DVC POINTS vs. "CASH"

[din]

In trying to plan for the next cruise, we are not sure if we want to use DVC points or "cash" and get credits for Castaway members, so I have a couple of questions and I will also post this to the DVC board:

1. Can we make reservations then switch to DVC points?

2. Any opinons regarding using "cash" vs. DVC points?

3. Looking at the DVC points needed from previous year to this year, I am concern about the points to be used. Any thoughts on this would also be appreciated.

THANKS ALL. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FEEDBACK.

[callahanjulie10]

The only time I would use points is when DVC and DCL had a special- this is usually in the fall. It really irritates me when DCL runs a great promo but DVC can not do the same.

I think that punishes DVC members- to a certain extent.

[Horace Horsecollar]

We paid for our 3/23/02 Disney Magic cruise with DVC points. It was an excellent use of points for us.

We paid 578 points for two adults and two children in a category 6 stateroom.

If I had booked with cash back in May 2001 (when we rmade the reservation with DVC), the same stateroom would have cost $6,055, which reflects the early booking savings (according to Disney Cruise Line's online reservation system). The week of 3/23/02 was a very popular, higher priced week on DCL. If we had gone on most other cruises that DVC classifies as "regular season," the cash price would have been lower, but the number of points would have been the same. And I think the cash price for the cruise would have been somewhat less from a discounter.

It worked out to a value of around $10 per point. But that really wasn't the justfication. DVC members get DVC points evey year. The idea is to use those points for great vacations. And this year, the great vacation was a cruise. Actually we used over two years worth of points, thanks to DVC point banking and borrowing.

Instead of spending around $6,000, I spent a $75 transaction fee plus the money we were spending anyway on DVC.

If we decide to go on another DCL cruise, I may reach the same conclusion or a different conclusion. To some degree, the DVC chart for DCL cruises that year will be factor. To a greater degree, the questions will be, "How can we have a great vacation with our DVC points?" and "Would I rather spend thousands of dollars or should I use DVC points that represent money I've already committed to Disney vacations?"

[Irishkids]

Horace,
Sorry to sound stupid here, we are new DVC members (the 3/23/02 Magic cruise convinced us) - - I'm looking at the points in the DVC Member Guidebook and my calculations are, for the cruise 263+263+104+104 (two adults and two children over the age of 3) = 734! DVC points. I obviously am doing something wrong, help! Trying to plan the Wonder in 2004!!

[Irishkids]

Horace,
Sorry to sound stupid here, we are new DVC members (the 3/23/02 Magic cruise convinced us) - - I'm looking at the points in the DVC Member Guidebook and my calculations are, for the cruise 263+263+104+104 (two adults and two children over the age of 3) = 734! DVC points. I obviously am doing something wrong, help! Trying to plan the Wonder in 2004!!

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by Irishkids
I'm looking at the points in the DVC Member Guidebook and my calculations are, for the cruise 263+263+104+104 (two adults and two children over the age of 3) = 734! DVC points.
Your calculations are correct for the "Peak Season" 3/30/2002 Disney Magic Eastern Caribbean cruise (DVC 2001-2002 Member Guidebook, page 57).

For the "Regular Season" 3/23/2002 Disney Magic Eastern Caribbean cruise that you were on (and that I was on), the calculation is 211+211+78+78 (two adults and two children 3-12) = 578.

For a "Regular Season" Eastern Caribbean cruise in 2003, the calculation would be 237+237+96+96 (two adults and two children 3-12) = 666. That's a 15% increase over 2002.

[din]

Irishkid: WELCOME TO DVC. You will enjoy your membership.

Horace Horsecollar;

I agree with you regarding the decision of great vacations with point. We have used the point for WDW and this was the first time for DCL. We planned to do the trip two years ago, but could not work out the schedule and in addition a job change prevented it. We just came back from our first DCL cruise, 4 night Wonder, and loved it. Banked one year and used the when the following year points came up, we book the cruise.

We are trying to plan for the next one and looking at the point two years ago and now 3/31/02 it was quite an increase. Looking for the 7 day in about two years and expect an increase.

So is it better to use cash?

Should I book using the a regular TA, be it COSTCO or DU, and if the points work out, can I transfer the booking?

Help please???:(

[AnnMorin]

DVC is actually very flexible, you can use your DVC points and still get your castaway club credit-as long as you are not going on a one of their members only specials, I know because I have done this twice already, also you can do like we are this december using points for one adult and child and paying cash for one adult, the cash price is less than I was quoted on line and we had enough points for the one adult and child. So we got a Cat. 6 room for 191 points one adult, 65 points one child and paid 1624.00 cash for the other adult. A cabin with a veranda, seven nights in the western caribbean with all food paid for at the rate of 1624.00 is good to me. Plus we got the 200.00 castaway club credit, and if our friends close on their purchase on time, we will be bringing disney dollars for referring them! Ann

[kramer_clan]

I just booked a 4 night cruise with DVC points for my family. The summer cruises are very expensive and that is the only time that I can really take my kids on the cruise.

We used points for two adults and one of the kids. We ended up just paying the cash for one of the children ($559). It is a great deal and we still are going to stay at WDW for several days prior, probably in a value resort.

Vicki

[din]

Thanks kramer_clan and AnnMorin. Can you share with us if those cash prices are at discounted rate or is that normal price for that season?

So many options!!!!:confused:

[kramer_clan]

After checking out Disney's Cruise Line reservations, the pricing is the going rate that I would have paid for my kids if I were paying cash. My two children are 13 and 16, so this is actually the third and fourth passenger pricing for anyone over the age of 13 (adults included).

BTW, I booked for the 4 night cruise on August 18th. There is still a lot of availability in the 4 night cruises in August. And as long as DCL is showing availability (not guarantee status) for any particular category, you can book through DVC using points. I did not know this until I started researching this about a month ago.

Vicki

[disney6]

We are using points for our upcoming 7 dayer in Oct. We bought to have great vacations - I don't fret or sweat over the "value" of my points if it's something we really want to do. We cancelled our trip to Disney World last October so have a few extras hanging around and what better use than to take my parents on the cruise with us! It would have cost us $8500 for this cruise if we paid cash - much more money than I have floating around for a 7 day vacation! We have 2 connecting cat. 10's and 1 cat. 9 (we have 4 adults and 4 kids)(total of 940 points - I know I know - works out to more than the $10/point that keeps coming up - but you know what - I DON'T CARE). Going to have a great time on my second DVC points only cruise that I could never have done even one time without them!!! This is just MY OPINION - to each his own and do what's comfortable FOR YOU!!!!! :) :) :)

[din]

disney6; Thanks for the input.

kramer_clan: Thanks for the pricing info and also the info on the booking.

This question has probabaly been asked before, but I am going to ask it since I can't find the answer.

I keep hearing this $10 per point and I am still trying to understand where this number comes from? I been on the DVC board and I keep seeing that number. How is that "magical" number keep appearing? Anyone??

[Gillian]

$10 per point is the going rental rate here on the DIS rent/trade board. I don't know how "they" came up with it, but it seems like a fair value for renting DVC HAFH resorts, compared to CRO rates.

The $10 is supposed to include the fees also, so I'm not sure it's a good number for an owner to use, because if you pay cash for a cruies, you will still have to pay your maintenance. I think you should use a lower $ number to determine the dollar cost of using points if you are an owner, because either way, you'll have to pay the annual fees. Does that make sense? Am I getting it backward?

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by Gillian
Does that make sense? Am I getting it backward?
The annual fees shouldn't be a factor one way or the other when determining how to use your DVC points.

Consider the annual fees to be an unavoidable cost of "renewing" your DVC points every year. Then, it's up to you to spend the points in a way that gives you great vacations.

And I wouldn't worry about whether you're getting a "value" of $6 per point or $8 per point or $10 per point or $12 per point. Sure, calculating the value per point is a good sanity check. But if you're just looking for the best value per point, you'd probably try to arrange an Interval International exchange into a studio at the Four Seasons Resort Club Aviara in Carlsbad, California, every year.