Priceline Hotel: 3* Miami (Airport MIA) Holdiay Inn Doral Airport West

[William W]

This is the first time that I will be using PRICELINE as well as going to Fort Lauderdale.

I will be flying with my wife and infant the night before the cruise to Fort Lauderdale, and taking a shuttle to Miami the next morning to catch the cruise.

Any recommendation as to how to proceed, I will preferably want to stay at a hotel where they offer shuttle service to the airport. And my budget is under $60 is that realistic?

Thanks!!!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Please only post one stay per thread. We'll use this thread for the first nite of yoru stay, 11/28, feel free to start a NEW TOPIC for 12/7.

Before suggesting a strategy for 11/28, have you considered heading straight to Miami once your plane lands? I usually recommend the least amount of travel on embarkation day as it just makes things a lot smoother... no need to worry about traffic, car trouble which could delay you getting to (or missing) the ship, forgetting something back at the hotel (easier to retrieve if the hotel is closer), etc, etc. It's not a big deal as these are all "what if" situations, and usually nothing happens, but it gives me peace of mind and makes the ship boarding day much less stressful (expecially when traveling with infants/toddlers/children).

Let us know your thoughts and we'll take it from there.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[William W]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I have booked Jetblue flying into Florida before I realized that Delta is only $30 more expensive flying into Miami. I would have flown direct to Miami if I did my research prior to booking with Jetblue. So now I'm pretty much stuck with flying into Fort Lauderdale. The plane arrive at 6:15pm. And my plan is to start heading toward the pier the next morning at around 11am. I'm debating whether to get a rental car, will it be cheaper to rent a car, drive there and drop off at the port or pay the $70 Limo ride down to the port?

Thanks

[thereuare]

my plan is to start heading toward the pier the next morning at around 11am.

I understood... what i was suggesting was driving (or taking a shuttle) to Miami the nite you arrive instead of the following morning.

[William W]

I have booked a rental directly through Dollar Rent a car as they allow me to pick up the car at FLL and drop it off at MIA.

What would be the best bidding stratgey for the Nov 28 - 29, 2008 portion for my pre-cruise? Now with a rental, I suppose I can stay anywhere between FLL and MIA. Preferably close to either airport or the Port of Miami.

My minimum requirement will be a 2* though, a 2.5* will be nice. Some place that offer free parking will also be a plus. Budget will be under $60.

Thanks

[thereuare]

I have booked a rental directly through Dollar Rent a car as they allow me to pick up the car at FLL and drop it off at MIA.

Please note as per our support page that we are an affiliate of Dollar Rent a Car :)

When are you dropping off the rental car... the nite of 11/28 or the morning of 11/29? It's a good 25 minute drive from downtown or Miami Cruise Port to the Miami Airport... so if returning the car 11/29 i don't think you'd want to drive in the opposite direction of the pier (to get to the airport) and then immediately head back.

[William W]

Please note as per our support page that we are an affiliate of Dollar Rent a Car :)

When are you dropping off the rental car... the nite of 11/28 or the morning of 11/29? It's a good 25 minute drive from downtown or Miami Cruise Port to the Miami Airport... so if returning the car 11/29 i don't think you'd want to drive in the opposite direction of the pier (to get to the airport) and then immediately head back.

Opps, didn't know that, I'll cancel my existing booking and rebook using the link provided.

I'm planning to drop off the rental the morning of 11/29 if I am staying in the Fort Lauderdale area or other areas in Miami. Though, I can also drop it off on the 28th if I'm staying Downtown Miami.

Thanks

[thereuare]

Opps, didn't know that, I'll cancel my existing booking and rebook using the link provided.

That would be GREAT... thanks! :)

I'm planning to drop off the rental the morning of 11/29 if I am staying in the Fort Lauderdale area or other areas in Miami. Though, I can also drop it off on the 28th if I'm staying Downtown Miami.

If i recall correctly (doublecheck and correct me if i'm wrong) Dollar offers a shuttle from the rental agency desk to the pier. Therefore i would think it's best to stay near the Miami Airport (sticks with my philosophy of staying as close to the pier as possible so the morning of embarkation there are less things that can go wrong (leaving something at hotel, car trouble, traffice, etc)) and this also makes it convenient for you to drop the car off at the rental agency the next morning without traversing from Downtown (which is near the pier) back to the airport. An added benefit is that airport hotels are often some of the least expensive in the regions.

If you want to bid the Miami Airprot zone you may be able to get a 3* for under $60/nite... would you want to try for this first or would you prefer the least expensive 2.5* or better in the zone?

Let us know your thoughts and we'll advise accordingly.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[William W]

I will like to try the least expensive 2.5* near the Miami airport, as I will probably want a place where they offer free parking. Thanks.

[thereuare]

With time in your side i would begin as follows...

At the 2.5* level in Miami you have one 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 2.5* Miami Airport...

Bid $45, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $48.

If the above is rejected, repeat after 24 hours increasing each bid by $3.

Any questionsl feel free to ask.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[William W]

Thanks for the tips. $45 for 2.5* have been rejected. Can you tell me besides the Airport zone, which other zone can I use for rebid purposes?

[thereuare]

You need know how to check your re-bid zones yourself as you should check them before every bidding cycle. We could tell you the zone, but what if a new hotel is added to that zone between the time we reply and the time you bid... you could then easily end up in an area you didn't wish.

Start by reading Priceline Re-Bidding Explained.

If you're confused or don't understand just post back and we'll break it down one step at a time.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[canabiz]

Hey Will hope to see you here bud, hope all goes well

I read a good article in the National Post yesterday about hotels struggling to fill rooms with the American economy in a recession. Here's hoping that would give us some good deals.

[William W]

Hey Canabiz, yes, we are all here to try to catch a deal.

I also got the Holiday Inn Miami Airport West (3255 Northwest 87th Avenue) for Nov 28-29, 2008 for $50.

Tried lowered amount, but they all got rejected. So I suppose your first bid happens to be the lowest bid that they accept.

Regards.

[thereuare]

I also got the Holiday Inn Miami Airport West (3255 Northwest 87th Avenue) for Nov 28-29, 2008 for $50.

Please remember to post your wins to the board as you receive them... have you made any purchases (or updates of any failed attempts) for your other threads? :)

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[William W]

Thanks, I just got the win this morning. As for my other thread, I'm up to $45 and still no luck. I will be trying another bid again tomorrow.