Priceline April 20th

[gypsyrose]

When do you bid on a hotel? We are looking for a precruise hotel April 20th for downtown Miami and right now the HI is sold out and everything else is over $250. Never used priceline but figured I would give it a try. Have read that it is best to try closer to the date. So...when should I try? Also, what would be another area for me to start looking at that may have more affordable rooms? I'm not cheap, cheap, but...don't want to spend $200. South Beach?? Thanks for the help.

[sandancer]

It would not hurt to try Priceline now - don't bid more than you really want to pay, you can always increase your bid. I bid for a hotel in San Diego las Oct pre-cruise, about 4 months before we travelled and got the Westin for £62 (about $110) and got an upgrade to an exec room. You could also try Quikbook, we got the Belvedere in NYC for $165 when everything was going for over $250. No pre-payment either.

[teaach]

I got the IC on Hotwire for 4/21 precruise for $179. The hotel site says $379. per night. Look for the hotel that says 4 star, customer favorite. It also lists a laundry center as an amenity. I tried Priceline in August for the IC and they refused bids up to $150. I always worry about being shut out so I book early, and maybe so if the HI is totally booked already! Good luck with your search and PS Southbeach is much more expensive than Downtown Miami!