5 Things You Didn't Know About Booking a Costco Cruise

Table Of Content

• Award vs. cash calculator
• Everything you need to know about Costco Travel — and why I love it for saving money
• Deals on non-points hotel stays and all-inclusive resorts
• The Best Costco Cruise Deals are Kirkland Signature and Buyer's Choice
• Do you have to be a Costco member to use Costco Travel?
• When is Costco Travel not worth it?

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. But more often than not, when shipboard credits and other incentives were tallied, Costco Travel came out as low as, or lower than, other options. First-time cruisers who need a little more handholding to understand cabin and dining options might benefit by working with a traditional travel agent.

Award vs. cash calculator

When we checked, a Costco "savor and spa" cruise aboard Anthem of the Seas offered similar value. Another member, RSF Cruiser, has booked about two Princess cruises a year for the past five years and has been "totally pleased." For me, the $60 annual membership fee to Costco has been more than worth it to utilize Costco Travel. Costco Travel does not sell every cruise line, but it does handle all of the largest brands, including Carnival. There's no hard sell (phone reps are not on commission), cruise cancellations are handled efficiently and without hassle, and the invoicing is clear and easy to read.

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Everything you need to know about Costco Travel — and why I love it for saving money

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. Vacation packages range from hotel-only offers to all-encompassing packages that include airfare, hotel stays and rental cars.

Deals on non-points hotel stays and all-inclusive resorts

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. I admittedly don't use Costco for groceries often (buying in bulk doesn't make a lot of sense for someone who lives alone), but I have used shop cards to help pay for Christmas presents and future Costco Travel trips. I've actually been looking into using my most recent Digital Costco Shop Card on a new pair of AirPods and a new TV mount for my living room.

Here's another example — this time for a Universal Orlando theme park trip from June 4-6 for one adult and two children from Houston. The total cost when booking each part (hotel, tickets and airfare) individually came to $2,701.35, while booking it as a package via Costco saved just over $300. 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.

Costco does not assign a specific agent to your booking, so you're unlikely to talk to the same call center representative twice. And since Hotel Wailea isn't a member of any major hotel loyalty program, booking through Costco Travel wouldn't mean missing out on elite night credits or other loyalty program benefits. Costco isn't just the place where you can buy toilet paper in bulk, inexpensive gas, cheap hot dogs and gift cards. 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).

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. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don’t cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. 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.

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When is Costco Travel not worth it?

However, comparing the prices and benefits at a few of the resorts proved my initial reaction wrong. Because the cruise industry aims to enforce pricing parity across all booking channels, discounts don't usually appear in the upfront cruise fare. If you're curious about how to use Costco Travel to find deals, here's everything you need to know about Costco Travel — and why I love it for saving money on travel.

Even without including the additional benefits, you're already saving more than $400 via the Costco deal. Add in the value you get from the card, daily breakfast and resort credit (which is more than $1,000 in value if you maximize all benefits), and you're looking at $1,442.45 in savings by booking through Costco Travel versus directly. Trips booked through Costco Travel are often discounted and/or include perks and benefits you may not get by booking directly or through other booking portals. Usually, a trip booked through Costco Travel will also include a Digital Costco Shop Card (essentially a type of Costco gift card) of varying value.

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. Whether or not you currently have a Costco membership, you shouldn't dismiss Costco Travel as just another online travel agency.

I've found that the Costco Travel deals alone are worth paying the $60 Gold Star annual membership fee, even though I don't regularly use Costco for my grocery store runs. Once you log in to Costco Travel, you can search for specific dates or destinations or browse through available deals and featured destinations. I personally love perusing the limited-time deals when I know I want to plan a getaway but don't have a specific destination in mind.

If you're on the hunt for a long weekend getaway, you may not be able to take advantage of some Costco Travel deals. For instance, sailings marked "Buyer's Choice" or "Kirkland Signature" come with extra perks and amenities, exclusive to Costco members. After booking our fantastic stay at TRS Coral just north of Cancun through Costco, I looked at booking through Costco again in 2023 when planning our annual beach vacation.

Costco offers these benefits to their customers on select cruises; executive-level Costco members usually receive even greater credits. Booked direct through the cruise line, a the lowest-priced balcony cabin came to $1,894 per person, including a $100 onboard credit offer. Something else to consider when booking hotels through Costco Travel is loyalty program rewards and elite status.