Member cruises have been running in the September / October timeframe for the last 3 (?) years. There was another several years before that. Point charges are slightly higher than normal
DCL cruises of the same duration, but I believe all gratuities are included in the cost (which is different than standard DCL voyages.)
The first couple of cruises were highly regarded based upon the goodies given to members and special nature of the event. More recent reports were not as glowing. Too much sales focus is what I've heard. I think most people tend to be a little more tolerant of DVC's add-on sales attempts when we aren't paying for the priviledge of listening. Given what they cost, the cruises should be all about entertaining members--not pushing people to buy more points.
Special members-only parties have been held in the summer (July / August) and holiday periods (December) for 2-3 years now. They are held one day per week, usually around 3-5pm. Locations have varied but the most popular is a spot just outside of Epcot's International Gateway. These events ARE free (actually paid for by member dues), so expect the sales stuff. They usually have small give-away gifts for attendees (we got keyrings at one event a few years ago), and will hold raffles for larger prize baskets and such. Refreshments are served and characters are usually present for photos.
Weekly member meetings are also held year-round on a weekly basis. Currently they are at the BoardWalk. Again, they are sales based and last about an hour. More little gifts with bigger stuff for those who answer trivia questions. We last went to one around 2005. The first half of the meeting was focued on selling. It wasn't a hard sell, but they try to get you pumped-up with membership statistics, talk about the newest resort, Member Getaways, promotional deals, and so on. The second half of the meeting had a presentation on general Disney stuff and then a speaker from the Saratoga Springs spa discussing treatments available, member discounts and such.
I'd rate the special parties better than the weekly meetings, but neither are events I would re-arrange my schedule to attend.
I keep seeing all of these "gifts" on ebay from the cruises and mixers, but couldn't find any info on them.
