Hotwire Cruise Ship sales: Anyone tried?

[cecil1]

thought that I was adventuresome buying cruises online from the big companies. Has anyone tried Hotwire? Do they actually do bidding on cruises? Any comments would be helpful. Thanks, Barbara

[eandj]

Hotwire is not a bidding site. That would be Priceline. As far as booking a cruise thru wither, not sure I'd do it. I want all the details upfront before I commit any larger amounts of money. Not sure you'd get that using the above sites.

[discjoker]

Their opaque purchasing does not apply to cruising (as it does for their hotel business). So it would be no different than buying from any other large online agency.

[jcrandle]

Hotwire is not a bidding site. That would be Priceline. As far as booking a cruise thru wither, not sure I'd do it. I want all the details upfront before I commit any larger amounts of money. Not sure you'd get that using the above sites.

 

And to clarify, Priceline is NOT a bidding site for cruises, but a travel agency with fixed prices like most TAs.

[Chicago Boy]

Hotwire is not a bidding site. That would be Priceline. As far as booking a cruise thru wither, not sure I'd do it. I want all the details upfront before I commit any larger amounts of money. Not sure you'd get that using the above sites.

 

 

We used Hotwire last year to book plane tickets from Chicago to Puerto Vallarta. The return was on Mexicana. Mexicana went bankrupt and Hotwire would do nothing for us because they didn't know if Mexicana would be flying or not when we were due to return. When there was a problem they were not there for us. The carrier that holds the out bound portion of the ticket controls the reservation. We had to deal directly with the out bound carrier ourselves to get the matter resolved to our satisfaction. One unsatisfactory experience is enough.

[bellybutton530]

I think I would stick with a certified TA. And not all TAs are created equal.

[cynalan]

We've used Hotwire, Priceline and other discount companies in the best. I find it somewhat interesting when people who use these companies are then surprised to find lack of service when something goes wrong. I know the risks when I use them and sometimes I am willing to take it, sometimes not. It's a classic case of "caveat d'emptor

- let the buyer beware. Nothing in life is free.