DCL vs. Costco owning your reservation

[NickE]

I've read here all about the fact that if you transfer your DCL-purchased cruise (within 30 days of making the reservation), you still get Costco's approx. 8½% cash card plus 2%/3% rebate with Executive Membership, so I'm about to pull the trigger with our existing November 2020 Panama Canal cruise.

BUT.

What are the DISADVANTAGES of Costco "owning" your reservation, vs. leaving it with DCL? What happens differently between now and the cruise?

For instance, I read here that you get two confirmation numbers, Costco and DCL -- so I'm guessing that after making the switch you can still do everything through the DCL website..?

(And important question from my wife: do you get the cruise documents from Disney or from Costco, and do they have the Disney character luggage tags?)

Thanks for anything to make this less nerve-wracking.

 

[MasonDuo]

I've worked through Costco on my last few DCL reservations and I can't see any difference. You'll have the DCL reservation that you can put into the site, you check in online with everyone else, and schedule all of your activities when your window opens.

I've called Disney directly to add transfers or Onboard credit so no need to work with Costco on those things.

I've also had no problem calling Costco when I needed to get help (like wait listing for Main dining).

You'll also receive all regular documentation directly thru Disney.

I found no drawbacks and will continue to use them.

 

[DVC Doc]

You can do just about everything online that you would do if you had booked through Disney. You will need to call Costco if you want to change your stateroom or post a payment to your account. All of the cruise documentation will come from Disney.

You receive the 8% cash back as a Costco Cash card a few weeks after your cruise. I've had no problem cashing out the card at my local Costco. Amounts over $1000 have required a supervisor to write me a check. They said the largest card they have ever cashed out was over $15K!

 

[mtil]

The only slight disadvantage we have had in the last 4 times using Costco is that Disney will not give you any pricing information over the phone if you have a question. The Disney agent will tell you to contact Costco. This minot inconvenience is more than offset by the financial benefits of using Costco.

Everything that can be done on DCL's website is still accessible to you. We received our documents directly from Disney with the character luggage tags (though I believe Disney only sends the luggage tags and no longer sends the spiral book with the documents.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Your payments will go through the Costco website or by phone. You give them the payment details and they forward it to DCL, so yes, you can even use Disney gift cards (not Costco gift cards). For everything else, you can still go through DCL, but you may (or may not) have to add your reservation under your account the first time you check for it.

 

[pixiedustedme]

Substantial rebate I've gotten completely cashed in. Docs from Disney & online check-in / Port Adventure registration via Disney. Rebate stacked on top of other discounts you can get via Disney. No drawbacks imo.

 

[lilsonicfan]

The only "disadvantage" that makes any real difference, IMO, is that Costco sets their PIF date earlier than DCL by about 1-2 weeks. The Costco confirmation number you get is only really used when you call Costco to discuss your reservation.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Just in case this applies to you, if your existing booking was made with a placeholder, you may be too late for a transfer to any TA. Placeholders have to be transferred within 30 days too.

 

[NickE]

Thank you, everyone! Gonna do it.

It wasn't a placeholder; it's the 14-night San Diego/Panama/Galveston 2020 cruise, booked with deposit with DCL about 2 weeks ago. Since for some reason only portside cabins could be selected on the DCL website, I called up and had our cabin changed to a starboard one and don't expect to change it from here on, so I'm ok on that score.

The ~$1,150 rebate will DEF come in handy!

 

[ProgressCity]

Costco can have issues with their payment and reservation system. When I worked at DCL I dealt multiple times with Costco double booking, the guest not realizing until after the cancellation penalty kicks in, and losing that money (or noticing and getting upset that they had to go through Costco to cancel the extra res). It's the only travel agency that had that problem and it was common enough that as soon as a guest mentioned getting charged twice we knew what happened. A few hundred bucks on a cash card doesn't seem like such a deal when you're paying for an extra cruise.

 

[bode1025]

I just received our cash cards. You can cash those out? I assumed I had to use them towards merchandise. It’s about $1400 so that would be awesome!

 

[lilsonicfan]

I just received our cash cards. You can cash those out? I assumed I had to use them towards merchandise. It’s about $1400 so that would be awesome!

It depends on your Costco. Not all will.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Costco can have issues with their payment and reservation system. When I worked at DCL I dealt multiple times with Costco double booking, the guest not realizing until after the cancellation penalty kicks in, and losing that money (or noticing and getting upset that they had to go through Costco to cancel the extra res). It's the only travel agency that had that problem and it was common enough that as soon as a guest mentioned getting charged twice we knew what happened. A few hundred bucks on a cash card doesn't seem like such a deal when you're paying for an extra cruise.

Was this in recent years? It seems strange to me because the payment is made directly to DCL; the charge on your cc is to DCL, not Costco. I can see that being upsetting if it has happened, but I have great faith in Costco's customer service to fix things quickly.

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

I've read here all about the fact that if you transfer your DCL-purchased cruise (within 30 days of making the reservation), you still get Costco's approx. 8½% cash card plus 2%/3% rebate with Executive Membership, so I'm about to pull the trigger with our existing November 2020 Panama Canal cruise.

BUT.

What are the DISADVANTAGES of Costco "owning" your reservation, vs. leaving it with DCL? What happens differently between now and the cruise?

For instance, I read here that you get two confirmation numbers, Costco and DCL -- so I'm guessing that after making the switch you can still do everything through the DCL website..?

(And important question from my wife: do you get the cruise documents from Disney or from Costco, and do they have the Disney character luggage tags?)

Thanks for anything to make this less nerve-wracking.

If you’re an AMEX user, I wouldn’t recommend Costco. You can’t use it, even if Disney takes it. Costco only takes visa and MC, I believe.

 

[ProgressCity]

Was this in recent years? It seems strange to me because the payment is made directly to DCL; the charge on your cc is to DCL, not Costco. I can see that being upsetting if it has happened, but I have great faith in Costco's customer service to fix things quickly.

Yep. It's been happening for years and I've seen it in the last 12 months (though not as a cast member). It happens because Costco puts the payment through using your card, their system freezes and then acts like it didn't go through when it did, so Costco puts it back through. It isn't specific to DCL; it happens with other travel booked through Costco too.

The reason I know about it is because people would call us to fight about it, presumably because it wasn't getting resolved through Costco. In this situation, Disney doesn't give any money back, so it's up to Costco to eat it and make it right. I don't know how Costco deals with it, but if it was easy to get it taken care of, guests wouldn't have been calling in about it. (I've even had calls from the port asking which reservation we wanted them to check in because the guest had two booked through Costco.) Personally, there's just no cash card that is worth the risk of that happening and then having to spend my time trying to get it fixed. Granted, I am jaded. It's annoying getting yelled at for a problem you didn't cause all because someone wants a cash card but isn't willing to abide by the fact that in order to get that cash card Costco owns their reservation so they're the only ones who can cancel, make payment, or refund.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you want to change rooms you’ll need to talk to Costco.

Anything else can be done with Disney. To avoid any initial “you have to talk to Costco” conversations when I called to do things like requesting distilled water for a cpap, I’d go through the new reservation phone tree.

do you get the cruise documents from Disney or from Costco, and do they have the Disney character luggage tags?

Disney character luggage tags?

In this situation, Disney doesn't give any money back, so it's up to Costco to eat it and make it right.

The link to pay through Costco is literally a portal to the cruiseline’s site. How could the same room be double-booked without Disney’s site being involved? And the money would be going directly to Disney. So why wouldn’t disney refund?

 

[lilsonicfan]

The reason I know about it is because people would call us to fight about it, presumably because it wasn't getting resolved through Costco. In this situation, Disney doesn't give any money back, so it's up to Costco to eat it and make it right. I don't know how Costco deals with it, but if it was easy to get it taken care of, guests wouldn't have been calling in ...

I find this so so odd especially if it’s DCL. As bumbershoot said, the page to pay for DCL cruises just goes to DCL - the payment is made directly to them. It’s why Costco lets you pay with Disney GCs if you call, because they just call DCL to get it all set up. I can’t even fathom why DCL wouldn’t refund a double payment in this case. Are you telling me that DCL just applies a $5,325 OBC when the cruise costs $5,325? That’s just nuts.

On my last cruise, I asked Costco to extend my payment deadline so as to match up better with my cc billing cycle. They gave me an extra week and said they would put the payment through manually. They did, but it was in the wrong amount because it was charged in the wrong currency by mistake. Instead of going through a refund process with me and charging me again, Costco just made the rest of the payment to DCL on my behalf acknowledging it was their error. I therefore have utter faith they will always, always resolve customer service issues. But, I’m pretty loyal!

 

[pixiedustedme]

I just received our cash cards. You can cash those out? I assumed I had to use them towards merchandise. It’s about $1400 so that would be awesome!

Take the cash card to costumer service and ask them to cash it out. It shouldn't be a problem. They like to please a customer (booking cruises for us is an easy moneymaker for them). I've always had them hand me the cash, but on the boards I read about someone who was getting over $1,000 back being given a check instead of cash.

 

[brentm77]

Yep. It's been happening for years and I've seen it in the last 12 months (though not as a cast member). It happens because Costco puts the payment through using your card, their system freezes and then acts like it didn't go through when it did, so Costco puts it back through. It isn't specific to DCL; it happens with other travel booked through Costco too.

The reason I know about it is because people would call us to fight about it, presumably because it wasn't getting resolved through Costco. In this situation, Disney doesn't give any money back, so it's up to Costco to eat it and make it right. I don't know how Costco deals with it, but if it was easy to get it taken care of, guests wouldn't have been calling in about it. (I've even had calls from the port asking which reservation we wanted them to check in because the guest had two booked through Costco.) Personally, there's just no cash card that is worth the risk of that happening and then having to spend my time trying to get it fixed. Granted, I am jaded. It's annoying getting yelled at for a problem you didn't cause all because someone wants a cash card but isn't willing to abide by the fact that in order to get that cash card Costco owns their reservation so they're the only ones who can cancel, make payment, or refund.

I agree with others, your explanation just doesn't make sense with how the system is setup with Costco. I am not questioning that you have seen problems, just that it must be something else happening.

First, you said it was a matter of double-booking, then you said it was a matter of Costco's credit card processing freezing and charging twice. If it is the double-booking, I don't see how the customer wouldn't see the double-booking when they log into the Disneycruise.com website, Costco, or even in the confirmation emails, and be able to fix it prior to final payment. Also, for those booking specific rooms, that would not be possible in the system to book the same room twice.

If it is the freezing issue, then that doesn't make sense either. First, Disney wouldn't just say, "thanks for paying us twice, were keeping it!" That would be illegal. Second, you act as if the customer is going to eat the double-payment in the end. It would be an easy thing to dispute on your credit card and get back. Companies can't just charge you twice and keep the money.

Also, we aren't talking about a small cash card. For many, we are talking about $1,000 plus. That is well worth having Costco act as an intermediary. Thousands of people here use them without any problem at all. I have had great experiences using them to book and make requests to Disney. I also make requests directly to Disney without a problem.

As for people yelling at you, people can be such jerks. I worked a phone job for many years and the people who were nice when a problem arose always received the best resolution possible. You get more flies with honey, as they say. I wish people would understand that the people on the front lines never set the policies, and rarely caused the problem that arose. Stay calm, state your concern, and work up the through the system when necessary.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Yep. It's been happening for years and I've seen it in the last 12 months (though not as a cast member). It happens because Costco puts the payment through using your card, their system freezes and then acts like it didn't go through when it did, so Costco puts it back through. It isn't specific to DCL; it happens with other travel booked through Costco too.

The reason I know about it is because people would call us to fight about it, presumably because it wasn't getting resolved through Costco. In this situation, Disney doesn't give any money back, so it's up to Costco to eat it and make it right. I don't know how Costco deals with it, but if it was easy to get it taken care of, guests wouldn't have been calling in about it. (I've even had calls from the port asking which reservation we wanted them to check in because the guest had two booked through Costco.) Personally, there's just no cash card that is worth the risk of that happening and then having to spend my time trying to get it fixed. Granted, I am jaded. It's annoying getting yelled at for a problem you didn't cause all because someone wants a cash card but isn't willing to abide by the fact that in order to get that cash card Costco owns their reservation so they're the only ones who can cancel, make payment, or refund.

I agree with others, your explanation just doesn't make sense with how the system is setup with Costco. I am not questioning that you have seen problems, just that it must be something else happening.

First, you said it was a matter of double-booking, then you said it was a matter of Costco's credit card processing freezing and charging twice. If it is the double-booking, I don't see how the customer wouldn't see the double-booking when they log into the Disneycruise.com website, Costco, or even in the confirmation emails, and be able to fix it prior to final payment. Also, for those booking specific rooms, that would not be possible in the system to book the same room twice.

If it is the freezing issue, then that doesn't make sense either. First, Disney wouldn't just say, "thanks for paying us twice, were keeping it!" That would be illegal. Second, you act as if the customer is going to eat the double-payment in the end. It would be an easy thing to dispute on your credit card and get back. Companies can't just charge you twice and keep the money.

Also, we aren't talking about a small cash card. For many, we are talking about $1,000 plus. That is well worth having Costco act as an intermediary. Thousands of people here use them without any problem at all. I have had great experiences using them to book and make requests to Disney. I also make requests directly to Disney without a problem.

As for people yelling at you, people can be such jerks. I worked a phone job for many years and the people who were nice when a problem arose always received the best resolution possible. You get more flies with honey, as they say. I wish people would understand that the people on the front lines never set the policies, and rarely caused the problem that arose. Stay calm, state your concern, and work up the through the system when necessary.

I have to agree with @brentm77. I believe you've seen these problems and I'm interested in more details of what you've seen. From your description, I can't seem to get my head around why this wouldn't have been resolved long before getting to port.

@ProgressCity - Do you mind providing more details. Obviously this isn't just a "double booked" or a "double payment" issue. It sounds like you're saying there are multiple issues. As a Costco user, I'd like to have more understanding to make sure I'm not a victim of system error. Thanks in advance.