Cruise Schedule Release and DVC Point Charts

[STLDisney_Freak]

Does anyone know if they release the new DVC point charts for the cruise at the same time they announce the new itineraries or are they at different times? If it is different times, please tell me that DVC doesn't lag on getting the point charts out there after an itinerary goes on sale.

 

[Anal Annie]

Does anyone know if they release the new DVC point charts for the cruise at the same time they announce the new itineraries or are they at different times? If it is different times, please tell me that DVC doesn't lag on getting the point charts out there after an itinerary goes on sale.

DVC does not always have the charts ready when DCL releases their itineraries. For example, DCL announced the 2008 itineraries at the end of January 2007 but the charts weren't published for at least 4-5 weeks later. We booked about the first week of March, after the charts came out. You do not have to wait though. MS will let you book with points based on an estimate from past cruises. When the charts DO come out if you don't have enough points you can cancel w/o penalty or change to booking some people on points and some with cash.

We felt like they raise the points so drastically from year to to year we decided to wait for the charts before booking. I didn't want that disappointment & didn't want to have to cancel. It all worked out in the end but we've probably done our last cruise on points. They just take too many and we don't have enough.

 

[anbouk]

DVC does not always have the charts ready when DCL releases their itineraries. For example, DCL announced the 2008 itineraries at the end of January 2007 but the charts weren't published for at least 4-5 weeks later. We booked about the first week of March, after the charts came out. You do not have to wait though. MS will let you book with points based on an estimate from past cruises. When the charts DO come out if you don't have enough points you can cancel w/o penalty or change to booking some people on points and some with cash.

We felt like they raise the points so drastically from year to to year we decided to wait for the charts before booking. I didn't want that disappointment & didn't want to have to cancel. It all worked out in the end but we've probably done our last cruise on points. They just take too many and we don't have enough.

What would a good estimation on points be for a cruise. We just became DVC members and I haven;t researched this yet. Just wondering....maybe someday!

 

[Anal Annie]

What would a good estimation on points be for a cruise. We just became DVC members and I haven;t researched this yet. Just wondering....maybe someday!

The cruise charts are posted on the DVC member website for both 2009 & 2010 I believe. They are steep IMHO. When we booked ours in early 2007 for July 2008 it cost 392 points for 2 adults and 1 child (age 11) on a 4 nighter in an "inside deluxe" category 10. When the charts came out for 2009 they had raised that same week by approx. 65 points to I think about 457 points for the same category. That is for only 4 nights and July is a peak cruising time. Another example - it cost 300 points PER PERSON this past summer in the same Cat. 10 for the 7 n. Mexican Riviera cruises.

I now think that cruising on points is a very point intensive way to go and you have to own a lot of points to do it comfortably. We are "points challenged" and only have 250 points. So when we did it, it used approx. 1 and 2/3 years worth of our points, leaving us drained. I did not like being out of points for THAT LONG and knowing that we only got 4 nights out of it. ALTHOUGH, by the time we sailed the cash price was up to about $4,000. So we DID keep that money in the bank. If you've got points to burn then go for it! It's a great way to save on your out of pocket cash but I think cash is probably a better deal in the end to sail on cash if you've got it laying around.

 

[Inkmahm]

The cruise charts are posted on the DVC member website for both 2009 & 2010 I believe. They are steep IMHO. When we booked ours in early 2007 for July 2008 it cost 392 points for 2 adults and 1 child (age 11) on a 4 nighter in an "inside deluxe" category 10. When the charts came out for 2009 they had raised that same week by approx. 65 points to I think about 457 points for the same category. That is for only 4 nights and July is a peak cruising time. Another example - it cost 300 points PER PERSON this past summer in the same Cat. 10 for the 7 n. Mexican Riviera cruises.

I now think that cruising on points is a very point intensive way to go and you have to own a lot of points to do it comfortably. We are "points challenged" and only have 250 points. So when we did it, it used approx. 1 and 2/3 years worth of our points, leaving us drained. I did not like being out of points for THAT LONG and knowing that we only got 4 nights out of it. ALTHOUGH, by the time we sailed the cash price was up to about $4,000. So we DID keep that money in the bank. If you've got points to burn then go for it! It's a great way to save on your out of pocket cash but I think cash is probably a better deal in the end to sail on cash if you've got it laying around.

You don't need the cash laying around. You just need to do a transfer of your points to a fellow member to get cash enough to cover the cruise you'd like to take. Keep the rest of your points to use for other trips and spend only what you need to get the cash.

Transfers are easy (I would never ever rent my points to strangers, just do transfers) and an excellent way to get cash to pay for your cruise.