Booking DVC Cruise

[linco711]

With todays economic problems and the cruise industry discounting, I was wondering if anyone knows if Disney ever passes on savings (in point reductions or maybe even upgrades) to their vacation club members? Or are the points set and stay that way?
It seems like vacation club members should be able to benefit from the deals being given....what do you all think?

 

[CarolAnnC]

DCL is sailing full ships almost every cruise, and there are no special deals for points off (or cash either)for DVC members.

In fact, you will find the DVC Member cruise for September 2009 was higher than a regular 4 day cruise in points. It is full, however....

 

[jel0511]

No, DVC never discounts cruises with DCL. The point charts (and cash rates) are negotiated at the beginning of the year and stay the same for the whole year.

 

[jgus]

We were looking to go to Chicago and the points are 37 per night. Their rack rate is $129... I use the $10 pp rental theory, so I look at it costing $370 per night plus $95 booking fee. Not exactly a deal...

 

[hakepb]

In the fall, they did offer a reduced points fall "return" cruise (similiar to the $99 cash deal), but it was a lot more than the 10 points owner rental would bring in (renting $10/point)

In reality, you get a cruise on points because they reserve you DVC room for a cash guest. Now that they have to offer so many cash room discounts, your points may have a reduced buying power when trading into a cruise... (might result in higher cruise point charts next year..)

 

[jodifla]

DCL is sailing full ships almost every cruise, and there are no special deals for points off (or cash either)for DVC members.

In fact, you will find the DVC Member cruise for September 2009 was higher than a regular 4 day cruise in points. It is full, however....

There's another post from Mouseplanet indicated that DCL bookings are way, way down for 2010.

They've been slashing their prices on the 2009 cruise and offering Fla resident prices even on Spring Break cruises. It's my impression they are just holding on to see what the economy does for 2010.

 

[CarolAnnC]

There's another post from Mouseplanet indicated that DCL bookings are way, way down for 2010.

They've been slashing their prices on the 2009 cruise and offering Fla resident prices even on Spring Break cruises. It's my impression they are just holding on to see what the economy does for 2010.

Only a small segment books DCL so far ahead - 2010 encompasses the next 22 months and I know I typically do not book that far out, unless it is for a special cruise such as the Med or Baltic. So to say bookings are down, well is all relevant to timeframe IMHO. Bottom line is the ships are still sailing full. The DVC Member Cruise sold out immediately almost a year ahead. The Baltic cruises filled up very quickly as well, though availability is still good (summer of 2010).

DCL and DVC are still the flagships of Disney and generating the most income for the corporation. I would disagree with the Mouseplanet generalization, myself.

 

[kerickson]

I think the best DCL deal they've given is the current DCL purchase incentive. I had the choice of 100 DPs or a cruise that would have cost me between 280 - 360 points...

 

[LIFERBABE]

The cash deals for DCL have been plentiful. No way would I book on points with all the deals they are offering.

Just mho

We have a cash ressie for June 2009 and April 2010. The June 2009 was heavily discounted so much so, we booked 2 cabins for the 4 of us.

 

[disneychic]

If you book a cruise using points RIGHT after sailing you get a break. We booked a 7 day - Tortola for this September for 117 points per person. This saved us about 30 points total as I believe this cruise was originally 133? per person using points. They give you a few days after you disembark to make the reservation. Even though it was over a year out, it was a good enough deal that we went on a head and booked using points. I don't always do this, we are cruising this April on a 3 day, and I was NOT going to use points for this .....as you all know they're worth their weight in gold!