Marriott continues to promote the purchase of Vacation Club points since they no longer sell deeded weeks. One of the selling points is to purchase more points in order to use them for cruises. I have run price comparisons many times for my clients and have always found that you will spend more money using your points for a cruise then you would if you just purchased the cruise outright.
You can confirm this for yourself:
Call Marriott Vacation Club and request a quote for a cruise using Vacation Club Points.
Calculate the cost of the points required for the cruise (ie. the maintenance fee costs associated for the number of points required) plus the additional cash outlay required for the cruise and cabin type you desire.
Then call the cruise company directly or The Art of Vacationing and find out the price of the cruise paying cash. The majority of the time you will find that the actual cost of the cruise using points is much higher.
Instead of purchasing more Club points, use the cash to purchase the cruise of your choice.
If you need assistance in selecting and booking a cruise, please contact us. We can save you money by using your Marriott Rewards points for airline tickets to/from the cruise as well as pre- and post-cruise hotel stays.
