Using DVC pts for a cruise...

[megnsamsgracie]

I am hoping that when we stay DVC in 2 weeks and then again in September, that DH will want to buy in. But we LOVE to cruise. So I think we would alternate cruising with a land stay. How would I convert DVC points into a DCL? I would need to have a ballpark figure of how many pts to buy to get DH on board THANKS!

 

[hakepb]

Using DVC points for a cruise is not a great deal, it takes a ton of points, which depends on what cruise, when and what category., and then when you start to think using points might be OK, you realise points are per person, not per room ! (For instance cheapest date and stateroom (cat11) for a 2009 7 day Eastern carribean cruise would need 276 points total for 2 people, and the most expensive date in cat4 would be 988 points total for 2) And unlike DVC rooms, cruise points needed usually go up each year

It is almost always a better deal to rent out your DVC points (actually you rent a reservation that you make with your points), and use the cash from that rental to buy the cruise ticket.
There are many that use points to cruise because it is easier, or they bought their points when points were much cheaper or "they're my points, and if I want to use them to cruise, I'll do that"
I also think that you can use points on one person, then pay cash for the other, but DVC does not publish the cash cost.

 

[CraftyMouse]

There is no conversion necessary. You simply pay points for your cruise instead of cash. There points charts for each itinerary and the points vary according to cabin category selected. The points cost varies widely from the 3-day to the 7-day sailings and even within an itinerary the cost varies quite a bit by cabin category.

That said, using points to cruise really isn't a great value. Doing it once in a while isn't too bad, but doing it regularly really isn't going to allow you to maximize your DVC membership. The points cost for DCL cruises is pretty steep and, unlike stays at the DVC resorts, that cost can go up each year. Therefore, the number of points you purchase now might not be enough for the cruise you want to take next year or in years to come.

IMO, it would be a better option to purchase half the number of points you'd need for your alternate-year WDW stays and pay cash for your cruises. That way you could bank your points in the years you cruise and use two years' worth for your WDW stays.

 

[megnsamsgracie]

I have read that.. but I would like to maybe just do a 3n (or 4n DCL cruise in value season). Are there charts to check out pts for cruises right now?

Found my own answer! WOW! We would need 2 cabins and I am looking at a 3n cruise in the cheapest stateroom would be 170pts approx! x 2 rooms! WOW! Guess I would be better to rent out pts then!

 

[chalee94]

the pt charts are on the member website (and in the planning book, IIRC.)

a standard inside stateroom for 2 adults in value season for a 3 night cruise starts at 134 pts.

a deluxe oceanview stateroom for 2 adults in value season for a 3 night cruise starts at 194 pts.

a standard inside stateroom for 2 adults in value season for a 4 night cruise starts at 164 pts.

a deluxe oceanview stateroom for 2 adults in value season for a 4 night cruise starts at 222 pts.

(adding kids or other adults would cost more. also keep in mind that these pt costs are not "fixed" like the DVC resort charts - they can change from year to year...and don't forget to add the $95 booking fee into the calculation.)

 

[alystad]

We are heading out on the boat on 8/10, what we did was use points for our youngest child and paid cash for the rest of us and it really wasn't too bad of a price. I am not sure if there was a discount for DVC through MS but you can do cash and points.

 

[Laxmom]

One thing to consider when looking at the difference between using points for a DVC stay and DCL is that you really aren't comparing apples to apples. With the DVC stay, you still need to buy food. With DCL, food is included. Not saying it is still a great deal but this is something that needs to be added to the value. (We looked into trading our other TS week for a cruise thru II and this is what we were told.)

I would still use pts. once in a while but I certainly wouldn't advise you to buy points with the intention of using them primarily to cruise.

 

[CraftyMouse]

We are heading out on the boat on 8/10, what we did was use points for our youngest child and paid cash for the rest of us and it really wasn't too bad of a price. I am not sure if there was a discount for DVC through MS but you can do cash and points.

You were allowed to do this? DVC has always required that the lead adult name on the reservation be paid for with points. After that you can split up the remaining passengers, paying for each entirely with points or with cash as you choose.

Usually the cash price when going through DVC is equal to or a bit higher than it is when going directly through DCL. There is no DVC cash discount.

 

[Anal Annie]

We just cruised on points last week. We had booked a Cat. 10 (got one of the SPH rooms) on the 4 nighter on points in March of '07 and then we paid cash for the same cabin for the 3 nighter to do back-to-backs. Based on LAST years charts, it cost us 392 points for a family of 3. THIS year tho, they raised the points for the July cruises for a Cat. 10 by 65 points - so the same cruise for next year would've cost us 457 points! And that's for an "inside deluxe" stateroom! Based on that increase, I think we are done cruising on points. I'm glad we were able to do it once - but we only have 250 points...so that's almost 2 years worth of points for only a 4 n vacation. We re-booked onboard for a 7 nighter to get the re-booking discount (although we plan to push the date out a little further when new itineraries are released). I think saving up & paying cash for cruises will be how we do it in the future. I don't want to mess with renting out our points. I'd rather just be able to vacation at WDW twice a year.