Marriott continues to promote the purchase of Destination 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 Destination 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.

Marriott Rewards will make dramatic changes to the category levels of many Marriott hotels on May 15, 2013. A few hotels will drop in category but most will increase. They have also introduced a Category 9 requiring 45,000 Marriott Rewards points per night. The best hotels in Paris, London and New York will be upgraded to category 9.

As long as you book your hotel stay prior to May 15, 2013 (even if your check-in dates are past May 15, 2013) you can take advantage of the current points required.