Company News

ORAL SPRINGS, Fla. Jul. 21- Cruise Planners continues to produce award-winning franchisees with this year’s inclusion of Caroline Swift as a 2023 Franchise Business Review Rock Star in the “Freshmen” category.

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. – Jun. 08, 2023- Cruise Planners, the nation’s largest network of home-based franchise travel agents, hosted a 2-day workshop at its Home Office in Coral Springs, Fl. that delved into all the best practices and to familiarize themselves with the new, proprietary applications that the company has rolled out. Franchise owners who attend have an opportunity to engage, ask questions and in turn learn about how to best leverage technology within the Cruise Planners platform.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – May 24, 2022 – With 2023 marking a year that will induct more top producers into the top echelons of sales tier than ever before, Cruise Planners hosted the second of two bi-annual Elite Summit trips on the magnificent Seabourn Encore from May 14-20. The trip is a chance to celebrate and congratulate top producers and also learn about new destinations that will enhance their knowledge. The itinerary included ports of calls in Haifa, Kos, Mykonos, Antalya, Athens, Marmaris, Limassol and Naousa. Cruise Planners CEO and Founder Michelle Fee, Chief Operations Officer Theresa Scalzitti and Chief Strategy Officer Scott Koepf hosted the eight-day event. “You’re looking at the best of the best and when these movers and shakers all gather in one place, magic, memories and Cruisitude is abound,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and Founder of Cruise Planners. “To be able to celebrate and recognize these top producers for a successful 2022 is one of the most rewarding experiences for me personally.” The Elite Summit featured supplier partner one-on-one meetings and exclusive Cruise Planners receptions, dinner events, a private excursion, entertainment and more. Industry partners in attendance included: Seabourn - Steve Smotrys, Vice President, Global Sales Seabourn- Wendy Whitener, Director, North American Sales Allianz - Tim Behm, District Director Sales AmaWaterways - Kristin Karst, Co-Owner & Executive Vice President AmaWaterways- Rudi Schreiner, Co-Founder, Co-Owner & President Azamara - Lori Nojaim, Key Account Manager Carnival Cruise Line - Adolfo Perez, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Trade Marketing Celebrity Cruises - Yolanda Sheppard, National Sales Manager Holland America Line - Rob Coleman, Vice President - North America Sales MSC Cruises - Koreen McNutt, Senior VP of Sales & Trade Engagement Norwegian Cruise Line - Richard Sims, Key Account Sr. Manager Princess Cruises - Mary Jencen, Manager, National Accounts Royal Caribbean - Joanne Schimelman, Vice President, Sales & National Accounts Viking Cruises - Sandra Marshall, Director, Field Sales The Elite summit is essential for advisors to network and learn more from suppliers through one-on-one meetings and executive presentations. Excursions included options to see Ephesus, enjoy wine-tastings, island hopping in Greece and highlight tours of Tel Aviv to name a few. Guests also learned firsthand how premiere olive oil is made and partook in a group cooking lesson that showcased the traditional cuisine of Kos in Turkey. Cruise Planners hosts two Elite Summits each year, and recently completed their previous Elite Summit on Avalon Waterways’ Envision in Europe in March.