DVC and DCL question

[PaDisneyCouple]

Christine and I started the SSR purchase process yesterday. Both excited and slightly nervous. Part of the reason (not the main reason) for this was our first cruise last fall, with DCL. Unless you're in a suite, it seems DCL makes it easy to make reservations with the intention of moving them to a later date. Say, rebooking onboard in 10/07 for 10/08, but with an actual goal of moving the ressie to 10/09 once the dates come out. Is it easy for DVC members to do the same thing? Being a planner, and trying to get the most out of our 200 points, I'm plotting trips/banking/borrowing already. We're going 7-night Eastern on DCL 10/07 (already booked), thinking of rebooking onboard, and moving it to 10/09. Thanks in advance for your help.
Sean and Christine

 

[tjkraz]

Unless you're in a suite, it seems DCL makes it easy to make reservations with the intention of moving them to a later date. Say, rebooking onboard in 10/07 for 10/08, but with an actual goal of moving the ressie to 10/09 once the dates come out. Is it easy for DVC members to do the same thing?

If you're talking about using DVC points for booking a cruise, I don't see any way that this is possible. All DVC points have a particular Use Year. Say the start of your Use Year is February. 2007 points would be valid from 2/1/07 to 1/31/08. If you book a cruise for 10/07 using your 2007 points, you have to use them. You can't just arbitrarily roll them forward to 2008. There are some guidelines under which a cruise on points can be re-scheduled, but if you don't (or can't due to availability) re-schedule so that your cruise is complete by 1/31/08, you simply forfeit the points.

I believe there is also a $75 booking fee for using DVC points toward a cruise, and that fee is charged again whenever changes occur.

I hope you don't intend to use DVC points toward cruises frequently. When you buy into DVC, you're buying an ownership interest in a resort at Walt Disney World (or HHI or VB). Using points toward stays at those resorts will always return the best economic benefit.

Using points toward a cruise is functionally a trade outside of the DVC program. You'll rarely get good value in trades like that.

Given the annual dues commitments for the points and the ever-increasing point costs to cruise, it will take you decades just to break even on your initial DVC purchase if you're constantly using points for that purpose. IMO, you're better off taking the thousands of dollars you planned to commit to DVC points, stick it in the bank, and draw off of it whenever you want to cruise.