The Cruise seems outrageous with points...

[stephcm]

I just called about taking either the 3 or 4 day cruise next April, and it seems outrageous to me.

4 day 4/20/03 Cat 6 178 pts. (1st 2) 79 pts. (3rd, etc)
3 day 4/24/03 Cat 6 141 pts. 60 pts.

Now, if I just wanted to do the first 2 adults with points, it would be $709 per person for the 2 kids for the 4 day, and $459 for the 3 day.
So, that means to take a 4 day cruise, it would be 515 points for the 4 of us, or 356 points plus $1418.
For the 3 day cruise it would be 402 points or 282 points plus $918.
Please don't flame me, but that seems outrageous to me for 3 or 4 days. I know it is all meals, and entertainment, etc, but it just seems like so many points/so much money.
Am I missing something? For 356 points, we can stay at BW in a 2 bedroom unit for 2 5 day visits, and still have points left! I know that this doesn't cover passes (we have AP's) or expenses, but we don't spend $1418 in expenses in 4 days at WDW...
I must me missing something because I know that so many of you cruise this way and love it.
Again, I am not looking to start a war over this (Goodness knows I do that very well, lol!). I'm just curious as to how so many of you do it!
Thanks!

 

[infobahn]

It (to me) is pretty much a supply and demand situation. You are not the only one who feels this was (this is the third thread in the las week), and I do not deny you have a right to.

The fact is, they are getting plenty of people booking with cash that there is no reason for them to make it easy for us to use points. The option is there, but more expensive.

When I bought into OKW, it was because I wanted to stay at OKW on vacations. The ability to use the points elsewhere is a nice luxury, but it is a luxury. My next cruise (2004) is going to be cash, because I can save money.

 

[Olaf]

That's why we've only cruised on cash. If I were one those lucky souls with tons of points to burn then I might consider cruising on points.

 

[bakmmo]

First of all the week you are looking at for next April is EAster Holiday and a very popular week that they problably would not have a problem selling.
secondly I did book the 7 night this year with my points for 3A and had to use cash for the last one as I ran out of points but if I had to pay in full by cash it would have been $6500 in lieu of $929 that it cost for my 13 year old. JUST 13 (cry)

I believe the cruise is worth every point.

 

[gscott8075]

It definitely depends when you go.

We used points to pay for two adults on a 7 day in June and paid cash for the kids...

370 points + $1300

versus

$5000 cash


At $10 per point, it made sense to me.

Every case has to be evaluated.

 

[zurgswife]

I would definatley not do cruise on points...way to high for me...cash is how I'm going to do it when I get to ...

 

[RickW]

Last year we were able to cruise in a Cat 5 on the 7-day for 290 points (145 per person). I felt that this was a good deal. This year, we are going on a 3-day cruise in a cat 10 that would have cost 188 points (94 points per person). Instead, we are paying a total of $917 in cash for the cruise. In this case, using points didn't make sense. I agree that you have to look at each one on a case-by-case basis.

It is interesting, I noticed that the point requirements for the cruise went down every year from the time they started cruising until 2001. Starting this year, the point requirements started going back up, with 2002 higher than 2001 and 2003 higher than 2002. I am not sure of all of the reasons, but I thought it was interesting.

 

[Minnie*Mouse]

We cruised 6 months ago, (October), 7-day cruise, 2 adults, 2 kids for 396 points. I thought that was pretty good. It would have cost us a lot more than that.

We feel because we have already invested our $ in DVC, we don't want to have to pay another $4,000 or $5,000 to go on vacation. I know that at certain times of the year, the number of points for cruises are outrageous, April being one of them, due to school vacation and Easter. October is hurricane season which makes it value season. Have you taken a look at the difference in points from Sun - Thur vs' Fri & Sat, big difference!

I've used points to cruise and would do it again, but most likely not during school vacation in April.

M*M

 

[Olaf]

I have never, nor will I ever, pay rack rates to cruise. DCL has been running tons of specials in the last year and you can almost always do better with cash than points. Don't do a comparison via DCL online; call and get the quotes and be sure to ask for any specials.

 

[Dean]

It was too expensive on points 2 years ago and they've raised the points each of the last 2 years. The only issue is that if one is looking at the more expensive cabins, there will be less discounts and it's possible that using points may still be reasonable IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET ANYWAY. Simply compare the actual discount price of using points to the total points needed. Likely the overall worst situation is paying one adult with points and the rest cash.

 

[CarolAnnC]

First of all, it is a fact that the best use of your points will be at the DVC Resorts - BWV, OKW, BCV, VWL, HH and Vero. When you trade to outside resorts, or cruises, you will pay a premium in points to do so.

That being said, I would just point out that the value of the cruise is that it also includes all meals, snacks and entertainment, as well as your accommodations and transportation between ports of call. If you weigh all that into the calculation, then I think the cruise really is not a bad deal on points at all. I have cruised on points and a combination of points and cash and would not hesitate to do it again!

 

[gscott8075]

Except that you have to look at the rate for each individual person....

In our case, the DCL rate for kids in the summer is $799. The DVC cash rate for kids is $629. That was another $340 savings.

You have to look at the numbers with all variables to see what is the best deal. We hit $10 per point and the price of the cruise has increased $1000 since we booked.

To each his own - we love DCL and have paid cash for 4 cruises - this is the first time we are using points. It has depended on the values available each time.

 

[Dean]

What's included in the cruise is irrelevant. Cruises all include those type of things. To me, the only things that are relevant are what's the BEST cash price and how does that compare to the number of points needed for the same issue. That included special deals which, to me, include FL resident discounts and also comparing to the price of other comparable cruise lines.

 

[stephcm]

I guess because I teach and my kids are in high school, and we are at the mercy of school vacations, the cruise is much higher $ than a lot of you have paid.
To me, paying 356 points and $1418 is just too much for 4 days.
Thanks to all of you who are posting. It is interesting to see how everyone looks at it!

 

[MikeBW]

We are leaving Sunday on the Wonder, it is costing 368 points for 2 adults and 2 kids plus $75. I know that I can stay more nights in a 1 BR at other resorts, but we want to go on a cruise and it cost $75 out of my pocket. Please let's not start a debate on the money spent of dues and what I can sell the points and blah, blah...blah. That is one of the benefits of DVC is flexibility - using your points however you want.

 

[walter]

We booked a Cat. 9 for December at $799 each. Why would you use your points with a deal like this. Note this was a return cruiser special that we obtained last November.

 

[yesdisneyfool]

Check www.mousesavers.com for current cash prices on DCL they go into Jan 2003 right now.

 

[CarolAnnC]

What's included in the cruise is irrelevant

Dean, perhaps it is irrelevant to you, but not to me. If I am going to use my points outside of the DVC Resorts, I feel that the cruise is a good value since it includes all food, transportation between ports, accommodations, entertainment, etc. I am spending just as many points to stay at Disneyland's Grand Californian hotel for a vacation that will be the room only, as I would spend on a Disney Cruise. No meals, etc are included there of course.

So it is relevant to the comparison I am making here.

 

[Towncrier]

We cruised on points in August 2000. In fact, I used the argument that we needed more points in order to cruise to get my DW to approve an addon at OKW. I figured out that we got about $10/point "value" out of that cruise.

When we cruised again this past January, there was no way that I was going to use points. The discounts available made the cash price so much lower than the equivalent points price that there was no question that we would be paying for the cruise. On the same cruise, jhalkias actually switched from points/cash to cash only and ended up SAVING money. He ended up with two nights in the Grand Floridian on the points that he would have used on the cruise.

Now don't misunderstand what I'm saying. DCL and DVC negotiate the points necessary to cruise over a year in advance. Unless DCL is willing, DVC is locked into these rates regardless of the current economic/political situation in the world.

So if you look upon your DVC points as your entire vacation budget, go ahead and book your cruise on points. Just be prepared to pay a little more than those people who keep their vacation dollars in a more liquid form. As has been mentioned before and is always pointed out by DVC reps, your best bang for the point is at a DVC resort.

 

[ripleysmom]

We were considering booking DCL for President's Week next year with points. We decided to go on a Carnival cruise instead. For a few hundred dollars more than what we would have to pay for 1 adult and 1 child, we are getting a cruise and keeping all of our points for 2 years instead of being left with 100 points for 2 years.