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The use of the progress bar pattern is helpful if a user would benefit from knowing where they are in a multi-step process. As you noted, it should not be styled to look like links if it is not clickable. Here's an example from the Yahoo Design Pattern Library:

In my opinion (full disclosure: I'm responsible for the UX of some touristic portals) the most important aspect is consistency. On our sites the user can see the prices before entering any date, in this scenario the most meaningful choice is to show prices per night (per person), because they are easier to compare. Hence even after the user entered her ...

Personally, I find a long series of wizard like windows wearisome. But it depends on the application and my expectations. A casual, once-in-a-while user who has a significant number of alternatives may get frustrated by the 4th or 5th step and exit the process. A frequent user or a user who is accustomed to such wizards in their industry would be far more ...