Cash VS points for cruising?

[2tink4u]

Okay, I have heard that the using of points for Disney cruise isn't really worth it. If I use all Points for a week in peak season in a okay group 9 ocean view only room with a 7 year old, I need about 500 points... Those points, though a challenge, could be sold for around 5k, or so. Anyone have any idea how much to pay out right for this kind of room for a week for a party of 3??? ARe there any cruise situations where points aren't a bad deal?

 

[eva]

The prices fluctuate so much that you would be smart to go to the DCL's website and check.

 

[aprince&princess]

One option would be to use points for one or two people and pay cash for others.

We used points for two and paid cash for our two kids.

Also keep in mind that the points seem high for the ship, but it includes food and entertainment, unlike at the park where you need to then add park tickets and the expense for eating.

And then you need to find someone, or more than one person, to rent your points and be able to get what they are looking for.

We thought it was easier to do the point/cash option.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I have used points and points/cash combo for many Disney Cruises. As I do not rent out points, I find it to be a very good use of my points!

When you book thru DCL (cash only) they book the cruises in pricing tiers. So the same category room on the ship will sell for varying prices depending upon when you book which can be up to 2 years ahead I think..

When you book DVC for the cruise, the points are fixed for the year and the cash price (if used) in combination with points is decided each year in a contract between DCL and DVC. That price is not the lowest, but not the highest either. Usually somewhere in the middle.

An example of booking a cruise on points is my Med Cruise last summer. We had two staterooms and booked 8 months ahead, which is far in advance for me, lol. Our two rooms totaled 1700+ points for 4 adults. When I priced it out through DCL the cash price came to almost $17,000 for those two rooms. So you see, it can often be even close in price if you were to rent the points, which I don't have the time nor inclination to do.

There was also a $75 booking fee, which will increase to $95 on 1/1/08.

Hope this helps...

 

[2tink4u]

I'm sorry but did you say $17,000 for 4 people... I've been on some pretty nice cruises and that is the absolute most expensive I have ever heard. That's like more than 4k per person, was this just a one week cruise? I'm truley astonished>>This must be some great cruise... I hope you had an amazing time, for 17k I would expect alot...

 

[CarolAnnC]

I'm sorry but did you say $17,000 for 4 people... I've been on some pretty nice cruises and that is the absolute most expensive I have ever heard. That's like more than 4k per person, was this just a one week cruise? I'm truley astonished>>This must be some great cruise... I hope you had an amazing time, for 17k I would expect alot...

These were the special 10 and 11 night cruises that Disney ran last year in the Mediterranean. Ports of call were in Spain, France and Italy including such cities as Barcelona, Rome, Naples, Monte Carlo and much more.

We had one category 6 stateroom with verandah and one category 11 inside cabin for our family of 4 - myself, DH, DD 24 and DD 21. The cash price I compared to was not the cheapest as that would have been sold months and months before I even looked at the Med Cruise. But it was perhaps on the higher end of the pricing tier.

Although Disney is on the higher end, I must say there were cabins that ran much more than ours did - all the way up to category 1 of course.

Was it worth it? Absolutely!!! Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!!!!

 

[2tink4u]

Okay, That makes a big difference. Specialty, out of country, nice room,11 nights. That's alot of the money. Was this a special Disney cruise or a special offer??? I think it sounds fabulous....

 

[CarolAnnC]

This was a special series of Med cruises only for summer of 2008. Now this summer DCL will have a ship in California for special west coast cruises. They try to offer some variety beyond their usual Carribean offerings. There is lots of speculation as to where they might go in 2009 but no announcement yet. I have heard rumors of Alaska and Northern Europe. Can't wait to hear the decision.

Be sure to visit the Cruise Boards here on the DIS! Lots and lots of great DCL info on those...

 

[minnieandmickey]

I was going to use what points we had left for 1 person and pay for 2 people on our recent cruise. Turns out that it would have only been 100 cheaper to do it this way, so we just paid for the whole thing, and I rented out the points to cover the majority of the cost of the cruise.