Booking cruise through Disney or Costco?

[goeva]

 

[goeva]

You can't request a specific TA at Costco. I think of them as discount brokers. You have to take who you get on the phone when you call the 800 number. They're definitely not Disney experts, but will call and ask any question you have. It works for me because I know what I want and am just transferring to them for the cash card.

Jodie

Thanks, Jodie.

 

[Muushka]

Sorry, I didn't read the entire thread, but Costco does have a cancellation fee (even if it is cancelled prior to the 75 days out).
DCL does not.

 

[jilljill]

Hi, jilljill: I'm not sure. Please see below. This is what I was referring to. And thanks for your fast response.

That post is referring to on board bookings to obtain the on board booking benefits. The on board booking agent will book you on a particular date cruise. They tend to have a couple they use specifically for booking dummy or placeholder cruises. The deposit amount is based on the amount of the cruise at time of booking.

Hi, Jodie:
I was referring to to Keurigirl's comment and wanted to know what travel agent that she would recommend other than Costco.
And thank you for your response.

There are many TA's out there that give good service, on board credits, on boards gifts and such.
The DISboards have filters in place that only certain TA's are allowed to be named on the boards. Is anyone wishes to post the name of their allowed TA they are welcome to do so. But also keep in mind, that posting the name of a TA in a PM is subject to the same rules as it is in a post on the boards. Please do not try to get around the board filters just to name your TA. If you wish to post the name of your TA please use the full URL of their website to make sure it passes thru the board filters. If the website or agency names comes up as ********** then that TA is not allowed to be named on the boards.

 

[goeva]

That post is referring to on board bookings to obtain the on board booking benefits. The on board booking agent will book you on a particular date cruise. They tend to have a couple they use specifically for booking dummy or placeholder cruises. The deposit amount is based on the amount of the cruise at time of booking.


There are many TA's out there that give good service, on board credits, on boards gifts and such.
The DISboards have filters in place that only certain TA's are allowed to be named on the boards. Is anyone wishes to post the name of their allowed TA they are welcome to do so. But also keep in mind, that posting the name of a TA in a PM is subject to the same rules as it is in a post on the boards. Please do not try to get around the board filters just to name your TA. If you wish to post the name of your TA please use the full URL of their website to make sure it passes thru the board filters. If the website or agency names comes up as ********** then that TA is not allowed to be named on the boards.

Thank you for clarifying it for me.

 

[cypressmom]

This is a good thread.

One question for those who have transfered their reservation to Costco... Did you have to notify Costco first or did you simply complete the Booking Transfer Authorization Form?

 

[pillow]

This is a good thread.

One question for those who have transfered their reservation to Costco... Did you have to notify Costco first or did you simply complete the Booking Transfer Authorization Form?

I faxed the form to DCL and waited for a couple days to give them time to transfer. Then I called Costco to confirm the transfer.

Jodie

 

[kristinfly2]

I faxed the form to DCL and waited for a couple days to give them time to transfer. Then I called Costco to confirm the transfer.

Jodie

Did you get the full Costco cash card amount?

 

[pillow]

Did you get the full Costco cash card amount?

They told me I would get the full amount. My cruise isn't until January 2nd.

 

[Bear3412]

We used Costco. It was not a transfer. Just to confirm, we were able to cash the cash card as PP mentioned. We turned the card into cash at the store without any problem. I did have to activate the card first. It took 20 minutes in store. IIRC it was the most money I ever made in an hour.

 

[cypressmom]

I faxed the form to DCL and waited for a couple days to give them time to transfer. Then I called Costco to confirm the transfer.

Jodie

Thanks! Last timee we booked through Costco. This time I booked throgh DCL but will transfer.

 

[babynala]

Question: if you transfer your Cruise to Costco before final payment are you still able to purchase their travel insurance that covers pre-existing conditions?

Has anyone ever done this?

I have a cruise booked with Disney and I need insurance that covers pre-exisitng conditions as my son has a food allergy. I would rather not lay out the money for private insurance now since our cruise is over a year away. TIA

 

[pillow]

Question: if you transfer your Cruise to Costco before final payment are you still able to purchase their travel insurance that covers pre-existing conditions?

Has anyone ever done this?

I have a cruise booked with Disney and I need insurance that covers pre-exisitng conditions as my son has a food allergy. I would rather not lay out the money for private insurance now since our cruise is over a year away. TIA

Yes - we just did this. We transferred to Costco before final payment date. I then purchased an insurance policy through them (Costco's price was excellent) for my grandmother, who was traveling with us. Her cruise fare was $1,750 and the insurance policy was $75. Turns out she broke a bone and can't go, so I've contacted the insurance company for claims paperwork. So far so good. Probably more info than you want, but figured I'd pass it along.

Jodie

 

[havaneselover]

A few questions:

1) Is there a cancellation fee if you book through Costco?

2) Does it make sense if I'm going to book a dummy cruise to keep ownership of the reservation until close to final payment and then transfer it to get the benefit of the Costco cash card and travel insurance?

 

[pillow]

A few questions:

1) Is there a cancellation fee if you book through Costco?

2) Does it make sense if I'm going to book a dummy cruise to keep ownership of the reservation until close to final payment and then transfer it to get the benefit of the Costco cash card and travel insurance?

I did not ask about the cancellation fee. Before I joined Costco, I called the travel company. They were great about answering my questions. If I were you, I would call and ask about the cancel fee. Also, others have mentioned them charging a "change fee" - if you want to make changes to your res. I would clarify that as well.

Yes - if you have a dummy, I would wait until you have your final cruise set. What I did was to pay down my cruise with gift cards through DCL (Costco doesn't take gift cards). I left a balance of $50 (or something close). Then I transferred to Costco about a week or two before final payment date. Make sure you leave enough of a balance so that if Disney credits you for fuel charges, it doesn't take you to a zero balance. If you have a zero balance, you won't be able to transfer the res. Good luck!

Jodie

 

[havaneselover]

I did not ask about the cancellation fee. Before I joined Costco, I called the travel company. They were great about answering my questions. If I were you, I would call and ask about the cancel fee. Also, others have mentioned them charging a "change fee" - if you want to make changes to your res. I would clarify that as well.

Yes - if you have a dummy, I would wait until you have your final cruise set. What I did was to pay down my cruise with gift cards through DCL (Costco doesn't take gift cards). I left a balance of $50 (or something close). Then I transferred to Costco about a week or two before final payment date. Make sure you leave enough of a balance so that if Disney credits you for fuel charges, it doesn't take you to a zero balance. If you have a zero balance, you won't be able to transfer the res. Good luck!

Jodie

Perfect. Thanks so much for the explanation. I definitely want to use gift cards and don't want to pay a change fee so this makes the most sense to me.

 

[bigtony777]

Warning for those planning to transfer to Costco: I'm not sure if this is a new policy or not, but Disney first refused to transfer my reservations stating that they were paid in full even though I had about $50 left to pay on both. They stated that if the cruise fare is paid in full, then you can't transfer to a travel agent and that it is stated in fine print. So you would have to subtract off the port and tax fees to see how much you need to keep for the balance.

I did get my reservations transferred, but had to push with the fact that I called in and had a recorded phone call stating I could transfer with any balance left on a reservation. I highly recommend a call recording app on your cell phone. I use it each time I call for a customer service issue for cases just like this.

 

[pillow]

Warning for those planning to transfer to Costco: I'm not sure if this is a new policy or not, but Disney first refused to transfer my reservations stating that they were paid in full even though I had about $50 left to pay on both. They stated that if the cruise fare is paid in full, then you can't transfer to a travel agent and that it is stated in fine print. So you would have to subtract off the port and tax fees to see how much you need to keep for the balance.

I did get my reservations transferred, but had to push with the fact that I called in and had a recorded phone call stating I could transfer with any balance left on a reservation. I highly recommend a call recording app on your cell phone. I use it each time I call for a customer service issue for cases just like this.

Interesting - thanks for the heads up. I had very little left on my res when I transferred - only $50 or so. This was at the beginning of October, and I had no problems. When did this happen to you?

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Warning for those planning to transfer to Costco: I'm not sure if this is a new policy or not, but Disney first refused to transfer my reservations stating that they were paid in full even though I had about $50 left to pay on both. They stated that if the cruise fare is paid in full, then you can't transfer to a travel agent and that it is stated in fine print. So you would have to subtract off the port and tax fees to see how much you need to keep for the balance.

I did get my reservations transferred, but had to push with the fact that I called in and had a recorded phone call stating I could transfer with any balance left on a reservation. I highly recommend a call recording app on your cell phone. I use it each time I call for a customer service issue for cases just like this.

I hope you get consent of the other party before you record the call. That is required in many states, including California and Florida. -- Suzanne

 

[bigtony777]

Interesting - thanks for the heads up. I had very little left on my res when I transferred - only $50 or so. This was at the beginning of October, and I had no problems. When did this happen to you?

This just happened yesterday. As in many cases, it may vary by the individual that you speak with.