Cruising on Points

[disneypoor]

I know many people on the boards don't think cruising on points is a good value, and I can understand why most of the time. Every time I've done it I've tried to compare what I could have rented my points for versus what it actually costs to pay with cash. We just returned from a 5 night out of Miami, and when I got home I called DVC to get the point discount. I booked a cat. 10c for two adults for 222 points total. The price on the website has a 10c for $2157. What am I missing? Isn't this a case where cruising on points makes sense? I know you can rent points at $12 per point sometimes, but I figured I could count on $10, so if that's the case, isn't using my 222 points a pretty good deal? I need the experts to tell me what I'm missing or if I actually found a cruise that was a good use of my points. Susan


ETA: I just looked on the rent/trade board and it looks like renting points has gone up. Maybe I could plan on $11, but there still isn't much difference in price.

 

[Brancaneve]

By no means am I an expert but I have been on four cruises using points and they have, in my opinion, been well spent.

Many say they are a poor use of points but if you stay on the Disney property, that means you will want to go to the parks. With the price of tickets these days, and the cost of food in the parks, it negates the great value.

We never book costly excursions and usually end up charging little by the end of the cruise. With all the food included and activities on the ship at no extra cost, I find it to be a great deal.

I've always believed that the value is in what your heart is set on. What if my heart isn't set on WDW.....gasp? Or my heart isn't set on DLR?

As the OP said, I just don't get the opposition to using points to cruise!

 

[z28wiz]

I know many people on the boards don't think cruising on points is a good value, and I can understand why most of the time. Every time I've done it I've tried to compare what I could have rented my points for versus what it actually costs to pay with cash. We just returned from a 5 night out of Miami, and when I got home I called DVC to get the point discount. I booked a cat. 10c for two adults for 222 points total. The price on the website has a 10c for $2157. What am I missing? Isn't this a case where cruising on points makes sense? I know you can rent points at $12 per point sometimes, but I figured I could count on $10, so if that's the case, isn't using my 222 points a pretty good deal? I need the experts to tell me what I'm missing or if I actually found a cruise that was a good use of my points. Susan ETA: I just looked on the rent/trade board and it looks like renting points has gone up. Maybe I could plan on $11, but there still isn't much difference in price.

Take 10 percent off the cash price ($1941.30). You used the on board dvc discount, it's only fair to factor in the on board cash discount. I also get 13-14 ppt for renting and never have issues getting that. It's roughly a savings of 600-1100 for a cash cruise depending on what you get for renting. For what's it's worth I have used points for cruises but it was more in line with cash prices then. The $1000 savings could easily pay for my plane tickets for four with Jetblue.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[z28wiz]

By no means am I an expert but I have been on four cruises using points and they have, in my opinion, been well spent. Many say they are a poor use of points but if you stay on the Disney property, that means you will want to go to the parks. With the price of tickets these days, and the cost of food in the parks, it negates the great value. We never book costly excursions and usually end up charging little by the end of the cruise. With all the food included and activities on the ship at no extra cost, I find it to be a great deal. I've always believed that the value is in what your heart is set on. What if my heart isn't set on WDW.....gasp? Or my heart isn't set on DLR? As the OP said, I just don't get the opposition to using points to cruise!

You can also look at this way about staying in the parks. If you were the original poster, you can stay five nights in WDW in a studio. That would be anywhere from 50-100 points depending on the resort. You can rent out. The remaining 122-172 points and you should have enough money for park tickets and some food. Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[toniosmom]

I've always believed that the value is in what your heart is set on. What if my heart isn't set on WDW.....gasp? Or my heart isn't set on DLR?

I agree. It's your points and only you can decide which method works best for you. For many, the convenience of booking on points is more important that any financial factor.

I have rented out my points and paid cash for three different cruises on the Dream, and on all three (including the one we are boarding in about a week), I saved significant money doing it that way. However, if the difference was minor, I would have probably booked on points.

Personal preference.....

 

[ALDSMD]

Do DVC members get discounts on Disney Cruises if they pay cash? We are actually trying to figure out whether or not to book a cruise, and if we do, do we use points for one person and pay the rest or pay for it all. We are a family of 5 so we wouldn't have enough points for everybody. Thanks.

 

[com_op_2000]

I have done six cruises on all or partly on points, including our 15, 20, & 25th anniversaries. DW and I feel it is a very good use of our points. We are planning our point usage for our upcoming 30th anniversary DCL.

 

[disneypoor]

Thanks for all of the replies. I did forget to factor in the OBB discount, but we also booked a second room with that. How many OBB can you do?

I can't believe points are going for $13-$14 per point! I had no idea. I figured maybe $12, but that's way more $ in the end.

This is the second time we have used some of our points for cruising. I haven't regretted doing it yet, so I figured I must be off on my calculations. I posted something similar after our first cruise on points. I always think I got a good deal, and never quite get why so many feel so strongly against it. However, if the price difference was huge, I would definitely understand why it would be better to rent and use cash.

Regardless, I do feel that everyone should use their points the way they want to use them. Not having to buy food, entertainment, etc. on a cruise also weighs heavily IMO.

Thanks again for the replies. It has given me more to think about for the future.

Susan

 

[disneynutz]

The point that most of us are trying to get across is that just because Disney advertises that you can use DVC points for vacations other than DVC resort stays, that doesn't mean that it's a good financial deal.

Do the numbers and decide if using points makes sense to you, they are your points.

I have actually been told by members that they expected Disney to offer only good DVC point destinations and they were surprised that they could save money by paying cash.

Bill

 

[WolfpackFan]

Well we've done one cruise on points (Magic) and at the time thought it was a good use of the points. But looking at the latest points charts, the points have gone up so much I just can't see us doing it again. I just don't want to give up that large amount of points for a cruise. In fact the cost of a DCL cruise in general is so high, I just can't justify sailing with them at all. Not when you can get just as good cruise on other cruise lines for a lot less.

 

[Dean]

I know many people on the boards don't think cruising on points is a good value, and I can understand why most of the time. Every time I've done it I've tried to compare what I could have rented my points for versus what it actually costs to pay with cash. We just returned from a 5 night out of Miami, and when I got home I called DVC to get the point discount. I booked a cat. 10c for two adults for 222 points total. The price on the website has a 10c for $2157. What am I missing? Isn't this a case where cruising on points makes sense? I know you can rent points at $12 per point sometimes, but I figured I could count on $10, so if that's the case, isn't using my 222 points a pretty good deal? I need the experts to tell me what I'm missing or if I actually found a cruise that was a good use of my points. Susan


ETA: I just looked on the rent/trade board and it looks like renting points has gone up. Maybe I could plan on $11, but there still isn't much difference in price.

I think the way you've done it (compared cash to points) is the way to go and the way I've recommended. Then you must decide if it's worth it. Remember there's a lot of risk plus the $95 fee (multiple if you make changes). Generally when this comes up it's those looking to buy in rather than members looking to use the points they have. Usually the exchange rate for most cruises scheduled well in advance is in the $6.50-$7.50 per point range. Assuming the $2157 is after the discount but doesn't account for the $95 fee, that's $9.28 per point, likely not worth fooling with rental for that difference if the cash is the issue. Personally for me it'd be worth it simply because I feel the risk of using points well in advance is far more than the risks associated with rentals. IMO the bottom line is it's NEVER a good idea to buy in to use for cruises but for owners who have the points, there are some isolated situations where it works.

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

Take 10 percent off the cash price ($1941.30). You used the on board dvc discount, it's only fair to factor in the on board cash discount. I also get 13-14 ppt for renting and never have issues getting that. It's roughly a savings of 600-1100 for a cash cruise depending on what you get for renting. For what's it's worth I have used points for cruises but it was more in line with cash prices then. The $1000 savings could easily pay for my plane tickets for four with Jetblue. Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Do DVC members get discounts on Disney Cruises if they pay cash? We are actually trying to figure out whether or not to book a cruise, and if we do, do we use points for one person and pay the rest or pay for it all. We are a family of 5 so we wouldn't have enough points for everybody. Thanks.

Id like to know the answer to this to.. When I spoke to my guide I was told DVC VERY rarely offers cash discounts for cruises..

What is the ON BOARD DVC discount?

 

[z28wiz]

Id like to know the answer to this to.. When I spoke to my guide I was told DVC VERY rarely offers cash discounts for cruises..

What is the ON BOARD DVC discount?

The offered a cash discount two times that I know of. I actually booked that cruise a year or so ago.


The onboard dvc discount is similar to the onboard booking a cash reservation. You have three days after disembarking to call member services and you receive a 10% discount in points. So say a cruise costs 200 points it would be 180 point with the discount.

 

[supersnoop]

I think people say "DON'T CRUISE ON POINTS" because it's a lot easier than saying, "Do a cost/benefit analysis and compare your opportunity costs of spending points versus cash to pay for a cruise."

If you're comparing the amount of money you can gain by renting the points, you can see from the earlier responses that you'll still come out $500-$900 ahead that way. But the real value of DVC points is always in staying at a resort. The value of a room far exceeds any value you could receive even renting the points. If you can't use your points for stays, then renting them out is a less advantageous, but still financially prudent use. Any other use is a distant third.

 

[WolfpackFan]

If you're comparing the amount of money you can gain by renting the points, you can see from the earlier responses that you'll still come out $500-$900 ahead that way. But the real value of DVC points is always in staying at a resort. The value of a room far exceeds any value you could receive even renting the points. If you can't use your points for stays, then renting them out is a less advantageous, but still financially prudent use. Any other use is a distant third.

Well said. Even though we've used points before for a cruise, we won't do it again. We only have 290 pts. and to us, those points are just too valuable for use at a resort (especially now that we are about to get our first grandchild). I just can't see giving up a year's worth of points to take a DCL cruise (well 290 pts. won't even give us that, we'd still have to pay cash for one person). On the other hand, we can pay in cash for what we would spend for one person on a DCL cruise and take a very nice cruise on Princess or NCL.

 

[disneypoor]

The offered a cash discount two times that I know of. I actually booked that cruise a year or so ago. The onboard dvc discount is similar to the onboard booking a cash reservation. You have three days after disembarking to call member services and you receive a 10% discount in points. So say a cruise costs 200 points it would be 180 point with the discount.

As far as the discount to book with points, you have seven days after you get off of the cruise to call DVC. The point discount wasn't ten percent. Our cruise was 118 per person without the discount and 111 with the discount. It didn't matter what category we booked, there was a 7 point discount regardless. They told me the discount can vary based on the sailing though.

Susan

 

[vakamalua]

The onboard dvc discount is similar to the onboard booking a cash reservation. You have three days after disembarking to call member services and you receive a 10% discount in points. So say a cruise costs 200 points it would be 180 point with the discount.

The DVC point reduction isn't always 10%; that's the highest. But DCL can set it from 0% to 10%--we booked a cruise on board about a year ago and it was only a measly 3% reduction when we converted it to points.

 

[z28wiz]

As far as the discount to book with points, you have seven days after you get off of the cruise to call DVC. The point discount wasn't ten percent. Our cruise was 118 per person without the discount and 111 with the discount. It didn't matter what category we booked, there was a 7 point discount regardless. They told me the discount can vary based on the sailing though. Susan

I guess it was changed. Last time I booked with points was about three years ago.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Dean]

I think people say "DON'T CRUISE ON POINTS" because it's a lot easier than saying, "Do a cost/benefit analysis and compare your opportunity costs of spending points versus cash to pay for a cruise."

If you're comparing the amount of money you can gain by renting the points, you can see from the earlier responses that you'll still come out $500-$900 ahead that way. But the real value of DVC points is always in staying at a resort. The value of a room far exceeds any value you could receive even renting the points. If you can't use your points for stays, then renting them out is a less advantageous, but still financially prudent use. Any other use is a distant third.

I can't speak for others but my post above is consistent with my advice over the years. A blanket statement that it's unreasonable to buy or add on to use for cruises and a general statement that it's rarely a good choice for those with current full use points followed by the caveat to check on a specific options. To be honest there really have been very few situations where it really was a good deal to use points over the years but there are a few exceptions like year 1 for AK plus repositioning cruises seem to be a good situation many times. I think the other mistake people make is they miss the early booking discounts which costs them money no matter how you look at it.

 

[disneypoor]

I guess it was changed. Last time I booked with points was about three years ago. Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

I wish it was always ten percent! That would sure help!

Susan