Why does everyone think using points to go on a Disney Cruise is a poor value???

[lurontravel]

We amoritized the cost of our points and added in how much we pay in maint. on each point and determined that a WDW cruise on points is pretty darn cheap this way. Figure an average of $5 per point, and 125ish points each to cruise on a 7 day in the lowest cat. offered that = $1250. Doesn't that sound cheap to anyone else? What am I missing?

 

[adam185]

I'm not sure what time of year that is but $1250 for the lowest category is about 30-40% higher than most other cruise lines. I would look at other travel agencies to get some relative comparisons before making reservations. I know my in-laws took a DCL a few years ago with points as a member special but I dont think they used nearly that many points. Just my opinion.

 

[Deb in IA]

I'd like to know the answer to this also.

We are considering using our points for the Western cruise next year.

I figured that when you use points for a resort, all you get is the room.

With the cruise, you get room, meals, entertainment, child care, transportation (sailing) and ports of call, and a day at the beach (Castaway Cay). Seems a lot more to me.

 

[MrsG]

We used our points for a cruise last year and hope to use them for a cruise next year. I look at it this way, we try to go to WDW every three years. The other years we are paying dues and can only bank so much. So for us, we use them for cruises. In all honesty, I reallly don't care about the cost effectiveness. All I know is that I don't have to put out any more cash, and I've got a great vacation for "free"!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Originally posted by lurontravel
We amoritized the cost of our points and added in how much we pay in maint. on each point and determined that a WDW cruise on points is pretty darn cheap this way. Figure an average of $5 per point, and 125ish points each to cruise on a 7 day in the lowest cat. offered that = $1250. Doesn't that sound cheap to anyone else? What am I missing?

I would only say that there is a difference between the cost and real value of points. While the ammortiized cost may come close to $5.00 per point, the value is higher. If you can maximize your value and then use that money to pay for the crusie, you will come out ahead.

HBC

 

[CarolMN]

The reason many think it is a poor value is that you could rent your DVC points for $10 each and use the proceeds to pay cash for the cruise. Most of the time, you will come out ahead if you do this.

In your example, the cruise costs 250 points (125 each for two adults). If you rented your points, you could get $2500 (maybe even more) for them. If the cash price for the equivalent cruise and accomodations is less than $2500, you would be better off renting the points and paying cash.

Also, cash bookings do not require MS's $75 fee and generally have more flexible change & cancellation policies.


All that said, you should do the math as the above is not always true. In addition, some members do not want the risk/hassle of renting points.

Obviously, each member is free to do whatever he/she wishes with his/her points.

Best wishes -

 

[kaseyC]

Take a look at some of your online cruise agencies. Unless it is a more popular time of the year, the lowest category for a 7 day Eastern or Western DCL cruise is going for less than a $1000 per person. So I cann see why many people choose to rent their points and pay cash for the cruise, if it works out you make some extra spending money for the cruise.

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Carol gave a very good explanation.

Here is another example you can check out.................

We were going to book a cruise using points(had banked pts) and it would have been 465 pts fpr 3 adults for us for next Feb on the Wonder(catagory 6 with verandah). If I would have booked this with MS it would have cost me $75 extra to book it besides the 465 pts.

The cash price for this cruise was $2950 through Dreams Unlimited(DU).

We chose to rent 300 pts at $10 each and booked it with DU. So we saved 165 pts and didn't have to pay the $75 booking fee.We found 1 renter that wanted all 300 pts within 3 hrs of our posting on the rent/trade boards. He has already sent a check for 2/3($2000) of it already.

Also if something came up and we had to cancel, we could get a full refund up to 30 days before our cruise. The points for cruisng have gone up every year the last 5 years.

IMO I would NEVER use pts if I can get a better value for my points by renting and then paying cash. That was the 1st time we ever rented, in the 5 years we have been DVC members, and it was very easy.

 

[Deb in IA]

But if you don't want to rent your points (guess I'm still paranoid about people not coming through with the $$), I still think you get more amenities with the cruise.

 

[Beth]

I requested a quote from Dreams Unlimited this week for the 7-day Eastern Cruise, departing on 3/05/05.

Their quote was for approximately $3,700.

I then called MS to find out how many points that same cruise would cost me (since they're not yet posted on the website.) Their quote was 554 points.

So... If you value your points at $5/point ... you're right - you'd still be coming out ahead using your points. I bought in 1997, and figure the cost of my points to be in the $5 range, also.

So many of us often say that, "..We bought our points to use them. Sometimes we use them at OKW on a Sunday thru Thursday and get an AWESOME deal, and sometimes we choose to splurge and use them at a CC resort." As long as we're getting a vacation, right?!? But, when you consider that I could use 184 less points by renting 370 points out at $10/point ... those 184 points could afford me <b>another</b> DVC vacation. THAT is what is hard for me to get past.

I don't know - I see both sides... But as the cruise points continue to rise each year, I think my days of cruising on points are nearly over.

 

[WDWLVR]

I'm of the opinion that I bought the points to vacation with them. Personally I don't see us renting our points out (for some of the reasons Deb mentioned). The beauty of DVC is that each person can spend the points as they see fit. Whether that is on a cruise, a night at the Plaza, or only staying Sunday through Thursday. The value of the points is best determined by how each member spends them.

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by WDWLVR
I'm of the opinion that I bought the points to vacation with them.

Thats the same thing Beth and I are saying also Mary. But why throw away 150-200 pts(booking with pts) and get the exact same cruise?

There is still no cash coming out of our pockets when booking with DU........we just came about it by renting to get more bang for your pts.

 

[CarolA]

I used my points to take my family on a cruise. I think it was a GREAT use of points. I am not going to rent points, that is work and the whole point of my DVC was play (LOL!)

I figure if I did what I wanted to do with my points then the goal was accomplished. (I am sitting here right now thinking about a day or two at DLP!!!)

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by CarolA
I am not going to rent points, that is work and the whole point of my DVC was play (LOL!)

Carol
I'll make you a deal................I will do the work and
I'll rent your points for you(for cruise) if I can keep the difference you save in pts.

I thought it would be a lot of work also until I rented them last week. It took only 3 hours on the rent/trade board before I had 1 renter that wanted all 300 pts.

So it only took 3-4 e-mails and about 2 phone calls and I had a $2000 down payment wired to my checking acct. IMO that is worth it to save 165 pts for another vacation.

 

[mickeyc]

Using points to take a cruise will depend upon the time of year and number of points required.

By way of a practical example, in Jan. 2003 we booked the four day cruise on the Disney Wonder using 168 pts. As a result it turned out to be a very poor value.

The day after I booked using points the cruise was deeply discounted to $399 per person plus a $100 ship credit. In addition I paid a $75 booking fee via MS.

The following day, I discussed this circumstance with MS because I felt there should have been some type of communication between discounts via cash and those of us that want to use points. They politely explained there is no communication and it is being reviewed. If the link had existed I would not have used the points. I was one day late in the booking process. If I had this information prior to booking needless to say I would have been significantly ahead booking using cash.

I could have easily rented the points and come out ahead. However, keep in mind that I went in Jan., which is a low season. In order to determine if the cash vs. points is a value you must do the math. In some cases it may turn out to be beneficial.

The concern renting points is not with the DVC member it is with the renter. When renting all fees should be paid in advance of the reservation. The renter is the one taking a chance because the DVC member maintains controll of the reservation. So far the arrangements have worked for me and I was more than happy to assist someone looking to rent. I should also note that I require a simple lease be completed when renting points.

I thought I would share this experience as one size does not fit all. For me I plan to analyze the circumstance before making reservations using points in the future.

The cruise was great and without hesitation I would go again; however, most people do look for value when going on vacation.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[CarolA]

Nick,
Thanks for the offer, but.....

I really don't want to rent the points. Somehow that is taking my pleasure away from it.

I have ALWAYS refused to consider the DVC as anything but a "splurge" that I could do with what I wanted.

I think the thing is to do what you want with the points. If you want to spend them on a cruise, does it REALLY matter if someone else thinks you "wasted" them. I mean most of us have friends/family who are pretty sure we "wasted" all that money already. What's one more person LOL!

 

[BillPA]

Some people just don't get it.

 

[Uno]

I understand the argument from both sides and could go with either side. Now I have a quick and easy question. Can banked points be rented? We own 160 points with a use year that begins in Dec. We're planning on going on a DCL cruise and staying at OKW in the Summer of '06. In order for me to do that I'm going to have to bank my Dec '04 use year points and borrow some Dec. '06 points. Obviously this is based on the current point schedule. The trip will be for myself, dw and ds who will be 17 at the time. At current point rates the cruise will cost 340 points. So having banked our 160 from Dec '04, using our Dec '05 points, we'd have to borrow 20 points from Dec '07. If I can rent the banked points at $10.00/pt and the current year points I'll get $3200.00 which I'm sure would pay for the entire cruise and then some. Maybe even allowing us to upgrade. So to get back to my original quesiton can I rent banked points?

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by Uno
Can banked points be rented? We own 160 points with a use year that begins in Dec.

Yes they can be rented. They just have to be used before Nov 30,2005.

 

[new_yawka]

I was very much in the "I wouldn't want to rent camp". This until last week, when I tried it and just like Nick, had my points rented in under 3 hours. I rented 214 points at $10/point. I received a check in the mail today for 2/3 of the cost ($1400).

I booked a DCL Wonder 4 Night cruise for $1800. It would have cost 286 points. So...I retained an additional 72 points for more fun AND have an additional $340 for shipboard spending money!

I completely agree that everyone should do with their points as they wish. It just ended up being SOOO easy to rent (for me), it worked out great!

One last thought on using points....if the DCL points chart goes up each year more than the rise in cash prices (as it has recently) and sometimes significantly (2005 up approx. 15%), you will need to keep buying points to keep up with increases. It's an expensive habit (although there are worst habits to have).

In the end...no matter which route you choose, you'll no doubt have great Disney vacations.