Note: that rate was via Travelocity for United Airlines via Chicago. I checked United's website before booking and rates were higher than that. We also discussed not checking bags, otherwise this rate would go up for checked baggage.
And now, the challenge will be car rental. That's not an easy thing for a small airport like Omaha. So I started tonight, and went to $13 for a compact. No go. That's okay, we all know rental car deals usually get better the closer the date. Although not necessarily for Omaha. We shall see.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
New Travel Challenge
So tonight I came home to a new travel challenge...the decision had been made as to a date for the Graduation Party for my Stepson. It would be Saturday, April 25th in Sioux Falls, SD. Yikes! That's not that far off...I knew I needed to get on it fast.
Sure enough, in the time it took me to book airfare, I saw it go up ten dollars per person. Not a lot, but STILL...
Of course, I checked for Raleigh to Sioux Falls. Would be great. But over $400 per person is not great. I knew Southwest was now flying to Minneapolis, so that sounded like it would be good. However, when checking for airfares, the lowest possibility was $99 each way before taxes. Again, not good, though better than Sioux Falls airfares. We were still talking almost $500. Checked Omaha next. Southwest. Same thing as Minneapolis. No lower fare than $99 each way. This wasn't looking good. Checked Hotwire, Orbitz, Expedia & Travelocity. Checked different dates, as we didn't care which days we travelled. Finally found a $175 rate Thursday through Saturday. Checked something else, came back and that had now gone up to $185. DARN. Oh well, booked it as this:
Sure enough, in the time it took me to book airfare, I saw it go up ten dollars per person. Not a lot, but STILL...
Of course, I checked for Raleigh to Sioux Falls. Would be great. But over $400 per person is not great. I knew Southwest was now flying to Minneapolis, so that sounded like it would be good. However, when checking for airfares, the lowest possibility was $99 each way before taxes. Again, not good, though better than Sioux Falls airfares. We were still talking almost $500. Checked Omaha next. Southwest. Same thing as Minneapolis. No lower fare than $99 each way. This wasn't looking good. Checked Hotwire, Orbitz, Expedia & Travelocity. Checked different dates, as we didn't care which days we travelled. Finally found a $175 rate Thursday through Saturday. Checked something else, came back and that had now gone up to $185. DARN. Oh well, booked it as this:
| 2 adults: | $275.34 | ( $137.67 per person) | |||
| Taxes & Fees: | $96.46 | ||||
| Total: | $371.80 | ||||
My review of the Wyndham Orlando
Again, as posted on Trip Advisor:
After "winning" this 3 1/2 star-rated hotel on Priceline for the rate of $49 for one night (3/24/09), I was very concerned to read the reviews on TripAdvisor. So concerned, that I wrote to Priceline to question their 3 1/2-star rating. They researched it and responded back that they stood by their rating. Reassured, I went into the reservation with an open mind and hopeful heart.
We arrived late at night after a full day at Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Check-in was friendly and quick. We were told we had a double on the first floor of building 11. I asked if a king might be available, and after some typing on the keyboard, we were given a room on the second floor of building 11. Seeing building 11, I was very glad we were moved to the top floor, as I don't know that I would've felt overly secure on the bottom level.
This "resort" is very large, land-wise. Having just stayed a few days before at the 3-star-rated Coronado Springs at Disney (which is also very large), I have to say there was no comparison in looks. Having read here on TripAdvisor that the Wyndham's landscaping was beautiful (one person even compared it to the Polynesian), I must admit I was expecting better. Instead, it was okay. Large. Plants all around. But the buildings are, well, old-looking and more motel-like than resort-like. Sorry, but that's what it seemed like to me. We pulled up in front of building 11, got out and looked for the elevator. Couldn't find one, so my husband carried our luggage up the stairs, past the old-looking laundry area. I was very pleased to see that a card-key was necessary to access the top floor. Our room overlooked the "courtyard" (parking lot), and had a balcony. Why anyone would sit on such tiny balcony and gaze at the parking lot, I do not know...(smokers perhaps?)
The room itself was definitely not one of the renovated ones. It had old carpeting, old furniture, but nothing bad, icky nor insect-infested as I have read about here. The bed was comfy and dressed as a 3 1/2-star hotel should be. The amenities book in the room indicated all the kinds of services one should expect from a 3 1/2 star...room service, business services, etc. It is a convention-center hotel, so many amenities are available, except for one great-big one...there's no internet access in the room! We couldn't find a free nor paid-for version. The bathroom, though obviously old, had a shower with nice-pressure and plenty of hot water. Towels were of 3 1/3-star quality.
A few years ago, I stayed at the Crowne Plaza that is within site-distance of this property. I believe it is also considered a 3 1/2-star property. That lived up to the star-ratings, and I would not hesitate to stay there again. The Wyndham felt nowhere near the same level, imho.
TripAdvisor has this place listed as a 4-star. I strongly suggest that is revised. It certainly has some 4-star characteristics, and is trying hard to fall into that league. Unfortunately, unless they tear down some buildings and re-build, I don't know how they could bring these motel-rooms up to that level. To compare (again): Disney's Coronado Springs, is also called a "resort" and is also really "motel-style". However, the major difference is, there is some kind of security, in the sense that you have to have a room key to get into the parking areas at Coronado Springs. This gives a sense of security that doesn't exist at this Wyndham. I also know that "resort" in Orlando usually means many motel-like buildings on sprawled-out property. It also usually means extra resort fees. Happily, not so at this Wyndham.
Good news: we were not charged a resort fee, nor parking fees. We got a good night's sleep. Driving by other buildings on the way out, I will say that some of the other buildings (such as building 5), looked much better from the outside, with extra fences, and such. My recommendation should you be staying there for more than a night like we did, is to make sure you get a room in an interior, renovated building, instead of an older non-renovated building on the outskirts of the property.
The morning we departed, we couldn't see online how to check-out, so we stopped by the lobby where there were two ladies working the desk. Both were busy with just one customer a piece in front of us. Must of been complicated issues, because it took forever! By the time it was our turn, there was a huge long line behind us. It took us ten seconds to check out, which would've been lovely to accomplish without the long wait. I don't know why we couldn't check out online, but we couldn't.
We love to travel, and most of the time we are sorry to leave a hotel we've stayed in. This time we were ready to go, and would rather not go back. Not because it was awful. It wasn't. It was actually just like these reviews have said. Both really okay and not what it should be. The Wyndham is trying hard to be what it wants to be...however, how they will achieve that without blowing up some old buildings and starting over, I really don't know. My rating would be that this is a 2-star with 3 1/2-star amenities, thus a compromise would be to call it a 3-star. And even then, my estimate would be that you'd still have some happy people and some very unhappy people.
After "winning" this 3 1/2 star-rated hotel on Priceline for the rate of $49 for one night (3/24/09), I was very concerned to read the reviews on TripAdvisor. So concerned, that I wrote to Priceline to question their 3 1/2-star rating. They researched it and responded back that they stood by their rating. Reassured, I went into the reservation with an open mind and hopeful heart.
We arrived late at night after a full day at Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Check-in was friendly and quick. We were told we had a double on the first floor of building 11. I asked if a king might be available, and after some typing on the keyboard, we were given a room on the second floor of building 11. Seeing building 11, I was very glad we were moved to the top floor, as I don't know that I would've felt overly secure on the bottom level.
This "resort" is very large, land-wise. Having just stayed a few days before at the 3-star-rated Coronado Springs at Disney (which is also very large), I have to say there was no comparison in looks. Having read here on TripAdvisor that the Wyndham's landscaping was beautiful (one person even compared it to the Polynesian), I must admit I was expecting better. Instead, it was okay. Large. Plants all around. But the buildings are, well, old-looking and more motel-like than resort-like. Sorry, but that's what it seemed like to me. We pulled up in front of building 11, got out and looked for the elevator. Couldn't find one, so my husband carried our luggage up the stairs, past the old-looking laundry area. I was very pleased to see that a card-key was necessary to access the top floor. Our room overlooked the "courtyard" (parking lot), and had a balcony. Why anyone would sit on such tiny balcony and gaze at the parking lot, I do not know...(smokers perhaps?)
The room itself was definitely not one of the renovated ones. It had old carpeting, old furniture, but nothing bad, icky nor insect-infested as I have read about here. The bed was comfy and dressed as a 3 1/2-star hotel should be. The amenities book in the room indicated all the kinds of services one should expect from a 3 1/2 star...room service, business services, etc. It is a convention-center hotel, so many amenities are available, except for one great-big one...there's no internet access in the room! We couldn't find a free nor paid-for version. The bathroom, though obviously old, had a shower with nice-pressure and plenty of hot water. Towels were of 3 1/3-star quality.
A few years ago, I stayed at the Crowne Plaza that is within site-distance of this property. I believe it is also considered a 3 1/2-star property. That lived up to the star-ratings, and I would not hesitate to stay there again. The Wyndham felt nowhere near the same level, imho.
TripAdvisor has this place listed as a 4-star. I strongly suggest that is revised. It certainly has some 4-star characteristics, and is trying hard to fall into that league. Unfortunately, unless they tear down some buildings and re-build, I don't know how they could bring these motel-rooms up to that level. To compare (again): Disney's Coronado Springs, is also called a "resort" and is also really "motel-style". However, the major difference is, there is some kind of security, in the sense that you have to have a room key to get into the parking areas at Coronado Springs. This gives a sense of security that doesn't exist at this Wyndham. I also know that "resort" in Orlando usually means many motel-like buildings on sprawled-out property. It also usually means extra resort fees. Happily, not so at this Wyndham.
Good news: we were not charged a resort fee, nor parking fees. We got a good night's sleep. Driving by other buildings on the way out, I will say that some of the other buildings (such as building 5), looked much better from the outside, with extra fences, and such. My recommendation should you be staying there for more than a night like we did, is to make sure you get a room in an interior, renovated building, instead of an older non-renovated building on the outskirts of the property.
The morning we departed, we couldn't see online how to check-out, so we stopped by the lobby where there were two ladies working the desk. Both were busy with just one customer a piece in front of us. Must of been complicated issues, because it took forever! By the time it was our turn, there was a huge long line behind us. It took us ten seconds to check out, which would've been lovely to accomplish without the long wait. I don't know why we couldn't check out online, but we couldn't.
We love to travel, and most of the time we are sorry to leave a hotel we've stayed in. This time we were ready to go, and would rather not go back. Not because it was awful. It wasn't. It was actually just like these reviews have said. Both really okay and not what it should be. The Wyndham is trying hard to be what it wants to be...however, how they will achieve that without blowing up some old buildings and starting over, I really don't know. My rating would be that this is a 2-star with 3 1/2-star amenities, thus a compromise would be to call it a 3-star. And even then, my estimate would be that you'd still have some happy people and some very unhappy people.
My review of Intercontinental Tampa
As posted on Trip Advisor:
What a shame to only have one night in this wonderful hotel! This was truly a fabulous Priceline "win" for $67 for the night of 3/23/09. Check-in was quick and friendly. We felt welcome. Our room on the 6th floor was clean, contemporary and comfortable. The large king-bed was high up and dressed with plenty of comfy-pillows. The shower was full-pressured, and the bathroom was stocked with everything we needed.
Parking is free and in a convenient deck right next to the hotel.
We didn't have time to hang out in the lobby or bar or restaurant, but would've liked to. It looked like it catered very nicely to the business traveler. We didn't have time to check out the fitness center, nor the pool either.
This is a 4-star hotel that not only lives up to its rating, but has free parking, and free internet, unlike most 4-stars of its' caliber. Can we go back now, please?
What a shame to only have one night in this wonderful hotel! This was truly a fabulous Priceline "win" for $67 for the night of 3/23/09. Check-in was quick and friendly. We felt welcome. Our room on the 6th floor was clean, contemporary and comfortable. The large king-bed was high up and dressed with plenty of comfy-pillows. The shower was full-pressured, and the bathroom was stocked with everything we needed.
Parking is free and in a convenient deck right next to the hotel.
We didn't have time to hang out in the lobby or bar or restaurant, but would've liked to. It looked like it catered very nicely to the business traveler. We didn't have time to check out the fitness center, nor the pool either.
This is a 4-star hotel that not only lives up to its rating, but has free parking, and free internet, unlike most 4-stars of its' caliber. Can we go back now, please?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Ready to Enjoy some Bargain Travel!
Getting organized for our upcoming trip on Wednesday. Once the bargain plans are made, the bargains are ready to be enjoyed. And we will.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
And now some Washington, DC FUN
Thrilled with her Baltimore success, my friend had me help out with the next night of Easter weekend in DC. What's a gal to do who doesn't want to pay $200 a night for a 4-star in the heart of everything? Uh...Priceline, of course!
After much research (better bidding, bidding for travel, orbitz, hotwire, expedia, travelocity), we decided to rule out certain areas. This is what we ended up with (as I wrote on better bidding):
Helped a friend get two rooms for the Saturday night of Easter weekend. Was bidding in the Downtown area, Dupont Circle and Capitol Hill areas. Previous bid was $75. Received counter-offer to raise it by $22. No thanks. Added free re-bid zone and upped it by $5 to $80.
Offer accepted for $80 per room. (2 rooms) $160 + $31.38. Total for both rooms is $191.38. Less than it would've been for one room on their website.
Renaissance Mayflower Hotels
1127 Connecticut Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20036
Started via the PRICELINE link from this website, as always!
My friend is very happy with the results!
After much research (better bidding, bidding for travel, orbitz, hotwire, expedia, travelocity), we decided to rule out certain areas. This is what we ended up with (as I wrote on better bidding):
Helped a friend get two rooms for the Saturday night of Easter weekend. Was bidding in the Downtown area, Dupont Circle and Capitol Hill areas. Previous bid was $75. Received counter-offer to raise it by $22. No thanks. Added free re-bid zone and upped it by $5 to $80.
Offer accepted for $80 per room. (2 rooms) $160 + $31.38. Total for both rooms is $191.38. Less than it would've been for one room on their website.
Renaissance Mayflower Hotels
1127 Connecticut Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20036
Started via the PRICELINE link from this website, as always!
My friend is very happy with the results!
More Baltimore Priceline Fun
Happy from her Priceline win in Baltimore, my friend has a friend decide to join them and wants to know if we can get them the same deal. Uh, we can probably get something comparable, but can we get the same hotel? Maybe, maybe not. I make it very clear what the possibilities are, and she's okay with the chances, so after more than 24 hours from the last Baltimore success, we bid again, using the same technique. Even though I have seen that others have gotten other hotels for a few bucks less (i.e. $72 for the Hilton), we decide to skip from the $70 bid, to the winning $75 bid, as we had done previously, to hopefully increase our odds at getting the Intercontinental again. And it worked!
This is what I posted today on better bidding.com:
Got the same deal as I got for my friend a couple days ago. Now that they have other people going with them, we tried for it, hoping to get the same hotel, although they knew it was possible to get a different one. Very happy to get the same deal. Bid the same way as the other day. Previous bid was $70.
$75+$18.07 for $93.07 total.
Intercontinental Harbor Court
550 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Started via PRICELINE link on this website.
This is what I posted today on better bidding.com:
Got the same deal as I got for my friend a couple days ago. Now that they have other people going with them, we tried for it, hoping to get the same hotel, although they knew it was possible to get a different one. Very happy to get the same deal. Bid the same way as the other day. Previous bid was $70.
$75+$18.07 for $93.07 total.
Intercontinental Harbor Court
550 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Started via PRICELINE link on this website.
Baltimore Priceline fun!
So, Tuesday a co-worker/friend asked for my help in acquiring a hotel room in Baltimore for the Friday of Easter weekend. She was looking at 4-star hotels that were around the $200 mark for a night. I told her she could do a lot better than that.
This is what I posted at Better Bidding.com after researching what our possibilities were (via Hotwire, bidding for travel, better bidding, orbitz, travelocity, expedia)...the results:
Helped a friend get this lovely looking hotel for the Friday night of Easter weekend.
Started at $50, working up at $5 increments with free re-bid zones to $75.
Intercontinental Harbor Court
Inner Harbor Area-Downtown
550 Light Street
Baltimore, MD
4/10/09 for $75 + $18.06 in taxes & fees. Total: $93.06.
Lowest rate for a 4-star for that date on Hotwire was $93 before taxes & fees ($111.34 total).
Lowest rate on Intercontinental website for that date was $180 with Advance Purchase.
My friend is VERY happy.
And I'm extremely happy to have helped her and had Priceline FUN.
This is what I posted at Better Bidding.com after researching what our possibilities were (via Hotwire, bidding for travel, better bidding, orbitz, travelocity, expedia)...the results:
Helped a friend get this lovely looking hotel for the Friday night of Easter weekend.
Started at $50, working up at $5 increments with free re-bid zones to $75.
Intercontinental Harbor Court
Inner Harbor Area-Downtown
550 Light Street
Baltimore, MD
4/10/09 for $75 + $18.06 in taxes & fees. Total: $93.06.
Lowest rate for a 4-star for that date on Hotwire was $93 before taxes & fees ($111.34 total).
Lowest rate on Intercontinental website for that date was $180 with Advance Purchase.
My friend is VERY happy.
And I'm extremely happy to have helped her and had Priceline FUN.
Tampa WIN
Oh my, have I had some Priceline fun lately! Yet, I've been very busy, so have been neglectful in keeping up-to-date here.
Last Friday, I was pleased to have gotten the Tampa 4-star deal I've been hoping for. Got the Intercontinental near the airport for just $67! This 4-star is regularly more in the $200-range, and it looks really nice.
This is what I posted at Better Bidding.com, after gleefully getting this deal, via the Priceline link on their website:
Been bidding for about a month now, pretty much every other day or so.
Today, I was rewarded with the Intercontinental Tampa (Airport) & Westshore for $67.
Taxes & fees $16.07
Total $83.07.
Started at $50, working up to $67 with free re-bid zones. Previous bid was $65.
I'm very happy with this! The hotel looks really really nice, and the lowest price on their website for this night is $179.
Last Friday, I was pleased to have gotten the Tampa 4-star deal I've been hoping for. Got the Intercontinental near the airport for just $67! This 4-star is regularly more in the $200-range, and it looks really nice.
This is what I posted at Better Bidding.com, after gleefully getting this deal, via the Priceline link on their website:
Been bidding for about a month now, pretty much every other day or so.
Today, I was rewarded with the Intercontinental Tampa (Airport) & Westshore for $67.
Taxes & fees $16.07
Total $83.07.
Started at $50, working up to $67 with free re-bid zones. Previous bid was $65.
I'm very happy with this! The hotel looks really really nice, and the lowest price on their website for this night is $179.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
And Another Tampa Bidding Day
Inspired by a post of a winning bid on Bidding for Travel, of $50 for the 4-star Grand Hyatt in Tampa, for a date after the one I'm trying to get, I started my bidding lower than last time. Started at $50, working up to $65 with free re-bid zones. No go. Yet.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Another Tampa-bidding day
Started with a peek at Hotwire. Nothing new and exciting there. Continued with the next step. Better Bidding dot com. Looked to see if anyone had won anything particularly exciting. No, nothing new that would help me for Tampa. Still going for a 4-star in the airport area of Tampa. Started with a $55 bid. Knowing I could get a 3-star in the Busch Gardens area for probably $56, my goal was to get a 4-star for no more than ten dollars over that. So, I raised the bid using free re-bid zones, to $66. No go. Okay. Will try again in 24 hours or so. Such is the joy of Priceline.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
And now the Ghost Story
I learned recently that I will never ever bait a ghost again!
For Valentine's Day, I did one of my Priceline tricks, was bidding on a 4-star in the Triangle area. Ended up getting The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill for $60. Having never even stepped foot in it before, I did some research online, and saw that it was possibly a bit haunted by a doctor who liked to play pranks.
So Valentine's Day we arrive in the early afternoon. At check-in, I joked with the Hotel Clerk about the hotel being haunted, and asked for a haunted room. She mentioned that was primarily the king suite on the second floor (which of course, we weren't going to get for $60), but she put us on the second floor, room 228.
We go up to our room, walk in, and again joking, I said "Okay, Doctor, here I am, have fun with me". Of course, there was no response. We went about our day. Had lunch in the restaurant. Walked around Chapel Hill. Had a very pleasant day and evening. Went back to the hotel, watched some tv and went to bed.
I slept soundly until, of course, I had to wake up to go the bathroom...which is an every night thing for me...so routine, that I've got it down pat in that I try to barely open my eyes, and wake up as little as possible. I might add that I was especially exhausted due to having just finished working a LOT of hours that week for our Radiothon for Duke Children's Hospital.
Anyway, I go the bathroom, and am washing my hands in the sink when I realize that my reflection in the mirror appears to be a lot closer than it had earlier!
I open my eyes wider, suddenly more alert, and realize that a round make-up mirror (that I hadn't even noticed earlier was in the room) was now directly over the sink. Hmmm...okay, maybe my husband moved it for some reason? So, I push it back to the wall (noticing that it's not that loose, it took a little force to push it back). Went back to bed, where my husband was snoring. Normally, I'm not the kind of wife to wake a sleeping husband, especially since he had had a terrible time sleeping the night before, but I was just uneasy enough to want to know for sure that he had moved that mirror. Woke him up. Uh, no, he hadn't moved it. And, of course, he goes right back to sleep, leaving me to ponder this, and now slightly more uneasy. I look around the dark room, but don't see anything unusual, nor do I feel anything unusual. Start to go back to sleep, when all of a sudden, I feel three very distinct taps on the top of my head! Wake up my husband again, and ask why he just tapped me on my head. He said he didn't, and showed me where his hands were. Under pillows, and nowhere near my head. There was no way he could've done it even accidentally! He mumbles something about me holding on to him, goes back to sleep, and I cling to him, looking all around, knowing this isn't going to be easy to get back to sleep. I might add that I looked the clock when I came back to bed from the bathroom and it was 3:20. Wide awake, I see 4:30 go by. Sometime after 4:30, I do manage to get to sleep, but went into one of those nightmare dreams, where you know you're dreaming but you're scared & want to wake up but can't. Managed to wake myself up from that, and decided to give up on sleeping. Husband was still sleeping well though. Good for him! (cough) Anyway, now I'm looking around the room, and I see a dark shadow over near the closet. The closet is painted white, and slides open from the left and from the right. Before we went to bed to watch tv, my husband had opened the left side, hung up a shirt, closed it. I had opened the right, hung up a shirt, noticed there was one robe in the closet, and asked my husband if he wanted it. Being the smart guy he is, he had said, "no you can have it". So, I had closed the closet, and put the robe on for television watching.
Now, I'm laying there wondering what that dark shadow is that I'm seeing, that I swear wasn't there before I had fallen back asleep. There's no way I'm getting up to look, nor am I waking my husband for a third time, so I laid there pondering this one. I knew I wasn't really seeing a figure there. Logically it looked like my husband's dark shirt, but I couldn't figure out how I could be seeing it, since I knew that closet door was shut. Sometime around here, someone stuck the bill under the door, like they usually do at hotels. And eventually, as it got lighter in the room, I could see that, sure enough, I was indeed seeing my husband's shirt, and somehow that closet door had opened! When we investigated it, it was not easy to move those doors, plus they were noisy. I can only assume it moved when I went back to sleep, or I would've heard it.
We also checked around the bed to see if there was anything that could've tapped the top of my head. No, not unless pillows could suddenly do it. When finally awake, my husband said he had gotten up before I did in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and had noticed the make-up mirror moved out slightly at that time, but had thought I had done it. I had him show me where he saw it, and it was not out as far as I had seen it. He also said that when I woke him that first time, he was actually dreaming that he was looking into that round mirror and that an old man's face was looking back at him.
When we checked out of the hotel, I mentioned to the Clerk (same one who had checked us in), that she could add room 228 to haunted parts, told her the story, and she said she'd add it to "the list". Uh, what else is on that list??? She said, mostly sightings of possible moving dark shadows. I'm just glad I didn't actually SEE something move.
Anyway, it wasn't a restful night. I learned that I won't joke about ghosts anymore, and I sure as heck won't invite them to have fun with me!
The only other possible ghostly-encounter I've ever had was years ago, on the Battleship in Wilmington, when I got to go along on an actual real Ghost Hunt with some pros. We only heard a couple things that night that were unusual. Plus cameras in different parts of the ship that they set up, all turned off at the exact same time, even though they had plenty of battery power. But nothing touched me or made me uneasy that night!
For Valentine's Day, I did one of my Priceline tricks, was bidding on a 4-star in the Triangle area. Ended up getting The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill for $60. Having never even stepped foot in it before, I did some research online, and saw that it was possibly a bit haunted by a doctor who liked to play pranks.
So Valentine's Day we arrive in the early afternoon. At check-in, I joked with the Hotel Clerk about the hotel being haunted, and asked for a haunted room. She mentioned that was primarily the king suite on the second floor (which of course, we weren't going to get for $60), but she put us on the second floor, room 228.
We go up to our room, walk in, and again joking, I said "Okay, Doctor, here I am, have fun with me". Of course, there was no response. We went about our day. Had lunch in the restaurant. Walked around Chapel Hill. Had a very pleasant day and evening. Went back to the hotel, watched some tv and went to bed.
I slept soundly until, of course, I had to wake up to go the bathroom...which is an every night thing for me...so routine, that I've got it down pat in that I try to barely open my eyes, and wake up as little as possible. I might add that I was especially exhausted due to having just finished working a LOT of hours that week for our Radiothon for Duke Children's Hospital.
Anyway, I go the bathroom, and am washing my hands in the sink when I realize that my reflection in the mirror appears to be a lot closer than it had earlier!
I open my eyes wider, suddenly more alert, and realize that a round make-up mirror (that I hadn't even noticed earlier was in the room) was now directly over the sink. Hmmm...okay, maybe my husband moved it for some reason? So, I push it back to the wall (noticing that it's not that loose, it took a little force to push it back). Went back to bed, where my husband was snoring. Normally, I'm not the kind of wife to wake a sleeping husband, especially since he had had a terrible time sleeping the night before, but I was just uneasy enough to want to know for sure that he had moved that mirror. Woke him up. Uh, no, he hadn't moved it. And, of course, he goes right back to sleep, leaving me to ponder this, and now slightly more uneasy. I look around the dark room, but don't see anything unusual, nor do I feel anything unusual. Start to go back to sleep, when all of a sudden, I feel three very distinct taps on the top of my head! Wake up my husband again, and ask why he just tapped me on my head. He said he didn't, and showed me where his hands were. Under pillows, and nowhere near my head. There was no way he could've done it even accidentally! He mumbles something about me holding on to him, goes back to sleep, and I cling to him, looking all around, knowing this isn't going to be easy to get back to sleep. I might add that I looked the clock when I came back to bed from the bathroom and it was 3:20. Wide awake, I see 4:30 go by. Sometime after 4:30, I do manage to get to sleep, but went into one of those nightmare dreams, where you know you're dreaming but you're scared & want to wake up but can't. Managed to wake myself up from that, and decided to give up on sleeping. Husband was still sleeping well though. Good for him! (cough) Anyway, now I'm looking around the room, and I see a dark shadow over near the closet. The closet is painted white, and slides open from the left and from the right. Before we went to bed to watch tv, my husband had opened the left side, hung up a shirt, closed it. I had opened the right, hung up a shirt, noticed there was one robe in the closet, and asked my husband if he wanted it. Being the smart guy he is, he had said, "no you can have it". So, I had closed the closet, and put the robe on for television watching.
Now, I'm laying there wondering what that dark shadow is that I'm seeing, that I swear wasn't there before I had fallen back asleep. There's no way I'm getting up to look, nor am I waking my husband for a third time, so I laid there pondering this one. I knew I wasn't really seeing a figure there. Logically it looked like my husband's dark shirt, but I couldn't figure out how I could be seeing it, since I knew that closet door was shut. Sometime around here, someone stuck the bill under the door, like they usually do at hotels. And eventually, as it got lighter in the room, I could see that, sure enough, I was indeed seeing my husband's shirt, and somehow that closet door had opened! When we investigated it, it was not easy to move those doors, plus they were noisy. I can only assume it moved when I went back to sleep, or I would've heard it.
We also checked around the bed to see if there was anything that could've tapped the top of my head. No, not unless pillows could suddenly do it. When finally awake, my husband said he had gotten up before I did in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and had noticed the make-up mirror moved out slightly at that time, but had thought I had done it. I had him show me where he saw it, and it was not out as far as I had seen it. He also said that when I woke him that first time, he was actually dreaming that he was looking into that round mirror and that an old man's face was looking back at him.
When we checked out of the hotel, I mentioned to the Clerk (same one who had checked us in), that she could add room 228 to haunted parts, told her the story, and she said she'd add it to "the list". Uh, what else is on that list??? She said, mostly sightings of possible moving dark shadows. I'm just glad I didn't actually SEE something move.
Anyway, it wasn't a restful night. I learned that I won't joke about ghosts anymore, and I sure as heck won't invite them to have fun with me!
The only other possible ghostly-encounter I've ever had was years ago, on the Battleship in Wilmington, when I got to go along on an actual real Ghost Hunt with some pros. We only heard a couple things that night that were unusual. Plus cameras in different parts of the ship that they set up, all turned off at the exact same time, even though they had plenty of battery power. But nothing touched me or made me uneasy that night!
Flyer Talk-Another Favorite Website
Another one of my favorite websites, for much broader reasons, is www.flyertalk.com. Their forum is truly wonderful for ANY kind of travel talk. There's much on there for the bargain-travel hunter. Much! Whole threads dedicated to Budget Travel. There's one dedicated to online booking and bidding sites. (my favorite, of course!)
I have not had much experience (yet) with International Travel. This website is particularly helpful if you are looking for International travel advice. My son is waiting to hear back from a summer program he has applied for in Japan. Wanting to research where to begin for getting a good airfare to Tokyo, I thought immediately of Flyer Talk, posted a question in their forum, and got lots of good advice right away. So wherever you may be going in the big world, I suggest you start with a stop at www.flyertalk.com!
I have not had much experience (yet) with International Travel. This website is particularly helpful if you are looking for International travel advice. My son is waiting to hear back from a summer program he has applied for in Japan. Wanting to research where to begin for getting a good airfare to Tokyo, I thought immediately of Flyer Talk, posted a question in their forum, and got lots of good advice right away. So wherever you may be going in the big world, I suggest you start with a stop at www.flyertalk.com!
Better Bidding!
What's a Bargain Travel Gal's best friend? The right website!
Truly one of the most informative, useful, helpful, and FRIENDLIEST website for both Hotwire and Priceline help, is: www.betterbidding.com.
I start at this website literally every time I begin the bidding process. I don't care if I just bid yesterday, I return to better bidding, and am happy to click on their website links to hopefully help them out, when I access Hotwire and Priceline. I will do what I can to help them keep going, because this website is INVALUABLE to bargain travel hunters. It is important when bidding in a certain area, to know what other people have won in the past, and what they're winning now. At Better Bidding.com, people post their wins. The moderators even have a Calendar of wins where you can look for what people have gotten for specific days.
I credit this website for helping me learn the true ART of bargain travel bidding, and helping me get the confidence to do informed bidding. I absolutely love Better Bidding dot com. (and no, I have no affiliation with them, other than to use all their provided resources and to post my own wins).
So, my number one piece of advice to anyone who is unsure of themselves with bidding for travel...head straight to Better Bidding.com and learn all you can! This is a friendly site, which might seem like a no-brainer, but there's another website out there, that I do like to check in on before bidding, but I NEVER post there. Nor do I access Priceline through their website. Why not? Because, I'm honestly afraid of their Moderator! I have never ever seen such a MEAN moderator of a website. I've seen good-intentioned posters over and over again get chastized for asking a "wrong" question, or accused of not reading the right posts first, or berated for this and that. Even worse, many are banned from the website for such ridiculous reasons. Can you get useful information off that website? Absolutely. And only because patient, brave people post there. Of which I am appreciative. But again, I will not post there myself, and I encourage any and all bargain-travel bidders-to-be...head straight over to Bargain Bidding.com and see for yourself how wonderful, helpful, and friendly this website is!
Truly one of the most informative, useful, helpful, and FRIENDLIEST website for both Hotwire and Priceline help, is: www.betterbidding.com.
I start at this website literally every time I begin the bidding process. I don't care if I just bid yesterday, I return to better bidding, and am happy to click on their website links to hopefully help them out, when I access Hotwire and Priceline. I will do what I can to help them keep going, because this website is INVALUABLE to bargain travel hunters. It is important when bidding in a certain area, to know what other people have won in the past, and what they're winning now. At Better Bidding.com, people post their wins. The moderators even have a Calendar of wins where you can look for what people have gotten for specific days.
I credit this website for helping me learn the true ART of bargain travel bidding, and helping me get the confidence to do informed bidding. I absolutely love Better Bidding dot com. (and no, I have no affiliation with them, other than to use all their provided resources and to post my own wins).
So, my number one piece of advice to anyone who is unsure of themselves with bidding for travel...head straight to Better Bidding.com and learn all you can! This is a friendly site, which might seem like a no-brainer, but there's another website out there, that I do like to check in on before bidding, but I NEVER post there. Nor do I access Priceline through their website. Why not? Because, I'm honestly afraid of their Moderator! I have never ever seen such a MEAN moderator of a website. I've seen good-intentioned posters over and over again get chastized for asking a "wrong" question, or accused of not reading the right posts first, or berated for this and that. Even worse, many are banned from the website for such ridiculous reasons. Can you get useful information off that website? Absolutely. And only because patient, brave people post there. Of which I am appreciative. But again, I will not post there myself, and I encourage any and all bargain-travel bidders-to-be...head straight over to Bargain Bidding.com and see for yourself how wonderful, helpful, and friendly this website is!
Still Trying For Tampa
I'm still experimenting with getting us a deal for Tampa for our one night up-coming stay for Monday, March 23. I tried again yesterday, aiming this time for a 4-star in the airport area. Having seen on Bidding for Travel that someone had posted a win of the 4-star Renaissance for $60, I decided to go for it. However, that person had been bidding for a 3 1/2-star and was actually unhappy to have been "upgraded". (wtf???-some people don't get it, huh?)
Anyway, I didn't feel comfortable bidding on a 3 1/2-star in that zone, as it seems like most people have been getting the Sheraton Suites, which has gotten horrible reviews on Trip Advisor. So, yesterday, I decided to stick with the 4-star rating only, started with $50, and worked up to $61, using free re-bid zones. No go.
The past few times I've tried, I've been aiming for the Hyatt at Busch Gardens (3-star), that folks have been getting for around $56. Both areas, the airport, and Busch Gardens seem to be around the same distance to the relative we plan to visit, and both areas look like they have free parking. I would consider the downtown area, but it sounds like parking fees are pretty high, and we're just not going to be hanging out around town to make it worthwhile to pay the fees. I feel confident the Hyatt would be very nice, but $56 for a 3-star just doesn't meet my bargain-hunting needs as satisfactorily as $60 for a 4-star would.
So, I will keep trying at 24-hour intervals, and keep aiming for the best bargain deal. The fun isn't over for this one yet!
Anyway, I didn't feel comfortable bidding on a 3 1/2-star in that zone, as it seems like most people have been getting the Sheraton Suites, which has gotten horrible reviews on Trip Advisor. So, yesterday, I decided to stick with the 4-star rating only, started with $50, and worked up to $61, using free re-bid zones. No go.
The past few times I've tried, I've been aiming for the Hyatt at Busch Gardens (3-star), that folks have been getting for around $56. Both areas, the airport, and Busch Gardens seem to be around the same distance to the relative we plan to visit, and both areas look like they have free parking. I would consider the downtown area, but it sounds like parking fees are pretty high, and we're just not going to be hanging out around town to make it worthwhile to pay the fees. I feel confident the Hyatt would be very nice, but $56 for a 3-star just doesn't meet my bargain-hunting needs as satisfactorily as $60 for a 4-star would.
So, I will keep trying at 24-hour intervals, and keep aiming for the best bargain deal. The fun isn't over for this one yet!
A Priceline "Win"...or not?
I "won" this 3 1/2 star for Tuesday March 24th, for our last night in Florida on our up-coming trip:
Wyndham Orlando International Drive
8001 International Drive
Orlando, Fl 32819
$49 + $13.82 in taxes and fees.
$62.82
Not a bad win, normally for that price for that star level. However, when I looked at Trip Advisor reviews they are all over the place. Some are horrendous. Others are very good. Others are so-so. But a LOT were very very bad. From what I could read, parts of the "resort" seem to be renovated, others not. Seems like those that get the renovated rooms are quite pleased. This is when one can only hope Wyndham is not using Priceline to dump their icky rooms. My experience in the past is, fortunately, not that way at all. At this point I'm praying for bug-free, crime-free and clean. I was concerned enough about the reviews to write to Priceline, asking if they felt sure about the 3 1/2 star rating. I'm pleased to report that the first response I got from Priceline came within two hours of my email to them on February 23, the same day as my "win".
"Dear Lori,
Thank you for taking the time to send us an e-mail. We understand that
you are concerned with the star rating of the Wyndham Orlando
International Drive since the hotel's own website rated it as a 3 star
hotel.
We have forwarded your e-mail to our Customer Relations team who will
further research your question(s). We will respond via email within 2
business days.
Thank you for your patience while resolving this issue.
Sincerely,
Pallav K.
Customer Service Specialist"
Then, the next day on February 24th, I received this:
On Tue, Feb 24, 2009 at 11:49 AM, 'Customer Service
<OriginatesCR2@service.priceline.com > wrote:
> Dear Lori,
>
> Thank you for your patience while we researched your issue with
Wyndham
> Orlando International Drive.We apologize that you are unhappy with
your
> upcoming hotel accommodations. We do evaluate each participating hotel
> on many different criteria, including cleanliness, guest satisfaction,
> décor, etc. We are sorry to hear that this hotel falls short of your
> expectations.
>
> We have researched to find that this hotel does meet our expectations
> for the star rating selected on our website. Our competitors also rate
> this hotel as follows:
> Orbitz.com = 4.0
>
> Expedia.com = 3.5
>
> Travelocity.com = 3.5
>
> Per our Quality Experience Guarantee, your hotel has been star-rated
by
> priceline according to our rigorous rating system. This means that our
> hotel staff has researched your hotel, reviewed customer comments and
> compared star ratings assigned by other rating services. The hotel you
> get will meet priceline's strict quality standards.
>
> We do feel that this hotel is properly rated through our system and we
> are not willing to offer compensation at this time. However, if you do
> find that you experience problems while at this hotel and the front
desk
> is unable to assist, please contact our Customer Service department
for
> further assistance.
>
> Thank you for giving us the opportunity to assist you!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Sandeep C.
> Customer Relations Specialist
I felt much much better about my "win" after receiving these emails from Priceline. I wrote back, thanked them, told them they hadn't let me down in the past, and that I would use the reservation with an open mind and hope for the best.
So overall, I will conclude that I will consider this a win, until proven otherwise, which I sincerely hope doesn't happen. I'm pleased with the price, although It's not a "steal", as the hotel's own website has deals for the same night as low as $79. Not that I don't love to save $30, I just love it when it's even more of a savings. However, we're likely to just sleep there, since we'll be in Tampa the day before, and leaving for home the following day. It's likely we'll be in Disney all day that day as well, needing the hotel for just crashing.
Positives: It looks like the Wyndham has free parking, and a low "resort fee", which makes me happy. The grounds are supposed to be gorgeous. One reviewer on Trip Advisor said it reminded them of the Polynesian Hotels' grounds. It also sounds like the public areas...lobby, gym, bar, restaurant, etc are all decent.
So, whether this is a true "win", or not...time will soon tell. The joy of Priceline should never be: "You get what you pay for". My experience has almost always been: "You get a LOT more than you pay for." ( Although there was that one downtown Kansas City hotel.) But one out of many, is not bad. Hopefully this won't be two out of many!
Even if it turns out to not be too good, I would like to add that it would be my own fault! I had done enough research to know that this hotel with that star level was a possibility. When bidding, I was aiming for one of the Downtown Disney hotels that people have been getting for around $54-$56 for a 3 1/2 star. My mistake came when adding in the Universal/SeaWorld zone. I knew the Crowne Plaza was in that zone. Having stayed there with Mom & Tom in the past, I would've been very happy to get that one. But, in the heat of the bidding moment, I forgot about the Wyndham possibility. So, should this turn out badly, it will be MY fault, not Priceline's.
Wyndham Orlando International Drive
8001 International Drive
Orlando, Fl 32819
$49 + $13.82 in taxes and fees.
$62.82
Not a bad win, normally for that price for that star level. However, when I looked at Trip Advisor reviews they are all over the place. Some are horrendous. Others are very good. Others are so-so. But a LOT were very very bad. From what I could read, parts of the "resort" seem to be renovated, others not. Seems like those that get the renovated rooms are quite pleased. This is when one can only hope Wyndham is not using Priceline to dump their icky rooms. My experience in the past is, fortunately, not that way at all. At this point I'm praying for bug-free, crime-free and clean. I was concerned enough about the reviews to write to Priceline, asking if they felt sure about the 3 1/2 star rating. I'm pleased to report that the first response I got from Priceline came within two hours of my email to them on February 23, the same day as my "win".
"Dear Lori,
Thank you for taking the time to send us an e-mail. We understand that
you are concerned with the star rating of the Wyndham Orlando
International Drive since the hotel's own website rated it as a 3 star
hotel.
We have forwarded your e-mail to our Customer Relations team who will
further research your question(s). We will respond via email within 2
business days.
Thank you for your patience while resolving this issue.
Sincerely,
Pallav K.
Customer Service Specialist"
Then, the next day on February 24th, I received this:
On Tue, Feb 24, 2009 at 11:49 AM, 'Customer Service
<OriginatesCR2@service.
> Dear Lori,
>
> Thank you for your patience while we researched your issue with
Wyndham
> Orlando International Drive.We apologize that you are unhappy with
your
> upcoming hotel accommodations. We do evaluate each participating hotel
> on many different criteria, including cleanliness, guest satisfaction,
> décor, etc. We are sorry to hear that this hotel falls short of your
> expectations.
>
> We have researched to find that this hotel does meet our expectations
> for the star rating selected on our website. Our competitors also rate
> this hotel as follows:
> Orbitz.com = 4.0
>
> Expedia.com = 3.5
>
> Travelocity.com = 3.5
>
> Per our Quality Experience Guarantee, your hotel has been star-rated
by
> priceline according to our rigorous rating system. This means that our
> hotel staff has researched your hotel, reviewed customer comments and
> compared star ratings assigned by other rating services. The hotel you
> get will meet priceline's strict quality standards.
>
> We do feel that this hotel is properly rated through our system and we
> are not willing to offer compensation at this time. However, if you do
> find that you experience problems while at this hotel and the front
desk
> is unable to assist, please contact our Customer Service department
for
> further assistance.
>
> Thank you for giving us the opportunity to assist you!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Sandeep C.
> Customer Relations Specialist
I felt much much better about my "win" after receiving these emails from Priceline. I wrote back, thanked them, told them they hadn't let me down in the past, and that I would use the reservation with an open mind and hope for the best.
So overall, I will conclude that I will consider this a win, until proven otherwise, which I sincerely hope doesn't happen. I'm pleased with the price, although It's not a "steal", as the hotel's own website has deals for the same night as low as $79. Not that I don't love to save $30, I just love it when it's even more of a savings. However, we're likely to just sleep there, since we'll be in Tampa the day before, and leaving for home the following day. It's likely we'll be in Disney all day that day as well, needing the hotel for just crashing.
Positives: It looks like the Wyndham has free parking, and a low "resort fee", which makes me happy. The grounds are supposed to be gorgeous. One reviewer on Trip Advisor said it reminded them of the Polynesian Hotels' grounds. It also sounds like the public areas...lobby, gym, bar, restaurant, etc are all decent.
So, whether this is a true "win", or not...time will soon tell. The joy of Priceline should never be: "You get what you pay for". My experience has almost always been: "You get a LOT more than you pay for." ( Although there was that one downtown Kansas City hotel.) But one out of many, is not bad. Hopefully this won't be two out of many!
Even if it turns out to not be too good, I would like to add that it would be my own fault! I had done enough research to know that this hotel with that star level was a possibility. When bidding, I was aiming for one of the Downtown Disney hotels that people have been getting for around $54-$56 for a 3 1/2 star. My mistake came when adding in the Universal/SeaWorld zone. I knew the Crowne Plaza was in that zone. Having stayed there with Mom & Tom in the past, I would've been very happy to get that one. But, in the heat of the bidding moment, I forgot about the Wyndham possibility. So, should this turn out badly, it will be MY fault, not Priceline's.
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