Thinking of a Disney Cruise - any suggestions?

[disfanforlife]

We are DVC members but from everything I have read it is best to pay with cash and not points. We have only been on a cruise once about 13 years ago and it wasn't a Disney cruise. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome. We would like to go in February when the kids have a week off from school. Thanks in advance!

 

[Greysword]

Points may not provide the best bang for your DVC buck, but there are good reasons for using points to pay for a cruise (or even part). For instance, if the points were going to expire, best to use them then loose them.

Some members use their points to reserve a room before and/or after a cruise at WDW. Orlando is the airport you would use, anyway, and I think the WDW resorts have DCL buses that will pick you up from the resort.

In the end, use your points in a manner that fits your vacation rather than make your vacation fit your points. If you can not justify using them for a cruise, then bank them for another year or rent them to get spending cash for your trip.

 

[vicki_c]

I don't think I would use points for a cruise, but I don't have many points.

As for the cruise, we just did our first cruise on the Wonder last January. We chose a 4 night and that seemed to be the perfect length of time for a first cruise. We weren't sure how much we were going to like it. We had a great time and it was SO different than going to WDW. We're not converted into cruisers, we enjoy the parks more, but we will definitely go again sometime in the future.

It was great that our kids loved the clubs and spent quite a bit of time there, so my husband and I actually got to sit and talk to each other a bit, and were able to do some of the late night activities in the lounges. It was a nice change of pace. My kids were 11 and 9, by the way.

 

[sissy_ib]

I just joined DVC in March. Initially using points out side DCV seemed awesome even with the $95 exchange fee.

But then I found the DIS and read all my membership materials and realized it will not be as easy as they made it out to be, plus the number of points needed to stay at some of the places I want to go

That said, I used the 2009 points I received and a few 2010 points to book two week long vacations at DVC resorts for this year. (I own 180) And I had a ton to use for 2011. I know I didn't NEED to use them all, as I could have used 2010s in 2011 and banked 2011s, on and on and on.

But I really want to get to Europe, and a Med cruise has appealed to me for a while. So I looked at the points charts and went for it. I think it is a great way to offset the cost of a expensive vacation. Other people do rent out points, but I just did not want to deal with that.

So we are doing a 7 night Med cruise and plan on spending a few days in Paris before and a few days in Barcelona after.

The vacation of my dreams thanks to DVC is happening next year!

So while generally, using points outside of DVC is not the best idea, I feel there is no reason not to once in a while.

EDIT:It is two adults and we are staying in a cat 11b on the 7 night Med in August.

 

[rosermama]

I would not use the points for a cruise--- have you seen how many points it takes to get even one person on the cruise.

Best to try and save your points for something else or rent them if you can.

I have been on 3 Disney Cruises... here are my thoughts on it:
1. Go on the off season
2. Book and inside stateroom or a guarntee
3. When you are on the ship book your next cruise (you are not locked into the date you can change it as long as it is within the rules of Disney's booking) this is a nice discount.
4. Watch for the different times they have discounts
5. Try the transatlantic cruise it is amazingly cheap per night

Have fun !!!

 

[disfanforlife]

Thanks for all of the input. I think that we will keep our points for use at WDW. We have our next trip coming up soon - 5 weeks!!!! We usually only go on one vacation a year and for the last 4 years it has been to Disney - not that I am complaining. We obviously love Disney. But, we were thinking of another vacation and I really want to go on a cruise. That is why I thought Disney Cruise. I am going to look into going on one and paying cash....

 

[alldiz]

Don't get me wrong I love DCL but......When the kids are out of school the prices are sky high. I love cruising check out other lines the same week.........I also love Carnival.
Although I'm going "spring break" next...week of April 21st......I'll let you know if that still holds true
Happy planning
Kerri

 

[disfanforlife]

Don't get me wrong I love DCL but......When the kids are out of school the prices are sky high. I love cruising check out other lines the same week.........I also love Carnival.
Although I'm going "spring break" next...week of April 21st......I'll let you know if that still holds true
Happy planning
Kerri

I appreciate that. Yes, I looked at the prices and see that they are higher then. I don't go to WDW during school holidays, but thought on a cruise it wouldn't matter as much. I think we will look at other options. We are still not sure what we want to do. Going to WDW is our easy choice, we KNOW we are going every year - thank you DVC. It is going on a second vacation that has us stumped. We have never gone on more than one vacation a year - maybe we still won't....

 

[dzorn]

Exotic Rasul


Denise in MI

 

[jmjousley]

Well, we are doing the no-no. We are using banked and borrowed points to take our first cruise in March. Our reasoning- we cannot afford to take vacations every year let alone more than one in a year. This will be a one-time event. By the time we add airfare on for our family of six, using points was the only way to make it happen. I so wished we lived closer to Florida so it wouldn't be such a big deal getting there. Best of luck in booking your cruise.


Sharon

 

[Anal Annie]

We've cruised on before on both cash and on points. Cash is definitely a better value. You should visit the cruise board. At this point the 2011 cruises have already been for sale for just about 1 year already - so many of the better cabin categories are gone & the prices have already gone up. (Booking NOW for February 2011 is sort of last minute in the cruise world.) That Feb. week you're thinking of would be priced higher than the others from the get-go as all of New England is off from school. DCL knows that & prices that week accordingly.

The best time from a cash standpoint to book a DCL cruise is on opening day of the itinerary release. Rumor has it that DCL will be releasing the 2012 itineraries on Monday, Oct. 18. Booking will open shortly after. It is assumed that when they announce the 2012 itineraries they will include the NEXT new ship, the Fantasy, which will set sail sometime in 2012. Again, watch the cruise board - there's lots of "watch" threads going on. If you want to book that particular week I would do it on opening day for 2012.

sissy_ib - which Med cruise did you book?? I am on the August 13 one. I am sure there must be a cruise meet thread going over on the cruise board for whichever one you're taking - you really should check it out if you haven't yet! It's a great way to get to know your fellow cruisers before you go!!

(PS) having done 3, 4 & 7 nights we have determined that the shorter cruises are almost a waste of time - esp. The 3 nighter. You don't even have time to figure out where your stateroom is on that one. We might do a 4 nighter again sometime if the price is right but not if we can do a 7+ instead. We opted to go to the med next summer for 7 nights rather than do the 4 & 5 night ones being offered on the Dream. It's just not worth it to us. I think the cost per night works out to be less on the longer cruises.

 

[Brancaneve]

Our two DCs have been in February and I have come to really enjoy going to Florida at that time of the year. The weather is fabulous in the Bahamas! Our first cruise was for 7 days and I felt it was a little too long for our first cruise, and with a toddler. Our second was for 3 nights and I absolutely savored every minute because I knew it wouldn't last very long. By then our kids were older and we couldn't get them out of the kids's club, which meant a great time for mom and dad. In June, we are going on the 4 night cruise and anticipating it will be even better the third time around.

The best bit of advice is to just relax. Don't worry about doing everything or seeing it all on the ship. Find your quiet spot on a deck somewhere and just take in the beauty of the ocean.

 

[Anal Annie]

oops

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

I would definately recommend a Disney cruise. One change from your previous cruise is that cruises seem to be more relaxed now. No need for fancy dresses and tuxedo's for a formal night. A formal night now means a pair of khakis and a collared shirt. A nice change is that Disney's cabin sizes are large compared to the one's 13 years ago.

 

[hollis]

We are DVC members but from everything I have read it is best to pay with cash and not points. We have only been on a cruise once about 13 years ago and it wasn't a Disney cruise. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome. We would like to go in February when the kids have a week off from school. Thanks in advance!

Price aside, using points also gives you less choice of cabins. And price certainly is a consideration.

You said kids, so more than one. I only have one 9-year-old. So when not traveling with friends, Disney cruise works well. It is very kid friendly, with a lot of kid only activities. Being in a cruise, I feel safe, because he can't really get lost. And there is food & drink any time. And it is even more fun when traveling with other families with kids.

 

[AdventureLover67]

We used a combination of points and cash for our first Disney cruise. As stated by other posters, we then found out that you do indeed end up "paying more" when using points BUT if you only take one vacation per year or are on a budget then it would be worth your while. That's the whole point of membership, right?

This time we did pay cash for our cruise and are using a few points to stay at AKL for 3 days prior but if a situation presented itself of cruise w/ points or no cruise, I would certainly use them again!

Whatever you decide I hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[dclfun]

I used points one time to book a 4-Night cruise in October ( value season). I booked it right after getting off the Magic the previous August so I got the onboard discount ( a few points less). There were no discounts for the cruise I wanted and I feel like I got a good value for my points. Yes, I paid a little bit more than if I'd used cash ( I consider my points to be equal to $10 each ) but it was a better choice for me. There's no wrong way to use your points- that's the whole idea of your membership. ---Kathy