Priceline Hotel: 3* Fort Lauderdale (Downtown) Riverside Hotel

[chas3]

This will be our first visit to Ft. Lauderdale and we are doing a cruise. I would like to use Priceline to bid on a hotel for 1 night before our cruise and 1 night after the cruise.

For the night before the cruise (Sat 3/9/2013) we just need something clean, inexpensive, and conveinient to FLL airport and Ft. Lauderdale cruise terminal. Our flight arrives around 9PM, so we just need a decent place to sleep that won't cost too much in taxi fare from airport to hotel, and the next morning hotel to cruise terminal. What I am finding right now booking direct at even the "lesser-brand" hotels is prices of $200+ Yikes! I'd be happy to pay around $100 (or less)

For the night we return from the cruise (Sun 3/17/2013) I would like to bid for a better property in a location on/near the water (I'm guessing Priceline's Ft. Lauderdale Beach area #5). Since we will be spending the entire day there once we get off of the ship, I would like to have a nice hotel with a nice pool, etc.. Hotel prices in the area seem to be cheaper for Sunday nights as opposed to Saturdays. I'd like to stay "around" $150 +or- a little.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and yes I will use this sites PRICELINE link.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Please start by clicking each of these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links, then reply to this thread and we'll have a closer look at your trip above.

We will stick with the board format of only one stay per thread (as this allows each win to have its own topic title and link for the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins and Priceline Maps). We will use this thread for your 3/9 stay, please start a NEW TOPIC for your post cruise 3/17 trip.

In your reply please indicate the minimum star rating you're willing to accept for the first hotel stay of your trip.

I'll also add that you may be interested in our sister site Pre Cruise Hotels which will show on a map star ratings and prices on a all hotels within a given radius of the port, which makes it easy to see how much more/less it would cost to go up/down in star rating as well as stay closer/further from your desired location (as well as driving information to the pier and other cruise related info).

There i do see that rates are fairly high, but it made it easy to spot America's Best Inn for $139/nite which may or may not work for your needs. However, the rate is fully refundable (always double check the terms during the check-out process) up until the day before your stay, so you could book this as a back-up while you continue to try PRICELINE and HOTWIRE over the next 6 weeks. If you find the Pre Cruise Hotels site helpful please share it with any fellow cruise sites you may participate on.

[chas3]

Thanks for the reply. I will start another thread for our post cruise stay, and I did click both links.

I took a look at Pre Cruise Hotels.com and did find it helpful. I also saw the America's Best, but once I read the Trip Advisor reviews I was no longer interested.

Right now I have a back-up, cancelable reservation at the Hilton Lauderdale Airport for $190+ tax (almost $210). If possible I would like to try to get a 3-star bidding on Priceline.

I appreciate your help.

[chas3]

Update: Have tried bidding up to $110 for 3-Star, using Downtown Ft. Lauderdale & Ft. Lauderdale Beach -No Luck.

[thereuare]

Glad to hear you like the Pre Cruise Hotels site. :)

Can you please follow-up your previous Priceline Miami thread with whatever you ended up doing for that trip.

Please remember to follow-up your threads with whatever you end up doing for the stay, even if you choose to book direct, cancel your trip, etc.

I think you have a good chance at being success if you're willing to go to $140-$160 for the Downtown and Beach zones... are you willing to bid higher at this point in time? Have you also considering including the Airport zone?

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[chas3]

Today I bid 3 times in $10 increments $120-$140: 3* Downtown, added Beach Zone, added Airport North. Bid accepted at $140 for Riverside Hotel (Downtown). Trip Advisor has mixed reviews on it, but we're only there for one night. With taxes and the $5 insurance I opted for, it came out to about $170-Still cheaper than the $210 I was prepared to pay at the Hilton.

Thanks for your help. I really feel that I can navigate Priceline much better with your helpful input and advice.

I'll keep chipping away at our post-cruise hotel in the other thread and let you know how that goes.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you found something that will work for your needs and budget for this nite of your trip.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Enjoy this leg of your stay.