TBQ

And thanks for confirming that I'm not going prematurely blind :) (Actually I'm quite dyslexic, and I don't see text properly sometimes)

thereuare - I clicked on the Cruise Port Schedules link before I posted previously, but I did not see New Orleans in the pull-down list.

Just in case, here's some port facility information and a map: http://www.portno.com/cruise_info.htm I checked the New Orleans Convention Calendar for potential conflicts, however, they only have entries through 11/14/2004.

Hello and welcome to Lorian - one factor in the availability of rooms *MIGHT* be that your dates are just before the Miami Intl. Boat Show, an event that always fills up hotels (and sells out rental cars - I found out the hard way). Although the show itself starts on the 17th, lots of vendors and dealers come early to set up and do pre-show sales.

The college football BCS National Championship game is being held in the area on Tuesday January 4, 2005. A *LOT* of people come for the entire week, and since no one knows who will be playing in the game, I would guess that a lot of rooms are being held back for use in packages.

Thanks to members 2pi and DeltaPurser for information concerning previous bids at this property. Homestead Studio Suites Boca Raton 501 NW 77th Street Boca Raton, Florida 33487 561-994-2599 Check-In Date: Thu, Jul 15, 2004 Check-Out Date: Fri, Jul 16, 2004 Your Offer Price: $27.00 Number of Rooms: 1 / Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $27.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $9.02 Total Charges: $36.02 The location is exactly as described by DeltaPurser in his/her post. There is a Winn Dixie supermarket just up the road (Congress Ave.), and even closer, a new Costco has recently opened. SB link was used - easy as pie!

(Apologies for the abbreviations in the title line - please edit if needed). Note: The winning hotel is in Priceline's West Ft. Lauderdale - Plantation zone. I needed a room in the western suburbs. My first bid, $28 in the Miramar zone, was rejected (I was trying for the Hilton Garden Inn). I then immediately added the FLL West - Plantation zone and increased my bid by $1, and won the bid! Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Weston 2000 N. Commerce Parkway Fort Lauderdale, FL 33326 USA Phone: 1 954-343-2225 Check-In Date: Fri, Aug 6, 2004 Check-Out Date: Mon, Aug 9, 2004 Your Offer Price: $29.00 Number of Rooms: 1 / Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $87.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $17.13 Total Charges: $104.13 The hotel website has a weekend special of $69 per night plus tax - not too bad a savings :o Like before, it's a pleasure to make my PL bids via the Savings Barn portal (I appreciate the lack of heavy-handed coercion) :) :)

thereuare - as far as I can tell, the list is accurate. The two hotels in Boca North are definitely in the north zone - if you look at the map and see where I-95 and NW 51st intersect, that is where the Doubletree is located - the Homestead is on Congress, just a bit further north from the Doubletree. For Boca Deerfield West, all three hotels are OK - the Hilton is definitely in this zone, because it sits right along I-95, and is *NOT* near the beach.

I started my bid at $36, based on a previous post, in the Boca Raton - Deerfield West zone (this is the zone that includes the Boca Towne Center mall area, mmy deisred area). When I received the offer to bid $10 more I added the Boca Raton - Deerfield Beach zone (where there are no 2.5*, taking the chance that an upgrade to 3* was marginally possible) and bid at $38, and won!! Check-In Date: Wed, Jul 14, 2004 Check-Out Date: Thu, Jul 15, 2004 Your Offer Price: $38.00 Number of Rooms: 1 / Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $38.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $10.38 Total Charges: $48.38 Please note (for purposes of the hotel list) that Priceline has tweaked the Boca zone names: Boca Raton - Deerfield Beach Area (the area near the water) Boca Raton - Deerfield West Area (the area near the mall - Glades Road office buildings and the mall) Boca Raton - North (the areas near the office buildings at (and north of) Yamato Road) As always, it was a pleasure to use the Savings Barn portal to begin my bids :)

I I started bidding at $35 (rejected - offered a rebid at $11 more. Instead, I closed my session and restarted, adding another zone. My $41 bid was accepted. I like to bid for 2.5 star properties because they often offer free high-speed Internet access (this saves $10 or more that one would pay at 3* or higher properties, and also, you can typically park for free). So I was very pleased with the result: Courtyard by Marriott Ft Lauderdale North 5001 North Federal Highway Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33308 Your Offer Price: $41.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $41.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $11.08 Total Charges: $52.08 The hotel website shows the room at $109. Thannks again for this great site (I used savingsbarn.com, which I have saved in my Favorites) :)

My frst time posting here (but I'm a fairly regular Priceline user) - I appreciate this resource where I can share info with other travellers. I was trying for a 2.5* but was rejected at $35 and $39, so I went with "Plan B" and bid and won the 3* Marriott Gateway Park. Here are the bid details: Your Offer Price: $43.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $43.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $11.47 Total Charges: $54.47 I used the Savings Barn link, and have bookmarked it for future use. Thanks again!