Hotwire Hotel: Help with Disney hotel

[d3outguncom]

Hi,

I have never used Hotline and have 1 win on Priceline so new to all this. I will say that I have read every post that seemed relevant.

My first question may make using Hotline redundant and it is this: I can get the All-Star hotels for $81 per night direct from Disney. The dates I will be there are 8/25/06 to 9/2/06 (8 nights). I can see they are not the best quality but what appeals is that we dont have to worry about transportation to and from (I promised my wife we would come back to the hotel for a break each day so we are not onsite 10-12 hours ata time); the early entry to one park a day and the the extra hours in the evening. We are a couple and 10 year old boy.

Even if I can get one of the 3 star hotels for $60-75 in the Disney/Kissimmee area which I see a number of people have done, arent we just going to use up that saving in transport, not even putting a value on the extra access. We are from Australia and will not have a car. Even $81 is above our budget but it seems like it will make things so much more convenient. I was seriously considering getting a $31 Howard Johnson motel type room but the reviews all sound so horrible. If we could do it all - room and transport for under $60 per day that would be fantastic, but you can see am prepared to stretch it a bit.

Not overly concerned about facilities - we dont need a tennis court, golf course, business centre, fancy restaurants or even room service (we are going to self cater as much as possible). What we want is a clean room with 2 beds and as little hassle as possible getting to and from the Disney attractions. Being near a supermarket would be a real bonus

Please let me know your opinions onif it is worth using Hotline or Priceline and how to then not blow our budget on transport at all or if we should just go ahead and book an All Star.

Thanks,

David

[thereuare]

No need to double post in each forum... just post once and if you ultimately use another service we'll then move the entire thread to that section of the board.

Remember that the opaque services, and the savings that are obtained, are a result of being flexible in your plans... it's not right for every situation and if you need certain amenties/services then a direct or non-opaque purchase may be best for plans.

I would begin by doing a HOTWIRE search for your dates and see what star ratings and prices are offered to you and then compare that to the direct-purchase properties you're considering. We can then help you try to identify some of the properties and see if the price, plus transportation (if shuttle service not offered), are better/worse then your alternate plans.

[floridasunshine]

With Disney it is usually better to stay on site, in my opinion... especially if you will not have your own car or rental.

For the dates of your stay, there may be discount codes you can use to get a cheaper rate. There is a discount code of BPN that is good 8/19/06 thru 9/30/06 which is available to the general public.

You would have to book thru Disney or else have your travel agent request the code be applied to your stay. The number of rooms that are eligible for the codes are normally limited, though.

I think there may be other codes available too. Check Mousesavers.com and allearsnet.com because they usually have the most current info about Disney.

[homeschoolmom]

Ditto the above advice by flsunshine. The transportation is the key issue at Disney!! Disney's Magical Express -- free shuttle from the airport-- prob. saves some $$ too. Would also mention that if you are onsite, there will be no nearby grocery. It might be worth a taxi ride, though, for an 8 day stay. If you are extremely thrifty, I suppose you could pack granola bars, etc. for a cheap breakfast, and then use your empty bag or suitcase for some souvenir mouse ears! In a pinch, I like to pick up the 99 cent apples that they sell in the food courts. If you plan to be back at the resort several times a day, make sure you check out the refillable soda mugs at the food courts, too. Hope some of this is helpful to you!! With some luck, we might be visiting the mouse, too. (Just look for Mom, Dad, and 9 and 10 yo girls with big floppy hats!!) :)

[d3outguncom]

So, I have been a busy bee doing lots of research which i add below.

We have decided to use Priceline (thereugo if you could transfer to Priceline board please :-) and aim for a 3 star hotel, budget $50 or under and hire a car for the time we are at WDW. The cost of a Disney hotel (All Star Music for avg $84 per night) works out about the same as a 3 star on Priceline (say $50-60) and hiring a car (say $30 per day for hire, insurances and parking at Disney) with the advantage of the freedom to explore the area outside the shuttle route for meals, entertainment,etc. Our travel dates are 08/25/06 - 09/02/06 (8 nights).

As can be seen from the information below, some direct booking sites (XPDIA, Hotelscheap) have some 3 stars under this already - Sheraton Safari $60, Best Western Lakeside $45, Seralago $45 - all of which seem to have appeared as wins on Priceline for about the same. Of course there are many hotels that are better quality and reviews that have gone on Priceline for this price range - Radisson Worldgate $50 Renaissance Worldgate $51 Sheraton Safari $50 Hilton Disney Resort $61 - which would be great.

What i cant see is a way to avoid getting for example the Best Western Lakeside for the same price or more than booking direct from hotelscheap, when getting the Hilton or Renaisaance would be ideal. Any ideas?

Also, from the information below, does anyone have a clear idea on whether it would be better to just book a hotel - the Sheraton Safari or Best Western Lakeside for example - direct rather than take the pot luck of Priceline.

Thanks again for all your help,

David

RESEARCH

ORLANDO

08/25/06 TO 09/02/06 (8 NIGHTS)

2 BEDS

BUDGET $60

HOTWIRE - ONLY DISNEY MAINGATE SEARCHED

2.5-star OFFER $33 RETAIL $49 Amenities - Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s),

Business Center, Laundry Facilities

3-star OFFER $61 RETAIL $83.50 Amenities - Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, Laundry Facilities, Tennis Nearby. Listed as "Customer favorite"

3-star condo OFFER $73 no retail listed Amenities - Studio, Children's Activity Program, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Laundry Facilities, Tennis Nearby, Kitchenette (Yes this one is over budget, but cooking facilities mean we can save much more than the extra $13 by self catering)

PRICELINE - GENERAL SEARCH IN DISNEY/KISSIMMEE

1 star Howard Johnson Inn - Kissimmee Maingate East $34 Low price, free shuttle and free meal for kids

1 Star Ramada Plaza Hotel - In Gateway $48 Says its a Disney good neighbor hotel tho doesnt say anything about a shuttle. In Australia, where we're from, Ramada is a midrange hotel. Is 1 star rating right?

2 star Quality Inn Maingate West - $50 Has all the right things - free breakfast and shuttle to Disney, but half the reviews are bad and half good. Also many talk about extra fees (resort fee) which takes away from value.

3 star Radisson - $86, mostly pos reviews

3 star Doubltree at WDW - $109,

Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista - $109

3 star Sheraton Safari $88

Expedia - GENERAL SEARCH DISNEY AREA

2 STAR Legacy Grand - $46.41. Free breakfast and shuttles tho mixed reviews on inconvenient shuttle times and availability of breakfast.

2 star Masters InnMaingate - $47.75 Usual mixed reviews about free breakfast (muffins and juice) and shuttles tho mixed reviews on inconvenient shuttle times (1 in am there 1 in enening back) and availability of breakfast. Most people said they went to The Ponderosa for $4 buffet breakfast

2.5 star - Howard Johnson Maingate $49 No free breakfast, free shuttles, a playground, a fitness room. Usual mixed reviews.

2.5 star - Clarion Hotel Maingate $51 Free shuttle, no breakfast, generally good reviews

3 star - Seralago Hotel $49 Free breakfast for kids, shuttles to park, tho the usual mixed reviews about cleanliness. Some reviews say should be 4 star some say 2. Looks a bit further from main shops, restaurants, etc & we wont have car

3 star Best Western Lakeside $52.75. Free shuttles and free breakfast for stays over a week. The facilities look great for kids - mini golf, games room. Consistently good reviews

HOTELSCHEAP.COM

3 star Best Western as above for $45 per night. Rooms were $42 but last night (Sep 1) was $73 which brought avg up to $45. Also mentions $3.50 additional fee payable on checkout which makes it $48.50, but still cheaper than Expedia

3 star Sheraton Safari Free shuttle no free breakfast. Excellent amenities. Charge $5 for fridge in room

PRICELINE - WINS LISTED ON BETTERBIDDING. ALL HOTELS IN DISNEY RESORT AREA

2 STAR Seralogo $39 (see above in Expedia section) $49 listed as 3 star, obviously isnt

2.5 star Amerisuites $36/40 Best price on other sites $109

2.5 star All Star Disney Music Resort $36 Best price on other sites $79

3 star Radisson Worldgate $50 Best price on other sites $77.75. Has resort fees which will bump price up and got 1 pretty bad review on Priceline tho others were mixed

3 star Renaissance Worldgate $51 No availability. For caomparison only

3 star Sheraton Safari $50 Best price on other sites $60 (See Hotelscheap.com above)

3.5 star Hilton Disney Resort $61 Best price on other sites $95

[thereuare]

You list the Hilton as a 3.5* property via Priceline, but priceline doesn't use the 3.5* rating in their star rating system. As per the Priceline Hotel List this property has previously been rated at the Resort level. You should therefore be able to bid for a Resort class hotel and avoid the hotel(s) you mentiona above that you don't want (assuming of course that you're comfortable with any Resort class property in this area... also note that you could be the first to report a new hotel at a give star leve in this area and that the star rating of other properties can change at any time).

If you'd like to try for a Resort prpoerty on Priceline let us know and we'll suggest a strategy to follow.

PS- we'll move this thread if/when a hotel is ultimately won/received

[d3outguncom]

thanks thereuare. will be going for 3 star on priceline. issue is avoiding getting the seralagos and best westerns for $49-52 which is what they are going for direct when i woudl be willing to pay more for the Renaissance for example.

Also, may I request that the post be migrated to the Priceline forum so that users with advice looking at that forum see this post and can reply.

thanks,

david

[thereuare]

You can't avoid a specific hotel in the zone if it is rated at the star level (or higher) you are bidding, which is why i suggested trying for a Resort class properties within your budget ($60 for a resort?)... assuming you are comfortable with all the Resort class hotels in the zone.

Remember my comment in my first post of this this thread

...the opaque services, and the savings that are obtained, are a result of being flexible in your plans

If there is a property within the star rating that you want to avoid then HOTWIRE may be a better option since at least you can then take an educated guess at the property (still no guarantees) and avoid a property that you dont' want.

You can "work around" the system by bidding a star level where you are comfortable with all the hotels at that quality (with the caveat that you could be the first to report a new hotel), but if you're not willing to do that (ie- bid for a Resort in this situation) then you may be better booking direct (for which we have hotel-direct links for all the chains you've mentioned above in our support page)

[erinch]

This gets into disney, rather than the purpose of this board, but I would highly recommend using the extensive disney resources available to you. mousesavers.com lists current discount codes which can save a bundle on disney property, and disboards.com has thousands of members and millions of posts by friendly people who are eager to help. If you've not booked yet, be aware that the advantages to staying on disney property are huge. The time of year you are planning to come is hurricane season, and disney does big storms very well, should there be one. Not so the outlying properties... the HoJos and other budget properties are generally rather dirty and not well-maintained, and if power is lost for an extended time you are on your own.

If you are relying on an off-property hotel for transport, their shuttle services may cost money as well...be sure to check on all options before buying an "opaque" room. Generally the shuttle schedule is inconvenient. You will consume a huge amount of time if trying to get back to the hotel during the day. If the parks have started their early closing hours, you'll be challenged to get enough time in the parks.

on the disboard, ask your questions particularly in the budget forum and in the resorts forum. I believe there are ones for overseas visitors as well.

Be aware that travel to disney, no matter what, puts a drain on your wallet in many ways you're not expecting. If you are down to the penny in your budget you may discover the trip to be a huge strain with a lot of $$$ worries. There are many tips to save some dollars. biggest ones are to stop at a grocery store and by cases of water and breakfast, snack items to keep in your room.