You've been saving your Marriott Rewards points and now you want to go on a "free" cruise. The Rewards program used to offer 7-day cruises for 2 people for as low as 190,000 points but that program changed last year. Marriott now partners with Cruises Only, an independent cruise agency. You choose the cruise you want, book it through Cruises Only and redeem your rewards points towards certificates which can be used as a credit towards the cruise cost.

Certificate values are as follows:

$250 Cruise Certificate = 70,000 points

$500 Cruise Certificate = 110,000 points

$1,000 Cruise Certificate = 145,000 points

You can use multiple certificates for a single cruise.

The question becomes "Is using 145,000 points for $1,000 in value a good use of points?". It equates to .68 cents per point. In my September newsletter, I showed you how you can receive value of 2.19 cents per point by using a Travel Package. So, no, it is not a good value. But if you don't want to spend the cash, it is an alternative. Instead, I would suggest using your points to fly to your cruise ship embarkation point, specifically if it is overseas, in the comfort of business class.

On another note, you have been told that you can "trade" through Interval International for a cruise. Interval is a travel agency so they can book you a cruise. They evaluate the week you have on deposit and "credit" a value towards your cruise cost. Typically, you will save 30-40% on the cruise cost but I have seen it as low as a 15% savings. It all depends on the resort and the week that you are trading-in as to your "credit".

For example, I ran a scenario trading KoOlina in August for a 7-day Celebrity cruise to the Caribbean. You could purchase a Deluxe Veranda Cabin outright for $2,144 for 2 people or trade-in your valuable Hawaii week and pay $1,290 for 2 people, a savings of $854.60--this does not even cover the cost of your maintenance fees. Alternatively, you could rent that week for enough money to pay for the entire cruise! I also ran the same scenario with a Grand Chateau March week and a Canyon Villas June week and the savings were $786 and $610 respectively.

With prices so low, this is a great time to cruise. At The Art of Vacationing, we can evaluate the best option to minimize your cost for a cruise, help find the best cruise for you, and book your cabins, regardless of which way you decide to pay for it. Contact us today!