HAL Alaskan Cruise using Disney Vacation Club Points

[LisaC0503]

I am booking my first HAL Alaska Cruise in Aug 07 and plan on using my Disney Vacation Club for it (Disney has an agreement with HAL to provide their vacation club members the ability to book Alaska crusies - Catagory C cabins) Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else on these boards had any experience using their DVC for Alaskan Cruising or planning to. I have found one other CC member who is planning to use DVC so I thought there might be others....

[Britters]

We're using an RCI exchange, and while it's not the same company as you, I'm running into the same difficulties planning since the people booking our trip are simply customer service specialists and not travel agents.

[njguy_south]

I have had no problems. In fact, I am using points for the second time on a sailing on the Zuiderdam on August 19th! (First time was on Veendam in 2002.)

Only thing, have several dates in mind, as there are only certain cabins in each catagory available for this. I did not book early enough (I called in March and was only able to get something in August for a cabin that will accom. three people.) First time we did not pay for an upgrade. This time we did to a balcony.

There was absolutely NO problem. Only thing, any changes have to go through Disney, and they charge $99 for each change, so be certain you know what you want before you do your final booking.

By the way, where is your home resort? We are members of the Boardwalk. Have you ever added on points? We might when they build the new resort at the Contemporary.

Have a great time!

--Robert

[Mary Ellen]

Have you asked on the DVC forum at DIS? We've always paid $ rather than using our points, but a number there have used their points without problems.

 

We also call the Boardwalk 'home' - and I'll be there in December. :D

[LisaC0503]

Hi Robert - I am so glad that you posted. I would love to hear more about your experinces being a seasoned DVC Cruiser ;) We used points to cruise last Sept on the Disney Wonder and I learned the hard way about the extra charge to change your reservation. I had no idea what I was doing when we booked and agreed to a cabin assignment which I found out was a noisey cabin with a bit of research. We kept the cabin because we did not want to pay the fee. This time I want to make sure I know what I am booking before I say yes to anything :rolleyes: DH & I are using this cruise as a "second honeymoon" since it will be our first trip alone since we started our family.

 

I had heard on the DisBoards that the Alaskan Cruises can sell out fast so we hope to book as soon as Member Services will let us....which I guess is 11 months prior. If you don't mind my asking, how many points did you need for an Aug cruise and how much was an upgrade (and what catagory did you upgrade too?) Another DVCer on this board mentioned that she found something stateing that we could not upgrade to a suite...we did not want that much of an upgrade anyway...

 

BTW, we are Boardwalk owners too... We will be "Going Home" in September and taking our kids to Disney for the first time (we have a 1 & 2 yr old) We actually got our first case of 'addonitis' after our Disney Cruise so we bought an extra 100 pts at SSR. I would love to own at the Contemporary. Who knows when that will happen though....

[LisaC0503]

Have you asked on the DVC forum at DIS? We've always paid $ rather than using our points, but a number there have used their points without problems.

 

We also call the Boardwalk 'home' - and I'll be there in December. :D

Hi MaryEllen - I have been lurking over on the DVC Forums on the DisBoards. There are a few older threads about Alaskan Cruising but I admit, I am hesitant to post there and get a lecture about how it is 'waste of my points....' yadayadayada DH & I talked about renting points but it honestly just seems like too much work. The DisBoards are great but sometimes they can be a bit too preachy for me... Maybe I will ask over there too. I really did not expect to find DVCers here on Cruise Critic but I am glad I posted. It is nice to know there are some of us here too...

[crzn4fun]

Another DVCer here. Our home resort is SSR and we have a few extra points at Boardwalk. We have not used our points for a cruise yet, but we did use them for a pre-cruise hotel stay in Miami at the Biltmore and are planning on using points to stay in London next summer after our Baltics cruise on Jewel of the Seas. My mom and I are going on the DVC Member Cruise in October and then staying at SSR for a few days to attend the Food & Wine Festival and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I know what you mean about the "wasting your points" attitude. I just take it with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own opinion about what "wasting" is. I bought the points and I will use them as I please. I also think renting them is too much trouble. The Dis and CC are such great fountains of information, you just have to take the good with the bad.

[vickykay]

We recently bought points with Disney - what is the link for the Dis message boards? also, where does one find out about using points for Holland Am cruises? Thanks. Vicky

[LisaC0503]

I know what you mean about the "wasting your points" attitude. I just take it with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own opinion about what "wasting" is. I bought the points and I will use them as I please. I also think renting them is too much trouble. The Dis and CC are such great fountains of information, you just have to take the good with the bad.

I totally agree!!! I am so thankful I found both boards. I am sometimes leary of the DisPolice though.... So far I have found CC to be a very friendly group of people :D That is so great you are going on the DVC Cruise. I would love to do that one year.

 

Vicki - Welcome to DVC...I just love it. What is your home resort? The Disboards are great for everything Disney including DVC. Their website is at disboards.com As per using points for cruising... You can use your points to cruise with the Disney Cruise Line and book 24 months in advance (this is a recent change from a previous 11 month booking window) and part of the 'Adventurer Collection' is being able to use your points to book an Alaskan Cruise with HAL (with an 11 month booking window). You should have some info on it in your member guidebook. You can also get some info on it on the DVC Web site or by calling Member Services....

[pj-atsea]

Hi, another DVC member here. I have only used the points for Disney cruises but may use them for a HAL Alaskan.. It should tell you in your annual member book about the points needed for the Alaskan cruise. You can always phone member services and ask them but you'll probably have to give a specific date for them to check points for you.. The Dis web site is http://www.disboards.com

Somehow I couldn't make this a link, sorry...pj

[njguy_south]

I cannot remember the exact number of points, but the mid-Aug. sailing was not the high season. We originally booked cabin D-1092, but for an additional $200 each adult, we jumped up to a VA category (Zuiderdam) with a balcony.

As for people pooh-poohing using DVC points for cruises, my response would be, "How many times can you repeatedly vacation in Disney World before you get bored to death?" Don't get me wrong, I love the place, but it is nice to take a break from Disney and see the rest of the world, knowing the WORLD will be there with some new attractions in a year or two.

(Besides, when you use your points for a cruise, that includes all of your meals. Can ANY Disney resort offer that? lol)

--Robert

[Mary Ellen]

While I agree that points get better use at DVC than trading, I also agree that renting them out would be a LOT of work. However, I strongly believe that they are YOUR points to do with as YOU will. We only have 150 (which is great for 2 adults - no kids, who only go to WDW about 2 out of 3 years) so I don't ever imagine our having enough to to cruise on - or the need to rent them out.

 

I don't know which DVC forum they would now have the HAL Alaska threads, what with the changing around they've done there - Planning?? I'd suggest just doing a 'search' there on Alaska or Alaskan, possibly HAL.

 

Here's a link to the Disney Information Station (DIS) forums for DVC.

 

I've posted a few times there in response to questions about the HAL cruises. If all else fails, do a search on my user name (same one as on CC). You'll have to wade through some other stuff, but I don't post that much.

 

Good luck and have a GREAT cruise!

[codyody]

Wow Lisa, if you miss a little you miss a lot - who knew this thread would be so popular? I spoke w/Mbr Services today, much more educated than I was 2 weeks ago when I called. As someone else noted, you can book 24 months out, but you can't book with an upgrade until DVC has pricing. Shoot, they don't have 2007 sail dates! I shared with them that HAL has them posted...the rep I spoke with didn't even know the point charts were out for 2007:cool: SIGH:cool:

I asked about this September so I could get an idea about next year. Here goes:

There are 3 (!) seasons in Sept 06: Value (192 pts), Economy (179 pts) and Low (166 pts). Upgrade amounts (to category B, A, S - which I had read was not possible) are V-$385 to $1125; E-$350 to $930: L-$310-350-790. The actual upgrade amounts depend on the ship.

I suppose we'll just have to keep calling until actual rates are known. I also found out (no surprise) that the entire cost is due upon confirmation which can be done while you are on the phone. You can also ask for specific staterooms.

Boy, is this going to be fun!:D

[codyody]

My home resort is OKW, member since 1997. We have used our points for all sorts of things, that's why I like them! We spent a lovely 3-day 25th Anniversary weekend at the Mandarin Oriental in DC (for $95, than you very much) and spend almost every Thanksgiving at Hilton Head. We would have a very hard time affording the cruise we want to Alaska without these points. We originally bought 160, upgraded to 210. We use them every year, generally twice. Because we are childless we have more flexibility than most and enjoy the lower seasons and often use Sun-Thurs points. LOVE my DVC!

[LisaC0503]

The 2007 Alaskan HAL sailings have the following points usage:

 

Low Season: 166 pts p/p

 

Economy Season: 179 pts p/p

 

Value Season: 192 pts p/p

 

Standard Season: 205 pts p/p

 

Peak Season: 217 pts p/p

 

*4th passengers, children & infants travel on reduced pts (available on the Member Service Website)

 

So does anyone have a clue when these different Seasons are?

[LisaC0503]

Wow Lisa, if you miss a little you miss a lot - who knew this thread would be so popular? I spoke w/Mbr Services today, much more educated than I was 2 weeks ago when I called. As someone else noted, you can book 24 months out, but you can't book with an upgrade until DVC has pricing. Shoot, they don't have 2007 sail dates! I shared with them that HAL has them posted...the rep I spoke with didn't even know the point charts were out for 2007:cool: SIGH:cool:

I asked about this September so I could get an idea about next year. Here goes:

There are 3 (!) seasons in Sept 06: Value (192 pts), Economy (179 pts) and Low (166 pts). Upgrade amounts (to category B, A, S - which I had read was not possible) are V-$385 to $1125; E-$350 to $930: L-$310-350-790. The actual upgrade amounts depend on the ship.

I suppose we'll just have to keep calling until actual rates are known. I also found out (no surprise) that the entire cost is due upon confirmation which can be done while you are on the phone. You can also ask for specific staterooms.

Boy, is this going to be fun!:D

Codyody - Glad you found the thread and thanks for posting what you found out from member services.... What are these catagorys you can upgrade to??? I am confused...Maybe they are on a different ship (I have been studing the catagories on the Zuiderdam since that is the ship I want to sail on) Also, they said you could book a HAL cruise 24 months in advance??? I thought the booking window was 11 months....

[codyody]

MS said it used to be 11 months but is now 24 months. This doesn't make a difference unless they can confirm actual sail dates. They will be willing to book as soon as they have those if you don't want to upgrade. For that they also need to have pricing. I think I'm going to email MS to encourage them to be proactive in obtaining this info:D .

As for the statroom classes, I was given general classes of this September for general info. MS will tell you which 2005 sailings are which points levels. I'll bet May will have 3 levels just like September.

[njguy_south]

The upgrades are done with cold hard CASH and not points. I have done this two (2) times. You call Disney, give them a date. If it is open, you get a "D" category, outside (Zuiderdam category). You want anything else, you pay cash for the upgrade. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. That is how it works.

[codyody]

That's what I thought I said; I must not being communicating very well.

[LisaC0503]

Robert - I am glad to hear that it was only $200 for an upgrade to a VA on the Zuiderdam. Hopefully it will be around that for Aug in 2007 when we want to sail. I was thinking that I want to upgrade to a VD at least and I was hoping it would be less than $500 total.

 

Codyody - I think MS doesn't communicate very well. I called them this morning to see what they would tell me and I was told they don't have the 2007 contract finalized with HAL yet so that is why they don't have the info so they are not taking ANY bookings for 2007 yet AND there is an 11 month booking window so if I want an Aug cruise, I would not be able to book it till September. Regardless, she suggested I keep calling back peridoically to see if they have the contract finalized with the upgrade info....

[codyody]

The MS rep I spoke with said they don't book many HAL trips; I'm beginning to wonder if that's by design? My greatest personality flaw is my lack of patience...I am just going to have to chill until the "contract" is complete I suppose.:cool: :cool: Chillin':cool: :cool: :eek:

[LisaC0503]

Codyody - If you get any new info from MS, please post it here. I will do the same!!!! I am anxious to get this cruise booked!

[codyody]

It's a deal, Lisa!

[LenDVC92]

We just returned from our Zuiderdam inside passage cruise about two weeks ago which we booked with DVC points. I thought it was a reasonable value for the points, especially compared to the points required for a 7-day cruise on the Magic. I posted a fairly comprehensive analysis on disboards last January when I booked the cruise... search for the same user name. We booked a 'C' stateroom on points and paid cash to upgrade to an aft-facing VA. The upgrade fairy paid us an unannounced visit before we sailed and we ended up in an SY. (It was a handicapped accessible room which was a little strange but also a little larger than a normal SY).

 

The cruise itself was outstanding. None of the descriptions or pictures of Alaska do it justice. I would definitely do it again, but next time I would add a land tour as well. The highlight of the trip were the shore excursions. Big bucks, but worth it. Much more so than in the Caribbean.

 

As for HAL vs. DCL, I wasn't as impressed with HAL as I thought I'd be. We are two 50ish adults traveling without children and figured we'd fit right in with the HAL demographic. There weren't many passengers on the ship who were younger than we were, and very few families.

 

I will say that the food was considerably better in the dining room and the buffet on HAL, but DCL's speciality restaurant Palo was much better than the Pinnacle Grill on the Zuiderdam.

 

I felt that the Wonder and Magic are nicer in their decoration and fittings. Outside of the main public rooms the Zuiderdam is rather plain in comparison. DCL also seems to keep their ships in better repair. There were several things in our stateroom for example that were in need of fixing: loose carpet, broken drapery hardware, floor moulding stuck on with tape, etc.

 

The service on both lines was comparable, and I appreciated not getting the "excellent speech" repeatedly from our dining room steward on HAL (we only got it once from the cruise director during the disembarkation talk). I was, however, disappointed in the activities aboard the Zuiderdam. The National Park Rangers who boarded and did narrative during the cruise through Glacier Bay were terrific, but the HAL run activities for the most part required an extra charge, such as blackjack tournaments and wine tastings, or were trying to sell something -- like the spa people doing a makeup demo, or the art auction folks doing a lecture on some artist or other. There was only one cooking demonstration in the well-equipped culinary arts center which was very entertaining. I wish there had been more. On our three DCL cruises we always had a hard time choosing which activities we wanted to do. On this cruise we found very little on the daily program that interested us.

 

Not surprisingly, the main stage entertainment was pretty weak. It consisted mainly of lounge acts like comics and magicians. There were a couple of production shows, but nothing like the shows on DCL. There was a decent selection of movies, but the room they showed them in was not ideal for viewing films. More of a lounge/disco with a flat floor and poor sight lines than a proper theater.

 

I would cruise on HAL again, but like the energy of DCL better. Now, if they would send the Magic to Alaska I'd be the first one in line -- along with the loan officer from my bank.

 

Len.

[LisaC0503]

Len - Thanks so much for your wonderful and informative post!!!! I did do a search on Dis and read your post from when you booked the trip which was informative too. You and Robert both paid around $200 p/p to upgrade to a VA Catagory which makes me hopeful that we will be able to afford such an upgrade!!! That is great that you got a visit from the "upgrade fairy" A suite must have been wonderful...plus the perks!!!

 

I am glad to hear you analysis of HAL vs DCL. We went on the Wonder for the first time last Sept and it was a wonderful cruise (however we had our 2 children with us...DD was 22 months and DS was only 4 months at the time so THAT was challanging but it was at home too so we might have been on a cruise for the middle of the night feedings...and I didn't have to cook or do dishes) ;)

 

This cruise will be just DH and I. I am really looking forward to cruising without the kids. My mail goal is to RELAX. We are in our 30's so I don't expect to have many passangers in our age range but that is OK. DH and I don't have very much alone time so this will definately be a second honeymoon for us. I am glad to hear that you thought the food was better than DCL. I thought DCL's food was good so this should be even better. I had been disappointed when I read all the posts about the food being not so great (but those posters must have a pickier pallatte...) We did love Palo on the DCL...but beyond the food, it was the only time we put the kids in Coral Reef Nursery and had some alone time.

 

We would love to do a land tour as well but since my Dad is taking a week off work to spend with our kids, we can't manage to get away for more than the week for the cruise. It will just give us something to look forward to once we become 'empty nesters' (in the far off future)

 

Len - Which shore excursions did you do/recommend? We hope to be sailing with the same itinerary so any advice would be appreciated!