Difference in points 2011-2012

[Hixski51]

I tried to search on this but did not find anything. Dh and I typically vacation in September and October as it is value season and we get more bang for our buck. I was checking on the cruise points for 2011 and 2012 for a 4 day cruise and the difference is significant.

Example:
2011 - 4 nt cruise on the Dream in Sept. or Oct is considered Value Season and is 70-73 pts for a cat. 11 stateroom.

2012 - 4 nt cruise on the Dream in Sept. or Oct. is now considered High Regular Season and is 97-104 pts for a cat. 11 stateroom.

When did this happen and has anyone heard why?? I love my Value Season!!

 

[bakenatj]

Points required for a cruise will vary year to year. DVC isn't required to keep the amount of points the same for cruises as they are for DVC Resorts.

 

[Hixski51]

Points required for a cruise will vary year to year. DVC isn't required to keep the amount of points the same for cruises as they are for DVC Resorts.

I know they aren't required to keep them. It was just sad to see what has always been Value Season no longer that.

 

[disneynutz]

I know they aren't required to keep them. It was just sad to see what has always been Value Season no longer that.

Disney is a business and they adjust everything to make the most money possible. If sales are slow they adjust one direction, if sales are good, they adjust the other direction. Maybe after the excitement of the new ships wears off, sales will slow and we will see the prices drop.

Bill

 

[Caren90]

Disney is a business and they adjust everything to make the most money possible. If sales are slow they adjust one direction, if sales are good, they adjust the other direction. Maybe after the excitement of the new ships wears off, sales will slow and we will see the prices drop.

Bill

Bingo! This is America after all (but pay no attention to the fact that the ships are registered in another country) and Disney has every right to earn as much as people are willing to pay.

 

[Deb & Bill]

That's why you buy DVC points for DVC stays and not cruises, Disney Collection, RCI, etc.

 

[mickeys girl 52]

Disney is a business and they adjust everything to make the most money possible. If sales are slow they adjust one direction, if sales are good, they adjust the other direction. Maybe after the excitement of the new ships wears off, sales will slow and we will see the prices drop.

Bill

This is exactly what I believe. The brand new ships have the prices higher. I think the point cost wand prices will eventually go down a little. Disney wants those 4 ships full every time they go out to sea.

 

[Lynne M]

When did this happen and has anyone heard why?? I love my Value Season!!

You can expect the point requirements for cruises to go up every year. For the DVC resorts, there's a contractual requirement that the total number of points per year remain the same for a given resort, so if DVC raises the point cost for, say, a 1 bedroom villa in December, they've got to reduce the point cost for some other room type or season, to balance it out.

There's no such requirement for the non-DVC options like DCL. As DCL is a separate business entity, DVC must, every year, negotiate with DCL to determine the compensation the cruise line gets when a member books a cruise. That amount of compensation determines the point cost for the cruise, and just as the cash price for a cruise goes up, you can bet that DCL will want more money for DVCers cruising.

It's important to remember that DVC does not control pricing or availability for the non-DVC options. DCL can decide they want double the reimbursement next year, so point costs could double. DCL could decide that half of their cruises will no longer be available for DVCers staying on points. Or they could decide not to participate in DVC at all.

 

[dianeschlicht]

When you use points for a Disney cruise, you are actually trading "out of the DVC system". That means that DVC has to negotiate the price annually, and even negotiate how many cruise units they will be given etc.

Frankly, the best use for DVC and cruising would be to rent out your DVC points and use the money to pay OOP for a cruise.

 

[Hixski51]

Thanks to everyone for the information.

We have always used points for one of us and paid cash for the other for DCL. It has always worked well for us doing it that way. I guess I was mainly venting as we have always done 7 night cruises and the points for those are staying comparable. I was looking at the 3 and 4 nights and that is where the big difference in the yearly points was. Mainly changing those cruises Value Season to almost none.

We will probably wait now until 2013 to do the Fantasy as we have friends that can't go until then. In this case the above will be a moot point as we would do a 7 night and probably pay cash or cash/points split.