Anyone booked their cruise through Costco?

[yourtravelpro]

Originally posted by Tiger926
[
My husband and I are going to discuss this further today. By the way, all cruise prices are for the same thing (no transfers, no insurance and port charges included). Also, does anyone know what Costco's cancellation policies are? Do they differ from DCL's at all?

Thanks, Tiger [/B]

I am actually a cruise agent who works for Costco Travel. The cancellation policy is the same when you book through us as it is with Disney.

Up to 60 days full refund.
59-30 forego deposit amount
29-8 days 50 percent of the total
7 days or less totally non-refundable

If you wanted your reservation transferred to Costco, you would first have to have your TA release it back to Disney, then Costco could take it over from Disney. This is provided it hasn't been paid in full yet. Any other questions, I'd be happy to answer for you!

 

[Tiger926]

Thanks for the assistance. We just paid the deposit one week ago, so full payment isn't due until March, so I do have a few more questions:

1. Why the high fee to mail docs to Canada? Does your agency charge to mail docs within the US too?

2. Can I have them mailed to a friend in the US or mailed to a Costco in the US?

3. How would I correspond with your agency or you correspond back to me - phone, email or fax?

4. Does your agency watch if prices go down, and will you (or does it come from Disney?) refund the difference?

5. Could we use you as our agent?

6. How terrible would it be to switch our booking to your agency - we have become friends with our TA, but we would also like to save money. I also pretty much do all of the work for her as I love to do travel planning/research as a hobby. She always thanks me because she hardly has to do anything and this is why my husband says that it's no big deal if we switch, but I feel loyal to her. As a TA, what do you think?

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. My DH and I have been wondering for awhile now if we as Canadians could use your agency, and we are so glad that we found out that we could!

Have a great day, Tiger

 

[CheapMom]

I was thinking about joining Costco after hearing about all the good savings but after reading further it looks like Costco is a good operation with good prices but I think I will opt to go with Dreams Unlimited. I got a good price from DU (maybe a little higher than what Costco would quote) My main reason is this:
I don't know what I would do without the Dis website and these message boards. I am going to throw my business to the sponsor.
Please at least give them a shot at your business by requesting a quote and then make your decision.
(It is a little impersonal and it may not be right for everybody but so far I have been pleased with quick response times on emails...)
JUST A THOUGHT

 

[bostonlass]

I'm a member of Costco and they have a lot of other benefits that you get from that membership fee other than travel too. For example the price for new tires beats anyone elses that I've looked at and it includes installation and a warranty. Whenever a new DVD comes out they are always the cheapest. (even compared to Walmart). Their wine selection is pretty good and is very cheap as well. Of course the food is a bargain too depending on what you get...you really have to shop around to make sure it is worth it or not. Also they sell a lot of electronic equipment such as televisions, cd players, computers (they used to sell eMachines for under $400 including the computer, monitor, mouse, keyboard and trial internet connection), etc.

I guess my point is that if you're trying to justify the membership fee and you have a physical Costco store around you think about the other benefits besides the savings on travel that you get. Also, when you join I believe you get two cards and a lot of my single friends actually chip in and split the fee so that it's even cheaper.

(and no...I don't work for them but I did spend a lot of time at one point trying to justify the membership fee myself so I thought I'd pass this along.)

ciao

 

[Dancind]

I have a warning for using some of the smaller on-line agencies. This doesn't apply to DU or Costco, but I will be watching the docs I get for next Christmas. On the Cruise Critic boards, there has been some discussion about a TA practice of booking clients under a Restricted Fare category, such as Senior or Resident. Sometimes, the traveller doesn't qualify for the special fare, and has had to pay the difference when they get to the dock! Just check your docs carefully if you are getting a discounted price. Diana

 

[yourtravelpro]

Originally posted by Tiger926
Thanks for the assistance. We just paid the deposit one week ago, so full payment isn't due until March, so I do have a few more questions:

1. Why the high fee to mail docs to Canada? Does your agency charge to mail docs within the US too?

2. Can I have them mailed to a friend in the US or mailed to a Costco in the US?

3. How would I correspond with your agency or you correspond back to me - phone, email or fax?

4. Does your agency watch if prices go down, and will you (or does it come from Disney?) refund the difference?

5. Could we use you as our agent?

6. How terrible would it be to switch our booking to your agency - we have become friends with our TA, but we would also like to save money. I also pretty much do all of the work for her as I love to do travel planning/research as a hobby. She always thanks me because she hardly has to do anything and this is why my husband says that it's no big deal if we switch, but I feel loyal to her. As a TA, what do you think?

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. My DH and I have been wondering for awhile now if we as Canadians could use your agency, and we are so glad that we found out that we could!

Have a great day, Tiger

Hi Tiger,

I am answering you right now in a PM.

Thanks!!

 

[GoofyFD]

I booked with AAA then found out about Costco. We saved $300. Big one's (that's alot of Bahama Mamas, if you know what I mean). They were great. I had to wait A LONG time on hold. I just set it to speaker phone and cooked the kid's lunch while I waited. COSTCO is a good deal....

 

[Luckymommyx2]

yourtravelpro...I just sent you a PM.

 

[thomprod]

How do you go about doing this? Can you just call Costco and have them handle it? Are there restrictions as to how far in advance of sailing this is done or what categories you can request?

 

[GoofyFD]

Thomprod, Yup Just call Costco up and give them your info and thats it. They do it all for you. Just be prepaired to wait on hold for 20-30 mins. You can save alot!

 

[GoofyFD]

Thomprod, Yup Just call Costco up and give them your info and thats it. They do it all for you. Just be prepaired to wait on hold for 20-30 mins. You can save alot!

 

[disneyfan551]

When I called Costco, I plainly told them that the closest store to me was 3 hours away. Yet, I needed a cruise quote. He had no problem with this and helped me out! So far, they have definitely beat everyone's prices! We will probably use them as soon as we can set the date in stone...

 

[yourtravelpro]

Originally posted by thomprod
How do you go about doing this? Can you just call Costco and have them handle it? Are there restrictions as to how far in advance of sailing this is done or what categories you can request?

Thomprod,

Before calling Costco, make sure you have already told Disney that you want to transfer your reservation to Costco Travel.
Costco will take over from there.

This can be done as long as your final payment hasn't already been made. Once final payment has been made, Disney will no longer let you make transfer.

Hope this helps!!

 

[Otisp]

Can you use your Disney Visa to pay with Costco Travel, or do you have to use Amex (like you have to in the stores)?

EDIT: Never mind. Just checked the Costco website:
"Accepted forms of payment are: American Express® · Visa · MasterCard · Personal Check*
*Credit cards are the only acceptable form of payment for cruise vacations"

 

[NYDisneyMom]

I called Costco this morning and was quoted a price nearly $500 less than DCL for a Cat 11 in May. I emailed DU several days ago but never got a reply (strange, huh??) I'm trying to get the best price possible for a friend -- I wish I had thought about Costco when I booked our cruise last year!