Will these points change

[Kurby]

i was looking at the points for the Disney cruise - do they change every year or could we expect them to stay the same in a few years?

if they have changed in the past by how much?

we'd love to go on a cruise for our 10th ann. and just wondering how many points (years of points) we would need to save for us and 2 kids.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

i was looking at the points for the Disney cruise - do they change every year or could we expect them to stay the same in a few years?

if they have changed in the past by how much?

we'd love to go on a cruise for our 10th ann. and just wondering how many points (years of points) we would need to save for us and 2 kids.

Points for the Disney Collection can, and do change. It's possible they can actually decrease, but it's more likely for them to increase.

Whether or not a cruise is a good use of points is debatable, but no matter how you slice it, a cruise will eat up lots of points. I'm not sure how many points you purchased, but it can take a few years worth of points.

Personally I find it easier to pay cash so I can deal directly with the cruise line. Using points DVC will become the travel agent, and any changes and communications must go through them.

Good luck!..

MG

 

[bobbiwoz]

Hi, they change and they tend to go up. However, there have been adjuctments down for some of the off seasons from one year to the next. I couldn't predict. We have been on 2, 1 a "regular" 3 night cruise, and the other a Members Cruise. The Members Cruise was quite a bit more than a normal cruise in the given time period, but for us, for THAT Particular Members Cruise, we were very pleased!

You don't have to pay for the cruise on all points, some people in the room can be booked with cash. I'll bet if you went to the Disboard Cruise forum and asked the question that there would be people answering you with more experience booking DCL cruises both with points and money.

Bobbi

PS. We took our DS's on our 25th Wedding Anniversary cruise around the Hawaiian Islands, it was a great way to celebrate. With your younger kids, I think DCL is a perfect choice!

 

[Kurby]

I know the crusies suck up the points but for the next 7-10 years we won't be able to go every year so we'll be saving them up anyways so might as well have some EXTRA FANTASTIC trips every other or every 3rd year before we have to tone it down to studio accomodations or start looking into addons because we're coming more often.

 

[bababear_50]

No procrastination Eh???
Yesterday ---maybe another disney or
Today----a family of 4
"Just kidding" actually I'd love to be able to use points at some time for a cruise.

 

[Sooze]

I just booked a Jan. 08 cruise yesterday! I didn't realize that the points "may or may not" change. I asked my CM if she knew, on average, how much they "may or may not" change, and she said she wouldn't know until they came out. She also told me that if the new points come out, and we decide we don't want to do it, we could cancel our reservation without any penalties. I'm hoping it doesn't go up by more than a point or two... we shall see!

 

[Kurby]

oh - if the points go up would you please let me know.

i can't imagen that if today we need 585 points then if a few years well need more then 630 (3 years combined) but ya never know.

 

[WDWLVR]

I would count on the points going up for the cruise every year. Unlike the DVC resorts where the points are pretty much locked in DVC needs to negotiate withe DCL each year. Since the price of cruising DCL with cash goes up each year I think the same would be true with the points needed.

 

[BabyElephant]

I've been searching for the points required for a Dinsey Cruise or to trade for a time share outside of Disney, but haven't had much luck. Does anyone know where I can get this information? Thanks.

 

[Anal Annie]

Last month we booked a 4 n on the Wonder in July '08 (double dip to CC) using our DVC points. We were able to snag one of the "secret porthole" cabins which books as a Cat. 10 (inside). Based on the '07 point charts we have 10 points to spare without borrowing ahead so we're hopeful that the points don't go up TOO much more. This was from a combination of our leftover points from '06 banked into our '07 points. If we need to, we can borrow a few from '08, but I'd rather not start the whole borrowing thing - still waiting on those darn cruise charts for '08 tho!

We then turned around & booked the 3 n cruise following the 4 n with a cash ressie thru D.U. because we were able to book the same SPH cabin - which means we don't have to leave the ship between cruises! I think being able to snag one of the secret porthole or secret verandah rooms is especially helpful when using points - it really helps stretch them a litte further! Was it the best way to "spend" our points? Dollar per dollar - probably not the most efficient way. BUT we will be on the ship for 7 n. and only putting out about $2,250 cash for the 3 of us in a peak season. (Didn't feel like dealing with the whole renting them out thing right now.)

We are also hoping to be able to use our points to cover 1 adult on one of the new ships (then pay cash for the other 2). That will take some planning ahead with the banking & borrowing too - but we think it will be worth it if it gets us on the ship!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Kurby, to put it in perspective, you have to remember that when you use points for a cruise, you are actually doing an out of system "trade". That means you are giving up your points to Disney Cruise lines, and Disney then "sells" your time at your WDW resort to someone who pays cash. Because cash stays for things like DCL, and all the Disney resorts continues to go up, the point cost of those "trades" will also continue to go up. The only thing that you are guaranteed to stay equal is the booking points at your home resort and those within the DVC system.

Trades out of system must be negotiated annually, so the likelyhood that they will continue to spiral upwards is almost a given. That is why so many here feel it is a bad use of points. Just like the concierge collection, you will spend far more in points than you would in dollars if you rented it outright. That being said, they are your points, and how you spend them is up to you.

 

[Sooze]

Kurby, to put it in perspective, you have to remember that when you use points for a cruise, you are actually doing an out of system "trade". That means you are giving up your points to Disney Cruise lines, and Disney then "sells" your time at your WDW resort to someone who pays cash. Because cash stays for things like DCL, and all the Disney resorts continues to go up, the point cost of those "trades" will also continue to go up. The only thing that you are guaranteed to stay equal is the booking points at your home resort and those within the DVC system.

Trades out of system must be negotiated annually, so the likelyhood that they will continue to spiral upwards is almost a given. That is why so many here feel it is a bad use of points. Just like the concierge collection, you will spend far more in points than you would in dollars if you rented it outright. That being said, they are your points, and how you spend them is up to you.

Thank you for the very understandable explanation! I have so much more to learn about my points!!

 

[crisi]

I actually looked up the increase recently for someone over on the cruise boards. For October, category six, the points required have almost doubled since we joined in 2002! - mostly because they switched seasons for October for cruising. Other periods of time and other cabins haven't increased nearly as much. But that one was stunning.