Booking through AAA, COSTCO, etc

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jfeasel

Mouseketeer

Joined

Oct 2, 2000

• Dec 16, 2017

• #1

Extended family wants to do a 7 day Disney Cruise. There would be 10-12 of us. My family of 4 has done the cruise before. Is there a benefit (cost breaks or extra benefits) to booking through AAA or Costco or even AARP as grandparents and aunts and cousins would be going this time around.
Julie

 

Disneypeach

Fan of the Fort

Joined

Oct 14, 2010

• Dec 16, 2017

• #2

Can't speak to AAA or AARP but I book thru Costco and get 8% back in the form of a Costco gift card...you get an extra 2% if you are an executive membership.

 

PrincessShmoo

DIS veteran

Joined

Feb 12, 2009

• Dec 16, 2017

• #3

jfeasel said:

Extended family wants to do a 7 day Disney Cruise. There would be 10-12 of us. My family of 4 has done the cruise before. Is there a benefit (cost breaks or extra benefits) to booking through AAA or Costco or even AARP as grandparents and aunts and cousins would be going this time around.
Julie

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Generally, there's no cost break/extra benefits for booking using a travel agent. BUT, many TAs do give perks for using them to book. As noted Costco gives percentage back in credit to use at Costco after you return from the cruise. Many TAs, if they give perks, will do a bottle of champagne, or a photo package, or onboard credit to be used during the cruise. Some TAs don't.

One big benefit (IMO) for using a TA in your case is that the TA will be the center point for everyone to contact with their payments/questions/issues. It's a pain in the neck to be the center point for a group (especially relatives) in cases like these.

 

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mj2vacation

I only work to afford my toys and travel!

Joined

Oct 19, 2005

• Dec 16, 2017

• #4

Disneypeach said:

Can't speak to AAA or AARP but I book thru Costco and get 8% back in the form of a Costco gift card...you get an extra 2% if you are an executive membership.

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You also get 3% back if you have the Costco citi card. So 8+2+3

 

M

Mousequake

DIS Veteran

Joined

Apr 29, 2012

• Dec 17, 2017

• #5

PrincessShmoo said:

One big benefit (IMO) for using a TA in your case is that the TA will be the center point for everyone to contact with their payments/questions/issues. It's a pain in the neck to be the center point for a group (especially relatives) in cases like these.

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Thanks for pointing this out. I think that's one huge advantage that gets overlooked here in all the "what perks can a TA give me" discussions. They handle all the annoying stuff for you.

 

havaneselover

Dreaming about a Disney cruise

Joined

Nov 9, 2009

• Dec 17, 2017

• #6

mj2vacation said:

You also get 3% back if you have the Costco citi card. So 8+2+3

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Same with chase Sapphire Reserve (worth 4.5% in the UR portal) or can pay with gift cards (my gift card savings average 15-20%). I’ve booked twice through Costco. No complaints.

 

kenthanson

Mouseketeer

Joined

Sep 17, 2013

• Dec 17, 2017

• #7

That's the reason I still use a TA, I could figure it out myself but when something goes wrong that's someone else's job to figure it out.

 

_auroraborealis_

I like marshmallows. And adult beverages.

Joined

Oct 18, 2015

• Dec 17, 2017

• #8

I will say that if you want a TA to handle the "annoying stuff," AAA and Costco won't be among your better options. They're better for self-sufficient travelers and groups, versus an agent where you have a personal, single point of contact. One name, one number to call. At AAA and Costco, you deal with call centers.

 

CyndiLouWho

DIS Veteran

Joined

Feb 7, 2013

• Dec 17, 2017

• #9

_auroraborealis_ said:

At AAA and Costco, you deal with call centers.

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Actually AAA has personal TA's. I used a TA from AAA Mid Atlantic to book our vacation in the past. One person, one email address & phone number, it was all her.

 

PrincessShmoo

DIS veteran

Joined

Feb 12, 2009

• Dec 17, 2017

• #10

CyndiLouWho said:

Actually AAA has personal TA's. I used a TA from AAA Mid Atlantic to book our vacation in the past. One person, one email address & phone number, it was all her.

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Yes, but not all of them are very knowledgeable about Disney cruises. Or any cruises. We used a AAA TA for one cruise (not DCL) and every time I had a question her response was "I don't know, let's call and find out". Yeah, well, I can do that myself. And no perk for booking with them.

 

lanejudy

Moderator

Moderator

Joined

Oct 27, 2011

• Dec 18, 2017

• #11

AAA used to give a free photo package... that was several years ago before Disney and AAA dissolved their agreement, so I'm not sure if it's still offered.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

PrincessShmoo

DIS veteran

Joined

Feb 12, 2009

• Dec 18, 2017

• #12

lanejudy said:

AAA used to give a free photo package... that was several years ago before Disney and AAA dissolved their agreement, so I'm not sure if it's still offered.

Enjoy your cruise!

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It wasn't earlier this year.

 

FigmentSpark

DIS Veteran

Joined

Apr 9, 2016

• Dec 18, 2017

• #13

I didn't get anything from the CAA when we cruised. I even had to go pick up my paperwork. The agent was nice, and did the things I wanted, but nothing extra and nothing as a thanks for our business. I went to Costco for our next one.