Starting on October 23, eligible DVC Members can book the 2025 Member “First Wave” Sailing on the Disney Destiny to be among the first to sail the new Disney Cruise Line ship. Here’s what to know about the points chart for this Member exclusive 5-night Bahamian sailing and why we do not recommend using your points for this.
Points Chart and Parameters
At a cursory glance, the points charts don’t look all that bad compared to other similar cruises, especially considering that the Destiny will be brand new when it sets sail for the First Wave on November 28, 2025. The Reservation Points per person range from 148 for a Standard Inside Stateroom to a whopping 2,012 points for the Concierge Tomorrow Tower Suite.
As a comparison, a 5-night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Destiny that departs December 11, 2025 has a higher points chart, ranging from 199 points for a Standard Inside Stateroom to 2,418 points for the Concierge Tomorrow Tower Suite. However, this is all relative and brings us to the next point below.
Why the “First Wave” Is Not a Good Use of Your Points
Cruises Are a Poor Value for Your Points
In general, using your DVC points for a Disney Cruise is not the best value for your points. To illustrate, let’s look at that December 11, 2025 Disney Destiny itinerary. (There is no cash-only pricing for the “First Wave” since you must use points for at least one guest per stateroom.) That comparable itinerary costs $3,760 for 2 adults to stay in a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom according to the Disney Cruise Line website.
If you were to sail on the “First Wave” in a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom by using points for one guest and cash for the second guest, you would spend 172 points for the first guest. To translate those 172 points into dollars, let’s assume a rental rate of $18 per point. That would be $3,096 for the first guest and $1,575 for the second guest based on the points chart for a total of $4,671. By using your points to book the “First Wave,” you would be overpaying by $911 compared to just paying with cash for a very similar cruise! This is also why we highly recommend that you rent or swap your points if you prefer to use your points to pay for a cruise.
Reservation Points Cannot Be Converted Back to Vacation Points
When you use your DVC points to book a Disney Cruise, you are actually exchanging Vacation Points for Reservation Points. Vacation Points are what most people think of when you talk about DVC points; they’re the points you use to book stays at DVC resorts. Reservation Points are what you use to book anything in the Disney Collection (i.e., Disney Cruises, Adventures by Disney, or a non-DVC Disney hotel).
Exchanging Vacation Points for Reservation Points comes with several rules. Most notably, once converted to Reservation Points, those points cannot be used to book DVC accommodations. This can be problematic should you ever need to cancel that trip made with Reservation Points.
A “First Wave” Is Not a Member Cruise
Beyond the poor economical value, remember that the “First Wave” is not the same as a Member Cruise. As noted on the footnote of the points chart: “Members should note the Member Exclusive Charter is not a Disney Vacation Club® Member Cruise and as such, entertainment and offerings typically found on a Member Cruise will not be available.” In other words, a “First Wave” doesn’t have the added value of special guest appearances and fun DVC swag that you typically find on a Member Cruise. The only thing that makes a “First Wave” special is that you get to be on one of the first sailings on the Destiny.
Ultimately, it’s up to each Member to decide the best use of their points, but using them to book the 2025 “First Wave” Sailing on the Disney Destiny would not be the greatest value for your DVC points.
