Thuy Phan

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. Oct.4— Cruise Planners franchise owner Juan Velazquez was one of eight semi-finalists who competed in the prestigious Carnival Cruise Line ‘Your Winning Plan’ business challenge. Velazquez beat out 1,000 other contestants to make it to the finals and traveled to Houston, TX for the finale event held at The Revaire. Carnival created the challenge to help travel advisors craft overall business plans that boost their success and increase sales. The line held a series of daylong training events around the US and one virtual event.

Cruise Planners VP of Sales Ana Parodi led a group of advisors on a familiarization (FAM) trip to Reykjavik onboard the Windstar Star Pride and it was a phenomenal experience! Read on to learn more about the trip and what makes Windstar 180 degrees from ordinary! Photos courtesy of Robert Feus & Kyle Nichols.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Aug. 31, 2023—Fresh off the heels of a highly successful and lauded Land Symposium held in Fort Lauderdale, Cruise Planners is upping the ante and following up with another premiere Luxury Forum event held at Secrets St. James & Wild Orchid in Jamaica. The industry-leading event brings together over 60 eminent luxury suppliers and nearly 150 advisors offering training and resources to help advisors sell their products successfully.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Aug. 29, 2023—2023 has been a year of incredible growth and Cruise Planners has joined the ranks of South Florida Business Journal’s Fast 50 at #10. This ranking recognizes the region’s fastest-growing private companies. Cruise Planners was selected based on its growth in the past three years. Cruise Planners saw annual sales growth from $545 million in 2022 to over $845 million in 2023, which also landed them on Travel Weekly’s Power List at #20. Cruise Planners has contributed to the growth of South Florida not only by employment efforts but more importantly by bringing thousands of tourists to South Florida through their network of 2,500 franchisees planning memorable vacations. The company was honored by SFBJ on Aug. 24th at an awards program at Gulfstream Park – Sport of Kings in Hallandale Beach with COO Theresa Scalzitti, CIO Brian Shultz, VP of Technology Phill Guerra, Director of Operations Diana Riel, VP of Finance Nikki Hetzel, VP of Operations Jeff Sherota, Director of Destination Sales Laura Blanco, and Creative Resources Senior Manager Andrew Shultz on hand to accept the award on behalf of the company. “Cruise Planners has persevered through some of the hardest years in travel. To accomplish this amazing growth and to be recognized by the South Florida Business Journal is a true honor,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and Founder of Cruise Planners. “This honor solidifies the hard work of our team and our incredible network of travel advisors throughout the U.S.” To qualify for the honor, companies have to be privately held, be headquartered in the tri-county region, generate at least $1 million in annual revenue, and be in business at least three years. The ceremony featured a spirited reveal of the Top 25 companies with more than $25 million in annual revenue and the Top 25 with revenue under $25 million. Companies were ranked by revenue percentage growth from 2020 to 2022.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Aug.08, 2022— In an era where technology is king, Cruise Planners makes it a point to create and develop technology fit for royalty (travel advisor royalty that is) and answers the needs of advisors as they navigate an unprecedented booking season with finesse. The company recently partnered with Travel Market Report to produce a free, in-depth eBook titled: “How Travel Technology is Transforming the Role of Travel Advisors: What Every Travel Advisor Needs to Know Now.