You can now book hotels via RC via Priceline

[smokeybandit]

 

 

I did a quick search for my Vancouver cruise in June. Prices were generally all more expensive than I had seen elsewhere

[Vancity Cruiser]

57 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

did a quick search for my Vancouver cruise in June. Prices were generally all more expensive than I had seen elsewhere

I did the same thing for Los Angeles and found they were more expensive as well. I guess the benefit is that Royal will refund cost if cruise gets cancelled or changed for any reason.

[Carlos A.]

57 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I did a quick search for my Vancouver cruise in June. Prices were generally all more expensive than I had seen elsewhere

Same here, almost the same price or even more expensive than the prices quoted by all the major online booking sites.

 

[Censored]

For this program to be a success, Royal needs to offer the same guarantee of lowest price much like they do on Air2Sea.  

Hotel rates fluctuate continually. I always check with 3 sources...Trivago, Hotels.com , and HOTWIRE.   But lately I have found incredible deals on  SNAPTRAVEL   you need to download the APP.  Best deals, no extras, like resort fees, hotel fees etc.  Just price and tax. no frills. Love it. 

[USCG Teacher]

I may be misremembering things, but I thought RCI had a similar program back in the late 90s/early 00s?  It wasn't through Priceline of course, but you could book your hotel straight through the cruise line if you were staying the night (or several nights) before your cruise.  They checked you in for the cruise in the hotel lobby, you loaded your baggage on a bus, and the next time you saw it was on the ship.  You were led into the cruise terminal and straight through to security.  I am 99% sure I did this on my 1st cruise out of Port Canaveral?

[Done]

I checked the same Hilton Embassy Suites hotel, the same dates, on both the Hilton Honors site (similar to C&A) and the new RCL/Priceline partnership and the rates on the Hilton site were $7 cheaper per night.  The Hilton rate allowed cancellation up to 24 hours prior to reservation date.

[TXcruzer]

Sorry, but I have never heard of a priceline success story

[rbdavis3591]

1 hour ago, TXcruzer said:

Sorry, but I have never heard of a priceline success story

I went to the RCL website and checked the price for the same hotel already booked:

• PRICELINE: Total Price $175.20 USD
• EXISTING RESERVATION: Total price $232.92 USD

Difference: $57.72

[TXcruzer]

5 hours ago, rbdavis3591 said:

I went to the RCL website and checked the price for the same hotel already booked:

• PRICELINE: Total Price $175.20 USD
• EXISTING RESERVATION: Total price $232.92 USD

Difference: $57.72

The issues I am referring to are less regarding price, and more as relates to showing up at the hotel (or airline) and there not being a reservation in your name.

 

I hope it all works out, it is a very convenient solution for those that would like to use it.

[smokeybandit]

This isn't Priceline the bidding site. It's the regular priceline.com booking engine, sister company of kayak.com and booking.com.

[RCARD]

I tried to get info for Rome, but search defaulted to Barcelona.  Guess they need to work out bugs.  Not sure about competitiveness of rates

[DJ VINCE]

very expensive I must say. You better compare prices via www.hotelscombined.com before booking.

[BrianB]

I always research hotels (prices, amenities, rooms, area, restaurants and reviews) and book directly with the hotel or their parent company, ie; Hilton Honors. For me, this works best. I don’t stay at hotels often, and I want to be confident that when I arrive the reservation I made will be there. I’ve had friends who booked the same hotel, but through third party companies such as Price Line and Expedia for a slightly lesser price, and when we arrived…my room was ready but their reservations were ‘lost in space’! Lots of hassle for them…while I was already settled in my booked room. I know this doesn’t work for those who stay at hotels frequently and the higher rates can really pile up…but for me, I’d much rather pay a little more to ensure my vacation doesn’t start off with the disappointing scenario of lost hotel reservations.

[KWong]

I always use the dodgy-looking-yet-legit valuetrips site for Fort Lauderdale. Haven't really found any other site that can provide that value for FLL area.

On 3/19/2022 at 11:06 AM, RCARD said:

I tried to get info for Rome, but search defaulted to Barcelona.  Guess they need to work out bugs.  Not sure about competitiveness of rates

This is like searching for Vancouver and getting Montreal hotels. 

[CruiseMom82]

On 3/16/2022 at 3:17 PM, Vancity Cruiser said:

I did the same thing for Los Angeles and found they were more expensive as well. I guess the benefit is that Royal will refund cost if cruise gets cancelled or changed for any reason.

Wont travel insurance generally refund the hotel costs if the cruise gets cancelled too?

[Mariska Earl]

Hell yeah! The prices are insane! But I've checked their terms and conditions, and apparently, they will give you a refund if the trip gets canceled. So, I reckon that's why they're more expensive. By the way, I'm traveling to Queensland in the upcoming month, and I've been looking for hotels for the past few days. I'm going there to surf, and I'm looking for a place close to the surf station. Another option would be to go there and look for a hotel near me once I'm there. What do you guys suggest?

[Marga]

On 3/19/2022 at 4:06 PM, RCARD said:

I tried to get info for Rome, but search defaulted to Barcelona.  Guess they need to work out bugs.  Not sure about competitiveness of rates

When you type in Rome it automatically fills in the city name. If you ignore this and keep typing manually, Rome Italy and then click on it, it gives you prices for Rome.

All their rooms seem to be without breakfast which is a deal breaker for us.

[thompson4131]

On 3/16/2022 at 5:26 PM, USCG Teacher said:

I may be misremembering things, but I thought RCI had a similar program back in the late 90s/early 00s?  It wasn't through Priceline of course, but you could book your hotel straight through the cruise line if you were staying the night (or several nights) before your cruise.  They checked you in for the cruise in the hotel lobby, you loaded your baggage on a bus, and the next time you saw it was on the ship.  You were led into the cruise terminal and straight through to security.  I am 99% sure I did this on my 1st cruise out of Port Canaveral?

You are correct.  You could book pre & post hotel rooms for up to 2 days prior/after.  They also provided shuttle service from & to the hotel.  I believe RCL did away with this perk when they switched over to the current web site design.  Their current website design is terrible to say the least.  On the previous web design, you could also store traveling companion information for future bookings.  Do you also remember when an RCL representative met you at the airport and transported you to the hotel and/or ship if you provided your flight information to them?