About using points to cruise...

[wehavesix]

Apparently if we want to use points to cruise then reservations must be made about a year and a half out. So my question is when booking for, say, a cruise in 2013, would the points used be 2011 points? Or can you book in anticipation of points coming on in 2012 or 2013?

 

[dzorn]

You would need to move points into the UY that the cruise will take place in.

Reminder if you need to cancel those points will become reservation point and have other restrictions. We've done it once but will not again for that reason, especially when needing to book so far in advance. You will also need to pay the 95$ at the time you book.

The points are already in your account. You need to look at your UY and not the calendar year. You can bank your 2011 points into 2012 UY(assuming you are still in the banking window) and borrow from your 2013 UY if you need the points.

The only way you would be able to use 2011 point would be to bank them into 2012 UY and use them before the 2012UY ended even if that was actually a 2013 date.

Denise in MI

 

[wehavesix]

So what you are saying is that if I book a cruise in 2013, I can use my points from my Dec. '12 uy? I don't think we will need to borrow but could borrow from Dec. '13 uy. Is that correct?

I am thinking about cruising in '13 but don't want to use my points coming in this Dec. because we already have plans for those points next spring and summer.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Dean]

Unless things have change, the rule is the points must be in the UY of the trip UNLESS the UY is too far out to reach the points, in which case you have the choice of the current or next UY. IF you were reserving today and in your 2010 UY, you could reserve anything in the 2011 UY directly, the same for 2012 UY if you were currently in your 2011 UY. Anything in the 2013 UY would be too far out to reach the point and thus they'd use points that were sooner. The points must all be in a single master contract as well so those with multiple master contracts (IE multiple UY) would have to have the points transferred. The good news is that if the owner is the same, they will normally do this in this situation even for banked/borrowed points and more than 1 a year where applicable.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Apparently if we want to use points to cruise then reservations must be made about a year and a half out. So my question is when booking for, say, a cruise in 2013, would the points used be 2011 points? Or can you book in anticipation of points coming on in 2012 or 2013?

When I have booked cruises on points in the past, I have booked as much as two years in advance. I have used up to 3 use years of points, from varying master contracts, with no problem. Between my DH and myself and DD we have a total of 4 master contracts with 6 different DVC resorts, in 3 different names.

It takes more time to arrange this, so just be prepared when you call so you understand what points you have available in each use year. That way you can specify and ask questions so you understand which use year you are using points from.

 

[wehavesix]

Thank you so much! Not only did you answer my question, you told me what I wanted to hear! Jackpot!

 

[atkinso]

Thank you so much! Not only did you answer my question, you told me what I wanted to hear! Jackpot!

You need to be very careful though! I just joined DVC with the specific intention of doing a December 2012 cruise. Just before I bought my "guide" told me there was availability. Of course the 2012 "rates" were not out. Imagine my surprise when the number of points I had budgeted needed to be increased by almost 30%! I was shocked!I think if you are going to try and use points for a cruise, just get ready for sticker shock and realize you may not have enough. I now know that Disney advertises the ability to use your points for the cruise and other properties but in a few years you will be priced out unless you keep buying more points!! If I had been able to go on a 2011 cruise I would have had enough, but, oh yeah, you can't ever book in the same year for the cruise. If you are hoping for 2013, add at least another 25% to the points you think you will need. Disney's dirty little secret!

 

[wehavesix]

You need to be very careful though! I just joined DVC with the specific intention of doing a December 2012 cruise. Just before I bought my "guide" told me there was availability. Of course the 2012 "rates" were not out. Imagine my surprise when the number of points I had budgeted needed to be increased by almost 30%! I was shocked!I think if you are going to try and use points for a cruise, just get ready for sticker shock and realize you may not have enough. I now know that Disney advertises the ability to use your points for the cruise and other properties but in a few years you will be priced out unless you keep buying more points!! If I had been able to go on a 2011 cruise I would have had enough, but, oh yeah, you can't ever book in the same year for the cruise. If you are hoping for 2013, add at least another 25% to the points you think you will need. Disney's dirty little secret!

You bought DVC to cruise? We bought DVC for trips to WDW. But we have enough points to do a little something else now and then too. I'm pretty confident our 525 points is enough to cover at least the first 2 passengers. That's assuming we don't bank any points next year which seems unlikely since we usually have to bank at least a few points every year. I'm sorry you felt misled but anyone here will tell you that DVC is not for cruising and ability to even use your points to book a cruise can go away. But thanks for the warning anyway! The increase in points for cruises doesn't surprise me at all. The dollar prices are increasing, especially when comparing the new ships to the older ships.

 

[CarolAnnC]

You need to be very careful though! I just joined DVC with the specific intention of doing a December 2012 cruise. Just before I bought my "guide" told me there was availability. Of course the 2012 "rates" were not out. Imagine my surprise when the number of points I had budgeted needed to be increased by almost 30%! I was shocked!I think if you are going to try and use points for a cruise, just get ready for sticker shock and realize you may not have enough. I now know that Disney advertises the ability to use your points for the cruise and other properties but in a few years you will be priced out unless you keep buying more points!! If I had been able to go on a 2011 cruise I would have had enough, but, oh yeah, you can't ever book in the same year for the cruise. If you are hoping for 2013, add at least another 25% to the points you think you will need. Disney's dirty little secret!

Interestingly enough, points for the 2011 itineraries were in some cases less than 2010, so your theory of a 25% increase each year is incorrect.

I would expect costs to rise each year in fact. The same with the cash price of cruising as well. With fuel and the travel industry suffering, higher prices are bound to happen.

Also, in the past availability for cruising on DVC points was more plentiful. The shortage of availability came up late last summer and seems to have continued through much of 2012.

But anything can happen going forward. Only your DVC Resorts will have a set number of points, though the distribution may vary from season to season and weekdays vs. weekends, etc.

If the DVC ownership does not work out for you, you always have the option to sell. I would wait and see what happens, with a new baby on the way you may want most of your trips at WDW anyway. Best wishes..

 

[atkinso]

I never got to check 2010 rates since I was not a member then, and certainly if the economy continues to do poorly the number of points needed may go down. I simply meant that a major selling point that Disney used, namely, the ability to use those points for places other than DVC, has in my case at least, gotten out of my reach just a few weeks after I joined and I think they misrepresent the ability to use that perk in order to sell more memberships. Perhaps I am simply a victim of bad timing or an over-eager salesperson. I truly enjoy Disney and was very disappointed things changed so dramatically so quickly after joining.

 

[Dean]

I never got to check 2010 rates since I was not a member then, and certainly if the economy continues to do poorly the number of points needed may go down. I simply meant that a major selling point that Disney used, namely, the ability to use those points for places other than DVC, has in my case at least, gotten out of my reach just a few weeks after I joined and I think they misrepresent the ability to use that perk in order to sell more memberships. Perhaps I am simply a victim of bad timing or an over-eager salesperson. I truly enjoy Disney and was very disappointed things changed so dramatically so quickly after joining.

Buying a timeshare, even DVC, is buyer beware. You should have known on your own that changes could, and likely would, occur.