Continued from Walt Disney World for Grown Ups (Or at least for me)

Nope, unlike many of the other attractions at Walt Disney World that I wished for and they just appeared, I did not even know I wanted this.  Oh but I did want it.  Yes I did.

Coming into port in a Disney Cruise ship is like pulling into Wal-Mart in a limousine.  When you look at the other ships docked you can’t help but think, so this is what the little people are doing now.

In contrast we have also cruised on the Carnival Glory which is a fantastic ship and the New Brunswick itinerary was a refreshing change from the Bahamas.  The ship is huge, has lots of fun stuff to do, and the service was similar in class to what we experienced on the Disney ships.  There was also a significant price savings.  

Let's talk about the money

The price differential remains consistent if you are traveling on or off season.  To travel to the Bahamas on the Carnival Glory in October it runs about $113 per night for a nice balcony room.  On the Disney Dream, which is rated 4.5 out of 5 star on Cruise Critic, you are closer to $200 per night.  By the way, the Glory is also rated 4.5 out of five. Both cruise lines bump about 30% for more popular seasons.

Now you Disney Vacation Club folks might be saying to yourself, "sure, but I can use my points!"  I am not convinced.  Yes, you can use your points.  No, it is not really a good use of your points.

Let's do the math

The value of a point is not the purchase price or the resale price of the point.  The value is set by the rental value of a point usage.  How much money could you get if you rented your point to someone else to use for one trip to Disney or some other location.

As it turns out there is a thriving rental market for Disney Vacation Club points.  I have used it to rent point before to extend my visits past the days I could afford with my own points.  There are rental boards where users post their extra points and other users rent them.  I have also used the rental market when the cost of rental points was cheaper than paying cash for certain properties.  Sometimes you find someone in a hurry to rent their points and can get a bargain.

The average rental price is about $10 per point.  There are companies out there that have a bunch of points and rent them for $12 - $14 per point.  They live on reputation and charge extra for the comfort in knowing you are working with a company instead of an individual.

Here is how it works for us.  Since we are locked into traveling when students travel, which is high season, the point cost for a 4 Night Disney Cruise is 134 per person.  So, 268 for the two of us.  The cash price for the cruise is $808 per person, or $1616.  At $10 per point you are paying $2680 for a $1616 cruise.  Ouch!  The value you are getting for your points is $1616/268 = $6.03.  Remember you could rent them to someone else for $10 and pocket $2680.

Now let's look at how far those point go if you use them at a Disney Vacation Club property.

Same busy season as the cruise, Boardwalk Deluxe Studio, which is basically a hotel room, costs 21 points per night with a price per night of around $400.  Your value per point is approximately $400/21 = $19.05.  Personally I pay for the cruise and spend more time at the parks.

On a side note, remember if you have to pay cash for rooms at Disney World there may be significant discounts available if you are a DVC member or a season pass holder.  I have experienced 30-40% savings.

What does it all mean?

Many competitors to Disney are catching on that the trick is, do the unexpected, go the extra mile, turn it up to 11.  Not all of them and not all the time.  This is why Disney can still charge more.  They manage to consistently perform beyond our expectations.  You never know with another vendor if they are going to have an off day or are not quite there yet. 

Now that we've traveled on the Carnival Glory I would pick that ship again any time knowing my trip will be stellar and competitive to the Disney equivalent.  But between you and me, I had to find our first cruise with them at a discount rate in order to be willing to take the risk.

My credentials:  

• Disney Vacation Club member for over a decade.  
• Visitor to Walt Disney World the year of its opening.
• Yearly visitor for over 30 years.
• No kids.  (that I am aware of...)

For me, Disney World has been it's own gateway drug.  Over the years as my financial situation has improved my trips have gone up in price.  To be honest, the Magic Kingdom holds a little less magic than it used to and I find myself more interested in helping a new visitor find Mama Melroses's restaurant, which is basically hidden in the far back of Disney Hollywood Studios.  Taking a picture for a young couple rather than taking pictures myself.  So why do I continue to go back every year?

The Walt Disney Company saw me as a market in time to get ready.  They built EPCOT center which allowed me to tour the world without leaving Disney property and learn something while riding a dark ride in a giant silver golf ball.  They allowed me to tour a GM test track at 60 miles an hour right inside the park.  Even now I can fly over gorgeous terrains without leaving my seat.  This was a very nice way to keep me coming back.

The next thing they did was realize all of us had to eat, and as we got a little older, we would rather sit in comfort and be entertained while we did it.  Enter some of the best chefs from around the world and a fantastic commissary system.  The restaurants of EPCOT Center are all wondrous and each provides a unique experience through themes and authentic staff members from around the world.

You know what though?  Sometimes I would like a little escape from the culture and why not back to the movies?  Maybe the Magic Kingdom is targeted to a slightly younger crowd and some of the experiences target movies and animation whose memories are starting to fade for me.  It has been a few years since Swiss Family Robinson and all the wilderness films that Disney was famous for are almost forgotten.

Ah, but our friends at WDW figure this out too.  They opened Disney MGM Studios Florida and brought me right back inside the movies and television all over again.  They also hit the mark with themed restaurants.  All this and they brought me back in time to the 1930's and 1940's.

As if that wasn't enough, I do like live music and Country Bear Jamboree, though still fun, was not really hitting the mark for me.  Up popped Pleasure Island.  Now I could jump from the 80's, the 70's even the 60's and experience live music in a vibrant party atmosphere.  This was a reason to stay up late and keep going till I dropped.

Of all of these attractions, Pleasure Island was the one to fail to hit it's mark.  I think Disney had a hard time combining high energy and alcohol with the local teen age crowd while still making this a magical and safe place like all the other parks.  They tried to control it some by increasing the prices but part of the charm was just walking through and experiencing it for a minute or an hour.  At $30 per head, suddenly you started to want to make sure you got your money's worth.

Pleasure Island became confused, lost focus, and eventually was reduced to a couple of restaurants and shops.  The themed hot spots all shut down, some were even dismantled.  The greatest tragedy being the lost of the Adventurers Club which was absolutely brilliant.  Can I get a Kongaloosh?

On my last trip I decided to take a tour of the carcass of Pleasure Island.  I have pictures of the horrible devastation inside the Adventurers Club.  As I walked along the grounds littered with none too inconspicuous shrubs blocking entrances to the old night clubs I began to notice musical artists setting up.  An amplifier here.  A display of CD's for sale over there.  Did Disney read my mind?  I wanted some live music, not a big fanfare just some light fun to keep the night moving along.  There is was.  I had my choice.  Mimes and musicians and to be honest that is as far as I got.  I found a nice spot, plopped down and enjoyed some fantastic live music.

END PART 1