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Whether or not you currently have a Costco membership, you shouldn't dismiss Costco Travel as just another online travel agency. While Costco had a deal available for the same resort, we happened to be booking when the resort chain was having a Mother's Day sale for anyone booking directly. But for experienced cruisers who have a good idea of the ships and cabins they want, Costco Travel is worth checking out. The company does not sell some of the more upscale or boutique lines, such as Oceania, Silversea and Windstar, but Costco is definitely looking to expand its selection of cruise lines, according to Zegers. You may be inclined to think that a Costco membership is more suitable for people who live outside of cities. But there's much to be gained by joining Costco even if you live in a tiny apartment with no storage space whatsoever.
Costco Cruises Can Be a Great Deal
Not only does Costco.com carry a wide range of products you can order to have shipped to your door (often for free), but you can easily book your travel online. So all told, a membership could pay even if you never see what a Costco warehouse looks like in person. If you know where to look and are willing to price-check the deals you find, you can save a lot of money with Costco Travel deals.
When is Costco Travel not worth it?
Costco Travel Review: Luxury Bundled With Value - NerdWallet
Costco Travel Review: Luxury Bundled With Value.
Posted: Tue, 22 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
It features a lengthy 0% intro APR period, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee! If you live in a city, limited storage space may not be your only impediment to joining Costco. You might also have a hard time actually getting to a Costco store if you're someone without a car. Having reservation information for multiple aspects of a trip, such as a hotel and rental car package, makes sharing and saving the itineraries a breeze. Costco Travel has a nice deals section, and I usually look there first if I'm not sold on a specific destination for a getaway. While deals found on Costco generally have a narrow booking window, I've found that many offer a lot of flexibility for the actual trip dates.
The 13 Best Costco Travel Packages You Can Get Now - The Motley Fool
The 13 Best Costco Travel Packages You Can Get Now.
Posted: Fri, 24 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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A membership could be worth it even if you never set foot in the store
Because the cruise industry aims to enforce pricing parity across all booking channels, discounts don't usually appear in the upfront cruise fare. Another member, RSF Cruiser, has booked about two Princess cruises a year for the past five years and has been "totally pleased." Costco Travel does not sell every cruise line, but it does handle all of the largest brands, including Carnival.
Similarly, if you're someone who likes to travel, it could be worth joining Costco for the travel packages alone. A Costco vacation package to the Caribbean, for example, might cost you $2,500 for a week's stay. Booking a comparable package on your own or even with an outside travel agent might cost you $3,000. I'm often the travel planner in my friend group (which makes sense, considering what I do for a living), but not everyone is an avid points and miles user like myself. For group trips where we're splitting the cost of hotel rooms among multiple people, it often doesn't make sense to use points and miles to book. A few examples of limited-time deals for January include Hotel Wailea from the example earlier in this guide, all-inclusive resorts in Mexico's Riviera Maya, and Disney and Universal theme park packages.
Costco Travel Is Not for Everyone
However, when looking at properties not part of a major loyalty program, Costco Travel is often a go-to anytime I can find a deal. I actually got a Costco membership to book the deal since the cost of the membership was less than what we'd save by booking through Costco. We saved around $300 on a three-night stay at TRS Coral near Cancun (one of TPG's best all-inclusive resorts in Cancun), not including the free hydrotherapy spa circuit and the $241 Digital Costco Shop Card included in the package. I am typically a staunch proponent of booking directly, but Costco Travel is an exception. I've found that the benefits I can get by booking some trips via Costco outweigh the cons (some of which include having to go through Costco for any customer service help or occasionally losing out on elite night credits).
What's included in my cruise?
Costco does not assign a specific agent to your booking, so you're unlikely to talk to the same call center representative twice. Unlike a typical travel agent, Costco Travel also offers rebates issued as Costco Cash Cards. There's no rebate form to fill out; the cash card arrives in the mail two to four weeks after your cruise, to be used at Costco's warehouses or for online orders. That's been my experience when booking my own cruises, as well as sailings for family and friends. I've booked direct with cruise lines, used traditional brick-and-mortar travel agencies and gone through online travel suppliers like Expedia, Vacations To Go and American Discount Cruises.
Digital Costco Shop Cards
The Digital Costco Shop Cards can be used for Costco warehouse purchases (a game changer with grocery prices so high due to inflation), but you can also use them toward future Costco Travel bookings. You could use a Digital Costco Shop Card to buy a new flat-screen TV for movie nights and game days, a new outdoor patio setup ahead of summer or even Costco Pharmacy prescriptions. At the time of writing, Costco is currently offering a hotel and rental car package for Hotel Wailea, a Relais & Chateaux affiliated property and one of TPG's favorite Maui hotels. Although we know (and love) Costco warehouses for their bulk bargains, not all categories at Costco require plus-sized buys. (Think jeans, mattresses and wine, which can be purchased individually.) Cruises are the same. But the reality is that you can benefit from a Costco membership even if you never so much as enter a store.
Let's say you pay $60 for a basic Costco membership and only shop there once during the year. But generally speaking, city dwellers tend to have less room to store things at home than those in suburban and rural areas. So that begs the question -- is a Costco membership worth it if you live in a city?
While the disadvantage of a cash card over a shipboard credit is that Costco hangs onto your rebate for a month longer, the payoff is usually greater. And, as anyone who regularly shops at Costco knows, it doesn't take long to blow through a few hundred dollars in gas fill-ups alone. Savvy cruisers, including many Cruise Critic members, have saved big by booking cruises through Costco. Here are five things you don't know about booking a Costco cruise -- and why Costco Travel is my first -- and usually last -- stop when shopping for a cruise. ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites.
You can book hotels, cruises, rental cars and vacation packages through Costco Travel. Vacation packages range from hotel-only offers to all-encompassing packages that include airfare, hotel stays and rental cars. All Costco members have access to the Costco Travel booking platform, where you can find and book a wide range of travel — from vacation packages to hotels, cruises and rental cars. You can even book theme park vacation packages to Disney and Universal or specialty vacations such as an African safari. Costco offers these benefits to their customers on select cruises; executive-level Costco members usually receive even greater credits. Costco members can find everything from groceries to household necessities to electronics to a pharmacy, and more.
The Ascent is a Motley Fool service that rates and reviews essential products for your everyday money matters. Many people think of Costco as a place to buy milk, eggs, meat, and toilet paper in bulk. For me, the $60 annual membership fee to Costco has been more than worth it to utilize Costco Travel. It's worth digging a little deeper on the Costco Travel website for even better deals.
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