DVC and DCL

[Happy Birthday Cat]

We attended a member gathering on the 7 day cruise that our family just went on and were told that DVC is now the single largest travel agency the Disney Cruise Lines deals with. More people book through DVC than any other agency in the world outside of DCL itself.

We were also given a point chart with some very good point discounts for future cruises. They still didn't have the 2005 points but told us the discounts would apply for any cruise that we took in the next 14 months from the cruise we were on. There was no need to call and confirm the discount until the 11 month mark.

They also told us that they were now taking point reservations from DVC members for the 10 day cruise at the end of the year. No discounts for points on that one though.

(New) I forgot to mention that they were filming DVC members on the crusie for inclusion into future DVC commercials. They gave everyone great DVC caps and asked us to wear them as much as possible. As the camera crew went around the ship they filmed anyone wearing the cap or other DVC logo stuff (like t-shirts) that were given away.

HBC

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Happy Birthday Cat
We attended a member gathering on the 7 day cruise that our family just went on and were told that DVC is now the single largest travel agency the Disney Cruise Lines deals with. More people book through DVC than any other agency in the world outside of DCL itself.

We were also given a point chart with some very good point discounts for future cruises. They still didn't have the 2005 points but told us the discounts would apply for any cruise that we took in the next 14 months from the cruise we were on. There was no need to call and confirm the discount until the 11 month mark.

They also told us that they were now taking point reservations from DVC members for the 10 day cruise at the end of the year. No discounts for points on that one though.

HBC

If your planning this you should call anyway. Jackie told me directly that you had to call within 3 days even if it was more than 11 months out. I wouldn't take the chance.

 

[lenshanem]

So what does this mean? The points to cruise at least won't go up next point chart that comes out? By point discounts you mean the points required are going to be lower?

Doesn't appear they'll be taking away the use of our points for cruises then any time soon?

We want to take the cruise in a few years.

 

[RobDoc]

Originally posted by lenshanem
So what does this mean? The points to cruise at least won't go up next point chart that comes out? By point discounts you mean the points required are going to be lower?

All guests are offered a discount to book their next cruise while on their current cruise- whether they had a cash reservation or used DVC points.

In the case of cash reservations, they may book the discounted cruise while onboard. DVC members are given an opportunity to book within a few days of their return. (I'd call MS ro verify the option within 3 days as Dean suggests- that's been the requirement in the past).

Normally, DVC members can only reserve a crusie 11 months ahead and this onboard discount program gives them a chance to reserve a little further ahead than that. The discount will be applied to whatever points are needed- even if the point chart is not yet available thru DVC.

The DVC/Cruise point chart is not usually available for the following year until summer ... and some cruises may be even later than that for 2005 (since none of the 7 night cruises from May 7- August 31, 2005 are available for even cash reservation yet).

There is no indication that DVC intends to stop offering the Disney Cruise as an option for point utilization.

Enjoy!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Dean and Doc: I agree that you should call anyway because the three day thing is what I had been reading on these boards for quite a while. However I did confirm that you didn't have to call with one more guide later in the cruise by the 3 day mark. I stopped by the DVC desk and specifically asked and she said you didn't have to call until 11 months. My point is that if someone has cruised and they are coming up on the 11 month mark and are thinking about cruising on points, you should try for the discounted point schedule. It won't hurt to try. Many people get off the cruise and don't think about that call right away. I didn't make it becuase DCL was running an excellent discount for cash reservations made while on board that we took advantage of.

It was very clear that they won't be taking away the use of points for cruises from what we all heard. You should have seen all of the DVC members at the gathering.

HBC

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Just got off the Wonder thursday(2-26). We are considering re-booking for President's week in 2005. We already called MS to check if the cabin we want is available(catagory 6).

They told us on the Wonder this week that we have to call MS with-in 3 business days of getting off the ship, to get the discounted pts through DVC. It is available to re-book up to 14 months out. The only draw back you won't know the pt total until DVC release's them. Hopefully there won't be another increase.

For the time frame we want(Presidents week), and the discounted pts, we may use pts instead of DU this time because we have banked pts that have to be used by next yr.

So it looks like we will be re-booking for President's week, next Feb on the Wonder. I have until Tuesday to contact MS.

 

[Dean]

In the past DVC has allowed members to book up to 11 months out even if the points schedules were not out. They have however required one to comit even if the points changed dramatically. Put another way, you didn't get the chance to change your mind if there was a major increase in points costs.

I'll again emphasize the 3 days after leaving the ship. The people on board have no say so in this and are just as likel to ALL be wrong. As a minimum, I'd get it in writing from them with a signiture of the most senior person in that group.

 

[lenshanem]

Can someone give me an example of the point discount you get then booking for the next year after you take the cruise? Just curious...

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by lenshanem
Can someone give me an example of the point discount you get then booking for the next year after you take the cruise? Just curious...

Shannon
For a 7 day cruise it can be anywhere between 12-26 pts per person depending what type cabin and season you go in.

For a 3 or 4 day cruise it is between 7-14 pts per person. They gave us a point chart on the ship this week with the discounts on them. This is for 2004 though.

 

[lenshanem]

Thanks Nick for the info.