Cruising on points

[cassie714]

I am just curious how cruising on points work. Is it worth it? And how do you book it?

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

You will hear both opinions on "is it worth it". You book it through Member Services. Some DVC members rent out there pts and then pay cash for the cruise.

If you book it through DVC there is a $75(or $95) charge. If you book it with cash through Dreams Unlimited or a Travel Agent there is NO charge. Also if you cancel through a travel agent, you can get a full refund up to 30 days before you cruise.
Booking through DVC can only be done 11 months out......through a TA it can be done at 18 months out or more.

You can only book catagory's 4-11 via DVC. There is also no on-board credit or rebate's through DVC unless you book on-board while you are cruising.Booking through a TA or DU you will get both sometimes(rebate+on-board credit).

 

[Dasha]

We have rented out some of our points once and used the money to get the cruise at a discount from a travel agent.

This has worked out to be a far better value than using the points for the cruise as there's no real DVC point discount for cruising (versus cash with rebates et al).

 

[Laura24]

This is a topic for long discussions and well has been. I would just say that cruising on points may not be such a bad deal if you factor in your meals and entertainment provided on board. Granted you would have to pay extra for your excursions and beverages not included with your meals. What would park tickets, meals, drinks, rental car (if needed)or transportation outside DW without a rental car and other incidentals cost on the average? It sure adds up when thinking about it.

 

[mickeyc]

The following is an example of whether to book using points. Jan. 2003 we booked using points for two adults (168). It was a four day cruise on the Disney Wonder. The day after we booked the cruise it was sharply discounted. The cost per person was $399 and we would have received a $100 ship credit. This was an excellent cash price. If you rented your points at $10 per point the rental income would have been $1680. As you can see you can come out ahead rather than booking using points. Also, you have to include I think the adminitrative cost of booking is $95--I think we paid $75.

The cruise was great and I would recommend it. However, using points may not be the best option. There maybe other circumstances in peak times when you get the value using your points. In the future if I intend to take a cruise I plan on considering renting the points and paying cash.

Good luck and enjoy!