Booking a cruise with points

[kamikazecat]

We are looking at booking a cruise on points next year. Is it possible to book my husband and I on points and pay cash for my son as the 3rd person in the room? Thanks.

 

[hopare]

Yes it is, member services can tell you exactly how much and if cabins are available.

 

[AnnaS]

Also be prepared to pay the $95 fee and the cash amount for the two people up front in full.

 

[jharrowell]

Just a note,

As a lot of other ppl will tell you, it's not really cost effective to do DCL on points. It's probably better to rent the points and buy the cruise with the cash.

Having said that, I personally do DCL on points simply for the convenience.

Can't be bothered to faff around with renting...

 

[Crystal_27]

Yes, but be prepared to pay the cash amount for your son upon booking plus the $95 "transfer" fee. Also, any changes you make (stateroom, cruise date, number of people, etc.) will necessitate another $95 fee. We used points for our June, 2011 cruise on the Dream and, although I was on the phone with MS for about 30 minutes, my CM couldn't have been nicer. Happy sailing!

 

[CarolMN]

.......As a lot of other ppl will tell you, it's not really cost effective to do DCL on points. It's probably better to rent the points and buy the cruise with the cash.

...(snip).......

As usual, what lots of people tell you isn't always true. Some of the point requirements for cruises in 2011 have decreased quite a bit over what they have been in the past and it really depends on how you value your points.

Those who believe using points is not cost effective, usually value their points at their perceived "rental" value. That's $10-$15 each. These posters usually dismiss the time and effort required to rent points.

Others value their points by prorating the initial cost over the number of contract years and adding in maintenance fees.

Still others consider the initial buy in to be a "sunk" cost and value their points at the cost of the annual dues.

Also, there are other factors to consider when choosing your payment method. For example, the cash cost of a cruise tends to vary based on how far in advance you make the reservation, cancellation & change policies are less restrictive for cash customers and renting is harder to do for newbies than for experienced owners.

Everyone's situation is different. There isn't a "one size fits all" answer to the cash or points for a cruise question.

 

[Dean]

As usual, what lots of people tell you isn't always true. Some of the point requirements for cruises in 2011 have decreased quite a bit over what they have been in the past and it really depends on how you value your points.

Those who believe using points is not cost effective, usually value their points at their perceived "rental" value. That's $10-$15 each. These posters usually dismiss the time and effort required to rent points.

Others value their points by prorating the initial cost over the number of contract years and adding in maintenance fees.

Still others consider the initial buy in to be a "sunk" cost and value their points at the cost of the annual dues.

Also, there are other factors to consider when choosing your payment method. For example, the cash cost of a cruise tends to vary based on how far in advance you make the reservation, cancellation & change policies are less restrictive for cash customers and renting is harder to do for newbies than for experienced owners.

Everyone's situation is different. There isn't a "one size fits all" answer to the cash or points for a cruise question.

One should always look at the specifics of any situation to make a decision. I would argue that using points to reserve a cruise actually carries more risk than renting points done reasonably if renting well ahead and that renting points on an occasional basis really isn't any work at all if one uses common sense. I would also contend that because DVC points are so liquid in terms of rentals that it makes no sense to not at least consider the value of what they could be rented for. If one wants to use 500 points for a cruise rather than paying $3200 out of pocket, I have no issues with that, just realize that's happening. The examples where one gets even to $8 a point value on a cruise are few and far between and essentially always on very high end cabins or on shorter notice when you've missed applicable discounts.

 

[Inkmahm]

Just a note,

As a lot of other ppl will tell you, it's not really cost effective to do DCL on points. It's probably better to rent the points and buy the cruise with the cash.

Having said that, I personally do DCL on points simply for the convenience.

Can't be bothered to faff around with renting...

Me, either. That's why I take the easy way out and TRANSFER points to a fellow member for cash rather than go through the bother of renting.

What I won't ever do is use points to cruise. I would never give up the cash discount or the OBC I get when paying cash. I wouldn't pay the $95 extra fee to use points, either, or risk my points in case I'd need to cancel the cruise and then I'd be stuck not able to use the points at WDW. Way too many downsides to using points in my book.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Check This Thread where you will see how a family pricing out a cruise next year on the Dream would pay more booking via DCL on cash, versus paying less by booking on DVC points.

The old adage that booking on cash is better than booking on DVC points no longer holds true as of next year's point charts.

 

[Inkmahm]

Check This Thread where you will see how a family pricing out a cruise next year on the Dream would pay more booking via DCL on cash, versus paying less by booking on DVC points.

The old adage that booking on cash is better than booking on DVC points no longer holds true as of next year's point charts.

Except that ISN"T the final conclusion at that thread. Cash was still cheaper....



"you're absolutely right. Thanks for pointing that out...didn't cross my mind at the time that the category might not be available. I called this morning and sure enough, all that we could get was cat. 5. So, I kept searching...came up with a 4-night on the Dream on Aug. 28th...the category I wanted and the cost was 241 points. I went to the booking site and it would cost $2304 not incl. insurance and ground transportation. So bottom line...a bit less had we paid out of pocket but for the sake of convenience, we're using points. We have 200 banked points that had to be used before Sept. 2011 (from our 2009 year) and we really wanted to do something other than go to Disney this time around. So all in all, it worked out for us. But you're correct, you really have to look at your specific situation and play with the numbers "and" see if there's availability."

 

[js]

Check This Thread where you will see how a family pricing out a cruise next year on the Dream would pay more booking via DCL on cash, versus paying less by booking on DVC points.

The old adage that booking on cash is better than booking on DVC points no longer holds true as of next year's point charts.

Well, for me, it is still true.
If I rented my points at $10, I would be at minimum $2,500 ahead. (This does not include the discount from my TA that I use for cruises).
I have two connecting 6Bs on Dream for July 24. I would be paying over $7K and using 981 or so points (I have one 6B that is a double and one 6B that is a triple).
For me, if I rent my points, I will come out ahead and can book my flights and have OBC put toward my cabins BUT really not sure I want the headache of renting close to 1000 points although it is VERY tempting.
Will make a final decision this week or next but thinking I will just use my points. I am worried about the risk of people cancelling and I would want to make sure all my points are rented so I do not have to put any money towards the cruise since I really have the points to do so.
I've been going back and forth with this for about two weeks or so.

 

[Dean]

Check This Thread where you will see how a family pricing out a cruise next year on the Dream would pay more booking via DCL on cash, versus paying less by booking on DVC points.

The old adage that booking on cash is better than booking on DVC points no longer holds true as of next year's point charts.

I've participated in that thread and it does not change the overall conclusion, that booking on cash is almost always a better value except when there are little discounts which is the case with the Dream. There will be the occasional exception, that's why you need to evaluate each situation individually and there will be circumstances when the points are not full value which also should be individualized. Assuming the numbers posted by the OP in that thread are completely accurate and comparable, that would be around $9 a point. As I've said on this thread and previously, IMO, the risk of booking with points well ahead is far more than the risk of renting in addition to the cost. I priced an AK June 14, 2011 cruise on the wonder and it came to $7.10 pp not taking the $95 fee into account for 2 people for a cat 5 (?C). The other issue we haven't discussed is you lose out on other potential benefits such as cabin credits and cruise company specials. My goals in contesting this are that people look at what they are and are not getting and make an informed decision without making assumptions that aren't accurate and they realize there are risks they may not have considered.

 

[CarolAnnC]

The bottom line here is that not everyone is interested in renting or transferring out points. Everyone does not value their points the same way as some people do either. So what someone perceives as "cheaper" is not necessarily a view shared by everyone else.

There are always two schools of thought here on the DIS - those who will never book cruises with their points, and those who will book with points. Everyone needs to do what is right for them and their families.

I sailed on the DCL 10 night Med cruise back in 2007 with two staterooms, 4 adults all booked on points. The price in cash I would have paid (about 6 months prior to sail date) would have exceeded the "standard" revenue of $10 per point to rent/transfer. Even if we had the desire to rent out, the logistics with our multiple contracts, use years and resorts would make it quite the project with no guarantee of success. We like not having to book far ahead for the best cash price, as the points are fixed, once announced. Sometimes we can reserve early, but sometimes due to work we cannot.

The fact is, though, that there are cases where the points for 2011 cruises are lower than 2010. We do not take the time to verify what everyone reports here, we do not go and price out cruises on the DCL site, nor sift through the DVC points charts to make sure each case is correct. But, between what is discussed and reported here (and on our Cruise Board) we can see what the patterns are.

And as always, please be respectful of everyone's viewpoint, even if it differs from your own.

 

[kamikazecat]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses.

For my family, we have decided to book the two adults on points and my son on cash. We will then borrow from 2012 points to spend an additional week in WDW. We plan on going to DL in 2012 for the new Cars Land and are planning to stay off site as we usually do at DL.

Thanks to everyone who replied.

 

[Inkmahm]

It does not matter if the number of points in 2011 is less than the number of points needed in 2010. What matters is the $ value you get for those points.
That has not improved enough to make sailing on points cheaper than sailing using cash.

 

[CarolAnnC]

It does not matter if the number of points in 2011 is less than the number of points needed in 2010. What matters is the $ value you get for those points.
That has not improved enough to make sailing on points cheaper than sailing using cash.

For some people, this is not about "cheaper". This is about perceived value. It is not right or wrong. It is about what is best for each member. There are many out there who use points and consider their "cost" to be the MF's. For those people, they use less points in 2011 than they do in 2010 so that certainly does matter for them.

Let's try to keep an open mind. After all, the number 1 trade out destination for DVC owners is the Disney Cruise Line.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses.

For my family, we have decided to book the two adults on points and my son on cash. We will then borrow from 2012 points to spend an additional week in WDW. We plan on going to DL in 2012 for the new Cars Land and are planning to stay off site as we usually do at DL.

Thanks to everyone who replied.

You are most welcome! We are also looking forward to the new Cars Land and the changes that are coming for Disneyland. Best wishes..

 

[Inkmahm]

For some people, this is not about "cheaper". This is about perceived value. It is not right or wrong. It is about what is best for each member. There are many out there who use points and consider their "cost" to be the MF's. For those people, they use less points in 2011 than they do in 2010 so that certainly does matter for them.

Let's try to keep an open mind. After all, the number 1 trade out destination for DVC owners is the Disney Cruise Line.

Sorry, my CPA training makes me stick with dollars and cents real value, not "perceived" value.

 

[Crystal_27]

Sorry, my CPA training makes me stick with dollars and cents real value, not "perceived" value.

Before we decided to cruise on points for 2011, DH and I went back and forth about whether to rent and pay cash for our cruise or just use points. It came down to the fact that we bought into DVC to be able to have a Disney vacation every year. We had the available points to do a parks vacation in 2010, do a cruise in 2011 with points left over to stay a couple nights at the parks, and still have all of our 2012 points. I understand that I'm probably under-valuing my points by not renting them out and paying cash for the cruise. However, as long as I'm able to get a Disney vacation every year, I'm happy with the outcome. However, for what it's worth, if cruising with points would have shorted me so that I couldn't vacation in 2010 or 2012, I certainly would have looked at renting my points because, again, our goal with DVC was to make it so we could have a Disney vacation every year.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Sorry, my CPA training makes me stick with dollars and cents real value, not "perceived" value.

Let me reword this so you may better understand.

What do you consider the "real value" of your DVC points to be? Chances are it is not going to be the same as what someone else may value their membership at. There is no black and white; no right and wrong here.

The value is what you perceive it to be. And it is not right nor wrong. You cannot make a blanket statement that everyone values their DVC points at $10 per point, for example.

Some people value their points according to their MF's that they pay. Perhaps some figure out the entire cost of their membership to come up with a value.

And then there are those who consider their DVC points to be priceless