Costco hold time

[Chica1581]

I have been on hold with Costco for close to two hours. Has anyone gotten through?

 

[peachizz]

2.5 hours for me. When I called right at 8am it said less than 2 minute wait so it looks like they were a little off.

 

[Chica1581]

Yes, I was also at 2.5 when I got through. It also said 2 min when I called right at 8am. And she wasn’t going to call Disney. She said they were compiling forms to send to Disney and I will get an invoice today or tomorrow.

 

[disney789]

I’ve been on hold for 1.5 hours.

 

[mama&me]

We were on hold yesterday for 1.5 hours, but then the agent connected right away to Disney.
I remember last year waiting another couple of hours for Costco to connect with Disney.
So hang in there all. It will all be worth it. Happy cruising.

 

[Chica1581]

2.5 hours for me. When I called right at 8am it said less than 2 minute wait so it looks like they were a little off.

Did the agent connect to Disney or just compile your information?

 

[spunkyinkc]

Took right at 3 hours for me just to get Costco agent to submit the placeholder conversion form to some other Costco agent who is sitting on hold waiting for Disney.

 

[Happy99]

This is one of the reasons I stopped using Costco. I went with a different travel agency years ago and very happy. I just email her my requests, she holds with Disney and emails once done. She does give an onboard credit. Yes Costco gives the higher gift card $ but my time is worth more. Or if we were traveling during a release I had to try to be available to call them. Now I don't worry anymore since I can communicate with my agent by email. She had my 2020 fall cruise booked first thing on Monday morning (we are platinum) and had an email confirmation by 8:15am.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I agree with happy99. We have a private agent. I tell her, she calls or emails, within the same day I have a confirmation, I book my own activities and excursions online, she helps with changes to room, if needed, advice on transfers, etc. and right before we leave she always sends a detailed document outlining each port, what to do,how to get around, etc. unfortunately her firm does not have any credits etc, but she always gives us a small gift. And I use her for everything else we do, she’s invaluable to us.

 

[disney789]

On hold for 3 hours, then an automated recording comes on and says something like technical difficulties and to try again later. Then hangs up. This is ridiculous!

 

[MillauFr]

On hold for 3 hours, then an automated recording comes on and says something like technical difficulties and to try again later. Then hangs up. This is ridiculous!

The root of the problem is Disney

 

[disney789]

The root of the problem is Disney

It’s so frustrating.

 

[lilsonicfan]

It's definitely Disney - if only they could come up with a reliable system to book placeholders online. The hold times aren't bad at all for platinum and even gold but by silver, they are ridiculous. I know a couple of releases ago, Costco decided to go with the "take names, call you back later" system b/c too many of their agents were just on hold with DCL or couldn't even get through.

If anyone is calling Costco today but not using a placeholder, I would just book through Disney first online, then transfer the reservation.

 

[gilsan]

This is one of the reasons I stopped using Costco. I went with a different travel agency years ago and very happy. I just email her my requests, she holds with Disney and emails once done. Yes Costco gives the higher gift card $ but my time is worth more. Or if we were traveling during a release I had to try to be available to call them. Now I don't worry anymore since I can communicate with my agent by email. She had my 2020 fall cruise booked first thing on Monday morning (we are platinum) and had an email confirmation by 8:15am.

I also agree the Costco Gift card is nice but I don't want to be on the phone all day. My TA is a Dreams Unlimited agent. I give her my information and she books it for me on opening day and I still get a nice amount of OBC.

 

[mama&me]

I guess I got lucky yesterday because I am gold now, so the wait was not so bad. I just received my Costco cash card for my recent Med cruise. $425. I can't pass that up. The wait is worth it for us. Sorry you all are having a hard time today. but I agree do not wait on hold if you do not have a placeholder.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I agree the wait is worth it for me. For our EBTA I just got my Costco GC and the value was $925 CAD. That goes a long way for a family with 3 boys!

 

[Chica1581]

I got through after 2 hours and they called me back after they got ahold of Disney. All they needed at that point was my credit card number. I had a placeholder and will get a $355 Costco cash card after sailing, which is too much to pass up. So with the placeholder discount, the onboard credit, and the cash card, we feel we are getting a better value. Kind of makes the price comparative to other cruise lines when taking all those into consideration when comparing fares.

 

[goofballs]

If anyone is calling Costco today but not using a placeholder, I would just book through Disney first online, then transfer the reservation.

So as long as you don’t have an onboard booking placeholder, I should be able to book online through my Disney account the day my club booking opens and then transfer to Costco?

 

[lilsonicfan]

So as long as you don’t have an onboard booking placeholder, I should be able to book online through my Disney account the day my club booking opens and then transfer to Costco?

Yes. You have 30 days to do a transfer to a TA. Just google “DCL transfer form” and the link to the PDF should show up. Costco will tell you what to fill in for their end.