Costco vs. TA questions

[drischar]

This will be our second cruise, both on DCL. I am a super planner and love the planning almost as much as the cruise. Therefore, I do not want a TA to hold my hand, in fact I want to be able to control as much of my reservation as possible.

I am looking for the best money deal: Costco or OBC with a TA

--we will need 3 staterooms, hoping for cat 5E, 11 people, expect total cost to be around $18,000
--already have a Costco membership and a Disney Visa
--have never used Costco travel
--not very familiar with Disney Vacation Account, but willing to learn and use
--have a Kroger credit card for fuel points and earn reward checks to use at Kroger, have purchased Disney gift cards for past WDW and DCL trips during their 4X fuel points promotions.
--TA we have used in the past gives very small OBC, would need recommendations for a TA that gives large OBC (DU or other?)
--what are the limitations for using OBC? can they be used for gratuities? port excursions?

From what I've read so far, I think Costco should be the best deal. If so, can someone walk me through how to get the most benefits and savings? Will Costco Travel accept Disney GCs or do I need to use them through a DVA?

 

[remlap]

Costco provides you with a Costco gift card after you cruise, not an OBC

Yes Costco will take Disney gift cards. Note for$18k I'd find a credit card that provided 3/4/5 percent cash back on travel vs Disney gift cards

Yes OBC can be used for shore excursions and the standard gratuities.

I've never used the vacation account. Seems a lot of work.

 

[disboardlover]

This will be our second cruise, both on DCL. I am a super planner and love the planning almost as much as the cruise. Therefore, I do not want a TA to hold my hand, in fact I want to be able to control as much of my reservation as possible.

I am looking for the best money deal: Costco or OBC with a TA

--we will need 3 staterooms, hoping for cat 5E, 11 people, expect total cost to be around $18,000
--already have a Costco membership and a Disney Visa
--have never used Costco travel
--not very familiar with Disney Vacation Account, but willing to learn and use
--have a Kroger credit card for fuel points and earn reward checks to use at Kroger, have purchased Disney gift cards for past WDW and DCL trips during their 4X fuel points promotions.
--TA we have used in the past gives very small OBC, would need recommendations for a TA that gives large OBC (DU or other?)
--what are the limitations for using OBC? can they be used for gratuities? port excursions?

From what I've read so far, I think Costco should be the best deal. If so, can someone walk me through how to get the most benefits and savings? Will Costco Travel accept Disney GCs or do I need to use them through a DVA?

Depending on the TA, for a new booking (i.e. no onboard booking discounts) your OBC with a traditional TA could be as much as what you might get from Costco as a GC. Costco is technically a TA, so except for anything booking related (e.g. stateroom change, price change, etc.), you do not need to really speak to them anymore than you would with a traditional TA; most other arrangements will be done at the DCL website or by calling DCL. The TA that usually give large OBC are almost wholesaler online TA that do business under many website banners, so in some ways they are like Costco anyway, but you may still be able to contact the same person each time. OBC can be used for anything charged to your onboard folio, so that includes gratuities, port excursions, drinks, specialty dining, etc. Sometimes, the OBC from the TA is refundable, so you can get it back if you do not use it up... but you will probably use it up.

All payments for DCL are usually through DCL; so whether it is Costco or another TA, DCL actually charges your credit card, or accepts the Disney GC or the Disney Vacation Account (DVA) funds. You can give the info to a TA or Costco, but I believe you can also call DCL if you are using GCs or a DVA. If you are going to use GC, at the very least, combine smaller GCs into larger ones at the Disney Gift Card website. Even better, deposit the GCs into a no-cost DVA to make paying a simpler process. A DVA can up to $25,000.

If you are using GC or DVA though, I would always keep any GC used for deposits until the trip paid for with said GC is finished. Even with a DVA, you can request a refund, and it goes back to the payment method(s) used. Also, if your DVA has been open for at least 120 days before the funds are used for vacation payment, you qualify for a $20 bonus GC for every $1000 used, a 2% bonus. This is currently available until the end of 2017; it is unsure if it will be continued after that.

 

[postcard]

Some TAs will match or do better than Costco. I got better perks than what Costco was offering when booking this month. I'm not sure what % back the Disney Visa gives you, but we use our American Express Blue Cash (or something like that) and get 5% back for all of our purchases. It comes back as a statement credit rather than actual cash though.

 

[bumbershoot]

Some TAs will match or do better than Costco. I got better perks than what Costco was offering when booking this month.

From your other post, though, it sounds like you have a long-lasting relationship with this TA, and that is very likely why you get those perks. Most of us don't have that, or if we do, we aren't asking these questions.