Priceline Hotel: Pre and post stay suggestions for South Beach

[jluff]

Hi I just booked a 4 night Royal Caribbean cruise out of Miami for two on November 14th.

We are looking for accommodations for November 12,13 and 18th and perhaps 19th .

Let me preface this request by telling you right now there are awesome deals through ecruises.com. We just paid $254 per person + FREE travel insurance and two free magazine subscriptions for a 4 night cruise on Royal Caribbean stopping in Nassau, Cococay (their own private island) and Key west.

So we start our search with Priceline for the hotels. My concern is timing. How far in advance should I start searching? Will I be shooting myself in the foot if I start now? We are thinking of around a $80 a night max in either South beach , Fort Lauderdale beach, or even considering Miami Beach or Hollywood Beach, however we want to be around some action..bars, clubs etc. My wife is 27 and I am 30, and just bought our first home in MA (CRAZY PRICES.. anything under 300K is a miracle) and are still struggling, but we want to have some fun, if we can figure out a way to afford it. If you have experience in these places, please give some advice.

We are flying into Fort Lauderdale because there are many inexpensive flights from Boston, MA or Providence, RI. We will probably rent a car and drop it right at the port when we board the ship.

The way I see it, the cruise, flight, hotels and car rentals should total around $1300 bucks with all taxes included for the two of us for the week.

Cruise - $567 w/taxes

Flight - $350 w/taxes

Car - $25 w/taxes a day x 3- 4 days

Hotel - $80 w/taxes x 3-4 days

_______________________________

Equals - $1312 - $1417 w/taxes

Any suggestions would be appreciated from fellow bargain hunters and internet savy people.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Is this on Majesty of the Seas? I did this same itnerary 2 years ago and if i recall correctly it was on Majesty.

Bidding Early or Late depends upon personal preference, but my thoughts and that of some other board members are discussed in this thread: SHOULD I BID EARLY or CLOSE TO ARRIVAL?

Once you decide when you want to bid please let us know and we'll move forward with a suggested strategy. Let's keep this thread active for your pre-cruise stay and please start a new thread for your post-cruise stay... using separate threads helps keep the board better organized as each 'win' can be shown in the topic title.

Also, you mention $80 above as your expected budget, but at the end of your post use $80 net of fees and taxes... please post you maximum bid amount (pre-tax/pre-fees) and also mention the star ratings you are seeking at those prices.

[jluff]

Yes this is on the Majesty! Did you like this trip?

Anyway,

I would love to start bidding now. I don't know if it too far of a reach ( but I do see what I believe is the 4* blue moon hotel on Hotwire for $88 a night), so I was thinking of starting with the resorts around $50 and going up from there. It is low season and I have a lot of time so it can't hurt. I think I will start by bidding these resorts in South Beach, Miami Beach, Key Biscayne, coconut grove. Ofcourse upgrading my price and adding other areas after that do not have resort options available. Then onto Fort Lauderdale Beach and Hollywood beach under a seperate search. Then to the 4 stars for only South beach and Miami Beach etc...then 3.5 and so on..

Do you have experience with any of these areas? Are they all nice? Would you organize your search in a different way?

[thereuare]

The areas you mention all have somewhat different 'personalities', so i think you should first determine what it is you're looking for from the pre-cruise stay and let that help determine what area you stay in.

I have recently read that the Blue Moon is "ok", but it's not up to a true 4* rating.

The Majesty trip was just 'ok', but i have high expectations when it comes to cruising. We really enjoy cruising and it's our vacation of choice, but we enjoy the larger and newer ships where things all-around are just 'a notch above' the older and smaller ships (like the Majesty). We were a little bored on the ship at times, but with that said... "it beats working!" :)

[jluff]

Thank you for the input. This is our first cruise so, I think it will be ok for us, we are just looking forward to getting away.

As to the areas...I guess we have a little research to do. We are looking for a place that is young and has some clubs and bars around. It doesn't have to be Spring Break at Daytona Beach... but something in the middle that is why we are not sooo set on South Beach.

Also.. it seems like there might be a chance at a resort for low dough.. considering this post last year..

http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?act...f=79&t=8176&hl=

$70 at the fountanebleau in Miami Beach.. anything is possible in off season apparently.

[thereuare]

Not really a good idea to base your expected bid price on date either 1) other than your own or 2) from a year ago.

I believe the Fountainbleu is probably a bit more family oriented that what you're looking for... if you want South Beach you should probably go for it, but realize a nice place is going to cost you. Also note that lower star rated hotels in this area are a dime a dozen and can be riskly if you're 'hotel particular'.

Do a little research on the area and then we'll try to help you get the best deal.

[jluff]

Hi,

I think we might actually like Fountainbleu or one of these other resorts. We have decided it is more important to be on the beach in a resort type atmosphere rather than being in the hustle an bustle of South Beach.

Well after some fooling around with priceline the last couple nights using the rebid strategy for South Beach and Miami Beach, and not finding anything under $100 for resorts or 4 stars, so I have decided to book something solid and wait until the summer to start my search on Priceline. That way, I can get a back up hotel and try to beat it sometime this year.

My personal thought is that many (probably most) have not thought about priceline inventory for 8 months from now, so the prices are still high since we are in high season. I could be wrong but , it can't hurt to wait.

Thank you for your help.

[bellisq]

I live in SoBe and would suggest you wait because you cannot predict what will be happening with Hurricanes. I think you will be able to find a good hotel for a very reasonable price. Season doesn't start until Dec.

I like the Fontainbleu and it is a very short bus/cab ride down to South Beach, like 20 fast blocks. There are lots of amenities and it is on the ocean, which none of the hotels in SoBe are. Also check out the Supershuttle from Fll to Miami. It will save you lots of bucks.

[jluff]

Thanks for the advice.

I am actually going to book a backup now, and wait until August or September.. Most likely check a few times each month until then using very low $$.. Probably maxing these bids around 75 bucks.. I actually went back through many of the older posts looking at resort wins only, here and on that other site to discover that many people have gotten really good prices in August and September for October, November, and December 2003 and 2004. I know that the above post says not to go by past wins however if you cannot trust trends then what can you depend on? I believe if I wait, I can get a resort in Miami Beach for under $85.

Keeping the faith,

J.