Cruise Planners is expanding the way travelers think about vacation planning after earning Delta Vacations’ Diamond Elite Award, the highest level of recognition in the vacation provider’s travel agency partner program.
The award recognizes Cruise Planners as one of Delta Vacations’ highest-performing agency partners, highlighting its sales performance, customer service and longstanding relationship with the company. The South Florida-based travel agency franchise network has earned the Diamond Elite distinction several times during its more than decade-long partnership with Delta Vacations.
While the company is widely associated with cruises, its more than 3,000 travel advisors arrange much more than ocean voyages. Travelers can work with Cruise Planners advisors to coordinate flights, hotels, resorts, car rentals, transfers, tours, activities and travel protection as part of a single vacation itinerary.
“Our relationship with Delta Air Lines has been special from the very beginning, and receiving the Diamond Elite Award again is a tremendous honor,” Michelle Fee, founder and CEO of Cruise Planners, said in a statement.
Fee said the recognition also underscores the broader role Cruise Planners advisors play in organizing trips.
“While we may be best known for cruises, our advisors have always planned the entire vacation,” Fee said.
Through Delta Vacations, advisors can create air-inclusive packages using Delta Air Lines flights along with accommodations and other travel components. The program offers vacation options in destinations across Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States.
The partnership may also appeal to Delta SkyMiles members. Cruise Planners advisors can help eligible travelers take advantage of promotions and qualifying opportunities to earn or redeem SkyMiles when booking certain vacation packages.
For travelers, having one advisor coordinate multiple elements of a trip can be particularly useful when an itinerary involves several destinations or travel providers. Cruise Planners advisors can assist with arrangements before departure and remain a central point of contact if schedules or other travel details change.
The company says its advisors can tailor vacation packages around individual interests, travel styles and budgets, ranging from resort stays and international city trips to customized tours and experiences.
Founded in 1994, Cruise Planners is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network, according to the company. Its network includes more than 3,000 franchise owners nationwide and partnerships with more than 100 travel brands.
The Diamond Elite Award adds another distinction to Cruise Planners’ growing list of industry recognition and underscores the company’s strategy of positioning its advisors as full-service vacation planners rather than cruise specialists alone.