"Last minute" booking of cruise with points?

[FredS]

It seems to me that there might be instances where using points for some or all members of a party on a cruise might not be such a bad use of points, particularly if booking fairly late, when prices tend to rise significantly.

Does anyone know if MS have the same access to rooms as Disney or any TA, that is, if there are staterooms available two or three months in advance would MS be able to reserve them or are they under any special booking time or specific allotment limitations? (Hope this question makes some sense!)

 

[ncligs]

My brother just booked a cruise(4 day) using pts that were going to expire soon. He booked it only 4 weeks before the cruise.He leaves this thursday.

 

[FredS]

That tells me something! For cruising when you plan well in advance it seems definitely better to pay cash, but for the short-term using points is not such a bad idea. Since I hadn't really considered it previously, I thought I might be missing some well-known (but not to me) limitations on cruising on shorter notice.

 

[WebmasterDoc]

That's a good point.

Disney prices it's cruises by offering an "Early Booking Discount" for cash reservations. The earlier the booking the greater the discount. As the ship fills, the discount is decreased until it reaches the brochure rate (no discount at all).

The DVC points needed are negotiated far in advance and may represent a bargain compared to the short notice cash rate. The only negative might be that room availability may be limited on short notice, but the rate may end up being a bargain compared to the cash rate at the same time.

Enjoy!

 

[Dean]

In general cruising with DCL on short notice is not a good deal, points or cash. If you've got points that will expire, that's one thing, but otherwise, just plan in advance and you'll be far better off.

I think Cruisng with DVC on points is analogous to the frog in the pot of water. Warm him up slowly and he never feels a thing.

 

[disneycrazed139]

Hmmm....this is interesting. I would guess it would be very hard to get inside staterooms so close to sail time.

 

[FredS]

Booking our 2004 cruise a year in advance it was definitely worth renting points, as it was about 650 points or $4300. But booking much closer to cruise date closes the gap significantly.

For example, a 3-day cruise I looked at had a price of roughly $1800, or cost 203 points. In my mind, even if you consider points worth $10 then it would NOT be worth the hassle of renting for the $200 difference. I think availability might be the only question, but some of the fall/winter cruises seem to still have plenty of staterooms available.

Something to check into, I think!

 

[colleen costello]

Does anyone know how early you can book the cruise line if paying cash? What constitutes "early booking?" I called Member Services the other day to ask about a cruise in summer 2005. They told me I was way ahead of the game -- 11 month window! Can I book significantly earlier if I plan on paying cash and not doing a cash/points combo? When do the schedules for the cruise line come out?

Thanks! I am planning WAY ahead so I can save the money and start looking forward to a cruise.

 

[ZachnElli]

Colleen, you said summer of 2005, not 2004. 2004 would be the 11 month window. Don't age me another year already!

 

[colleen costello]

No, I meant it -- I am looking ahead to 2005... That's why I want to know how early you can book with cash! I warned you... I am REALLY planning ahead... Gotta save those pennies...

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by colleen costello
Does anyone know how early you can book the cruise line if paying cash? What constitutes "early booking?" I called Member Services the other day to ask about a cruise in summer 2005. They told me I was way ahead of the game -- 11 month window!

DCL is only booking through Dec 2004 as of now. Usually through cash or travel agents you can book 18 months out.

 

[colleen costello]

Thanks! That gives me an idea for planning...

 

[musical2]

I booked our cruise really early and paid cash instead of using DVC points. Actually, I rented the points so I could pay cash, thus I only had to rent about 300 points instead of using up the 480 points it would have cost for our cruise. Big difference!

I booked last month for a cruise we are taking in October 2004. I just wanted to make sure we got a Class 4 family room that sleeps 5 and has a veranda.

Bart