tenerifesharon

Thanks, but we need to get to Richmond, VA for a couple of days before continuing back to Washington, DC. And the bus (or even Amtrak) is too difficult for all the stops we need to make. IOW... NYC, Richmond, Washington, EWR. And the way I pack, we'll need the entire trunk of the rental car for outlet shopping!!

Thanks, thereuare. Yes, I do mean somewhere outside the city limits that wouldn't be too far to get into DC with the Metro. Since we'll be travelling from EWR to Richmond and back, we can't really do without the rental car. Just don't want to stay somewhere directly in the city where it will cost a fortune to park.

Can anyone help with a bit of information, please?!? We're looking for a 3* or better suite-hotel (Residence Inn, Country Inns etc. or similar) that would have free parking and nearby access to the Metro. We'd like to spend a day or so at the Smithsonian on this trip. Any suggestions of which areas would be good to use on Hotwire or Priceline? Many thanks.

BTW Cheapest non-refundable rate was $129 per night

Saw this on Hotwire for $74 and decided to try for it on Priceline at $61. First bid accepted. Have two nights there before we fly back to Europe. The last day will be used to fill the suitcases shopping at the local malls! :) Country Inn & Suites Newark Airport Elizabeth, NJ 07201 100 Glimcher Realty Way 2 Nights @ $61.00 = $122.00 Taxes & Fees $ 27.34 Total Charges $149.34 Savingsbarn.com naturally :)

Sorry, thereuare, I wrote about my Sheraton success before my brain was totally engaged. :) I logged onto savingsbarn to try a couple of bids at Priceline for NYC. After they were rejected up to $120 (for 4 *), I clicked onto the HOTWIRE link (The Big Four) under the BB support travel links. So the ultimate win was through BB's HOTWIRE link. I found out about the possible "Sheraton offer" through an information mail sent me by Hotwire (saying that they had a better price to offer), a couple of weeks after I had searched them for the NYC offers for my dates. Reinforced through BBs Hotwire lists, I took a chance that the icons were the Sheraton. Thanks yet again!

Another long-term bid, with success, for the difficult NYC area. Sheraton Manhattan at Times Square (51st St.) May 20 - 24, 2008 ICONS: Fitness, Pool, Restaurant, Internet, Business-Center 4 nights @ $103 per night $412.00 Charges 79.75 TOTAL $491.75 Naturally linked through Savingsbarn!! :)

We're here at the Opal right now and it does seem to be really full -- all of SF is full! Guess that explains why we ended up with the "Priceline" room. It's fine since it's clean and quiet, but it's VERY small for 2 people with 6 weeks worth of luggage (4 large suitcases and 2 rollaboards :) ). One double bed (54") and a tiny bathroom. We certainly can't complain about the price OR the location + free breakfast, free internet and a coin laundromat -- we're satisfied!

Would you please list the amenities that were shown for the Westin Bayshore -- it would help any others trying to I.D. the hotel, in case the amenities have changed. OT - are you leaving from Vancouver on either Celebrity's Infinity or another ship on the 16th? If so, we'll see you there :)

Hotels in the regular Priceline "Purchase" list are never a guarantee for what will be won at "Name your own Price". You're lucky it's the first time that you were burned. Did you check the hotels listed here on the boards before bidding? You may still be in time to get in on the Priceline guarantee if you actually paid more than the rack rate.

Wonderful news, thereuare -- congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Thereuare and the 2 little Thereuare daughters :)

Sending all of you thereyouare's the best of wishes -- from the other side of the big pond!!

That's a great win for Vancouver during cruise season (especially for Thursday-Sunday, since most cruise ships leave on Sunday!). Congratulations.

You'd probably get some replies and assistance if you post this in the appropriate forum -- Nevada. :)

3* - Ft. Lauderdale (Weston-Plantation-Davie) Icons - Suite, Fitness Center, Business Center, High-Speed Internet, Complimentary Breakfast, Pool(s), Laundry Facilities, Kitchenette $ 64.00 per night x 7 nights $ 58.03 Taxes and fees $506.03 TOTAL Lowest regular price - $119.99 per night ($932.33 incl. tax for 7 nights) Booked through the HOTWIRE link above, naturally :) . This time for friends who want to experience Florida hurricanes!! :)

Sorry, Thereuare, I just spotted your reply. This was my first bid -- knew I could probably work at it for a while and get it down to $145, but decided to get it locked it. Fellow cruisers at Cruisecritic had just gotten it for similar dates at $150, so I just bid on the safe side. Wanted this Marriott because it's so close to where our ship will be docking and we can just walk right over. :)

There is no way of knowing the lowest accepted price in advance, but if you do a bit of research here on the Florida board, you can see what others have "won". At the top of this board, you will also see the lists of hotels for Miami which have already been won.

Hi Tez, It would be great if you would post your winning bids in the appropriate "thread", in this case Georgia. That way, anyone looking for information would be able to spot it easily. :)

You might find some good fares for one-way flights beginning in the U.S. at www.bt-store.com

Go to any of the major travel sites (Travelocity, Expedia, etc.) to pick out your cruise. Then, go to www.cruisecompete.com and let the various cruise agencies compete for your business. For a wealth of information for and by cruisers, check out www.cruisecritic.com

Not a bad price during cruise season, BUT you probably wouldn't have needed to accept the counter-offer to have gotten your hotel for less money. Read about free re-bids on this site. Next time, after your bid has been rejected, add a zone that doesn't have 4-star possibilites, check that zone as well as your original one, and raise your first bid by just a few dollars. Usually you'll win with a bid somewhere between your original bid and Priceline's counteroffer. Hope my explanation hasn't confused you :)

3 Nights @ $151 =$453.00 Taxes & Fees $61.95 TOTAL $514.95 This is for post-cruise 2/17/08 - 2/20/08. Wanted to taper off the luxury cruise feeling slowly

First bid! This is the Marriott at College St. 2 Nights @ $135. = $270.00 Taxes & Fees: 39.64 TOTAL $309.64 Bid through savingsbarn.com

Priceline is not the appropriate site to use for your flight needs. All flight bidding on Priceline is for flights beginning somewhere in the U.S. Have a look at www.kayak.com or www.itasoftware.com and enter your information. If you are still searching, perhaps you can get the flight connections you are looking for at one of those sites.

I've used skyauction frequently for buying timeshare certificates and even for sightseeing trips (San Francisco), but - sorry - never for restaurants. Don't forget that you have to pay an additional $20 handling fee for any of the skyauction purchases (whether it's one certificate or several), and that, for the restaurant certificates, you can usually only pick one of the restaurants that is being offered in the particular city.