Resort Orlando (Lake Buena Vista-Downtown Disney) Hyatt Grand Cypress, $65 ... 4/24/10-4/26/10 Options

[sweetsixteen2010]

Hi, first post here and would really appreciate some assistance before I PL bid on my upcoming stay 4/22 - 4/26, one adult and one child. I will be bidding 3 1/2* or higher in the Downtown Disney (1st choice) and Celebration (2nd choice) areas. However, since I started researching what's available on PL, two new 4* properties have come on in the WDW-Kissimmee area on PL's regular (transparent) side -- namely, Premier Vacation Homes and Classic Families, both of which are private homes in residential areas. I do NOT want these. I understand that the properties on the transparent side are not necessarily those won on the NYOP side of PL, but I'm afraid to bid now for fear of getting one of these properties. Would PL really stick you in somebody's house when you bid for a hotel room?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

I don't know the two properties you mention above, but i can state that neither have ever been reported to the board.

If you're that concerned then have a look at HOTWIRE where you can often take an educated guess as to property you may receive before your purchase.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[sweetsixteen2010]

First, I've used the link for PRICELINE from this site for my bidding.

My first search today was for a Resort property, 1st choice Downtown Disney, 2nd choice Celebration/Maingate, 1 adult, 1 child, 4/22-26/10. I'm sorry I didn't keep a record of my bids, but I started at about $45 and gradually added zones increasing bids all the way to $68 and was unsuccessful. I do not want to pay more than that for a Resort. My zones included Downtown Disney, Disney Maingate/Celebration, Kissimmee, Orlando East, Kissimmee, West Disney, and Ocoee. OK, I decided I didn't really want to go above that and still be faced with resort fees, so I started a new bidding round for a 3 1/2*.

My second search was for 3 1/2* property in Downtown Disney. I started at $40 and ended at $60 for a 3 1/2* and was unsuccessful. My zones included Downtown Disney, Celebration/Maingate, Kissimmee, Winter Park, Orlando East, West Disney and Ocoee.

Can someone give me a strategy that perhaps I'm missing? I just don't think I should have to be going above $60 for a 3 1/2* property at the end of April. Perhaps I'm missing something. Help appreciated!

Thanks.

[rayrios16]

Buddy, if you want yo stay in a resort, bid over $75. If you want a 3.5 star plus, bid on $55+.

Good luck and let the board know the outcome. Thanks.

[sweetsixteen2010]

Buddy, if you want yo stay in a resort, bid over $75. If you want a 3.5 star plus, bid on $55+.

Good luck and let the board know the outcome. Thanks.

Thanks for the advice. Wanted to stay in a resort within reason. If I didn't get it, no big deal. Worth the try though. I did bid above $55 for the 3 1/2*. Was rejected at $60. Would like to have some help with strategy before trying again though.

[dicedeeler]

First, check the Calendar of wins for the dates you are planning to go. This should give you a good idea what to bid and in which areas. Second, if you have an Entertainment Book, there is a page in it that will give you $10 per night bonus cash on your bid for up to ten room nights. Used together, these two tools should net you a nice room for your stay.

[yellowdog]

sweetsixteen2010

Please keep all posts in the same thread since posts are for the same dates.

If you would like to get help with a bidding strategy so please post your budget/night, zone(s) you're willing to stay in and the rating for the hotel.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Yellowdog.

[sweetsixteen2010]

Yes, thanks, I would like help with a bidding strategy.

4/22-26
Lake Buena Vista-Downtown Disney (1st choice)
Disney Maingate/Celebration (2nd choice)
3 1/2*
Budget: $65/night before fees

Thanks!

[taliategan]

When I was bidding for my January trip of few months back, I was also bidding on Resorts and 3-1/2* in the LBV-DTD zone. From the research I did, the best bet for a resort under $ 65 was the DTD Hilton. It seemed that most of these wins though were made only a week or two before travel. Sometimes the Hyatt Grand Cypress comes in the upper $60 to lower $70 range. If you really want a resort, I would suggest keep trying. You may have a chance at $ 65, but you may have to increase up to $ 70 or $ 75 to increase your chances. I think your $ 65 limit is more likely for the 3-1/2*. The Radisson LBV and Embassy Suites LBV can go for under this amount, especially the Radisson. Some of the other reported 3-1/2* hotels (Royal Plaza, Doubletree Suites and Buena Vista Palace) in this zone may come within this $ 65 limit, with the Buena Vista Palace being the least likely. I would think if you keep bidding up to your $ 65 limit for 3-1/2* you will likely get a win.

[sweetsixteen2010]

Thanks very much. That's good advice. I will wait for bidding strategy help from the moderators and try again. I'm not necessarily trusting myself after my unsuccessful turn yesterday! :-)

[thereuare]

4/22-26
Lake Buena Vista-Downtown Disney (1st choice)
Disney Maingate/Celebration (2nd choice)
3 1/2*
Budget: $65/night before fees

Did you want to bid up to your limit first in the LBV zone, then if rejected try for the Celebration zone... or is your goal the least expensive hotel in either of these zones?

Are you willing to pay more for a Resort vs. a 3.5* or are you looking for the least expensive 3.5* or better for this stay?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Let us know the above and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

[sweetsixteen2010]

Either one of those zones would work fine for us. At this point, I don't want to deal with the resort fees and higher parking fees, so I'd say I'm looking for the least expensive 3.5* or better in either of those zones.

Thanks for your help!

[thereuare]

At the 3.5* level you have FIVE re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 3.5* Lake Buena Vista...
Bid $35, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $40, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $45, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $50, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* Downtown Disney..
Bid $35, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $40, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $45, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $50, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* Lake Buena Vista and Downtown Disney...
Bid $53, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $55, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $58, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $63, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $65

Any questions feel free to ask.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[sweetsixteen2010]

Thanks for your help. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful again for my 4/22-26 trip. Here's what I did:

LBV/Downtown Disney - 3 1/2* selected
Bid $35 - rejected - added rebid Kissimmee
Bid $40 - rejected - added rebid Ocoee
Bid $45 - rejected - added rebid Orlando East
Bid $50 - rejected - closed browser and used this site's link to reopen PL

Disney Maingate/Celebration - 3 1/2* selected
Bid $35 - rejected - added rebid Kissimmee
Bid $40 - rejected - added rebid West Disney
Bid $45 - rejected - added rebid Ocoee
Bid $50 - rejected - closed browser and used this site's link to reopen PL

LBV/Downtown Disney and Disney Maingate/Celebration - 3 1/2* selected
Bid $53 - rejected - added rebid West Disney
Bid $55 - rejected - added rebid Kissimmee
Bid $58 - rejected - added rebid Ocoee
Bid $60 - rejected - added rebid Orlando East
Bid $63 - rejected - added rebid Winter Park
Bid $65 - rejected - closed browser

Guess I have to wait 24 hours to try again - am out of rebid zones.

[thereuare]

Do you intend to raise your bid or are you going to keep your bid at the $65 at this point in time?

Thanks for using the PRICELINE links to begin your bidding.

[sweetsixteen2010]

Well, not really sure what to do...it's a tad bit frustrating. We had one member on the board here this week who bid on a 3.5* in Lake Buena Vista/Downtown Disney zone for our exact dates and was upgraded to the Resort Hyatt Grand Cypress for a winning bid of $64. Other members have recently won 3.5* in that zone for $50, $52 and a 3* for $46. Do you have any suggestions on what the problem might be or whether waiting would do any good?

Thanks!

[lew]

You're bidding for 4 nights. It's not realistic to expect a resort hotel will have PL availability for $65 for 4 consecutive nights.

There aren't that many different 3.5 hotels that show reported wins, particularly at your price point. Probably the couple of 3.5* hotels that sometimes offer PL at your price point don't have inventory available to PL.

You might want to see what kind of deal you can get conventionally. You run the risk of a resort fee and/or parking charge with PL. Book conventionally and you can avoid those fees. You might even find a property that offers some kind of free breakfast. Also try hotwire.

Did you check Disney value resorts?

Why don't you check rates for the 3.5* hotels that have recently been reported? Check each night individually. Post.

My opinion. I generally bid at a higher * level with PL then I'd book conventionally. There are probably a number of 3 and even 2.5* hotels that would be acceptable to you. The problem is there may be a couple of PL hotels in that * level that wouldn't be acceptable.

Buena Vista Suites has a current rate of around $90, check for internet specials (every Thursday). That rate includes breakfast. Check places like Comfort.

edited to add I checked Embassy Suites (LBV) is showing $113.05 for your dates. You may need to keep checking.

BTW some hotels (Hilton in NYC) have "priceline rooms" Rooms that are "substandard". I don't know if ES has such rooms but if they've aleady sold their "priceline rooms" for your dates you'll be out of luck.

[Blackmagic]

The DWV Hilton is sold out on your first night, the 22nd. The 23rd, 24th, 25th are available @ $108 per night I think. A bid of $60 - $65 at the Resort level might get you a win for those three days, then you could do a seperate bid for the first night ...

The Hilton is a nice win at those prices if you win the bid. Parking is $10/day and I don't remember paying a resort fee. It's walking distance to Downtown Disney and they have shuttles to the parks.

[thereuare]

We had one member on the board here this week who bid on a 3.5* in Lake Buena Vista/Downtown Disney zone for our exact dates and was upgraded to the Resort Hyatt Grand Cypress for a winning bid of $64.

Not true...

I believe this is the winning priceline bid you're referring to and that user's dates were 4/24-4/26, which are a subset of your dates, but not exactly the same. Checking the Hyatt website the nites of 4/22-4/24 are more expensive then the nites of 4/24-4/26... which would imply a higher bid is necessary for these more expensive nites as well.

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[sweetsixteen2010]

I had not considered splitting my dates, but I've done so.

4/24-4/26
Resort Lake Buena Vista/Downtown Disney zone, $65 - ACCEPTED - Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

Went back to bid on the first part of our stay...

4/22-4/24
Resort Lake Buena Vista/Downtown Disney zone, $50 - rejected
Add Disney Maingate/Celebration zone, $55 - rejected
Add 4*, $60 - rejected
Add 3.5*, $62 - rejected
Add Kissimmee, $64 - rejected
Add West Disney, $67 - rejected
Add Ocoee, $70 - rejected
Add Orlando East, $72 - rejected
Add Winter Park, $75 - rejected

That's where I stop. I will revisit in near future to see if availability opens up for my first couple of nights. Please let me know if you would like me to open a new thread at that point for the new dates or if I should come back to this one.

This was quite an active thread and I really appreciate everyone's input. Helped me out a lot.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your (partial) success!

Glad to see you got at least half of this stay done at a great rate... i'm sure i speak for everyone in that contributed to this thread that we're happy to have helped!

As this thread now reflects the results of your 4/24-4/26 stay, please start a NEW TOPIC for your remaining dates of 4/22-4/24 so that eventual win will also have its own link in the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Enjoy this leg of your stay.