Cruise Planners Adds Competitive Edge with Completely Packaged Vacations
Coral Springs, Fla. (PRWEB) August 16, 2016 -- Cruise Planners travel advisors can overtake competition with an enhanced Completely Packaged Vacations, a custom solution that bundles vacations to provide the best rates and commission levels available. This is in response to a demand from Cruise Planners travel advisors for even more competitive packaging to rival other network package giants.
“We have created something better than just a standard reservation; through CPV we bring increased value and customization surrounded by strong customer service,” said Vicky Garcia, COO and co-owner of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative. “We want our agents to win every sale through customizable programs with the most competitive rates for unique customer experiences, so they can continue to grow their franchises.”
There are three distinct elements of CPV, which are available for Cruise Planners travel agents:
• Completely Packaged Vacations – Started in 2012 as bundling the best rates for popular cruise ports and itineraries with a focus on contemporary market cruises, these packages have been top sellers within the Cruise Planners network and helped increased commissions for CP agents. Destinations includes Hawaii, Alaska and the Caribbean and the packages may bundle car rental, hotel accommodations and excursions or tours with the cruise. Agents are able to book any number of these highly discounted packages with no minimum number of bookings.
• Completely Packaged Vacations Elite – This new program introduces a focus on river cruises and luxury vacation packages, combining land and cruise travel, excursions, transportation and more. With an increasing number of Cruise Planners agents focusing on higher-end travel, CPV Elite allows agents to offer customers great value without sacrificing their commission.
o One example is bundling Celebrity Cruises’ Signature packages throughout the world. Some standouts include trips to destinations at the time when world-famous events are happening such as the America’s Cup in Bermuda, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and the British Open in the United Kingdom.
o Another CPV Elite is in partnership with AMA Waterways and includes the pre- and post-hotel with all transfers, cruise and discounted air on four special sailings, including a “Sail with The Godmother” cruise aboard AmaSerena with Cruise Planners CEO, Michelle Fee, in December 2017.
• In-house CPV Concierge: Cruise Planners agents have access to an in-house concierge team responsible for creating competitive, completely packaged vacations. If agents want to add custom upgrades, excursions or VIP elements to an already established package or if agents are looking to create a new package, the CPV Team can negotiate with vendors on the agents’ behalf.
Both CPV and CPV Elite packages allow agents to offer clients a richer value while benefiting from fully commissionable package elements.
“CP Vacations and CP Vacations Elite are outstanding options that truly set me apart from other travel agencies,” said Kelley Austin, Cruise Planners franchise owner and Millionaire Club Member. “The value proposition cannot be beat, and the support of our CP Vacations team is unparalleled. Thanks to the value of our CP Vacations package, what started as an individual booking request for Hawaii next year has turned in to a customized CP Vacations Group trip!”
Cruise Planners Home Office will be creating marketing tools such as flyers, web-based visual aids and interactive email campaigns to bring the Completely Packaged Vacations to life. CPV packages will save agents time as finding hotels, researching locations, checking availability with blackout dates, confirming logistics, and more are taken care of by the CPV Team.
“The same tasks that would normally take an hour for each agent to do takes the CPV Team 10 minutes because of the volume we are creating,” Garcia said. “Clients looking to shop around and comparison shop will find that they can’t match CPV’s bundled prices with exclusive amenities.”
Like all special rates, Completely Packaged Vacations are based on availability, inventory control, and include time-sensitive terms – so agents must be proactive in closing the sale.
“Agents who are struggling with navigating group benefits can now go to market with pre-packaged, fully-commissionable exclusive offers without having to re-invent the wheel,” Garcia said. “We expect savvy agents to leverage these pre-made packages to build their business as we recognize that earning commission on the complete sale, offering excellent customer service and providing clients with the best value is the smart way to grow their business year over year.”
About Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the travel industry. Cruise Planners operates a network of more than 1,400 franchise owners who independently book amazing vacation and travel experiences for their clients. The Florida-based Home Office Team positions a nation-wide network of franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing, booking and technology tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industry’s top executives. The company continues to be lauded and has been named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 13 consecutive years. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, has been ranked as the #1 travel franchise by Franchise Business Review for 5 years in a row, and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel since it started ranking companies.
Headquartered in Coral Springs, Fla. with more than 22 years of experience, Cruise Planners has achieved top producer status with every major cruise line. Accolades include numerous Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly for the past seven years, American Express Travel Representative Excellence Award for 11 consecutive years (2004-2014), American Express Agency of the Year (2010), Royal Caribbean International Chairman’s Award (2015), Royal Caribbean International President’s Award for Overall Achievement (2012 and 2014), Royal Caribbean International Home-Based Partner of the Year (2007-2013), Norwegian Cruise Line Franchise Agency of the Year (2011-2015), Celebrity Cruises Field Sales Account of the Year (2015), Celebrity Cruises Home-Based Account of the Year (2013-2014) and Celebrity Cruises Southeast Region Travel Agent Partner of the Year (2010), American Express Vacations Best of the Best Globe Award (2008-2015), Globus Family of Brands Premier Agency Partner (2009-2014), Platinum Member of the 500 Club for Sales Excellence (2014), Platinum Circle Member with Viking River Cruises (2009-2012), Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection Top Producer (2008-2014) and Regent Seven Seas Cruises Top Producer. Cruise Planners is one of the Top 50 franchises for Veterans according to GI magazine, the Top Franchise Brand for Veterans according to Franchise Business Review, has been named one of the Top 25 franchises for African-Americans by Black Enterprise magazine and is a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. For more information, visit http://www.cruiseplanners.com.
Stay in Touch: Media can stay up-to-date with Cruise Planners by visiting our media room, following us on Twitter @Cruisitude or on Facebook. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers should locate a travel advisor near them. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit the Cruise Planners franchise website.
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Caitlin Murphy Gardner, Cruise Planners, http://www.cruiseplanners.com, +1 (954) 344-8060 Ext: 117, [email protected]
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