Add on incentives while on a DCL cruise?

[FrancisK7]

I sailed on the Wish last week, went to the DVC party and also met with the onboard DVC headperson in her office.

There were no special incentive exclusive to DCL, but they seemed more flexible on payment plans.

For adding 150 points direct to PVB they were willing to take a $6000ish payment every two weeks, for ~3 months.

I also learned magical beginnings was only eligible for the USA. As a Canadian I wasn't eligible, but she said they'd still give me my 2024 points free of dues so I could still use them.

 

[DanCali]

Our last cruise - Feb. '25 - our in-laws received a free Hai-hai magnet guy for attending the presentation.

It's amazing how I get $300-$500 in value at Marriott presentations and DVC still gets away with luring people with a magnet or a plastic water bottle... Don't get me wrong - I do go for the water bottles and magnets too, but always wonder how much longer they can keep getting away with that

(grant it, the Marriott presentations are usually 90-120 minutes and more high pressure, but at least you get something valuable in return for that time)

 

[Tumnus]

It's amazing how I get $300-$500 in value at Marriott presentations and DVC still gets away with luring people with a magnet or a plastic water bottle... Don't get me wrong - I do go for the water bottles and magnets too, but always wonder how much longer they can keep getting away with that

(grant it, the Marriott presentations are usually 90-120 minutes and more high pressure, but at least you get something valuable in return for that time)

The first DVC pitch we ever did when we didn’t know much we got $200. I’m assuming Marriott doesn’t keep giving you money once you buy. DVC will do cash, plus it’s much lower stress no fighting them and being pressured.

 

[DanCali]

The first DVC pitch we ever did when we didn’t know much we got $200. I’m assuming Marriott doesn’t keep giving you money once you buy. DVC will do cash, plus it’s much lower stress no fighting them and being pressured.

Yes, DVC is much shorter and much less stress. But I believe DVC will only give you a gift card if you are a non-member?

With Marriott you get the "bribe" even when you are an owner. We've owned with Marriott/Westin for 15 years and they contact me before every trip to try and bribe me to attend a presentation, even multiple times per year if applicable. That "gift" can be a choice between a Visa Gift card (usually $150-$250), 35K-50K Bonvoy hotel points (I value those hotel points at $0.01/pt), and most recently they also offered us 500 OTU Marriott Vacation Club Points good for 2 years that I promptly applied to a reservation at one of their properties we have for next year (I value those at $1/pt - for perspective, the annual dues for MVC points owners are about $0.81/pt).

Also, at the end of every presentation where you refuse to buy, they offer an "Explorer package" where you get a heavily discounted 3-5 night stay sometime in the next ~2 years if you agree to attend another sales pitch (there's a separate inventory bucket for sales, and it includes locations like Hawaii if you want that). I don't like the idea of that commitment and never did that, but some owners on TUG love those packages.

When you read this paragraph in their annual report, you understand why they do it:
(https://ir.marriottvacationsworldwide.com/static-files/90d9c115-e7e7-462d-bb13-e9abbaf359bc - page 7)



DVC is not a separate public entity, so they wouldn't necessarily report that, but I wouldn't be surprised if that number at DVC was also 70% (or even higher).

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

DVC still gets away with luring people with a magnet or a plastic water bottle...

For the record, you can also get a stuffed chicken on the boat if you're not yet a member. I convinced my adult daughter to attend an onboard 30 minute sales pitch to non-members on the Wish last month so she could score a free heihei. Surprising what people are willing to do for stuffed chickens.

 

[Cyberc1978]

I assume as long as the sales overall are not bad, why give anything extra away. Anything extra comes out of DVDs pockets.

 

[bakerworld]

For the record, you can also get a stuffed chicken on the boat if you're not yet a member. I convinced my adult daughter to attend an onboard 30 minute sales pitch to non-members on the Wish last month so she could score a free heihei. Surprising what people are willing to do for stuffed chickens.

I really wanted a hai-hai - I was actually surprised they didn't get two hai-hai's as we get two annual pass magnets.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

For the record, you can also get a stuffed chicken on the boat if you're not yet a member. I convinced my adult daughter to attend an onboard 30 minute sales pitch to non-members on the Wish last month so she could score a free heihei. Surprising what people are willing to do for stuffed chickens.

If my dad was taking me on multiple Disney cruises and villa trips a year, I’d sit through a 30m sales pitch to get him a chicken (edible or stuffed) too.