How many DVC points for Disney Cruise?

[kgillum]

Hi, all. I've been a lurker on this list for ages and have just about worked up the nerve and spousal support to buy a DVC resale. My DH wants me to find out, though, before joining DVC, about how many DVC points we would need for a 7-day Disney cruise. Does anyone have any table listing the points needed? Thanks!

 

[Pluto4President]

It varies by catagory and dates of sail. If you post a date and catagory, someone can look up the points needed on the DVC website for you.

 

[CarolMN]

The point charts are part of the info you receive after joining. You might be able to call your DVC guide and get a copy of a particular chart sent to you. There is a chart on the members only web site, but you need an ID and password to access it. It's in a format that I can't copy over to a post.

Points vary depending on whether you want the Eastern or Western cruise, category of accomodation and season.

Here are some examples from the 2002 point chart for the 7 day Eastern Carribean Cruise (which is less than the Western):

Points for value season range from 237/person for cat 4 to 126 points/person for cat 11. Points are based on two adults per stateroom. Cat 4 is deluxe family stateroom with verandah and cat 11 is a standard inside stateroom. Same categories in regular season are 263 & 153, in peak season are 315/185 and in holiday season are 390 & 208.

If you know whether you want the Eastern or Western route and what time of the year you might be crusing, I could type out the different points and categories for you.

 

[Dean]

Two words TOO MANY!!!

 

[gscott8075]

I booked a Cat 8 in June, 2002.

The DCL price is $5005 for 2 adults, 2 kids.

The DVC cost is 370 points and $1300.

That works out to $10 per point which makes this particular trip a good value.

At other times of the year. points are worth less.

Good luck

 

[Dean]

I haven't looked at prices lately but $5000 for 2 adults and 2 children for off season (first half of June) or even the second half, seems high to me. I would have figured around $3500-4000 max. I suspect the difficulty is that the most reduced cabins will be the lowest ones and that any bargains get less as you go up in cabins. I would figure one could get a "comparable" cruise from RCCL, HAL or Celebrity for as low as $2000 for that same time frame (lower inside) and less than $3000 for a comparable outside cabin. Either way ($5000 or 370 pts plus $1300) it's still too much for a cruise for a week. The prices will continue to come down as there are more and more ships and less dollars and people to fill them.

 

[gscott8075]

The cruise is in the second half of June - in peak season since that's when the kiddies are out of school.

There is no doubt the Disney is charging a premium to sail with them. My family has been on 3 cruises with them and they have been the best vacations we have ever had.

It is clear that Disney is pushing their cruise prices up -- Prices are $800-1000 more than last year. All of us pay a premium for the Disney name. DVC is expensive relative to other timeshares, the cash rates at the WDW resorts are higher compared to off-site resorts, etc, etc,

The purpose of my comparison was simply to point out that the dollar to point values are not the same year round. 370 points reduced my cash outlay by $3700. That equates to $10 per point.

The argument about the relative value of anything Disney can be challenged by comparing it to competition.

I guess the bottom line is that my family wants to cruise Disney. In order to do that, I can pay $5000 or use 370 points and pay $1300. Looking at my planned vacations, it made sense to use the points and $10 is the "sweet spot" for using them outside DVC resorts.

 

[Dizzy4Dizney]

Are meals included on the Disney cruises?

 

[Dean]

Certainly, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Being in FL, there are always specials and discounts on cruises, even in peak season like summer. Peak Season normally starts about the last 2 weeks of June if I recall (around 17th some years) and since our kids are out of school in May, we've normally cruised early June.

I don't think comparing Disney to other cruise lines is quite the same as the on site/off site comparision. There are no theme parks to be denied early entry into. Many actually prefer some of the other cruise lines at the same price, for various reasons, even for some that have been on DCL. I haven't been on the Disney ships but have looked at the info fairly extensively, looked at ratings and objective reviews and have been on RCCL several times. I couldn't justify a significant premium for the DCL cruise, others obviously can. That's not to say I wouldn't love to go on one, just not that I'm willing to pay an extra $1000-1500 for a family of four, whether in points or dollars.

As for the break point on using points, I'd put it at about $8 pp for me. I bought OKW resale so it might be higher for others. I figure I could rent at $10 pp but there is a hassle and risk factor in doing so and therefore give an adjustment for a sure thing. Good luck and enjoy and possibly some day we can do the DCL.

 

[kgillum]

Thanks to all who replied -- very helpful! -- K

 

[TnRobin]

Please continue any comparisions of cruiselines on the Cruise Board. The quesion asked was about using DVC points for a DCL cruise.

In response to the original question. Depending on what time of year you cruise, you may get a better "deal" for your points. We cruised on points this past Sept and were very please with our 228 point investment. (7 days - 2 Adults in Cat 9 using Fall Fantasy)

Are meals included - yes. On the cruise (as opposed to just DVC lodging) all meals, snacks, and entertainment are a part of what you get for your points.