Awards & Recognition

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. – Jun. 30, 2023— On the heels of an incredibly productive and strong first half of the year, Cruise Planners has been rated #20 on Travel Weekly’s prestigious 2023 Power List, again solidifying their powerhouse status in the travel industry. Cruise Planners is the nation’s largest home-based travel advisor franchise network with over 2500 advisors. Cruise Planners was also recently awarded with the “Most Innovative Use of Technology: Products” award for their patent pending LivePlanner™ tool at the 2023 Franchise Innovation Awards.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Jun. 23, 2023— Cruise Planners continues to pave the way in the field of technology and was recognized at the 5th annual Franchise Innovation Awards in Atlanta, GA during the Franchise Customer Experience Conference. The company took home the coveted “Most Innovative Use of Technology: Products” award for their patent pending LivePlanner™ tool that they unveiled in November 2022 at their annual convention. The goal of the awards is to identify and recognize the franchisors creating and implementing the most original and successful innovative strategies and tactics to build their brand. “It is an incredible honor to be recognized for the undisputed talent of our technology team,” said Michelle Fee, CEO & founder of Cruise Planners. “LivePlanner™ is a gamechanger and will help our advisors deliver the best experience they can for their clients and we’ve only seen the beginning.” An independent jury of judges evaluated the innovation and objective of each of the more than 150 entrants, and we’re proud to say that we were one of the 22 recognized. Franchise innovators, game-changers, and disruptors competed in four categories: Marketing & Branding, Products & Services, Operations, and Human Resources. Twenty-two winners were chosen from among the four categories. Each winner will be profiled in Franchise Update magazine. Cruise Planners’ LivePlanner™ is the first interactive vacation planning tool of its kind within the travel industry. Hosted within Cruise Planners’ proprietary business management software, CP Maxx, LivePlanner™ gives franchises the opportunity to complete a live walkthrough of vacation options with their clients. These options include cruise itineraries with all major cruise lines, all-inclusive resorts, custom vacation packages, and more. With Cruise Planners advanced technology, there will be even more travel options available to advisors as the program evolves. Cruise Planners agents have had thousands of sessions since launching in 2022 Average sale is 26% higher than a traditional sale without the use of LivePlanner™ The average close rate is above 45% “I’m immensely proud of our team for consistently creating tools and applications that make a tangible difference for our advisors,” said Brian Shultz, CIO. “We always want to be one step ahead of their needs and continuously innovate to have more great things coming down the pike for them, so stay tuned.”

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Jun. 14, 2023- Cruise Planners’ Chief Strategy Officer Scott Koepf was honored with the “Excellence in Leadership Award” at the 2023 TravelAge West WAVE Awards held at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Ray, CA. Franchise owners Tawnee Sons & Julie Irovando and Claire Maguire were also recognized in their respective categories of “Best Group Booking Effort” and “Best Client Targeted Marketing Idea”. Koepf, a CLIA Hall of Famer also known affectionately as “The Singing Salesman”, accepted his award and thanked Cruise Planners and the organizers for the accolade and recognition.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – April 21, 2022 – Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced the recipients of the 2023 Hall of Fame Cruise Industry Awards and Cruise Planners top agent Michael Consoli took home the prestigious “Travel Innovator or the Year Award”. Award winners were inducted at the CLIA Hall of Fame Cruise Industry Awards Gala Dinner during the CLIA Cruise360 conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Thursday, April 20, 2023. “I am so incredibly humbled and honored to be recognized with this award,” said Michael Consoli, a franchise owner since 2002. “Our success is a team effort and I am very proud of what we have accomplished in bringing positive ideas and influence to the travel sphere.” The awards identify individuals and organizations whose efforts and accomplishments represent a significant contribution to the cruise industry. This award specifically recognizes a CLIA Travel Agency Member that has demonstrated innovative and visionary leadership in their approach in promoting cruise travel, growing their cruise travel sales and supporting their affiliated travel advisors. Consoli has achieved unbelievable sales through sharing his expertise through social media, hosting consumer events and providing his guests with exceptional service. In addition, he curates and personally escorts several unique, invitation-only journeys throughout the year traveling with his guests whom he calls his “Wanderlust Society.” Consoli posted an astounding $20 million dollars in sales in 2021 (despite the pandemic) and beat that by increasing his sales to $24 million in 2022. An amazing feat considering his team consists of just 4 people. “Michael has broken record after record and shown us how mighty a small, but experienced and dedicated, team can achieve amazing sales,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and Founder of Cruise Planners. “CLIA couldn’t have picked a better recipient for Travel Innovator of the Year and we are very proud of Michael and his team.” Consoli is the top producing agent at Cruise Planners and has been named their #1 producing luxury agent as well as being named Viking Cruises Global Top Producer for the past nine years.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – March 29, 2023 – Allianz Partners, a leader in travel insurance and travel assistance, has named Cruise Planners one of their top travel agency partners for 2022. Allianz Partners recognized Cruise Planners for their outstanding efforts in protecting their clients travel investments in a year that saw strong demand for travel. “Cruise Planners has a longstanding relationship with Allianz Partners that we are proud of because it allows our advisors to give their clients peace of mind and an ally when they are traveling,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and Founder of Cruise Planners. “We are thrilled to be recognized and know our advisors do all they can to help protect their client’s travel investment.” “It’s a pleasure to recognize Cruise Planners for their outstanding efforts in protecting their clients’ valuable travel investments,” said Richard Aquino, Vice President and Head of Sales at Allianz Partners USA. “Travel has rebounded tremendously and we’re proud to play a role in both protecting travelers non-refundable travel deposits and provide them with travel assistance when they need us.” Allianz Global Assistance provided travel insurance to millions of Americans in 2022. Cruise Planners has been an exclusive Allianz partner for over 15 years and has been previously recognized as a top partner.