Need help for 2011 Cruise with DVC points

[Dean]

When I called MS and asked them about this they confirmed they could do it....however I understand they could of mis spoken....so I was at the sales office in Hawaii and asked the rep to get them on the phone and he gave them our cat., stateroom info and expalined it was with Coscto and they confirmed they could do it....don"t really want to buy a contract if I wont be able to switch it out....any other ideas....they wont really speak to me

I think you'll find in the end that you can't do it unless Costco is willing to release it.

 

[EmmaHattieJacob]

Called Costco and they will refund the my $"s no problem....

 

[Dean]

Called Costco and they will refund the my $"s no problem....

they have no choice if you're still in the cancellation window which varies with the cabin type for 2011 as I understand it. All they could charge would be a small fee. Just make sure you're getting the same or an acceptable cabin.

 

[EmmaHattieJacob]

thanks for your help

 

[KingRichard]

Hello:
I am pretty new to the boards, and I was pretty sure I knew quite a bit about being a savvy DVC member. But it seems like every day now I find a better way to do things or in my planning for my next DVC/Disney trips......and I want to Thank Everyone for all the great knowledge and advise.

I am going to OKW July 2010, and I booked a Dream Cruise for August 2011 using points. This will be our third cruise, and I was pretty proud of myself, that using points for my cruise was a good use of our points......I have actually been trying to talk my DW into us adding on, so we can do more cruises in the future........then I read on the boards that going on a cruise wasn't a good use of points, I thought my vacation advisor told me it is a good use of points......would she mislead me?

Well we booked two inside state rooms for the 5 of us, so along with the $95.00 we will be using 456 points.....so I went to the DCL site and I can book two inside state rooms for about $3,400.00. so I figure I could sell my points for $10.00 each and come out about $1,100.00 ahead. Or just pay cash for the cruise and use my points myself in 2011 and 2012, and forget about adding more points for future cruises. We own 270 points at OKW.

So I am asking for verification on my above ideas, and if I should pay cash for the cruise......should I use DCL direct or use a travel agent?

All comments will be appreciated.

Gary Pinkos

Ok so we just bought 150 points and trying to learn the in and outs of cruising with points.

Some say good idea others say bad?

With the above numbers what everyone fails to include is how much did those 450 points cost them to use!

They posted they were $1000 ahead by renting them out, but For us it would have cost 450x$4=$1800 in maint/taxes and then for us 450 points would be about $750 from out invested portion of buying those points!

So this would mean it cost them $1500 out of pocket to rent out the points?

Verse $2550 invested into those point to take a $3400 cruise.

I don't know about if taxes are included in the points cruise and that will change the numbers for sure, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

we are thinking about booking with points in about 60 days(when we get them).

Thank you so much!

 

[dvcbrad]

OK, here's my quick opinion on this. We've cruised twice using points, soon to be twice renting just about the required number of points to fund the cash reservation cost, and once for a non-DVC timeshare rental on Captiva Island. We've had nothing but great experiences renting. Most of the folks to whom we've rented have been knowledgable about the process, although in one case it was a first-time renter, whom I tried to help advise and feel comfortable with the process.

I agree that it DOES take a bit of work, but when I can use just enough points to pay cash and end up saving 100 points or so for another use, I have a hard time telling myself it's not worth it. If you've never rented out before, you'll have that hurdle to overcome, but everyone was at one time a first time renter, we all learned how to do it, and we all found someone who was willing to work with us as a first timer.

Based on previous replies, this isn't for everyone, and that's fine. Just wanted to let you know that from my perspective, it has worked out well for us.

 

[Inkmahm]

Ok so we just bought 150 points and trying to learn the in and outs of cruising with points.

Some say good idea others say bad?

With the above numbers what everyone fails to include is how much did those 450 points cost them to use!

They posted they were $1000 ahead by renting them out, but For us it would have cost 450x$4=$1800 in maint/taxes and then for us 450 points would be about $750 from out invested portion of buying those points!

So this would mean it cost them $1500 out of pocket to rent out the points?

Verse $2550 invested into those point to take a $3400 cruise.

I don't know about if taxes are included in the points cruise and that will change the numbers for sure, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

we are thinking about booking with points in about 60 days(when we get them).

Thank you so much!

What you paid for the 450 points doesn't matter. It is the fair market value of the points that matter. Using $10 as what you could get for each point means a cruise for 450 points has a "cost" of $4,500 to you vs. whatever the cash price of the cruise may be. If that is $3,400, then you are saving $1,200 by paying cash vs using points.

Another way to look at is is you only need to use 340 points for your cruise if you rent them and use the cash to pay for the cruise rather than giving DCL your 450 points. You get to keep 110 points to use on another trip!

 

[DebbieB]

One thing to consider is that DVC has recently cut the number of cruise rooms available with points. So unless you book far in advance, you might not find a cruise room available with points.

 

[KingRichard]

What you paid for the 450 points doesn't matter. It is the fair market value of the points that matter. Using $10 as what you could get for each point means a cruise for 450 points has a "cost" of $4,500 to you vs. whatever the cash price of the cruise may be. If that is $3,400, then you are saving $1,200 by paying cash vs using points.

Another way to look at is is you only need to use 340 points for your cruise if you rent them and use the cash to pay for the cruise rather than giving DCL your 450 points. You get to keep 110 points to use on another trip!

What you paid does matter, but I can see how it would be cheaper.

If you book early and get a great cash price then selling works.

If prices keep going up like they have been, then using points makes sense.

Is port charges and taxes included when paying with points?

Thanks.

 

[Dean]

What you paid does matter, but I can see how it would be cheaper.

If you book early and get a great cash price then selling works.

If prices keep going up like they have been, then using points makes sense.

Is port charges and taxes included when paying with points?

Thanks.

What one paid does not change the inherent value of a given point going forward, nor does retail vs resale even after 20 March for anything except those that decide to put a value on the change. IMO, the fallacy of using points is that IF you miss the early booking window, your choices (for whatever reason) are what determines the value, or lack of, in choosing that cruise. If the cost is more (points or cash) by missing the cheaper price, it's higher for what ever payment one chooses. One may simply have raised the cash price, not made points more of a value. However, as I've pointed out several times, there are some major inherent risks in using points for cash type options including DCL. Risks that are, IMO, far greater than the risks of renting. We've already seen one person post that they reserved an exchange (not cash option I know) using points and then ended up losing the points due to unforeseen circumstances combined with their personal choices.

ETA: I think using the buy in price to determine value for timeshares in general is a very poor approach that's far less so with DVC than many other choices.