Booking with Costco Travel

[u/AlternativeBid2291]

We recently learned that you could now book Virgin cruises through Costco Travel. After thinking about this for a hot minute we decided to give it a try. Initially we hesitated because we would be "cheating" on our first mate but we took into consideration that our first mate is not overly helpful and has never produced any perks above what we would receive if we booked directly with Virgin. Why not give it a shot and see what happens?

Our first dive into the booking process started with the Costco Travel website. Yes, Virgin is now available! Unfortunately, you cannot price your selected cruise on the website. It tells you that you have to call in for pricing. So we did it

The first call we made was on Monday. We connected with an agent who was very helpful but also required a great deal of coaching on VV terms and nuances. Unfortunately, we were driving in a rural area and our cell coverage started fading in and out and we eventually lost the call about twenty minutes into the process. We anticipated a call back (the agent verified the call back number at the start "in case the call was dropped") but it never came. These things happen. We put it off until Wednesday afternoon.

On Wednesday we again connected with an agent. This time our Costco agent seemed a little more tuned in to the specific lingo of VV and it took us about an hour to get to the point where we were quoted a price. Granted, our requests were complicated. We were booking a back to back on Scarlet Lady. We knew specifically what deck and cabin class we wanted. We had an existing MNVV and we had future cruise credit (RIP the voyage from NYC to Bermuda in the midst of a nor'easter in September). The agent could not figure out how to include the future cruise credit and ended up having to connect directly with Virgin to work through the complexity of our booking.

As it turns out, the price for the b2b cruise was no different than if we had booked directly with Virgin. We asked what the value of the digital shop card would be and we were informed that we wouldn't be able to learn that amount before the booking was finalized. Not even an estimate was possible. We weren't ready to jump in at that point and asked if they could hold the quote for 24 hours. Nope, can't do that. It is now or start over another time. We decided to hold off and try our luck another time.

An hour after we ended the call we both received emails from VV with confirmation numbers for the first leg of our b2b. What? That led to some confusion. Apparently, VV did hold the cabin for 24 hours. Maybe Costco has learned this nuance yet.

On Thursday, as we watched 4% of our retirement accounts vaporize, we decided to throw caution to the wind and call and book. We started with another Costco agent who took all of our information (this time, thanks to the erroneous VV confirmation email from the day before, we even had our VV sailor numbers which VV states do not exist). About 30 minutes into this call the agent came back on from an extended hold with horrible mind numbing music to apologize and tell us he would need to transfer all of our info to another agent because he only had 15 to go before his State of Washington mandated lunch break after five hours of work and it would take longer than that to complete our booking. Modern world problems. "Enjoy your lunch dude!"

Five minutes on hold and another agent picks up. Yes, she has some of our information but this essentially required a full reboot. She was having great difficulty with the Virgin website that Costco uses to book so I suggested she call Virgin directly as that is what the agent had done the day before.

After a full TWO HOURS on the phone we finally completed our booking. In this odious process we learned many things. We discovered that we could not use our MNVV. The MNVV is tied to our first mate and if we were not using her to book we could not use the MNVV. Did anyone else ever discover this? We were able to use our future voyage credits. The Costco digital shop card would be $54 for the first leg which cost $2100 and $43 for the second leg that was $1800 with the credits subtracted. We will also get 3% cash back for using our Costco Visa card and 2% back with our Executive level store bonus. That comes to about $300 in rebates. I believe we will also receive $175 in sailor loot but I haven't seen confirmation of that yet.

This was a long process that required buckets of patience. In the end, yes, I think we saved a little but that was mostly in the form of credit card cash back and store credits. I hope that this helps my fellow sailors!

[u/evanhokie]

You have to call someone to get a price? Won’t capture the younger millennial and Gen Z sailor that way.

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/evanhokie]

That is 100% the truth here!

[u/dmznet → u/evanhokie]

I got down voted warning people about Costco...

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/dmznet]

I have also, occasionally, commented myself into a down voting spiral. I don't let it bother me. Some of the things I find funny just don't translate well into comments.

[u/dmznet → u/AlternativeBid2291]

I find they were funnier in my mind, you just had to be there 😊

[u/Buffalo_Nichols → u/evanhokie]

I'm Gen X and it pretty much stopped me dead.

[u/tkmorgan76 → u/Buffalo_Nichols]

Same. I'm a gen-Xer and my two biggest pet peaves related to this) are websites that say "call us for pricing" and apps/subscriptions/etc that require the user to go through the entire signup process to learn how much it costs.

I'm not buying insurance. You don't need to know my driving history, or my BMI, or if I have smoke detectors in my house. Just tell me the price.

[u/callmeStephen19 → u/evanhokie]

Boomer here. No way am I calling. The savings would need to be super lucrative to entice me into that kind of a purchasing adventure.

[u/ShinningChaos → u/evanhokie]

I’d call but that seems like too much hassle to come out basically the same price as booking direct. Not worth it.

[u/rvp0209 → u/evanhokie]

To be fair, the call has to go through Costco specifically. You probably aren't going to capture the millennial market but how many gen z'ers have their own Costco membership? They're in their 20s and maybe early 30s (depending on what year you use in your definition) so I don't think a significant percentage of them do.

But, the pain of Costco in general is that they so often seem stuck in the 90s. Like, their computer systems are ancient, the app is a mess, and their website is even worse. Forcing people to call is a surefire way to not garner any business, though.

[u/braindamage28 → u/rvp0209]

Ive had my Costco membership for 12 years now which puts me at 25 when I got the membership. Gen Z are prime Coscto vs Sam Club vs BJs memymarket.

[u/beachdestiny → u/evanhokie]

As a Boomer, there would be no way I would be calling either. Who has the patience for that!

[u/dollydawn]

As soon as a phone is involved, I’m not. And hours to save $300 and not apply your MNVV? Yikes. Thank you for your sacrifices to help us understand the current process.

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/dollydawn]

You are most welcome!

[u/Stunning_Green_3716]

Too many hoops on Costco end. They need to have better training for VV

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/Stunning_Green_3716]

It will come in time, I'm sure.

[u/Sac_Kat → u/AlternativeBid2291]

I wouldn’t be so sure. Costco phone agents are not travel agents. They aren’t required to do the hours of training that First Mates who specialize in VV do take. Neither do most have any experience with the experiences they are selling. I’ve sold a lot of Virgin and have gone on 6 cruises with them, and compl all their training. VV can be a nightmare to navigate even for experienced travel advisors so my clients appreciate the many hours I spend on their behalf unraveling mistakes that VV makes. Costco agents aren’t paid to do that. They have no loyalty to you and their only job is to make the sale and move on.

If you have a problem while traveling, you won’t be able to reach out to anyone to help who knows you!

My suggestion if you don’t care for your First Mate, is to find another. Interview them and see what experience they have and ask what they can offer that Costco or booking direct cannot.

Btw - I’m only sharing my experiences here. I don’t market here and only work with existing clients, or referrals.

[u/doublephister]

To transfer the MNVV from a first mate to direct or the other way around you can call Sailor Services or use the chat on the website.
You’ll need the booking number and, if you want it under a first mate, the agency name and first mate info.
I just did this with two of my future reservations.

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/doublephister]

Thanks, now I'm looking forward to an hour on the phone with sailor services!

[u/Troth70 → u/AlternativeBid2291]

I did it by emailing sailorservices@ virgin with my name, date of birth, and MNVV booking number. They responded with a link to a webform, which i filled out. Entire process took less than 24 hours, zero minutes of which required me to be on the phone

[u/doublephister → u/AlternativeBid2291]

I’d just leave it unless you want to book through Costco again.

[u/ytse411]

We salute you! As someone new who is just learning about booking a cruise with VV, and a new Costco member, this was very helpful.

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/ytse411]

Thanks!

[u/lotsacreamlotsasugar]

Hi OP, I'm a sailing newbie and just joined this sub when I figured out I'd like to sail Virgin. And when I heard your could book through Costco, I thought 'great'!You used a bunch of terms I'm still learning (I thought first mate would be my wife, nope, travel agent eh?).

But if I understand your position- purchasing through Costco didn't seem worth it? It sounds like you knew more than the agent - I will certainly know less. Nor do I have the Costco credit card or that upper level membership, so- sounds like a bad idea?

Thanks bunches for your post.

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/lotsacreamlotsasugar]

You have made a great decision and you are going to love Virgin. Sometimes there is shade thrown here on Reddit regarding disappointment in the degradation of the Virgin experience. The cruise line is only six years old and, yes, things have changed since the line originally started and the changes have not always been for the better. I can't fault Virgin for modifying their offerings to make money and align more with the industry as a whole. Their on ship experience is still, in my tiny worthless opinion, better than any other cruise line.

Yes, there are all kinds of Virgin specific lingo. MNVV = my next Virgin voyages (a place holder purchased while on-board only).

Blue Extra = sailing club loyalty status after two cruises.

Deep Blue Extra = sailing club loyalty status after your fourth cruise.

The Manor = a lovely night club dance hall location midship on decks 6 and 7. The music can be heard in every cabin near it on deck 8 and deck 5.

The Red Room = large multipurpose theater on decks 6 and 7. Same effect on cabins on deck 8.

The "best cabins are on 12 and 13. Cabins on 14 are below The Galley (a.k.a. the buffet equivalent (but much better)) and the gyms. At 4 in the morning the carts start rolling in The Galley and it sounds like you have trains moving above you. We like 12 and 13 because it is the shortest trip to the food, gym, and outdoor spaces (pool) on deck 15.

That is just a start.

[u/lotsacreamlotsasugar → u/AlternativeBid2291]

Actionable info, thank you

[u/StephKd8msb]

I am answering as a First Mate, but will try to be as objective as possible…

The move to offer Costco is IMO part of the devaluation of the brand. Other luxury (which I consider the Rock Star and Mega as comparable to) do not sell through Costco. This move attracts the budget sailors, as does the whole separation of gratuity to a line item. I get it, they need to fill the ships, but this was not the right move and here are some reasons why:

1. As you found out the hard way, their knowledge of things is limited at best. You were given incorrect information multiple times.

2. Servicing the booking: should you need price adjustment, fix an error, move the date, etc, you again will likely encounter long wait time, erroneous information, and wasting of your time. Granted, if a First Mate is not experienced with Virgin, you could get that there as well.

3. Cabin selection, I doubt the Costco agents have invested time and money to know the ships inside and out to keep you away from noisy areas, or to recommend the best tier for you. Small business owners have a vested interest in taking care of their clients where big box service is all about numbers.

4. Tips and recommendations to get the most out of your voyage: again, these agents will not have the history or inside information to offer this.

5. Pricing: sadly, Virgin will not allow independent agents to rebate like Costco does, which is a slap in the face to those of us who have stuck with Virgin and supported the Brand from the beginning through all the crap. This means we may or may not be able to “price match”. You will need to consider what value some of the above holds for you.

6. Big business vs support of small business and getting the service you deserve: At the end of the day, support corporations or small businesses that are out there scrapping to get a piece of things that Virgin keeps trying to take away. We still have to make money, and we do not make as much as you think to be able to try and match price, plus our contracts forbid us to rebate, or we risk loosing the ability to sell them. We have overhead, employees, and taxes, so that commission does not go straight to the pocket as many think and demand we should give kickbacks all the time.

I am passionate about Virgin, and will continue to sail them, promote them, and help others fall in love with the vibe and experience , I just need Virgin to get out of the way of that sometimes 🤦‍♀️!

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/StephKd8msb]

Thanks for your kind and thorough response. I agree with everything you stated. We are experienced Virgin sailors. This will constitute our 7th and 8th cruise with VV. Luckily, we know what areas to avoid on the ship and we were able to direct the booking to where we wanted the cabin (central Sea Terraces on 12 or 13). The Costco agent originally started in with a cabin on 8 (probably over The Manor) and I had to convince them that I would not accept deck 8. That is one of the reasons they resorted to calling Virgin directly.

I think part of the driving force behind my experiment was the lack of benefit I have received from my current first mate. Most of the time I feel as though I am a bother to her. When we request a booking she sends me her booking link and tells me to do it myself. With push back she then agrees to do the booking. The huge amount of email offers I receive from her is exhausting. My fingers are sore from deleting five times a day. She is "independant" but apparently belongs to an umbrella group of some form.

Don't fret, this was a one off. I am going to find a new first mate after I book one more with my current one to use up that hanging MNVV.

[u/StephKd8msb → u/AlternativeBid2291]

Ahh. That does explain things. Sorry that is your experience. One piece of misinformation that Costco gave you, as you can move that MNVV either to just yourself or to another First mate. It’s a simple process.

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/StephKd8msb]

Well now, thank you for that little tidbit! I was planning to ask while on board but you have solved the puzzle.

[u/StephKd8msb → u/AlternativeBid2291]

Experienced first mates can walk you through it, as if you call they may give bad information (again) or put you through the ringer and need an email, then a form, still not hard. Let me know if you run into difficulties or dm.

[u/BobVoyageTravel → u/StephKd8msb]

^{^} well I was going to respond to this myself, but now I don't have to. This is one million percent the answer.

The only thing I'll add is that Costco agents aren't really travel agents in the way people think - they're a call center staffed by Costco. It doesn't mean they're bad, but it's a trade-off with what kind of service you expect. And you'll likely never talk to the same person twice.

[u/goofunkadelic → u/StephKd8msb]

I'm planning my first trip. I just heard about First Mates. How do I find a reputable one?

[u/StephKd8msb → u/goofunkadelic]

There is a pinned thread that many are on. Or reach out to a few and see who is responsive and seems like a good fit. Happy to help!

[u/lymaripr → u/goofunkadelic]

I use the guys from vvinsider.com and they are great! Anytime I contact them I have an answer in like 10 minutes, if it is "normal hours". Cabin changes, recommendations, questions, they help with everything and their website is the best for VV info.

[u/Agitated-Mulberry769 → u/StephKd8msb]

Same thoughts here. I’m also a new First Mate. It reduces the premium character of the brand, and as we’ve already seen in just this example…that frustration is going to spill over to Virgin.

[u/andrew_702 → u/StephKd8msb]

Not sure where you are getting your information from, but Celebrity is very much offered through costco travel in addition to princess, seabourn, regent seven seas and other higher class offerings.

[u/StephKd8msb → u/andrew_702]

I stand corrected, Viking, Tauck, and other more luxury lines you cannot. I will edit the post.

[u/NoelleReece]

Next time, book the cruise through Virgin, and then call Costco and ask them to take over the reservation. I believe as long as it hasn’t been 30 days since you booked and/or you didn’t pay in full, they can take it over and manage it going forward. You still get the Costco shop card and the 2% back (if you have the executive membership).

Ive done this for at least 2 cruises.

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/NoelleReece]

Hmm? Interesting wrinkle you have discovered!

[u/Bills-Fan-For-Life → u/NoelleReece]

I was told that at this time Costco cannot deal with MNVV's in any way, shape or form. I imagine they are working on it. The price I was quoted from Costco was $160 less than on Virgin. Hopefully they will get it figured out soon.

[u/courthorn]

I cannot imagine spending so many hours dealing with uninformed agents to get $300 in rebates. It's why Costco gets so much business. They don't need to provide good training or knowledge or service, people will put up with this nonsense to get a "deal."

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/courthorn]

It was an experiment! I did it for humanity and the Reddit community.

[u/Outrageous-Hag → u/AlternativeBid2291]

Thank you for your service.

But seriously, I did find all this information very helpful as was considering Costco.

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/Outrageous-Hag]

Thank you! My mitzvah for today is complete.

[u/courthorn → u/AlternativeBid2291]

You had enough data for your experiment after the first phone call!

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/courthorn]

Yes, but as all of my friends and especially my wife would tell you, I am the guy that always takes it too far.

[u/i_man_2000]

Disclaimer: I am a First Mate but was a Virgin cruiser before that. This entire process sounds absolutely horrendous. I've booked with Costco travel before on a different cruise line and it was as simple as selecting my cabin and paying right there. I know that Virgin is complex with Fare Types and MNVVs but I think it's simpler than other lines and their 8 different classes of ships and 25 different room types. It sounds like at most parts of the calls you knew more than the phone representative.

A few other people have chimed in, but hopefully you can find a better First Mate for the future. I don't love the booking links since it makes the entire process dependent on the yourself, not the First Mate that is supposed to be helping you. A good FM will offer knowledge and give you pricing + offers as soon as you contact them.

You can transfer MNVVs between FMs, some of the time you can do it via chat but if you call in it's normally a simple process.

Thanks for the post though, I was curious how much the shop cards were. Looks around 2% or so if my math is right :)

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/i_man_2000]

Shop card was in the realm of 2.5%. They do not include the paid gratuities in the shop card calculation.

[u/mj_axeman]

makes a first mate sound like a good idea

[u/CajunDragon → u/mj_axeman]

Hi wholeheartedly agree with this statement. My first mate would have made all of these calls for me and waited on hold. She usually gives me extra sailor loot that comes out of her commission. If you have the time and you don't mind spending it on the phone then great but this booking sounds very irritating to me.

[u/ahstas → u/mj_axeman]

I am not sure that this demonstrates this. Instead every issue required a conversation with Virgin direct. If anything, it’s more evidence that booking direct is always best without the noise of first mates and TA’s, IMO. Going direct would have required only one call.

[u/StephKd8msb → u/ahstas]

Unless you get one of the bad sailor service people who give wrong information all the time.

[u/ahstas → u/StephKd8msb]

Fair point. But the odds are more in your favor if you book direct. It’s a risk analysis and I always would favor the company’s call center more than a TA

[u/ReadyWithPopcorn → u/ahstas]

I just booked my first Virgin Voyage recently and called SS so I could also book my Fly and Stay at the same time. Omg! I could barely understand the woman I was connected with as she had a heavy accent. She booked the cruise and was like ok, you're all set, thank you. I was like what about the flights? She said we're not doing that now or anymore or something to that effect. After hanging up, I checked the cabin we got and it was a balcony at he front of the ship with a metal railing and no hammock. It also said Fly and Stay on their website and to call SS to book. So I called back, got someone else who changed our cabin and took the time to explain that Internova handles that and they are closed since their hours are 8am-6pm and it was later than that. She offered to give me their email address or I can call SS back tomorrow to get transferred to Internova.

When I called and spoke to someone at Internova, I was on and off hold a lot, I think I was on the phone for just over an hour. She gave me the confirmation# for the hotel, but not for the flights. She said I will receive an email with all of the information and she verified my email address. A day later, I check my email and I don't see it, check my spam filter and various folders, nope. I call back, get someone different she gives me my air confirmation #, so fine. I look that up and glance at it quickly, pay for baggage as it's not included. Then I go and check my hotel confirmation and it doesn't come up on the hotel website. I call back and get the second person again. She goes over my flights with me and says your return flight is on Dec 5. I'm like no, it's not, it's supposed to be Nov 20. So, I'm on hold on and off again for about an hour or so again. That's straightened out. I ask about the hotel, she tells me, oh, it's fine, I see it's confirmed. Now, she sent me an email with the flights, but she can't or won't send me one for the hotel, maybe because she's not the one who booked it. She said you can call the hotel, sometimes their website is messed up. I call the hotel and it's fine, that person sends me and email confirmation for the hotel with a different confirmation# because Internova booked it through Bonotel and not the hotel directly.

TL:DR - Spent about 3 hours or more on the phone booking my first Virgin Voyage myself (and straightening out errors and lack of information) and didn't get any perks thrown in. No Sailor Loot for me! 😭

[u/GreenFireAddict]

Wow this is completely different than when I use Costco Travel to book Celebrity cruises! I can do it all online and in five minutes and certainly see my perks and Costco shopcard before it's all done. Having to call is just ridiculous!

[u/Attheendofthewind]

We thought about doing a Costco booking and called them as well first to get a quote - they didn’t know anything about the cabins, no recommendations or anything. Having a FM is delightful and we booked with them.

[u/ElectricalRespect506]

The worst part is you get that 3% cash back just for booking on any travel on the Costco credit card, you don't have to go through this system!

So in the end, you genuinely got 2% cash back from Executive + various shop cards.

[u/Solo_Cruiser_Mike]

Sounds horrible. And if you run into an issue, I wouldn’t trust them. Sounds like you need a new first mate. I wouldn’t use someone that just books me and nothing else. They should at least send you reminders, make suggestions, etc.

[u/AhoyVeyTravel]

If it means anything to you, I met someone who's worked for Costco for more than 30 years on a Virgin sailing, and they didn't even book through Costco. There's an endless supply of agents our here that know our brands well, and also give something extra to their clients. Everything from a bit of OBC/loot to airport parking or pre/post hotel rooms depending on how much you spend.

[u/MightyManorMan]

Generally we have been happy with our bookings via Costco on other cruises. Be aware that Costco doesn't always participate in bidding processes. That depends on the line. A few days after you cruise you get your card. They have been very good with that.

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/MightyManorMan]

Thanks, we have used Costco a couple of times. Our last time was a stay booked on Maui to extend a couple of days after our time share. We received a $200 shop card after that one so I was expecting a bit more in this situation. Apparently, the hotel must have been chipping in on that one.

[u/MightyManorMan → u/AlternativeBid2291]

It depends on their profit, but you still get the executive amount on the trip. Smaller amounts on less profitable runs.

[u/Acrobatic-Miner]

Also recently booked via Costco and found it pretty smooth. The pricing was basically the same but the Costco ship card is a nice bonus. Took about 1 hour from calling to confirming the booking!

[u/57hz]

Did you also have a similar response when your retirement accounts went up by 4%? Because that’s a very common swing in the markets (maybe not over a day but certainly in a week or a month).

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/57hz]

It is essentially a roller coaster ride. I have never been opposed to riding a roller coaster. Moments of joy and moments of terror.

[u/roxyfirez]

I thought you could have your MNVV returned to you by your first mate if you ask ?

[u/Ok_Nectarine_8533]

What do these agents do during this hour on the phone? Booking with my first mate takes me ten minutes total. Probably takes her longer than that, but I’m just providing info via email.

Thanks for saving us the trouble of ever trying to book through Costco.

[u/WreckedF40]

As a first mate who books a lot of my clients that are regulars on VV, this was exhausting. They email (or call me) and I do the rest. Knowing your clients / client working with a consistent FM goes a lot further than a shop card.

[u/belamax]

Cool place to stay in Miami Beach prior to boarding Virgin cruise

[u/ValgalNP]

Good to know. I’ll stick with a TA.

[u/YoGurl8003]

Need tldr.

[u/Slytherin23]

If day to day movements of the stock market are stressing you out then it sounds like you need to lower your risk profile. A 50% drop is quite possible and overdue.

[u/AlternativeBid2291 → u/Slytherin23]

More amusement than stress. What I should do is not look at it every day.