Here's What Happens When Your Costco Vacation Is Canceled

Many people think of Costco as the place to go when you need crackers or toilet paper in bulk. But one perk of joining Costco is getting access to its travel services.

If you go to Costco Travel, you'll be privy to a host of vacation packages that cover all the fine details of your trip so you don't have to stress about anything. You can even create your own custom package if that's a route you want to take.

Many Costco vacation packages offer savings beyond what you'd get by booking your plans directly. For example, you might snag a free resort credit by booking a Disney trip through Costco.

But a big reason to use Costco Travel isn't just the vacation packages you'll get access to, but also, the excellent customer service. And that service could come in very handy if your vacation ends up getting canceled.

How Costco Travel came to my rescue

My family booked a cruise through Costco that was set to depart in August 2020. We were super excited to take our first family cruise together, and the package we got through Costco not only saved us money but made us eligible for a Costco Shop Card (Costco's version of a gift card) as an added perk.

Well, as you might imagine, that trip was then canceled due to the pandemic. We knew that since the cruise line itself had canceled our itinerary, we'd be eligible for a full refund. The problem was that the cruise line wasn't responding to our calls about getting that refund due to being overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, I was worried about our cruise line (and others) being forced into bankruptcy due to the pandemic virtually shutting the industry down for an extended period. So I didn't want to sit back and wait months for my refund to hit my credit card -- I wanted it ASAP.

I called Costco Travel for help, and a representative immediately got on the case. She took it upon herself to contact the cruise line repeatedly on our behalf, and she made sure our refund showed up in a timely fashion. That saved me a lot of time and stress.

A service I'd use again in a heartbeat

Some people use a travel agent to book trips not just for the savings, but the service. In my case, I got both.

The price we paid for our cruise that was supposed to happen was lower than prices for similar itineraries I'd seen elsewhere. But in the end, it was the customer service I received from Costco that made me extra happy about my decision to use it to book my trip.

My family hasn't taken any big vacations since the pandemic. Rather, we've been taking smaller trips we can access by driving. But the next time we're inspired to take a bigger trip, I wouldn't hesitate to use Costco Travel. That way, I can rest assured that I have someone in my corner should my plans go awry.