eflick Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 So we booked through Costco and only now (44 days to go) found out that Costco doesn't participate in Royal Up. I have also had trouble booking Massages in the spa. It simply says that they are "Currently unavailable" and has been this way since we lifted and shifted over a year ago. I'm not sure if they are related but I feel like we're getting the short end of the stick because we boked through Costco. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Is Royal Up completely out of reach for us? Do I need to call and be "that guy"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariesgirl384 Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 When booking with Costco, it specifically states they do not participate in the various cruise lines upgrade programs. We booked with Costco and haven't had any problems. Admittedly, I haven't tried to book massages but I was able to do other purchases in my cruise planner. Royal UP is out of reach for Costco bookings. But I also found the gift card deal and the 2% on my executive membership were worth more to me. Hope this helps! sammy79 and SebagoSue 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 My understanding is that you cannot Royal Up when booked through Costco. As to the massages, I’m guessing, post covid, that has to be booked on board. Same with entertainment currently. KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingNewb Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 I am not sure, but my understanding is that any reservations for any dining, activity, or entertainment related item must be done once on board. KristiZ and teddy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon1979 Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 hmm.. I booked through Costco for a trip on Mariner in May 2022. This is our first cruise, for all intents and purposes, but we didn't have any "real" issues with Costco, except for their long hold time and the inability to re-price direct through RC. For instance, I found today that the cruise we are sailing on is around $100 cheaper on the RC site. When I called them, they said that I would have to take that up with Costco. However, the Costco Travel site shows the room as being the same price (from what I can tell.) I agree with @ariesgirl384, there website did say that they do not participate, though I just remember reading that. I'm not sue how prominently it says that. Additionally, we also like the idea of the Costco Shop card and the 2% earning on our Executive Membership, as well as the the additional 3% on our Costco Visa. The only other item I would add is, once we booked the cruise through Costco, I didn't see any other reason to use them for booking add-on's, i.e. massages, excursions etc. All of those items are booked through the RC website, from what I could tell. We are pretty far out from our trip in May, but we also don't have the option to book massages or even a beach bed on Labadie, at the moment. I guess those things will "come online" over time. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 1 hour ago, Pooch said: My understanding is that you cannot Royal Up when booked through Costco. As to the massages, I’m guessing, post covid, that has to be booked on board. Same with entertainment currently. My daughter was able to book her massage for her upcoming Feb cruise. Could be different ships have different rules? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariesgirl384 Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 2 hours ago, Brandon1979 said: hmm.. I booked through Costco for a trip on Mariner in May 2022. This is our first cruise, for all intents and purposes, but we didn't have any "real" issues with Costco, except for their long hold time and the inability to re-price direct through RC. For instance, I found today that the cruise we are sailing on is around $100 cheaper on the RC site. When I called them, they said that I would have to take that up with Costco. However, the Costco Travel site shows the room as being the same price (from what I can tell.) I agree with @ariesgirl384, there website did say that they do not participate, though I just remember reading that. I'm not sue how prominently it says that. Additionally, we also like the idea of the Costco Shop card and the 2% earning on our Executive Membership, as well as the the additional 3% on our Costco Visa. The only other item I would add is, once we booked the cruise through Costco, I didn't see any other reason to use them for booking add-on's, i.e. massages, excursions etc. All of those items are booked through the RC website, from what I could tell. We are pretty far out from our trip in May, but we also don't have the option to book massages or even a beach bed on Labadie, at the moment. I guess those things will "come online" over time. Hope that helps! I was able to get a price reduction through Costco on my cruise thankfully. Maybe still worth a call in? I remember the agent I got said well I may or may not be able to log in and do it myself, I may have to call (meaning the agent). But I think we were within whatever time period, because she was able to log in and she saw the price I saw. At the time, I couldn't even price it out on Costco's website, because my room category wasn't showing any longer for my cruise - I was going by what Royal's site was pricing out and just seeing if it would work. The only part I wish is that I could take advantage of the additional crown and anchor on board credit offers Royal keeps sending me. *The royal up language was probably in small print and I think I read it in the terms and conditions section just before hitting purchase. So it's definitely easy to overlook! This is our first cruise using Costco (my first 2 I did direct with Royal) but so far, no real issues. Brandon1979 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eflick Posted February 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 5 hours ago, ariesgirl384 said: When booking with Costco, it specifically states they do not participate in the various cruise lines upgrade programs. I guess I missed that fine print. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon1979 Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 16 hours ago, ariesgirl384 said: I was able to get a price reduction through Costco on my cruise thankfully. Maybe still worth a call in? I remember the agent I got said well I may or may not be able to log in and do it myself, I may have to call (meaning the agent). But I think we were within whatever time period, because she was able to log in and she saw the price I saw. At the time, I couldn't even price it out on Costco's website, because my room category wasn't showing any longer for my cruise - I was going by what Royal's site was pricing out and just seeing if it would work. The only part I wish is that I could take advantage of the additional crown and anchor on board credit offers Royal keeps sending me. *The royal up language was probably in small print and I think I read it in the terms and conditions section just before hitting purchase. So it's definitely easy to overlook! This is our first cruise using Costco (my first 2 I did direct with Royal) but so far, no real issues. Really helpful info @ariesgirl384. Their hold times have been pretty atrocious lately. (So, not Costco. I'm guessing it is related to staffing.) I will give that a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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