a chance. I may have been able to get it for $65 a night but started with $70 and it hit right away. 11/22 & 11/23 $70 x 2 = $140 + $28.64 = $168.64 So those still trying be patient. It should eventually drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvcruzin Posted October 11, 2012 #1367 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Hang in there DMRick. It will happen. Express deal was $99 last night. Today it's $71. Interesting that it's higher for single days versus 2 nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAXII Posted October 14, 2012 #1368 Share Posted October 14, 2012 Date: April 21, 2013 Number of nights: 1 (pre cruise) Hotel: BW Pus Heritage Inn Rating: 2.5 star Area: BLI/Bellingham airport Site: Priceline Winning Bid: $65 Taxes & Service Fees:15.03 Total Price: $80.03 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybearx2 Posted October 15, 2012 #1369 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I have never bid on Priceline and have been looking at this thread and the recommendations for research. We will be looking for a hotel in Vancouver for June 30th. There are 5 families though. Will I be able to put one bid in for 5 families? When I bid, am I going to be able to specify if I need 2 queen beds? I think the zone I want to use is downtown and possibly Granville Entertainment District. And what seems like a stupid question, will we be able to cancel a room or rooms if needed? Thanks for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvcruzin Posted October 20, 2012 #1370 Share Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) I have never bid on Priceline and have been looking at this thread and the recommendations for research. We will be looking for a hotel in Vancouver for June 30th. There are 5 families though. Will I be able to put one bid in for 5 families? When I bid, am I going to be able to specify if I need 2 queen beds? I think the zone I want to use is downtown and possibly Granville Entertainment District. And what seems like a stupid question, will we be able to cancel a room or rooms if needed? Thanks for your time. With Priceline, the accomidations are for 2 people and there is no guarantee of 2 queen beds. You can not cancel the reservation as it's pre-paid. You can bid on multiple rooms at once. But there is no way of knowing if there is availability for the number of rooms. Some people are successful bidding 4 rooms - others have to split them up to individual bids. The risk is you may end up at different hotels. For that many people I would recommend using Hotwire. You would have a better chance of getting 2 queen's. The deals are still good. If you do the hotwire deal - those are prepaid as well. If there is a possibility you would need to cancel, don't use either Priceline or Hotwire. Use a traditional booking. Edited October 20, 2012 by iluvcruzin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybearx2 Posted October 21, 2012 #1371 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Thank you for the input. I had not thought about how we could be at different hotels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solara Posted November 7, 2012 #1372 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Just wondering if anyone has had a winning bid recently on Priceline at the Crown Plaza in San Pedro? We are going to be there in January. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted November 7, 2012 #1373 Share Posted November 7, 2012 There is a sticky towards the top of this board on winning bigs. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcruisers Posted November 7, 2012 #1374 Share Posted November 7, 2012 There is a sticky towards the top of this board on winning bigs. Keith We are interested too as we plan on staying there in mid Jan. Sorry Keith...didn't find the "sticky" towards the top of the board. But, I am senile!! Please help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINEMANVISALIA Posted November 7, 2012 #1375 Share Posted November 7, 2012 http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=412919&page=69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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