Priceline hotel experiences? About This Page:

[Huntermom]

that's great. My DS was coming home form his job at the Playa Lakes Joint Venture and had a very early flight out of Denver. i got the Crowne Plza at the Denver airpot for him for $50.

You've got to love Priceline.

[tiny tim]

Originally Posted by DebiDebiDebi

We love Priceline! We have used it for several vacations and have yet to be disappointed. Our best buy on there was The Hyatt Regency Orange County (just minutes from Disneyland with a complimentary shuttle to and from the parks) king room regular price $209 a night. We got it on Priceline for $43 a night! The room was amazing complete with fantastic views of the Fireworks!!!

Wow, now that is a great deal

[Jitterjet]

I have a question. Are there resort taxes/fees on top of whatever your winning bid is? In other words, do you have to plan on paying additional fees on top of your bid if you win?

We are a family of 4 adults and 3 kids and we were planning to stay at Desert Inn & Suites which is right across the street from Disneyland. They have a 2-bedroom suite listed online for $159+.

If I bid on Priceline for 2 rooms and get them for say $45-50, am I going to have to pay another $20 or so for tax and resort fees on each room?

We won't have a car and will be checking in to the Disneyland Hotel after one night off-site, so we'll need to either catch a hotel shuttle or a cab from our hotel to DLH. I'm hoping that the shuttle would be willing to stop at DLH since we'll be carrying all our baggage with us.

Thanks for any comments.

[HeatherD]

I'm hoping that the shuttle would be willing to stop at DLH since we'll be carrying all our baggage with us.

I'm not sure that Desert Inn offers a shuttle to Disneyland, since they are across the street. Yes, I'm sure they have a shuttle to other SoCal attractions, but you'd most likely have to make special arrangements for them to take you to the other side of the park. Your best bet would be to find out if they offer a shuttle to DTD; there's a chance they do that so their guests don't have to walk that far (not that it's all that far). But the layout doesn't lend itself to that. Disneyland shuttles drop off on the Main Gate side of the plaza, not the DTD side.

I'd advise you to work out a backup plan or make a few calls to be sure you're informed before the trip on whether you'll have to tow the luggage yourself. Don't forget to ask DLH if they offer anything to help you get your bags there...

[Cinderella_68]

Originally Posted by Jitterjet

I have a question. Are there resort taxes/fees on top of whatever your winning bid is? In other words, do you have to plan on paying additional fees on top of your bid if you win?

We are a family of 4 adults and 3 kids and we were planning to stay at Desert Inn & Suites which is right across the street from Disneyland. They have a 2-bedroom suite listed online for $159+.

If I bid on Priceline for 2 rooms and get them for say $45-50, am I going to have to pay another $20 or so for tax and resort fees on each room?

We won't have a car and will be checking in to the Disneyland Hotel after one night off-site, so we'll need to either catch a hotel shuttle or a cab from our hotel to DLH. I'm hoping that the shuttle would be willing to stop at DLH since we'll be carrying all our baggage with us.

Thanks for any comments.

The PL bid includes all taxes, etc. The only other charges I've come up against are parking or resort fees at the hotels. Not sure about Desert Inn. Most of the smaller places have free parking, though. You will most likely be required to put down a CC or deposit for phone use or room charges, but if you don't make any, not a problem.
As for transportation, a cab will be your best bet. Desert Inn is right across the street from the parks and probably doesn't offer shuttle.
Also, bidding for rooms on PL, you won't know where you will end up. I highly recommend not bidding less than 3 stars in the "Disneyland Area." In Anaheim, this will actually get you a better room at less of a price. All of the 3 star hotels have shuttles to the parks via the main bus area, but none have had shuttles directly to the Disney hotels or to DtD. Your best bet will again be a cab. Even from the Doubletree Hotel a couple of miles away, our fare has never been more than $15 including the tip. So a short trip will likely be less than $10.
With a large party, you will want to bid on at least two rooms, since by PL definition, the room you are bidding on is for an occupancy of two. We have never had a problem calling the hotel directly and requesting two beds, a day after our winning bid. Our request has never been denied. That will give you room for 8 with two rooms.
Check out biddingfortravel.com if you have any questions about using PL.

[Jitterjet]

Thanks for your replies. I forgot to come back and check the posts for comments.

I've used Priceline and have researched through Bidding for Travel, so I think I'll just wait and try getting 2 rooms through Priceline. In the meantime, I'll find something close and reserve 2 rooms as a backup plan, just in case. I can always cancel within the required deadline.

We did manage to get 2 rooms at Grand Californian for 3 nights, so we're really excited about that. This will be my first trip to DL since I was a kid, and that was a loooong time ago.



Thanks again for your suggestions, and we'll probably use your advice and take a taxi.

[w-steele]

To use Priceline or Hot Wire, do you pay for the room up front? I've looked at both site and before they even start a search they want your credit card information first. How do these sites operate?

[DebiDebiDebi]

On Priceline, once you place your bid, and they accept your price, then you are charged for the room.

Here is a site that I find extremely helpful with vacation bidding: BiddingForTravel.com - Message Board - Yuku