Cruising through Costco Travel?

Question

I'm debating to buy my alaska cruise package through Costco for my family as it would save us about $600-1200. I am wondering if anyone else has booked through Costco travel for cruises before and whether or not they had a good experience using Costco as a travel agency. Thank You.

Answer 1

Be sure that the quote from Costco includes cruise fare, port fees and taxes.  Are there additional charges that you should be aware of such as air transportation, ground transportaion and pre-paid gratuities?

The major cruise lines have standardized the cruise rate.  Public discounting of cruises is frowned upon by the industry.  If a vendor is publicly discounting the cruise they may lose the contract they hold with the cruise line.  Vendors such as Costco, Travelocity, Expedia purchase a large group amount of space at a discount as soon as the sailing is published.  The cruise rate is confirmed at the time Costco negotiates the purchase of the group space.  As the market demands increase, so does the price.  Costo is reselling this group space later at a perceived discount to the customer.

Since vendors are normally held to a standardized rate they will remain competitive by offering the guest incentives such as on board credit, free shore excursion or adding mileage to a frequent flier program.  Go with a reputable company.  A talented agent should get to know you first and ask you a LOT of questions--have you cruised before?  when?  where?  what type of vacations do you normally take?  what hotels are your favorite?  what are you looking for in a cruise?  how do you enjoy your free time?  This way they will use their product knowledge of the 30+ cruises in alaska to be sure you are on the right ship for your money.  Maybe not the least expensive, but the one that will fulfil all of your expectations at a good value.

Answer 2

I am surprised you mentioned a big savings through Costco travel. I thought their prices were high compared to other online cruise discounters. Make sure you check out port fees and taxes.

Answer 3

The biggest thing is that costco is not a travel agency. They are simply selling discounted rooms that they are able to buy in bulk and then offer at a lower rate. More than likely they are not included taxes, or some other fee to make the price that much lower. But, they will save you some money, in some cases. Just make sure you read over everything to be sure of what you are getting.

I don't usually recommend Coscto. For two reasons, one, most people think they are getting a travel agency. But really you aren't. A real agent will have tons of information and help you through the process. Costco pretty much books the vacation and that is it. If you ask them questions and things, they may or may not know. I've never personally worked with them, but from what I have heard they really don't know much about the travel they sell, and some of it is pretty obvious even if you have only worked with that type vacation one or two times.

Second, Coscto can cause a lot more problems then they are worth. I've read really bad stories online about peoples experiences. For instance, someone booked a vacation with Coscto, gave them the check for the vacation, etc. They have proof that they booked the vacation, but they realized a few months later they hadn't received confirmations or anything and that final payment would soon be do. They called Costco, they had no record of them booking and never booked the vacation. The people showed them the returned check, etc. but Coscto did basically nothing. They called the cruise line hoping to get the vacation booked anyway, but the only rooms available were suites and increased the price by thousands. They weren't able to take the vacation, they had air, insurance, pre-nights, etc. that they were penalized for and some things they were not even able to get their money back and they took off of work for a vacation they weren't able to take.

Personally I would only book my vacation two ways. Either through the cruise line directly or with an actual travel agent that specializes in cruises and will really help you with your vacation. That is the best way to go. You may not save quite as much money, but there is a peace of mind that really makes the whole process go smoother, which makes the vacation that much more enjoyable. I always book with an agent and I couldn't be happier, in my opinion it is the way to go.

If you still choose to go this way, just be sure that you read everything over and over and keep good records to be safe.

Good luck, Alaska is a great cruise, one of my favorites!

Answer 4

i agree check for the bottom line ...and if you haven't cruised before, a travel agent is the way to go...works if its true, and you know what to do