Reservation Points, what a bummer.

[Hogzilla]

Booked a cruise for my daughter with points (I know I know, I should have paid cash) and now she can't go, so I cancelled and now they are "reservation points". Last night before we cancelled we had decided to use the points to stay at SSR since we haven't been "home" yet with an added side trip to Vero. Now it looks like we are locked into using them at the higher point rate WDW hotel sites and no side trip to Vero. I am very disappointed, but I guess those are the rules.

 

[sajetto]

So you're saying that instead of being in a holding account they are now to be used for resorts such as AKL, CR, GF, etc meaning you can't stay at SSR after all? Man, that is a bummer. I've not booked a cruise before. How long was it before the trip was supposed to happen that you cancelled? Do they always do this for those that cancel cruises?

 

[Hogzilla]

Right, they are not in a holding account, but are considered "converted" from vacation points to reservation points. The guy at MS said I can only use them at the Disney Hotels like those you mentioned. The cruise was in Sept 06', so we are well outside of the 60 day window when other penalties occur.

 

[Chuck S]

Whenever points are used outside of a DVC resort and the reservation is canceled, those points do not return to normal status, they become "reservation status". The point usage was already turned over to CRO to recoup the money for the cruise, and the accomodations may already have been rented. Thus, those points can now only be used to rebook a cruise or at a regular WDW resort.

 

[JimMIA]

The guy at MS is absolutely right.

DVC is very flexibile and offers a lot of options, but you'd better know the rules or you will put yourself in a bad spot. That's especially painful when you try to do something nice for a friend or relative and get messed up. As they say, "No good deed goes unpunished."

 

[CarolMN]

When a cruise is booked, DVC sends the equivalent number of room nights over to CRO to rent out for cash. The proceeds are used to pay the DCL for your cruise.

So essentially, you did a direct trade - you got the cruise and someone else got a DVC resort stay. MS & CRO just acted as the go between. Anyway, that's why you can't cancel the cruise and use the points to stay at a DVC resort.

Have you checked out the options in the Conceirge Collection or the Adventurer's Collection? You can use the reservation points for those, too. You just can't use reservation points at a DVC resort or for an exchange via II (World Passport Collection).

Best wishes -

 

[Hogzilla]

Whenever points are used outside of a DVC resort and the reservation is canceled, those points do not return to normal status, they become "reservation status". The point usage was already turned over to CRO to recoup the money for the cruise, and the accomodations may already have been rented. Thus, those points can now only be used to rebook a cruise or at a regular WDW resort.

Correct and this is spelled out in the rules..... I am not impying that I am getting any sort of raw deal. Just thought I would put my experience out there to remind the masses. One other tidbit is that these points MUST be used in the current year and cannot be banked.

Oh well, maybe it's time to try the AK Concierge Level.

 

[DISNEYMOMx5]

Just some encouragement...A few years back we had a cruise booked & had to cancel so we had all kinds of points to use up. It may not have been the best use of points, but we stayed at the AKL & then moved over to the YC Concierge. It was one of my favorite vacations!!! It was definitely a splurge, but the kids are still talking about it & we never would have done it on cash. Look at all your options, & then have an awesome time with whatever you plan!

 

[gppnj]

Just some encouragement...A few years back we had a cruise booked & had to cancel so we had all kinds of points to use up. It may not have been the best use of points, but we stayed at the AKL & then moved over to the YC Concierge. It was one of my favorite vacations!!! It was definitely a splurge, but the kids are still talking about it & we never would have done it on cash. Look at all your options, & then have an awesome time with whatever you plan!

That's exactly what I was going to say. Your situation is not ideal, but at least you're not stuck with points you can't use at all. I hope you have a great time at one of the non-DVC resorts. You have some great ones to choose from.

 

[Hogzilla]

I appreciate the words of encouragement and it could be worse. She could have backed out right before the cruise and left me with more penalties and less time to use the points. There is always a bright side.

My DW has been wanting to go concierge so now she gets her wish.

 

[LIFERBABE]

Have a great stay!! I guess there are worse things than being forced to stay Concierge.

I know are points are so precious to us that sometimes we dont appreciate the flexibility of the program.

 

[paslea_pooh]

I'm sorry that this happened to you. I was just inquiring about a cruise today and wondering what the best option would be, points vs. cash. I didn't know that paying cash would actually turn out cheaper.

I'm not sure if this is an option for you but have you considered making a confirmed reservation and then renting it out? I don't know if that would help you at all. I don't know if you can make a ressie for someone other than yourself if your points are Now reservation points. It's worth a shot.

I guess that it could be Worse like you said, you could have lost the points altogether and it is a good thing to be reminded how careful we need to be before we make ressies and what the implications would be if we cancelled.

Thanks for the reminder, hopefully things will work out for you .

 

[Dean]

Booked a cruise for my daughter with points (I know I know, I should have paid cash) and now she can't go, so I cancelled and now they are "reservation points". Last night before we cancelled we had decided to use the points to stay at SSR since we haven't been "home" yet with an added side trip to Vero. Now it looks like we are locked into using them at the higher point rate WDW hotel sites and no side trip to Vero. I am very disappointed, but I guess those are the rules.

Now you know why I stress doing the cruise on cash, even if the per point values were reasonable.

 

[Hogzilla]

Now you know why I stress doing the cruise on cash, even if the per point values were reasonable.

Yep, very sound advice. Had I done that I could just use the money now to rent points back. In the future, I will use cash for any cruises and rent my points as needed to cover it.