Add-on cruise incentive question

[Snurk71]

We currently have 100 points at BLT and VGC and have been him-hawing around on buying more points - how many, which resort, etc. We've been vacationing at WDW every year and DL about every other year. There's 3 of us - me, DW, and DD9. We could fit in a studio, but have stayed 1BR so far and are probably spoiled with the extra room. We initially thought we'd do studios at VGC because we vacation for a shorter trip out there and VGC's studios look better structured than some others we've seen pictures of, but who knows if we'll feel cramped in a studio out there now. We're hooked on 1BRs at WDW - and know we either need 100 more points at BLT for the 11 month window or will have to continue borrowing forward for 11 months booking or run the chance at 7 months with using current year VGC points.

The point price on VGC has been pretty attractive at $97/point (I think we paid around $90 last year on our initiall buy in) vs. BLT's. We've been close to pulling a trigger on buying 100 more points at VGC - to have more points overall and to have more points available for WDW trips (7 months), but having the option for keeping more VGC points in the stable or doing a 1BR there at 11 months. I think we haven't pulled the trigger because I have a hitch about not having enough 11 month points at WDW where we have been more steady with our trips. For example, we booked a studio at 11 months for our Oct trip (not borrowing forward) and plan to try switching over to a 1BR this weekend at the 7 month mark.

I guess I should get on to the point of the posted topic...

The base cruise incentive (100 pts) says it is for a 3 night Ocean View. We've never cruised, but have been itching to and figure we would sometime soon. So the incentive cruise could be the thing to finally force us into action. I'm trying to assign a value to the cruise though, and I don't know enough about all of the different room categories to do so. The incentive says it is an Ocean View - and I see that category on the Disney booking site, but what about the room category?

If I assume the lowest ocean view room category for Oct 2011, I get a price of $1,068 for 3 guests (4 guests is $1,498). Looking at the trade value of $6/pt discount on 100 pts at BLT = $600. So the cruise value is a fairly clear winner on BLT ($468 for 3 people, $898 for 4 people).

If I look at taking it up to 125 points at BLT for a 4 night cruise, I get cruise pricing at $1,498 for 3 people ($1,845 for 4 people). But the discount goes to $10 at 125 points. So a $1,498 cruise value isn't as great of a difference over the $1,250 discount at 125 points ($248 for 3 people, $595 for 4 people).

So 2 main cruise questions.

1) What room category is the incentive cruise?

2) Could we take along a 4th guest that isn't part of our immediate family of 3?


Overall, I think I'd like to buy 100 pts at BLT for $120 with the cruise incentive + buy another 50 at VGC for the $97. Am I missing something in my analysis though? I've looked at resale, and I don't think it's for us. We already have 2 home resorts and I don't think adding a 3rd (like SSR) and still not having enough points to cover a 1BR trip at one resort at 100 months makes sense for us.

Thanks for reading...

 

[DenLo]

I'm afraid I can't answer your questions, but suggest you call your guide and get the information direct. I would think you could take four persons on the cruise. I don't remember anything in the fine print restricting it to the DVC member and family only. Really the guides don't mind answering your questions.

Good Luck. It's kinda of fun to have addonitis, don't you think?

 

[tjkraz]

1) What room category is the incentive cruise?

We took the cruise incentive with an add-on last year and the ocean view room is Category 9. That's on the Wonder so I don't know if categories have changed for the Dream.

Honestly I would just call your Guide and toss out all of the questions you may have. It's a pretty complicated incentive and I think you're best served to have accurate information before you make your decision. You'll be pretty disappointed if you get incorrect info here, and use that info as part of your decision-making process.

2) Could we take along a 4th guest that isn't part of our immediate family of 3?

You can book any 4 individuals in the room. No immediate relations required.

However, note that the room will have one queen bed plus what amounts to convertible bunk beds.

 

[Snurk71]

Thanks for the replies. I am going to call my guide. But sometimes the guides either aren't fully forthcoming or fully knowledgeable about the best way to manuever the system from a buyer's perspective. When we initially bought in I had to challenge our guide on a couple of things (buying less than 160 at a single resort, the current incentives + referral incentive) that he had to check with his QA manager about - and it came back in our favor. So I will always run things through the DIS for the non-Disney opinion/experience factor.

 

[Sandisw]

I don't know how you plan on paying, but I believe that if you finance, you have to pay off the value of the cruise prior to booking it. If that is in your plan, you need to consider if the cruise would make sense.

If you feel that you would go on the cruise and want to do that, I would go with that option. It sounds like it is a good value.

However, if you are not really interested in cruising but think it is the better value, then I would go with the dolalr off. There will be other costs associated with the cruise (getting there) and it doesn't make sense, IMO, to take an incentive that costs me more money OOP, unless it is something I really want to do.

My DH is not a cruise person so we took that straight cash discount last year, even though the "value" was less. For us, we liked having to simply pay less.

Good luck!

 

[Snurk71]

Talked with our guide this afternoon...

First, he had a little difference on the current incentives (better than I read on DVCnews).

BLT - $8 discount on 100 pts (instead of $6 reported)

VGC - $15 discount off 50-99 pts, $17 off 100 - 124, $19 off 125

So here I was relatively set on adding 100 at BLT + 50 at VGC - until he mentions the extra discounts on the higher point buys at VGC. Of course I tell DW the deals tonight and she responds - "MORE EVERYTHING!!!".

Regarding the cruise, he said that the incentive is for category 9 - which I think is the lowest room category (ocean view). He said we could pay the difference to upgrade room categories, but can not upgrade to a different number of nights cruise (stuck at 3 nights if buying 100 pts). He also said we could fill up the 4 people however we wanted - not limited to our immediate family.

We're forunate to be able to pay cash for this, so financing or paying off before the cruise isn't an issue. The cruise value is still more than the cash discount for BLT, and we're wanting to try the cruise (we took the cash discount on our buy-in last year). So we'll likely do the 100 BLT pts at $120 and do the cruise next year. All we have to figure out now is how many VGC to add on - stick with the 50 pt plan or give in to the higher discount and bump to 100 pts at VGC too.

Decisions, decisions...

I did sign up for Tuesday night's webinar to see if they offer anything extra on that.

 

[arthur06]

We took the cruise incentive with an add-on last year and the ocean view room is Category 9. That's on the Wonder so I don't know if categories have changed for the Dream.

Honestly I would just call your Guide and toss out all of the questions you may have. It's a pretty complicated incentive and I think you're best served to have accurate information before you make your decision. You'll be pretty disappointed if you get incorrect info here, and use that info as part of your decision-making process.



You can book any 4 individuals in the room. No immediate relations required.

However, note that the room will have one queen bed plus what amounts to convertible bunk beds.

I dont think you can book any 4 individuals in the room... Since the offer is considered non-transferable then one member of the party has to be a DVC owner.