Using points for Cruise and....

[minniesfriend]

How far in advance should we book a 7 day cruise using our points? For those of you who have done this, was it an easy process? Was availability for lower category rooms limited?

We are a family of four. Can we sleep four in the cheaper categories (kids are 7 and 10)? I noticed the guidebook said "most sleep 3, some 4." I am really trying to stretch the points so we can still go to Disney.

For those who have used points for a cruise, did you feel it was a good value?

 

[Mary Anne]

You'll get a lot of pros and cons as to using your points for cruising. My answer on that one is do what is best for you.

However, to get back to your original question. When booking on points, you cannot book till the 11 month mark when you book using DVC points. I would book as close to that 11 month mark that you can. The DVC only gets a few cabins to use for DVC points.

I am sailing on points next month. For 4 of us it cost us 470 points. (2 adults; two kids under 17) That was for a inside stateroom catagory 10. We prefer that type of cabin even when we book on cash.

Personally, I liked the ease of booking with points,one phone call to Member Services, a $75 exchange fee and that was it; no worry about paying off the balance. The downside is, you really have to know exactly what you want before you book or they really charge you to make a change. You could sell the amount of points you need to pay cash. It would probably cost you less points but then you have the situation of selling and dealing with somone buying your points.

Enjoy whatever you decide.

 

[finster]

My wife and I did the 7 day Western on Magic in August '02, using our points. I completely echo what minniesfriend said about the ease of using MS for the reservations. Make a call, pay the $75, and book airfare. That's all you need to do, and I found the folks on the other end of the phone to be extremely helpful in answering our questions about the cruise/using points. They helped us maxmimize our category based on our points, etc.

The obvious downside to the cruise with points is that it eats up a lot (we have 170/yr), so banking/borrowing was key to our ability to get the cruise. But in the end, it was completely worth it, and we can't wait to go again.

--dave

 

[kweaver]

Maybe I should post this on the cruise board...but since the question is regarding DVC points, I'll try here first.

How do we handle a reservation that is part points and part cash? I haven't checked out the cruise points in a long time...but we'd likely have enough for two of the five family members. Can we pay cash for the kids?

 

[Dean]

Doing a DVC cruise on points has some ins and outs.

• You can book at 11 months out where cash people can usually book around 18 months out. That usually means no secret porthole cabins and being second in line for cabin choices.
• The $75 fee has to be paid everytime you make ANY changes including adding a person to you reservation.
• If you're paying part cash and part points through MS you must pay the entire cash amount up front where it's not due until 61 days out using cash.
• If you cancel, the points go to reservation points and cannot be banked or borrowed and expire at the end of the use year. They cannot then be used for DVC resorts.
• The cash value returned for points is usually between about $5 and $6.75 per point compared to the early booking discounts. It actually gets down around $4.50 pp for FL residents.

IMO, I'd rather rent out my points than use them for the cruise. It takes FAR less points and to me it's actually less hassle to rent out the points than deal with the negatives of scheduling a cruise on points. Still everyone's situation is different and you should look at yours and do what you want with your points.

 

[DOOGIERUNNER]

Yes, you can cruise on both cash and points. If you choose to book on points, at least one adult must be booked on points, and you can pay cash for the rest if you choose. The cash payment is due at the time the reservation is made in this case. We're planning our 4th cruise in Nov and are going all cash. On our prior three we've always combined pts and cash. You may get quoted a different cash price than what you can get though DCL or Dreams. DVC pre-negotiates their price. Depending on the time of year sometimes it's cheaper, other times it's not.

 

[kweaver]

Sounds like renting the points is the way to go. With five in the family, we'd need two rooms, or a suite. Naturally, my preference would be a suite...especially while the kids are small. It's gonna get expensive!

Thanks for the info, everyone.