Point Swap Stories

I'm interested in hearing about this too especially if using the program with Cruise Swap or Universal Swap though the DVC Rental Store.

We have swapped many times and it is a great way to utilize any “excess” points or to add some variety to your membership! You can even swap for a portion of the cost of your selected swap experience and pay cash/credit for the remaining, which is in my experience, is really helpful!

We have swapped for multiple cruises (DCL and Royal Caribbean), park tickets on occasion, as well as have future plans to swap for Universal. It is easy, reliable and smooth! The swap program at DVC Rental Store is awesome! Ellie is the person you work with and she is so accommodating!

I really can’t say enough about how much we love the point swap option!

If you have any more questions I am happy to help!

This is great to hear, thank you for sharing.

I think the biggest thing holding me back is that I am very protective of my points and want to make sure I’m using them effectively.

For example, I’ll probably be banking some odd number of points over to my next use year. Is it worthwhile to throw that excess into a swap? Let’s call it 50 points or so. Is that worth using as a swap for a partial payment, or does it make more sense to use a more significant pool of points (say I bank this years excess points AND use all my 2027 points).

Of course if I blow out all of my points on a swap, will we be sad that we didn’t save any for a true WDW visit?

These are the mental calculations that I constantly run through.

Oh man… I totally understand all of what you are saying! Our points are coveted. Also, taking the first jump to use them in a new way can be uncertain.

There are so many variables involved with this topic and each situation is different. The amount of points you have to use, budget, how many people are going, age of kids, general and preference, to name a few. In our experience, we have never regretted swapping and feel it is an effective way to use points. The exchange rate is fair and it adds variety to your membership. We highly recommend it!

If you are hesitant because you want WDW and will miss it if you don’t have it, we can relate. There are a couple of options we have done before that have worked well for us. If it works for budgeting to swap the 50 points and pay the rest cash, which would save points for a WDW stay in addition, then, in my opinion, it’s worth it. Also, we have combined a shorter stay at WDW with a shorter cruise swap option a couple of times and it was great! The best of both worlds! Also, if you can part with a larger sum of points for a swap, it feels good to have your points take care of it for a fair exchange. A new year allotment of points will come. I recommend doing the math to compare value to points to make sure it works for you.

My family has enjoyed our cruise swaps so much! It is a great Disney experience on DCL and Royal is a blast too. DCL provides that Disney “fix” wonderfully. We feel very satisfied afterwards.

I would suggest trying it one year to see how it works for you. My personal favorite is a combo WDW and cruise trip! I hope that helps!

I really appreciate your perspective and I agree that DCL would be the perfect opportunity to give it a go, so that we don’t miss out on any of the Disney experience.

I’ll run some mathematical (and emotional) calculations with the wife and start making some decisions.

I suppose it’s about time to pop over into the cruise boards and start soliciting for opinions on best ships.

Thank you again for sharing your experiences.