Member Cruises: Using the Memberships You Already Have
Warehouse clubs, auto clubs, AARP, USAA, credit unions and alumni associations all sell cruises. Here is how each member perk really works.
Compare My Member Price FreeMember Cruises: The Perks Hiding in Your Wallet
Plenty of people carry a cruise discount without knowing it. The warehouse club card, the auto club card, the retirement association card, the insurance-and-banking membership, the credit union, the workplace perks portal, the alumni association — nearly all of them now run a travel desk, and nearly all of those desks sell cruises. Member cruises is simply the umbrella name for booking a sailing through one of these memberships so you collect a members-only extra on top of the fare.
Members Cruises explains how each kind of program works, what the extra usually takes the form of, who actually handles your booking behind the logo, and how to compare a member offer against the same cabin booked another way. We name programs only where their own pages confirm they sell cruises, we never quote amounts that change week to week, and we do not endorse any of them. We are an independent guide; quotes from this site go to our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise.
Which Memberships Sell Cruises
| Membership type | Examples (confirmed on official pages) | Typical member extra | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warehouse clubs | Costco Travel; BJ’s Travel | A store reward or club gift card after travel, sometimes onboard credit or a club-built package | Costco member cruise deals |
| Auto clubs | AAA Travel (through local AAA clubs) | Member benefits from partner cruise lines, plus a travel advisor at the local club | AAA member cruise deals |
| Age-based associations | AARP member benefits | Onboard credit or a reduction on select cruises from listed providers | AARP cruises |
| Military and family financial services | USAA Perks | Negotiated pricing on some sailings through a member travel program | AARP and USAA |
| Credit unions and employers | Credit union travel clubs; workplace perk portals | Access to a booking platform, sometimes with rewards points or cash back | Credit union travel club |
| Alumni associations | University alumni travel programs | A hosted departure with faculty or a full charter | Alumni travel |
Two related groups sit outside this site: the cruise lines’ own loyalty clubs, which Frequent Cruiser Program covers, and rates you qualify for because of your job or age, which Cruise Discounters explains. If you are wondering what a “cruise club” is in the social sense — roll calls and meet-and-greets — see Cruise Club.
Three Questions to Ask Any Member Program
What is the extra, exactly?
A reward paid after you travel, a gift card, onboard credit, a lower fare, or a bundle. Each has a different real value, and some arrive months after you get home.
Who services the booking?
Some clubs run their own travel agents; others hand you to a partner agency or an online travel company. That is who you will deal with for changes, cancellations and problems.
What is excluded?
Member offers are often limited to listed lines, select sailings or certain cabin types, and many do not apply to taxes, port fees or gratuities.
Ask those three questions and a member cruise offer becomes easy to compare. Write down the cruise fare, taxes and fees, the extra and when you receive it, and the cancellation terms. Then price the identical ship, date and cabin category elsewhere. Sometimes the membership wins clearly; sometimes a line-wide sale on Wave Season or a live fare on Cruising for Less comes out ahead once perks are counted.
Our page on member perks vs a cruise advisor walks through that comparison step by step, neutrally.
Member Cruises for Couples, Families and Retirees
Different memberships suit different travelers. A family that already shops at a warehouse club may like a club package that bundles cabin, extras and a reward they will spend on groceries. Retirees often hold AARP and AAA cards at the same time and can ask both desks for the same sailing. Military families frequently bank with USAA and can check its member travel program alongside the military fares that the cruise lines publish themselves. Graduates sometimes find their alumni association has organized a sailing with a professor aboard, which is a very different trip from a mass-market cruise even on the same route.
No single membership is “the best.” The right one is the one whose extra you would genuinely use, on the ship you already wanted, with a service desk you trust.
Member Cruises: Quick Answers
Are member cruises cheaper than booking anywhere else?
Not automatically. The base fare on a mainstream cruise line is usually the same wherever you book, because the lines control how fares are advertised. What a membership program changes is the extras: a store reward, a gift card, onboard credit, or a members-only package. Those extras are real, but they have to be weighed against what you would get elsewhere on the same cabin.
Do I need to be a member to see member cruise deals?
For most of these programs, yes. Warehouse club travel desks, AAA member benefits, AARP offers and USAA perks are tied to an active membership, and some ask for your member number at booking or at check-in.
Can a member booking be combined with my cruise line loyalty status?
Generally your past-guest number can be added to any booking, including one made through a membership program, so you keep earning credit with the line. Promotional fares and line offers are another matter; each program states what combines.
Who looks after a member booking once it is made?
The program’s travel desk, not the warehouse or the insurance office. Ask before you book who services the reservation — an in-house team, a partner agency or an online travel site — and how to reach them once you are at sea.
More Cruise Sites From Our Network
Members Cruises is part of the Smart Traveler network, led by Mister Cruise. He has sold travel since 1972 and worked full-time in the industry since 1977. He has sold or originated more than $500 million in cruises and has trained more than 500 travel agents.
Holding a member offer? Send it with your quote request and our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will price the same cabin side by side, so you can choose with every number in front of you. Meet Mister Cruise →
Members Cruises is one of the independent travel guides listed in the Official Cruise Directory and the Official Travel Directory, published by the nonprofit behind Best of the USA. Want the newest cruise promotions by email? Join the Mister Cruise special offers newsletter. Thinking of selling cruises yourself? Be a Travel Agent explains how people start.
Have a Member Cruise Offer? Get a Second Opinion
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