# I Bought a Costco Vacation - Here's Why the Retailer Has Completely Changed ...



## MULTIZ321 (Aug 27, 2016)

I Bought a Costco Vacation - Here's Why the Retailer has Completely Changed the Way I Book Travel - by Kate Taylor/ Retail/ Business Insider/ businessinsider.com

" When I told people I was going to Puerto Rico, they were jealous. When I told them I booked the trip through Costco, that jealousy transformed into confusion.

"You can buy a vacation through Costco?" I was asked at least a dozen times in recent months.

My answer: Yes, and it's incredible..."

Richard


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## DaveNV (Aug 27, 2016)

I have a fickle coworker who will ONLY book through Costco Travel. She changes her mind a lot, and she says Costco is great about making alterations to her itineraries, length of stay, and even to rescheduling the whole trip.  When Puerto Vallarta was threatened by a hurricane last winter, she called Costco and switched her trip to Cancun instead.  She says Costco was great about the change, and she is very pleased with their packages.  Lots of bang for the buck.  (Being Costco, that seems like it would be a mandatory thing. )

I personally have booked a cruise to Alaska for next Summer through Costco Travel.  I had previously shopped all the discount cruise websites, and didn't find a better deal than what Costco was offering.  

Best of all, my very good friends who cruise a lot agreed it was a great deal, and have booked their own trip on the same cruise.  So we'll be able to spend the week exploring Alaska together. Win-win!

Dave


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## baz48 (Aug 28, 2016)

My only concern with booking a cruise through Costco is that if the "upsell fairy" decided to visit, that email would probably get lost in the shuffle of all the emails they get.  I was told that directly by a Costco agent.  We ended up cancelling the cruise, so I can't speak from direct experience.


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## DazedandConfused (Aug 28, 2016)

I really like booking car rentals via Costco


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## DaveNV (Aug 28, 2016)

baz48 said:


> My only concern with booking a cruise through Costco is that if the "upsell fairy" decided to visit, that email would probably get lost in the shuffle of all the emails they get.  I was told that directly by a Costco agent.  We ended up cancelling the cruise, so I can't speak from direct experience.



Pardon my lack of understanding, but can you explain what you mean by this? Who or what is the "upsell fairy?" And what lost email are you referring to?

Thanks,
Dave


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## Seaport104 (Aug 28, 2016)

DazedandConfused said:


> I really like booking car rentals via Costco



Ditto! They have the best pricing and all reservations includes spouse plus one additional driver for free.


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## bizaro86 (Aug 28, 2016)

DaveNW said:


> Pardon my lack of understanding, but can you explain what you mean by this? Who or what is the "upsell fairy?" And what lost email are you referring to?
> 
> Thanks,
> Dave



That's slang for the cruiseline offering a discounted upgrase to a higher category cabin. Often last minute, and often a great deal. Of course, you can't count on it, butnif they offer and your TA doesn't tell you, you're out of luck...


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## DaveNV (Aug 28, 2016)

bizaro86 said:


> That's slang for the cruiseline offering a discounted upgrase to a higher category cabin. Often last minute, and often a great deal. Of course, you can't count on it, butnif they offer and your TA doesn't tell you, you're out of luck...



Ok, thanks.  One of the check boxes when selecting the cabin via the Costco website was whether we would accept an upgrade. I chose a cabin I'd be happy to stay in, and I haven't spoken to any Costco cruise agents about anything, so we'll see whether that happens. 

I should also mention that the reservation through Costco does show on the cruise line website, so I'd think once I'm set up on that site, they should be able to contact me directly to offer any sort of upgrade. 

Dave


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## Trudyt623 (Aug 29, 2016)

*Costco for autos*

I always book rental cars through Costco and even purchased my vehicle through Costco in 2011.  It was the best experience.  I told the agent which brand I wanted to purchase and was given the dealership Costco uses and told that I would pay a set fee over the dealer invoice.  My model vehicle was $500 over dealer invoice.  Of course I shopped around and this price was by far the cheapest. 

And I received a gift card from Costco to be used at the dealership for a later date.


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## LurkerBee (Aug 29, 2016)

DaveNW said:


> Ok, thanks.  One of the check boxes when selecting the cabin via the Costco website was whether we would accept an upgrade. I chose a cabin I'd be happy to stay in, and I haven't spoken to any Costco cruise agents about anything, so we'll see whether that happens.
> 
> I should also mention that the reservation through Costco does show on the cruise line website, so I'd think once I'm set up on that site, they should be able to contact me directly to offer any sort of upgrade.
> 
> Dave


Actually, Costco is your travel agent now and the cruise line won't do anything with your reservation without going through the travel agent. This is standard in the cruise industry, no matter who your boom through. The only way the cruise line will deal directly with you is if you booked directly thorough the cruise line to begin with.


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## presley (Aug 29, 2016)

Costco is very popular with people who book Disney cruises. They send out a Costco cash card a few weeks after the cruise for around 9% of the cost of the cruise. That is significantly more generous any travel agent's on board credit. Since Disney only pays 10% commission to travel agents, it's pretty amazing that Costco issues that high of a gift card.


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## elaine (Aug 29, 2016)

a few years ago, my coworker booked Hawaii via Costco and then a hurricane was coming. Expected 20+ inches of rain, power out, etc., so they obviously did not go. Because her island was technically not under the hurricane warning until the next day, and flights were still flying for that last day, the flights and hotel were not going to reimburse for canx trip and for some reasons trip ins. would not kick in either.  Costco went to bat for them and got all $ refunded and rescheduled the trip to Jackson Hole, WY.


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## DaveNV (Aug 29, 2016)

LurkerBee said:


> Actually, Costco is your travel agent now and the cruise line won't do anything with your reservation without going through the travel agent. This is standard in the cruise industry, no matter who your boom through. The only way the cruise line will deal directly with you is if you booked directly thorough the cruise line to begin with.



Thanks for this info.  I'm very new to recreational cruising.  Sailed on Navy ships around the world a couple times, but have only done one recreational cruise, and it was very short. Looking forward to seeing southeast Alaska for this week long trip! 

Dave


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## LurkerBee (Aug 29, 2016)

DaveNW said:


> Thanks for this info.  I'm very new to recreational cruising.  Sailed on Navy ships around the world a couple times, but have only done one recreational cruise, and it was very short. Looking forward to seeing southeast Alaska for this week long trip!
> 
> Dave



Have a great trip! That was the one cruise where we did get a call from the upsell fairy. 1 week before departure, we got offered to move from a window to a balcony for $100. Absolutely took that one!


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## Passepartout (Aug 29, 2016)

I chuckled at the 'upsell fairy' comment. Hadn't drawn that connection before. We frequently get those type offers in the time between final payment due date, and departure. And they must work, because we often go for the offer.

On our next, upcoming river cruise, just last week, they offered a suite upgrade to a larger one with 2 balconies for $160 more. We took the bait. 

Jim


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## JudyS (Sep 1, 2016)

I've been very happy with renting cars through CostCo.

 Also, I leased a car through Costco's auto program and got it for less than free. (The dealer cut me a $164 check when I picked the car up. I happened to have a lot of rebates, including one from the GM Credit Card, which is how I got such a great deal.) Plus, CostCo gave me a $700 CostCo gift card for buying a car through them. If only I could get a deal like that every year, or better yet, every month!!!

As for getting free upgrades on cruises, does it work best to book directly with the cruise line? How about discounters such as VacationsToGo?


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## VacationForever (Sep 1, 2016)

Ditto on the cruise.  Costco offers the best pricing on cruise.  A close competitor is Marriott rewards Cruises Only where you get a ton of Marriott rewards.  It is usually comparable, with Costco you get onboard credits and cash card and Cruises Only you get Marriott Rewards.  After working with a TA recommended by a TUGger here, my conclusion is that Costco offers the best no hassle best pricing/perks.


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## linpat (Sep 3, 2016)

There is no Costco in our area, only Sams Club. Can anyone tell me if I can join Costco and be a member long-distance? or has anyone had any experience with Sams Club? TUGers seem to recommend Costco so highly that I think I might be missing out.  Thanks.


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## Luanne (Sep 3, 2016)

linpat said:


> There is no Costco in our area, only Sams Club. Can anyone tell me if I can join Costco and be a member long-distance? or has anyone had any experience with Sams Club? TUGers seem to recommend Costco so highly that I think I might be missing out.  Thanks.



Yes, you can join Costco and be a "long distance" member.  You can use Costco online, Costco travel, and then visit stores when you are in locations that have them.

We have a Sam's Club that is much closer to us than Costco. I have been in there one, with a friend.  I won't join, or shop at Sam's, mostly because it's a Walton company, just like WalMart (where I also won't shop).  Costco treats their employees much better.  I've also heard from people who have shopped both that the quality of products at Costco is better.


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## DaveNV (Sep 3, 2016)

linpat said:


> There is no Costco in our area, only Sams Club. Can anyone tell me if I can join Costco and be a member long-distance? or has anyone had any experience with Sams Club? TUGers seem to recommend Costco so highly that I think I might be missing out.  Thanks.



Yes, you can join. Costco.com has membership options you can select. You can shop online, and if you travel to locations that have a Costco, you'll be ready.  And if you find after joining that you aren't using the membership enough, you can cancel and get a full refund of the membership fee.  It looks like your closest Costco warehouses are near Memphis.

There is a definite difference between Costco and Sam's Club, in the same way there is a difference between Target and Walmart. Walmart started Sam's as a copy of what Price Club/Costco was doing, and in my opinion, they've never quite gotten things up to the same standard. Wages may be a factor:  Costco pays full-time workers an average wage approaching $21 per hour.  Walmart pays their average full time employee less than $13 per hour. 

Dave


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## sfwilshire (Sep 10, 2016)

linpat said:


> There is no Costco in our area, only Sams Club. Can anyone tell me if I can join Costco and be a member long-distance? or has anyone had any experience with Sams Club? TUGers seem to recommend Costco so highly that I think I might be missing out.  Thanks.



You certainly can. We joined a couple of times years before we had a local store. The first time was when we were going to Hawaii and had heard the gas savings was worth they membership. They were.

Can't recall why we did it the second time, but we now have a local store.

Sheila


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## dominidude (Sep 12, 2016)

sfwilshire said:


> You certainly can. We joined a couple of times years before we had a local store. The first time was when we were going to Hawaii and had heard the gas savings was worth they membership. They were.
> 
> Can't recall why we did it the second time, but we now have a local store.
> 
> Sheila



When I've compared prices I've found II (interval) worth looking at when purchasing cruises.

I'm not saying they'll always have the lowest price, but I've seen very good prices with them, sometimes better than Costco.

Also, their customer service is pretty good. Their office hours are pretty decent, and they answer the phone rather quickly.

II will probably NOT cancel/refund/reschedule your travel reservations in teh event of a weather event though, unless you purchased their insurance. But that is standard across the travel industry.


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## PigsDad (Sep 13, 2016)

sfwilshire said:


> You certainly can. We joined a couple of times years before we had a local store. The first time was when we were going to Hawaii and had heard the gas savings was worth they membership. They were.



How much did you drive in Hawaii???  At a $55 membership cost, and say you save 50 cents per gallon, you would have to buy 110 gallons of gas to break even!  At  a very conservative 20 MPG, that would mean driving 2200 miles.  That's a lot of circles around the island.  Even if you saved $1 per gallon, the math just doesn't make sense to me...

Kurt


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## donnaval (Sep 13, 2016)

We first joined Costco years ago for gas savings on a Hawaii trip, but it turned out that we saved way more on the food prices for that trip, and we have been Costco customers ever since.  We probably saved only about $20 or $30 on gas during that trip, but food savings were astonishing.  On our trip this year, we were really impressed by the food cost savings, too, and gas was still about 50 cents a gallon cheaper than elsewhere on the island.

My savings on car rentals pays for my Costco membership many times over, each year.  

We have a lot of friends and family members who work/have worked for Costco over the years, and they aren't quite as enthusiastic about the working conditions as I read on here sometimes  Maybe it's better in some regions than others.


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## DaveNV (Sep 13, 2016)

donnaval said:


> We have a lot of friends and family members who work/have worked for Costco over the years, and they aren't quite as enthusiastic about the working conditions as I read on here sometimes  Maybe it's better in some regions than others.




It also depends on where they're working in the warehouse, and whether they're full- or part-time. But realistically, just comparing starting wages, Costco beats the heck out of most other employers. Everybody has to start somewhere.  

Dave


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## dioxide45 (Sep 16, 2016)

I wouldn't let the upgrade (upsell) fairly stop you from booking a cruise through a Travel Agent. Often you will get other perks or offers that the cruise line may not be offering directly.  A bird in hand as they say... Just book the best rate for the cabin you will be happy to stay in. They can't call everyone to offer the upgrade to and their system for who they select is not known. It is also an upsell, rarely free.


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## VacationForever (Sep 16, 2016)

dominidude said:


> When I've compared prices I've found II (interval) worth looking at when purchasing cruises.
> 
> I'm not saying they'll always have the lowest price, but I've seen very good prices with them, sometimes better than Costco.
> 
> ...



Was this for an exchange or straight purchase through II?  It was a pretty good/decent deal I got for a cruise exchange.


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## sfwilshire (Sep 20, 2016)

PigsDad said:


> How much did you drive in Hawaii???  At a $55 membership cost, and say you save 50 cents per gallon, you would have to buy 110 gallons of gas to break even!  At  a very conservative 20 MPG, that would mean driving 2200 miles.  That's a lot of circles around the island.  Even if you saved $1 per gallon, the math just doesn't make sense to me...
> 
> Kurt



If I remember correctly, and this has been several years, we saved about $1 a gallon on gas on the first trip to Hawaii. We were in Hawaii for three weeks, and also found groceries cheaper there than at other stores. The last trip, more recent, it was closer to 50 cents discount on gas. 

I also noticed they had several stores in the UK when we were there, but was never close enough to one to shop there.

With my membership at home, gas runs from no savings at times to 30 - 40 cents cheaper per gallon. I pay for the more expensive membership (I think it is $110 a year), but so far I seem to be saving enough on rental cars and the few things I buy there to make it worth it, especially with the rebate check at the end of the year. Their new VISA credit card gives me 4 cents back on the dollar for gas and smaller amounts for other kinds of purchases.

Sheila


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