Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (April 14, 2022) – Dream Vacations/CruiseOne® recently recognized its top-producing travel agency franchise owners, who are members of the home-based network’s prestigious “Circle of Excellence,” with a luxury experience aboard the Seabourn Odyssey which traveled from Bridgetown, Barbados to Oranjestad, Aruba.
“Due to the pandemic, the Circle of Excellence members have been waiting two long years to celebrate their success which made it an extra special trip,” said Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager of Dream Vacations/CruiseOne. “I am beyond proud of their perseverance and dedication during one of the most difficult times in the travel industry. Despite these challenges, they never stopped taking on leadership roles within our organization as mentors and engaged community members.”
The cruise also visited the Southern Caribbean islands, including St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Dominica, Bonaire and Curacao. Throughout the week, the attendees spent time with each other reconnecting after being apart for two years and were treated to several “Seabourn Moments” throughout the week, including the signature Beach Bash where they enjoyed champagne and caviar in the surf.
The Circle of Excellence reward trip provides top-selling agents not only with unique vacation experiences, but also the opportunity to network in an intimate environment with key suppliers from the travel industry, as well as members of the Dream Vacations/CruiseOne leadership team, including Chief Operating Officer Debbie Fiorino, Senior Vice President and General Manager Drew Daly, Senior Vice President of Product and Operations David Crooks, Senior Vice President of Human Resources Loren Kennedy, Vice President of Operations Joelle Delva and Network Sales and Support Director Dawn Gillis. Other VIP guests and trip sponsors included:
- Erin Douglas, senior director, strategic partnerships at Carnival Cruise Line
- Barbara Julian, strategic market manager at Celebrity Cruises
- Brennan Quesnele, vice president, sales at GOGO Vacations
- Kayla Corbett, senior manager, key accounts at Norwegian Cruise Line
- Glen Rothe, vice president of sales, key and national accounts at Norwegian Cruise Line
- Joseph Eastep, senior director, strategic accounts at Oceania
- Shanel Knight, strategic accounts director at Regent Seven Seas Cruises
- Mary Lynch, director of sales, southeast region at Royal Caribbean
- Galen Mathews, director of sales at Royal Caribbean
- Steve Smotrys, vice president, global sales at Seabourn
- Pierre van Breda, deputy director, global charter, incentive and group sales at Seabourn
- Wendy Whitener, director, North America sales at Seabourn
“The Circle of Excellence trip this year was amazing,” said Trapper Martin, franchise owner of Trapper Martin, Shane Smartt & Associates – Dream Vacations. “We had several new members join us making the peer-to-peer interaction even more valuable while also enjoying time with old friends and longtime members of the group. This was our first time sailing on Seabourn and we loved it! The Seabourn experience was valuable to us because we were able to get a more intimate feeling of the product. The best part of Circle of Excellence trips is really getting to know or get reacquainted with suppliers, many of whom have become friends. This trip is all about relationship building and celebrating our successes with very little shop talk, which may surprise many. It is just one of the many elements of the trip that make it extra special.”
Dream Vacations also recently held their second River Summit which was a huge success aboard AmaWaterways AmaMagna. On the full ship charter, roughly 150 attendees came together to learn more about what the river cruise experience is like while sailing the Danube River. Other upcoming in-person learning events include Regional Trainings in San Diego, Calif., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and Cleveland, Ohio; Land, Marketing and Luxury Summits; the annual National Conference onboard Norwegian Encore.
For more information on owning a Dream Vacations/CruiseOne travel franchise, please visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com or call 888-249-8235.
About CruiseOne® / Dream Vacations
A member of the International Franchise Association, the top-ranked home-based travel agency franchise CruiseOne® has been in operation since 1992. Its sister brand, Dream Vacations, launched in April 2016, giving franchisees a choice in how they want to brand their travel business.
Dream Vacations / CruiseOne franchisees have the resources to plan and create seamless vacation experiences for their customers while offering the best value. Dream Vacations / CruiseOne is part of World Travel Holdings and has received franchise partner of the year, a top-ranking status by all the major cruise lines, as well as national recognition for its support of military veterans.
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