Priceline Hotel: Places to stay in Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area

[frow]

My name is Jason and I would first like to start out by saying thank

you for creating this board. This reason I am bothering you is I need

some help booking a hotel in Florida. My wife and I are going on a cruise

out of Miami in April. I have never been to Miami so I am not sure what

are some good hotels. Are flight arrives in Ft. Lauderdale at 8 p.m. on

April 17th and are cruise ship sails at 4 pm on April 18th. So we need

to stay the night in either Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. Then when we

return we are going to stay another night so we can see a little of Miami

and the beaches. I plane doesn't leave the next night until 6 pm. So

basically what I was hoping you could help me with is some suggestions

about where to stay that is either on the beach or nearby and where the

best beaches are. I thank you in advance for your time and again thank you

for the board you created.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Your questions are not a bother at all... as this is what we do here :)

Since you will most likely be staying at different properties for your pre/post cruise stays, let's use this current thread for your pre-cruise stay and please start another one for your post-cruise stay (this way the titles can easily represent each property once they're won)

So, let's get into it...

For your pre-cruise stay i would recommend to stay in Miami. My reasons are twofold: 1) the Ft. Lauderdale area has been getting tougher to get great wins while the Downtown Miami area has great 3* properties at fantastic rates, and 2) I always prefer to stay as close to the depature pier as possible... in case you forget something at the hotel it's not too far to go retrive it, traffic or car trouble is much less of a concern, etc, etc.

First thing you need to do is read and understand Priceline Re-Bidding.

Assuming you're looking for what most perceive to be the 'best value' i'd recommend bidding 3* for the Downtown Miami area. If this is what you choose to do, you have 2 re-bid zones available (which gives you the ability to bid up to 3 times every 72 hours). Feel free to confirm your re-bidding zones with us before bidding to avoid any mistakes.

After any of your new questions are answered i would recommend bidding:

Select 3* Downtown Miami

Bid $35, if rejected add re-bid zone and...

Bid $37, if rejected add re-bid zone and...

Bid $40.

I know i threw a lot out at you at once so please ask any questions the above may have sparked and we'll get you up to 'professional' speed in no time at all!

Don't forget to start a new post for post-cruise stay (just provide your scenario again for anyone that only reads that post along with your dates) and we'll follow-up with a recommended strategy.

[frow]

Is hotwire a better choise than priceline? I am confused about the differences between the two. It seems like hotwire would be easier becuase you don't have to bid on a room am I correct.

[thereuare]

Hotwire is easier but often a little more expensive.

In addition to the link above about re-bidding, give this thread a read: HOW DOES HOTWIRE and PRICELINE WORK

[thesqueegeekid]

I just did the same thing ... flew into FLL and boarded a cruise from MIA ... I just checked on Orbitz.com because one great trick to save lots of money is to book a one-way car rental right from FLL and than drop it off the next day at MIA. The cost is in the $20's/day and certain rental agencies (AVIS, Hertz) actually offer a free shuttle service from the airport (MIA) where you drop off the car right to the port. This will save you from expensive transfers and shuttles and also allows you to tour around Miami at your leisure with your car.

I booked my car directly from the company's website to make sure I got one that had the shuttle .... and also book the one-way.

As for hotels, I stayed right downtown Miami at the Radisson for $35 ... parking is an additional $19/valet ... however, If I had to do it again, I would definitely stay in Coconut Grove .... beautiful (shops/ marina) and I believe the Doubletree there goes for $55 on Priceline.

[frow]

Thank you for the info. I will keep that in mind. It sounds like a good idea.

[Canuck]

I'm also cruising on April 18th, and we arrive in Miami the day before. I was recently able to get the Hyatt Regency for the Saturday night for $40 via Priceline. The Hyatt has a Thrifty on site, which may be handy if you rent a car at FLL.

I've booked an intermediate size car for the day the cruise gets back (April 25th), for a base price of $26.95, through the Thrifty website. Thrifty provides shuttle service between the hotel and the port, although I think you'll incur an extra cost on the rental to cover port tax if you use this service.

[Canuck]

Sorry...should have added that you can return the car directly to the airport prior to your departure from Miami.

[frow]

Thank you for the reply. I will do the same.