Is it better to buy DVC on the cruise or at the resort?

[Lreip]

I was just wondering as far as incentives. Is it better to purchase DVC while on the cruise or the resort? I've been thinking about buying for 7 yrs now. I go every year with my 10yr old son. And have done the land /sea on the Dream. I have another one booked for August 18-25th 2013 land /sea. I know probably a silly question just thought I'd ask.

[luckyman_apd]

Originally Posted by Lreip

I was just wondering as far as incentives. Is it better to purchase DVC while on the cruise or the resort? I've been thinking about buying for 7 yrs now. I go every year with my 10yr old son. And have done the land /sea on the Dream. I have another one booked for August 18-25th 2013 land /sea. I know probably a silly question just thought I'd ask.

If you are buying DVC, I would not buy to use points for a cruise. The value in DVC is in the resorts. As far as incentives I believe they are the same. I don't think you get a better deal on the boat rather than the park. But the system is built around the DVC resorts and staying there. Points have value for other uses such as a cruise, but paying cash will always be a better value than using the points.

[tjkraz]

To answer OP's question, traditionally better prices are offered on cruises. They often include a stateroom credit worth several hundred dollars in addition to whatever incentives are available for a land-based purchase.

But there's really no way to know for certain what will be offered, how many points you'll have to buy to get the bonus or if it will even be available on the resort you wish to purchase. I've seen situations where the cruise incentives were only for one specific resort, and buyers had to purchase 300+ points in order to get the bonus.

Originally Posted by luckyman_apd

Points have value for other uses such as a cruise, but paying cash will always be a better value than using the points.

As stated, I have to disagree with the above. Cruising on points typically costs less out-of-pocket than cruising on cash if you're simply comparing one year's dues on the points to the cash cruise rate. However you get much greater value when using points toward DVC resort stays.

There are also more restrictions and limitations when cruising on points rather than cash.

The most sensible approach is to purchase points almost exclusively for resort stays and continue paying cash for cruises. If you really look at the economics of buying points today which are specifically earmarked for recurring cruise use, you'll find it takes an exceedingly long time to break even on the purchase.

[disneynutz]

According to Bilby, she was making the incentives equal no matter where you bought the direct points or who you bought them from.

I don't know if they made the change but that is what she told me. Who knows what the next guy will do.

Bill

[Brian Noble]

Cruising on points typically costs less out-of-pocket than cruising on cash if you're simply comparing one year's dues on the points to the cash cruise rate.

But, you paid something for those points, and some fraction of that payment (plus, possibly, the opportunity cost on that payment) should also be a consideration. It's not cash-flow accounting, true, and people often forget that, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't!

If you are in the market for buying DVC points, conventional wisdom holds that you should "right size" your purchase based only on your expected DVC stays, not other uses of points. So, if you think you'll do one WDW stay and one cruise every two years, buy only enough for the WDW stay every two years, and pay cash for your cruises.

[Dasha Hermosilla]

Originally Posted by disneynutz

According to Bilby, she was making the incentives equal no matter where you bought the direct points or who you bought them from.

I don't know if they made the change but that is what she told me. Who knows what the next guy will do.

Bill

We just bought direct on the Fantasy in December and there was a far greater incentive to buy at AKL. AKL buyers got a hefty shipboard credit. We bought at BLT and got nothing. BLT makes more sense for our family so we opted for that, but I sure could have used that AKL onboard credit!

[cc_nike]

Its better to buy from home on your computer from one of the resale brokers.

[KAT4DISNEY]

Originally Posted by cc_nike

Its better to buy from home on your computer from one of the resale brokers.

[disneynutz]

Originally Posted by Dasha Hermosilla

We just bought direct on the Fantasy in December and there was a far greater incentive to buy at AKL. AKL buyers got a hefty shipboard credit. We bought at BLT and got nothing. BLT makes more sense for our family so we opted for that, but I sure could have used that AKL onboard credit!

The incentive can be different for different resorts but I was told that the incentive if bought on DCL would be the same as a contract bought at the SSR sales center. I was also told that a contract bought from a Telesales Guide would be the same as a contract bought from a Guide at a physical sales location.

Bill

[Husurdady]

Originally Posted by cc_nike

Its better to buy from home on your computer from one of the resale brokers.

It worked for me. .....PS....... I didn't buy.....I sold.

[Lreip]

Originally Posted by KAT4DISNEY

Thanks everyone for your inputs. After reading through all the boards I'm seriously considering resale. Wish me luck

[MommaluvsDis]

But isn't it now true that you can't use resale points to cruise?

[bbn1122]

We brought on the Magic in 2010. We thought it was a great incentive. We bought 200 points at BLT and got $12 off each point, plus we got a bonus 200 points that we had to bank and then to use the within a year.

We were able to stay the following year Easter week in a dedicated 2 bedroom for 5 nights for 345 points....we would have never done that with out our bonus points!

But that was 3 years ago....I guess it depends on the incentive if any when on a cruise.

Good luck

[luv2sleep]

Originally Posted by MommaluvsDis

But isn't it now true that you can't use resale points to cruise?

Yes.