CRUISE PLANNERS Honored with home-based partner of the year award by Royal Caribbean international RCI award is fourth consecutive for the home-based travel agent franchise company   Coral Springs, Fla. – January 21, 2011 – Cruise Planners/American Express, the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the cruise industry, was once again recognized by Royal Caribbean International as its Home-Based Partner of the Year for 2010 for the fourth consecutive year.   “Cruise Planners is always striving to create top-notch training an...

Norwegian Honors Cruise Planners With Home-Based Award

Cruise Planners/American Express was recognized by Norwegian Cruise Line for the first time as its Home-Based Agency of the Year. The award honors the outstanding sales partnership in 2010.

"Over the years, we have developed a strong and professional relationship with Norwegian Cruise Line. This is due to our diligent home office team and our committed and successful home-based franchise owners," said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of Cruise Planners/American Express. "The award illustrates how important our partnerships are to us and we will continue to send satisfied customers to NCL for unforgettable cruise vacations."

Cruise Planners/American Express has received additional accolades from Norwegian Cruise Line such as the President's Club Elite Travel Agency of the Year award from 2002 - 2008.

"Our travel partners are critical to our success so it's important for us to show how much we appreciate their hard work and dedication. Congratulations to Cruise Planners/American Express," said Camille Olivere, Norwegian Cruise Line's vice president of sales. "In 2010 they really stepped forward and in the home-based space, we experienced the highest rate of growth and volume with Cruise Planners/American Express agents. We look forward to contributing to their continued success in 2011."

As a Cruise Planners Travel Professional, I am proud to announce a new feature just added to my website at www.bluewatercruise.com.  This convenient booking tool offers you state of the art technology to research and book your Air, Car, Hotel and Vacation Rentals.  This new tool will make your travel planning, with or without a cruise, much easier, and if you require additional service or help with the reservations, I’m just a phone call away. This new technology includes over 100,000 hotels worldwide, many of which offer specially negotiated rates.  Plus this will inc...

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES REPORTS RECORD WAVE SEASON ACTIVITY Summer Price Increase Effective March 22 MIAMI (February 24, 2010) - Carnival Cruise Lines is reporting record wave season bookings, with strong reservations activity for 2010 departures. As a result of the strong booking volumes, a general price increase will be implemented effective March 22 for all summer sailings in June, July and August. For the period of Jan. 1 through Feb. 21, 2010, bookings were at unprecedented levels for the line's 22 ships which operate three- to 15-day voyages from a variety of convenient North Ameri...

Chances are good you probably have a close relative, friend of neighbor who served in our Armed Forces.  Now you have an opportunity to assist the thousands of veterans and their families who require extended care at a VA medical facility through Cruise Planners’ Voyages for Veteran’s program.  When you book a selected cruise on Royal Caribbean, we will make a $50 donation in your name to Fisher House which provides free housing to the families of veteran’s while they undergo extended treatment.  This donation does not affect the cost of your cruise, so it i...

      CRUISE PLANNERS DONATES $18,000 TO FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION Donation funds collected through t-shirt sales and silent auction during annual convention       Cruise Planners/American Express presented the check to the Fisher House Foundation at the Miami VA Hospital on Feb. 12 (L to R) Vicky Garcia, Michelle Fee, Terri Burke, COL Lettie Bien, Mary D. Berrocal and Carolyn Soucy. MIAMI, FL – February 24, 2010 –Cruise Planners/American Express, the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the cruise industry,...

    NORWEGIAN EPIC TO SET SAIL IN EUROPE IN 2011   Norwegian Cruise Line’s largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date will summer in the Mediterranean   NEW YORK – January 26, 2010 – Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that its largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date, Norwegian Epic, debuting this July, will summer in the Mediterranean as part of her 2011/2012 deployment.  The ship will sail a seven-day Western Mediterranean itinerary from Barcelona, Spain from May through October 2011.  Ports of ...

Things go better with . . . . . . . . Pepsi? No offense to our friends at Coke headquarters in Atlanta, but Pepsi loyalists have won another round in the battle of the brands.  Norwegian Cruise Lines recently announced that it was changing out its long standing exclusive use of Coca Cola products on its fleet of ships in favor of Pepsi and related brands.  To kick off the switch, NCL and Pepsi are celebrating summer by offering up to two complimentary soda packages per stateroom on any seven-night sailing or longer.  Guests who book a cruise on one of Norwegian Cruise Line&r...

Location, Location, Location.  Important in business, real estate and even on cruise ships.  How can you make sure that you pick the best location in your chosen stateroom category?  A good answer for this question is to view the ship’s deck plans in the cruise line brochure or on the web.  While the plans are often not exactly to scale and cabin size is not always in proportion to the drawings there are a few things that are very helpful.  First, locate your cabin on the plan and then look up, down, left, right, and forward of your cabin.  What’s ...

Waves of Comedy As ships get larger and larger the added space allows for more venues to entertain the diverse passengers being accommodated.  Carnival, long known for its big scale revues and comedy acts is taking it up a notch on the new Carnival Dream.   A comedy club is among the new entertainment spots on the ship which debuts this September.  Six shows will be offered on four nights per voyage in the 425-seat Burgundy Lounge.  The club will highlight a variety of comedians offering both family-friendly and adult-only performances.  The late night shows w...

Royal Protection Royal Caribbean International is reminding vacationers that they can enjoy the benefits of booking early and the peace of mind of receiving the best advertised prices with the line’s Best Price Guarantee program. By booking early, vacationers have access to a much wider selection of staterooms and availability on their desired departure date. If the guest then finds a lower fare advertised by Royal Caribbean for the same ship, sail-date and stateroom category, they can receive the difference in price as an onboard credit to spend on beverages, cocktails, spa services...

Ship Shape Shopping Delivering the very best in overall guest experiences is the central motivator behind the design of Royal Caribbean International’s newest ship, Oasis of the Seas. When she debuts in December 2009, the most cutting-edge amenities and activities ever seen at sea will be complemented with a variety of retail venues – 13 stores, including open-air shopping that cover more than 10,000 square feet. With many products exclusive to Oasis, the shopping experience will be one of a kind in terms of both the items offered and the setting on the largest and most re...

Families Loving the Love Boats in Alaska For 2010, Princess Cruises has added a 12-night cruise-tour designed for families including features that are not usually part of the package. Participants will have the opportunity to travel on a jetboat, pan for gold, take an interactive tour of Denali National Park and experience what Alaska is like in the winter.The ‘Family Fun’ cruise-tour is offered at a 25% discount for all berths, so all members of the family are included in the special pricing.The program includes a seven-night ‘Voyage of the Glaciers’ sailing plus a...

Isaiah & Deborah Banks, ECC Elite Cruise Counsellors Cruise Planners Travel Agency Independently Owners and Operated     Toll Free: 1- 888-292-1997 Local: 678-799-2318                               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE LOCAL TRAVEL AGENT ACHIEVES EXPERT ‘CRUISE FUNOLOGIST’ CERTIFICATION FROM CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES     LITHONIA/GA SEPTEMBER 14, 2009 – Isaiah & Deborah Banks of Lithonia, G...

 Princess Cruises Takes Viewers Behind the Scenes as Tahitian Princess is Transformed into Ocean Princess Fifth Online Drydock Journal Lets Enthusiasts Follow Along with Regular Updates SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (November 23, 2009) – Capping a year of taking viewers behind the scenes as ships go through drydock, Princess Cruises is again offering an opportunity to follow a vessel through the renovation process.  In the newest installment of the Princess online drydock journal, the current Tahitian Princess will not only undergo a makeover, but also get a new name.  Th...

Royal Caribbean International Teams up with ABC's 'Good Morning America' to Bring Viewers First Glimpse of Oasis of the Seas Emmy-Winning Morning Show to Broadcast Live November 20th from the World's Largest and Most Revolutionary Cruise Ship This November, just in time for Thanksgiving,Royal Caribbean International will unveil their newest and most innovative cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas. ABC's "Good Morning America" will be there to welcomeOasis of the Seas into her home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and give viewers an exclusive first glimpse of the highly antici...

Cunard to Welcome Filmmakers Griffin Dunne and Gary Winick on 11 November Queen Mary 2 Crossing Through Cunard’s partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival, film industry veterans to be featured as Cunard Insights speakers 22 October 2009 – As part of Cunard's partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival, the iconic ocean liner company will be pleased to welcome acclaimed filmmakers Griffin Dunne and Gary Winick on the 11 November Transatlantic Crossing from Southampton to New York aboard Queen Mary 2. This year, Cunard was recognized as the Official Cruise Line...

Local Cruise Agents Start Non Profit Fundraiser Division By Cruise Planners, LLC                                                                               Dated: September 4, 2009 Cruise Agents Start Non Pr...

Cruise Planners’ Awards Air Force Veteran with $11,000 Franchise and Announces Charitable Partnership Coral Springs-based company expands its charitable contributions and community outreach   Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – July 29, 2009 – Cruise Planners/American Express, the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the cruise industry, reached out to the local veteran community on July 28 with an event to celebrate the donation of a Cruise Planners franchise worth more than $11,000 and the announcement of the company’s year-long charitabl...