Priceline.com

[LindaL]

I am wondering if you can actually get a "good deal" using Priceline.com. What I mean by good deal is...when you purchase a airfare, on the site it saids the flight can be anytime between 6 AM and 10 PM (I think those are the hours)...but will they stick you on a 10 PM flight, because they are the ones most people dont want?? Where I am going, I want to be down there BEFORE the next day, so I can take my time once I'm down there, relax, get some sleep, get up the next morning and start my vacation. Should I take a chance?? I also am wondering about motel rooms. Crappy dumps or pretty decent?

What other sites have you all used to get a "good deal" on a "package" (flight/hotel) ??? I have done some research on Yahoo, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, LastMinuteTravel, etc. Some sites are not very user friendly IMO and I gave up...lol

 

[kaykay]

i have used cheaptickets. the last time was really bad. worst hotel i have ever stayed in in my life. Also I got another bad hotel using priceline.com for amha nationals in tx. they assured me it was a nice hotel. N0T.

i really think they are good for airline tickets but horrible for hotels. you get stuck in the hotels people know better then to stay in. That has to be why the rate is so cheap.

 

[coopermini]

Used Priceline once. For airline tickets. We ended up driving 2 hrs north for alternate airline and we were going south! Ended up saving $25 per ticket and drove 200+ extra miles for airport.

I usually use travelocity but pick and choose. I really do check out the reviews on any hotels. There are some real dumps everywhere!

Sometimes you can get great rates direct from Airlines and hotel chains.

Mark

 

[Miniv]

For airline tickets I've had better luck with Travelocity or Cheapseats.com......

MA

 

[Sterling]

I'm not sure about a good deal online as I've never used any of those companies. But just had to say when we went on our road trip a few weeks ago to Oklahoma, we stayed in Comfort Inn Hotel chains. We even had our 2 big dogs with us and all I can say about them is............ wow!!! We had nice clean rooms, free breakfast everyday between 6:00 and 9:00, 2 HUGE beds, refridgerator, blow dryer and microwave in the room...and in the one we stayed at in Tennessee they had a small gym with workout machines. I even used the washroom to wash and dry our clothes. Very comfortable, clean and we plan to go back to those hotel chains again in our future travels.

 

[Casnos Minis]

[SIZE=18pt]I found that if you go onto an airlines direct website you can get cheaper tickets. My foster brother paid as much for his one ticket as I did for 2 when we went to Illinois for his wedding. Try American Airlines, Delta, ect. first.[/SIZE]

Christy

 

[Kim]

I love Priceline, but have only ever used it for hotels. Hotwire is great too for hotels. For plane tickets, a good site to check out is www.kayak.com. There you can get comparisons of prices on many different airlines and from many different discount websites, and when booking you know that you're getting the cheapest fare, but you know exactly when and from where you're leaving.

The key to using Priceline or Hotwire is that you have to do your research before you start bidding. It's easy to find out what hotels are in each area and star level in a certain city. If you go to www.betterbidding.com you can find out this information and more, and get general Priceline and Hotwire tips. You can also see what recent bids have been successful so you know where to start. There's another similar website, but I forget the name. Just google 'Priceline Help' though, and you should be able to find it.

 

[Miniv]

I'm not sure about a good deal online as I've never used any of those companies. But just had to say when we went on our road trip a few weeks ago to Oklahoma, we stayed in Comfort Inn Hotel chains. We even had our 2 big dogs with us and all I can say about them is............ wow!!! We had nice clean rooms, free breakfast everyday between 6:00 and 9:00, 2 HUGE beds, refridgerator, blow dryer and microwave in the room...and in the one we stayed at in Tennessee they had a small gym with workout machines. I even used the washroom to wash and dry our clothes. Very comfortable, clean and we plan to go back to those hotel chains again in our future travels.

Totally agree with you! Comfort Inns are the way to go. Their price range is right in the middle. Decent clean rooms (a good step up from Motel 6), plus the breakfast.....Also you can join up with some kind of membership for various discounts.

MA

 

[Lauren]

Hi There!!

We travel a lot. As Casno's mini's said, it usually is cheaper to book directly through the airlines website. I like to use the websites you mentioned as a guide, and then go to that airlines website directly for a quote.

Regarding priceline, here's a great link. It's another forum, and people will post exactly what they bid/times/locations, etc. Pricelines rating system is pretty good too. If you go with a highger starred rating, it may cost more, but there will be less worries!!!

http://www.betterbidding.com/

Depending on where you are going, and where you live, if Southwest flys there you can download DING! onto your computer. It gives some FANTASTIC deals. You have to be able to check them pretty readily though. When you get a ding, it's usually only good for a few hours.

About hotels. I love the site Travelzoo. They have some great rates, and give a really detailed description of the property you pick.

Hope this helps!!!

 

[Camelotcavs]

[SIZE=18pt]I found that if you go onto an airlines direct website you can get cheaper tickets. My foster brother paid as much for his one ticket as I did for 2 when we went to Illinois for his wedding. Try American Airlines, Delta, ect. first.[/SIZE]

Christy

Not only are the prices often better through the airlines the service is better also.

I worked at an airport for several years and watched many people who had purchased their tickets through discount sites be very disappointed. If you purchase through discount sites and planes are delayed due to weather or you miss your flight the airline does NOT have to accomodate you. They will fill their next flight with passengers who are their direct clients purchasing through the airline before passengers from the discount sites.

Sounds unfair, but really isn't as you do get what you pay for.

 

[LindaL]

Thanks for all your info. Yeah, I've decided that going the "cheap" route isnt the way to go for me...I'd rather know in advance of purchasing when I'd be flying, etc.

It kind of sucks, tho, because they do have a fare special for dates earlier than we had planned, but we just cant get away during that time frame, so either we bite the bullet and pay a higher fare or wait til the next fares specials...*sigh*