ATT: DVCers that choose NOT to "Member Cruise"

[goofy4wdw59]

This thread is for DVC members that have NOT been on a Member Cruise & those that have no plans to plunk down the points/cash for the latest offer...
There will be several threads for the DVC cruisers to exchange on and I wish them well.
I want to start a thread for those of us that have a different opinion. Hopefully, we can exchange our ideas on why we have chosen NOT to participate in this DVC event.
I suspect that there may be a few of us that don't see the value in this cruise, but, are not comfortable posting an honest opinion.
I want to express my opinion. I feel it's a rip-off. We've been on Disney cruises (booked our third one) and enjoy them very much. We budget wisely and can afford our DVC. We chose to have children and are happy with our life. I'm not interested in changing the minds of those that are going, and, they are not going to change my mind. Please...no flaming & bashing.
So...are there others of you out there? Just wondering why you're choosing NOT to participate in this DVC Member event.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I hope everyone that goes, has a wonderful time. If you have the points and or money, go for it.

The DATES are just pretty much impossible for people from the northeast with kids. It is the first week of school. Without starting a whole take kids out or not thread, PLEASE, I think missing the first week is just not wise, even just for social reaasons (think high school and middle school, I do not mean young kids so much). It also would be hard to leave kids with a sitter, even family, for that week, things are just so crazy (busses don't show up, supply lists, books covered, forms filled out overnight or they get a "no homework" grade, you get the idea).

That is my main issue, but truthfully, I probably could not go anyway next year for financial reasons. But I would LOVE to go, and get those little perks and special attention, even if I had to pay more. Perhaps because so few people took their kids on the last member cruise, they thought it was not an issue.

 

[Rombus]

Honestly? I think the biggest thing stopping me and my parents from going on a member cruise is simply timing. My dads a machinist and my mom makes Liberties in Toledo (Jeep Rocks!) and in the auto industry you take your vacation during shutdown and retooling for the next model year! Not exactly flexible.
My Excuse? Im a college student and a student network admin. I really haven’t had a proper vacation in 3 years. If its during the school year, I cant miss the classes, and if its during the summer, Im working 40+ hours a week on upgrades and repairs to our network or preparing our fall training. Summer is the only chance I get to take a vacation, but shutdown is usually early august, just when we ramp up for the start of school. I finally gave up on waiting and im taking a 2 week vacation next summer with my GF and my parents are going on there own sometime.

I think a DVC Cruse would be awesome, especially if it was a 7 day cruise! Just need more convenient times!

 

[Beca]

I would actually LOVE to go, and I don't mind spending the "extra" points to do it...okay, that would be if I "had" extra points lying around!!! Although, I would probably rent out points and pay cash.

I am not going for three reasons:

1) money...ahh...that ugly dragon rears its head!!

2)"HOPEFULLY" I will be pregnant around that time...and, I am not sure how a cruise ship would "sit" with me being pg.

3) Timing..I HATE the heat...and, much prefer to go to FL in the winter time...if the cruise were around Feb...I might consider it!!! Also, the "hurrican season" thing scares me a bit!! If all reports are right...FL is in for some NASTY weather for the next 20 years or so...I just don't think I want to plan ANYTHING in FL over that next time period.

It's hard to sayabout value....what is worth it for one person is not worth it for the next. A lot of people say that Christmas week in DVC is WAYY to overpriced..and, it is..but, I just bought a timeshare for just that reason...to stay in VWL over Christmas. Christmas eve night alone is going to cost us 106 points in 2005!! Expensive...yes. But, in my opinion...worth it. Although, if others disagree with me...well, that's just more rooms that will be open for me to reserve at Christmas!!

I hope everyone that goes has an AMAZING time!! And...I will be envious of all of them...just to meet that many DVC owners in one place would be a lot of fun!! How often can you meet that many people who love Disney as much as you do??



Beca

 

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by goofy4wdw59
Just wondering why you're choosing NOT to participate in this DVC Member event. [/B]

We don't like cruises? Well, I that's not totally true...we do want to do a Windjammer type cruise and the glacier cruise in Alaska, but while they are beautiful ships, there's just no appeal for us to spend that kind of money and use up our limited vacation time.

-Joe

 

[lulu71]

We're not really cruise people. We've been before and will never say never, but it doesn't really appeal to us at this point in our lives. I hope everyone that goes has a great time!

 

[JimC]

We are not going on the 2005 member cruise:

1. Timing - Our 2005 vacations are already planned as are most of our 2006 vacations and we don't like to travel over the Labor Day weekend
2. Redundancy - we are already booked on the May repositioning cruise (cash, not points)
3. Booking procedure - Telephone booking procedure is a hassle for these special events. Booking the repositioning cruise was easy. We submit our request over the internet and Dreams Unlimited did all the work

 

[trampslady]

I guess I'll admit I was a bit surprised that when I posted how the prices (points or cash) for this cruise just don't seem to make sense, not one person responded.

I was eagerly awaiting news of another member exclusive event as we probably would have went to the Homecoming had we not already been committed to a 14 night west coast/Alaska cruise this year. I was hoping for another park event. We love cruises, but even if you have the money and/or the points (thank goodness we do), it just doesn't seem to make much sense to sink that much into a four-night cruise. Truthfully, we could get a really nice seven-night cruise for the same price.

Further, we've always steered clear of booking cruises during the month of September due to the unpredictable storms (hurricanes) that can wreak havoc on ones plans during that time of year.

I'm thrilled for everyone who finds this offer to fit their family's vacation plans. However, those 316 points (158 each for the stateroom that we'd be interested in!!) will serve us better over the course of three weeks in a studio at WDW.

 

[crisi]

The timing is OK for us - be we are planning on being in Disney in October that year, and so that is where we will be. We get limited vacation time and have limited funds - and 2005 is our Disney year.

2006 is our cruise year, and it got booked last week when 2006 cruises were announced.

I don't know if the cruise is a rip off or not - haven't looked. I do know I didn't buy enough points to cruise - so its cash cruising for us. With DVC members planning so far out - more than a year notice would be nice.

 

[KarenP99]

We are cruising on 9/25/05, and for a fleeting moment I considered trying to change to the member cruise.

However, with all the talk of selling out, and fully booked....I decided that we would rather sail later in the month on a hopefully relatively empty ship (has been our experience with our past 2 Sept cruises). I do not huge like crowds, and would rather have a relaxing vacation on our terms rather than worrying that we are missing a member event.

Karen

 

[DiznEeyore]

We also considered it for a brief moment, but when I pulled out a calendar and saw that it was the first week of school, that was that. Ds would be devastated if we took a Disney cruise without him, and there's no way he can miss the first week of 7th grade.

We'll just have to "settle" (hee hee) for a week at BWV and VWL in December '05!

 

[Scratch42]

Plus we will just be getting off the 14 day Repo Cruise!

It would be great to do DL, Repo on Magic, WDW, then a Wonder Cruise but........

I can't see my boss giving me a whole month off!

I did ask DD if she wanted to but with it being her last year in middle school she does not want to miss any school!

It seems strange that DVC picked that time since the Kids in FLA go back to school the week prior!

Those that choose to go have fun!

But as with the Member Homecoming, they sure pick the wrong times for Families!

Scratch

 

[KelNottAt]

1. We're already booked for a DCL Mexican cruise in June 2005
2. The timing is bad - second week of school for my 2 middle-schoolers
3. We're hoping for a Grand Gathering in 2006, so we kinda need to conserve points.

BTW, if it weren't for reasons 1 & 2, I'd probably cough up the points and/or cash to do this special member event. Based on what I've read about the 2003 cruise, it sounds like fun.

Kelley

 

[wtpclc]

I have an annual Labor Day weekend with family and friends and this year I have a sorority reunion that weekend. Just doesn't work out for me.

When I checked the points and the cash cost for a cruise at the same time, I did not see any extra expense. When I consider what I actually paid for the points (not the arbitrary $10 selling value), it was about $100 less than paying cash for a cruise in that same time frame.

That still won't get me there. I have to wonder about doing it on a holiday weeknd, but as far as cost, I don't see hwy people are so upset. JMHO

 

[lenshanem]

We wanted to take a DCL trip next year. I got this in the mail and was excited for like a minute.

One, the dates aren't good. I'd have to take the kids out of school for a whole week!

Two, not sure I want to schedule a cruise during hurricane season and September at that.

Three, I don't have enough points so I looked at the cash option. Then I went over to the cruise website. We can go that same month for almost $500 less and that includes insurance.


Sooo, we'll be passing.

 

[Luvdisney]

Just a bad time of year for us. This is the first week of School for us. I just don't feel we can do that with 1 in H.S. and the other just starting m.s.

 

[mbb]

first week of school

 

[mom2rb]

The price is so much higher than what we are paying for the Sept.11 cruise. I just don't want to pay that much more to go a week earlier.

 

[sgtpet]

I feel the same way about this cruise as I did the previous one. In addition September is a bad time when you have children in school.

 

[robinb]

I would have considered going, even though it is more expensive than other DCL cruises (which is more expensive than other lines), but my DD starts first grade on 9/1. While I don't mind taking her out of school for a week, taking her out the FIRST WEEK is impossible.

Edited to add: Now that I read the rest of the thread I see that others are in the same ... dare I say ... boat that I'm in. And it ain't the S.S. Member Cruise!