San Pedro Hotels through Priceline

Has anyone had any luck in getting a hotel in San Pedro through Priceline? If so, what did you get and what was the price. I have never used priceline. Thanks.

There are a number of threads on this board on this topic, the range seems to be $65 to $100 for the Crowne Plaza and the Double Tree Inn which beats the pants off the hotels' internet offerings.

Has anyone had any luck in getting a hotel in San Pedro through Priceline? If so, what did you get and what was the price. I have never used priceline. Thanks.

My bid for Crown Plaza/San Pedro was accepted by Priceline for $65.00 + $16.98 (taxes) = $81.98. We're leaving in October.

It seems like $65.00 is the "magic" price. Just remember that there's no guarantees on which hotel you get, though it appears that the 2 hotels usually accepted are the CPlaza and DTree. These are rated in Priceline as 3*.

Good Luck.

To the best of my knowledge there are only the two 3 stars in San Pedro, the Double Tree Inn which is very nice and the Crowne Plaza which we are trying for the first time in May. Both cater to cruisers and have "Stay, park & cruise" packages and a shuttle to the cruise terminal and back.

We got if for $65, it seemed to be a number many people were winning with so I went with that.

We got if for $65, it seemed to be a number many people were winning with so I went with that.

Descent price for the CP and very good reviews on TripAdvisor. We're booked there for Oct.

Dang....I always get 70...LOL

You can also add cruise parking for $10 a day at the Crowne Plaza.

Just tonight I booked via Priceline -- Got the Crowne Plaze for $65 + $16.86 for taxes and service fees, so the total was $81.86. We are staying for one night pre-cruise in December. I tried $60 last night but it was rejected, and tonight it was accepted. It was our first time using Priceline.

Criteria was easy:

San Pedro

3-stars

That's it! We have friends cruising with us, so we're hoping they also get the Crown Plaza but they don't plan quite as far in advance as we do. If not, they'll get Doubletree, and we'll live I suppose. :)

Thanks all for your responses. I originally bid $60 but was rejected and raised it to $65 and got it. Looks like a great deal after looking at the price on their website. Our day is for Nov 29th....Thanksgiving weekend so didn't know if it would be busy or not. Evidently, not that bad since we got it for the $65 bid...plus the tax of course.

Can you do priceline if you have 4 people that need the room? It'll be dh, myself, and kids ages 6 and 8. We want 2 beds. Also, we'll need transport from lax to hotel to port and then from port back to lax on last day. Will the hotel do all this or do I need to set some of this up separately?

My bid for Crown Plaza/San Pedro was accepted by Priceline for $65.00 + $16.98 (taxes) = $81.98. We're leaving in October.

 

It seems like $65.00 is the "magic" price. Just remember that there's no guarantees on which hotel you get, though it appears that the 2 hotels usually accepted are the CPlaza and DTree. These are rated in Priceline as 3*.

 

Good Luck.

Thanks for the tip. Also got the Crowne Plaza for mid-October at the $65. rate which I bid on March 14. Also plan to park my car there while I am cruising.

We stayed at the CP 2-22-08, and it was very nice. We bid $68 on priceline, and if you belong to the priority club, you get a free continental breakfast in the am. This was our first foray into priceline, and I was very pleased with the results. We did have a king bed though, so I'm not sure how you go about booking for 4. Have a great trip. Also ate dinner at a small restaurant called Niko's, about 2 blocks up from the hotel--reasonable prices, great pizza, perfect for a family. Very large portions, so think about sharing. Trish

I even got the $65 price accepted for next January. Entered three separate bids for different couples, all accepted by Crowne Plaza. Hey, wouldn't it be great to get someone to negotiate our gasoline prices for us?

We stayed at the CP 2-22-08, and it was very nice. We bid $68 on priceline, and if you belong to the priority club, you get a free continental breakfast in the am. This was our first foray into priceline, and I was very pleased with the results. We did have a king bed though, so I'm not sure how you go about booking for 4. Have a great trip. Also ate dinner at a small restaurant called Niko's, about 2 blocks up from the hotel--reasonable prices, great pizza, perfect for a family. Very large portions, so think about sharing. Trish

Thanks for that bit of info. I just called CP and had them add my member #. How did you find out about the breakfast? Did the desk mention it to you?

Thanks again.

Just got the Crowne Plaza again for our June Cruise for $65 on Priceline, total was $77.50 with taxes/fees.

Thanks for that bit of info. I just called CP and had them add my member #. How did you find out about the breakfast? Did the desk mention it to you?

 

Thanks again.

I have a Priority club membership, and they did not give us free breakfast in February when we were there. Maybe they had enough points to upgrade to a club level room that included breakfast?

Just got the Crowne Plaza again for our June Cruise for $65 on Priceline, total was $77.50 with taxes/fees.

$4 isn't a huge deal, but your taxes are $4 less than ours. We got it for $65 plus $16.86 in taxes to total $81.86. Is it possible the service fees are different depending on the time of year? :confused: Your taxes and fees ended up being only $12.

$4 isn't a huge deal, but your taxes are $4 less than ours. We got it for $65 plus $16.86 in taxes to total $81.86. Is it possible the service fees are different depending on the time of year? :confused: Your taxes and fees ended up being only $12.

I think it's because we booked 3 rooms total, so total cost is 232.70 or

77.57 per room. I know in February when I booked rooms for my scrapbooking cruise, I booked one to see which hotel we would get and then went in and booked 4 more and it worked out to be cheaper per room than booking one room. I think the booking fee is probably the same for one room as three or four rooms, and just the taxes go up.

I think it's because we booked 3 rooms total, so total cost is 232.70 or

77.57 per room. I know in February when I booked rooms for my scrapbooking cruise, I booked one to see which hotel we would get and then went in and booked 4 more and it worked out to be cheaper per room than booking one room. I think the booking fee is probably the same for one room as three or four rooms, and just the taxes go up.

Aaaah, ok. That makes sense. :)

I took your advice and selected a 3 star hotel in San Pedro for $65 and got the Crowne Plaza - yippee!! We are arriving the day prior to the cruise and around 11AM. I thought of renting a car at LAX and I see there is an Enterprise in San Pedro. Has anyone ever done that? And, do you think the Crowne Plaza would shuttle us since we only paid $81.80 for the room? Although I would be more than happy to pay for the shuttle.

Thanks again for the Priceline details - I was always so afraid to take a chance. Last year we stayed at the Westin by LAX for $130ish. Had their breakfast buffet, which was around $17.95 per person (outrageous) and then took a car service to the port - another $40 or $50.

Yes, you can rent a car at LAX Enterprise and return it at San Pedro. As a matter of fact, you leave the rental car right in the Crowne Plaza parking lot. It couldn't be easier! And yes, you can take the CP shuttle even though you only paid $81 for your room (although you won't need to if you rent at Enterprise, they have their own shuttle). You are treated the same as any other guest. We were there in Feb and it was very nice.

Do a search on these West Coast boards and look for Bruin Steve's scenic directions from LAX to San Pedro. It is a beautiful ride along the coast and there are nice towns to stop in along the way. Much nicer than the highway.

Yes, you can rent a car at LAX Enterprise and return it at San Pedro. As a matter of fact, you leave the rental car right in the Crowne Plaza parking lot. It couldn't be easier! And yes, you can take the CP shuttle even though you only paid $81 for your room (although you won't need to if you rent at Enterprise, they have their own shuttle). You are treated the same as any other guest. We were there in Feb and it was very nice.

Do a search on these West Coast boards and look for Bruin Steve's scenic directions from LAX to San Pedro. It is a beautiful ride along the coast and there are nice towns to stop in along the way. Much nicer than the highway.

Thanks Nursenancy

I will look for that post by Bruin Steve regarding an alternate route. I'm getting excited about this cruise since we had such a wonderful time last year and we are getting such great bargains! I found some interesting restaurants in the area and it appears you can walk around in the area (correct me if I'm wrong). When we stayed at the Westin last year, there wasn't much in the area and too much construction to even walk around the block!

Do a search on these West Coast boards and look for Bruin Steve's scenic directions from LAX to San Pedro. It is a beautiful ride along the coast and there are nice towns to stop in along the way. Much nicer than the highway.

I've been looking for the directions with no luck and of course the search feature is still down. Can you direct me towards the driving directions from LAX to San Pedro posted by Bruin Steve?

Bruin Steve, if you see this please forward the link if you can and a big THANK YOU!

I found the directions, here they are with lots of other info thrown in.

Nancy,

First, just be prepared for high gas prices...Along Pacific Coast Highway north of the 10, you will find some of the highest gas prices anywhere...closing in on $4 for the high octane grades, believe it or not...The oil companies have a "redlining" policy where they set the prices to the dealers higher in the more affluent neighborhoods...Trust me, I live in the area...I drive at least 6 to 10 miles from home before I will buy gas...the closest station to my house, as of today, was still charging $3.87.9 for 89 octane and $3.99.9 for 91 octane (my car requires at least 89 octane)...Last time I filled up (I do this about twice a week since my office is a 70 mile round trip from home) in Pasadena, I paid $3.29.9 The lowest price gas in Santa Monica can be found on Lincoln Blvd. South of the 10...Fill up before driving up towards Malibu and beyond...

Pacific Coast Highway is actually somewhat discontinuous...It doesn't exist by that name South of the 10 until one gets to Hermosa Beach..."Route 1" shifts over to Lincoln Blvd. down to LAX, then Sepulveda and is actually several blocks inland and just a busy commercial street...First, though, let's look at PCH from the Santa Monica Pier north...

From the Pier...or from the end of the 10...you go northward past Santa Monica Beach...parts are views of the beach and ocean, other sections are lined by beach houses...On your right, there are cliffs...When you get to West Channel Road, you cross over from Santa Monica into Pacific Palisades...no beach houses and just views of the beach to your left...At Sunset Boulevard, on your left is the original Gladstone's 4 Fish --the highest grossing restaurant in California--extremely popular...You are now in the Castellamare section of the Palisades...At Coastline Drive is the entrance to the "Getty Villa"...Despite what many think, the big house next to the entrance is NOT Getty's...it's just a private home...When I was growing up (Yeah, I grew up in this neighborhood...so did my compadre on these boards, Curt Jerome Wild), it was owned by a family named Robinson...the Getty Villa is actually back in the canyon a little ways...Getty's old house is actually on the hill just behind the museum--and right next to my Mom's house...They always refer to this as "Malibu", but it's actually in Pacific Palisades...

You cross into the Malibu City limits as you cross Topanga Canyon Boulevard...By the way, some of the more scenic areas are back in the canyons...though the driving may be frightening for some non-locals...Topanga is a rustic, woodsy canyon known as a refuge for retired hippies from the 60s...Inn of the Seventh Ray...at Topanga Cyn Rd. and Old Topanga...about 4.2 miles up the canyon is a well known top restaurant with an interesting menu...Malibu Canyon, still a little further up the coast is stark and mountainous...We'll get to that a little later...

Continuing up the Coast, another popular eatery is Duke's...

When you get to Cross Creek Road, believe it or not, you are in "Downtown Malibu"...City Hall is about a block in to your right...To your left is the guard-gated Malibu Colony--lots of very rich and very famous in there...but, unless you know someone, you're not getting behind the wall...Just past Malibu Canyon Road is Pepperdine University on your right...May be about the greatest location for a university campus one could imagine...You'd think it's a "party school", right? WRONG...It's actually run by fundamentalist Christians and they have all sorts of oppressive rules...The funny story is Pepperdine used to be located in the Slums of South Central LA...Just like USC still is...The guy who donated this land to Pepperdine first offered it to USC...and they declined! FOOLS!!

Past there, you go through some sparser areas, then jog slightly inland at Point Dume, then cut back to the coast at Zuma Beach (a really nice wide white swath of usually fairly uncrowded beach--the "beach of choice for kids from my neighborhood (Where I live now, not where I grew up)...Summertime, the towns of Calabasas and Agoura Hills--which border Malibu to the inland side--run a "beach bus" to take the local kids to and from Zuma...My kids practically lived there all summer...

Just past Zuma comes Broad Beach...Some of the most incredible beach houses in Malibu (And more rich and famous) live along this stretch...The great thing about owning a home on Broad Beach is that they have private back yards before the public beach starts (BTW, technically, even in these exclusive areas, the "beach" is public and access cannot be denied...So, if you can park your car somewhere and want to walk on the beach and see the more impressive ocean-facing sides of these homes, you can)...

After this, the coast gets more and more rugged as you approach Point Mugu--which is very picturesque with a large rock at the point...

Beyond Point Mugu, PCH turns WAY inland through Port Hueneme and Oxnard and into Ventura before heading back to the Coast and continuing up toward Santa Barbara...

Okay...let's go back to South of the 10...

From the 10, rather than taking Lincoln Blvd. (except for that stop for gas), you'd rather take Ocean Avenue south...which turns into Neilson Way and then to Pacific Avenue through Venice for the more interesting ride...Stop and park somewhere between Venice Blvd. and Washington Blvd. The Venice Boardwalk with the nuts and kooks and street performers and bikini-clad roller skaters and bicyclists and weightlifters is about a short block toward the beach...The scenic Venice Canals are a block inland...

Turn left on Washington, then right on Via Marina and left on Admiralty Way...You are now circling within Marina Del Rey...Very nice...a left on Mindanao, cross Lincoln and take a right on Route 90, the Marina Expressway will take you back to the 405 and the quick way to the harbor area...if you want...Or take a right on Lincoln and a right on Culver to head back to Playa del Rey and more beachfront ride "in front of" LAX along Dockweiler Beach...Ignore the Sewage Treatment Plant...This road will eventually turn into Highland Avenue--the beach are main drag through funky Manhattan Beach...At Manhattan Beach Blvd., jog a little to your right to Manhattan Avenue...and at 27th, jog a little more to your right to Hermosa Avenue...which becomes Harbor Drive in Redondo Beach...then South Catalina then it turns into Palos Verdes Blvd.

Turn right at Palos Verdes Drive West...This will become a really scenic drive around the Palos Verdes Penninsula--hills and cliffs and nice homes...and past the Trump Golf Course...It will then turn into 25th Street which will drop you right into the heart of San Pedro...

If you're leaving from Long Beach, you can head down to the waterfront at Harbor Blvd (you may have to jog a couple of times...25th doesn't go entirely through...Take Harbor north...just past the San Pedro Cruise Terminal, you will see signs for the Vincent Thomas Bridge (Rte 47)...take this East toward Long Beach...it will take you across Terminal Island...and into Ocean Boulevard and the heart of Downtown Long Beach...and you're there...The Carnival cruise terminal is across Queensway Bridge next to the Queen Mary...

Good luck...

__________________

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**Celebrity Constellation 7/19/08 - 14 night Baltic

Past cruises: RCCL Vision of the Seas, 7 night Mexican Riviera 3/2008---Carnival Liberty, 8 night Panama 7/2007---RCCL Liberty of the Seas, 7 night Western Caribbean 6/2007---RCCL Monarch of the Seas, 5 night Baja 1/2007---Oceania Nautica, 14 night Mediterranean 7/2006---RCCL Monarch of the Seas, 3 night Baja 4/2006---Celebrity Constellation, 14 night No. Europe 7/2005---Celebrity Constellation, 7 night So. Caribbean 3/2005---Celebrity Summit, 13 night Alaska Cruisetour 7/2004---RCCL Monarch of the Seas, 3 night Baja 1/2004---Celebrity Millennium, 13 night Mediterranean 8/2003---RCCL Grandeur of the Seas, 7 night Mexican Riviera 7/2002---Crown Princess, 10 night Baltic/Russia 8/2001---Carnival Elation, 7 night Mexican Riviera 8/2000---RCCL Grandeur of the Seas, 7 night Eastern Caribbean 8/1999---Carnival Jubilee, 7 night Mexican Riviera 7/1997---RCCL Viking Serenade, 4 night Baja 7/1996---RCCL Viking Serenade, 3 night Baja 6/1994---Norwegian Southward, 3 night Baja 12/1992---Premier Big Red Boat Atlantic-Disney cruise 3/1989---others I've likely forgotten

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