- 2025 Franchise 500 Rank
-
#70 Ranked #122 last year
- Initial investment
-
$2K - $20K
- Units as of 2024
-
2,962 11.4% over 3 years
Cruise Planners is a travel agency franchise specializing in vacation planning and creating memorable itineraries for travels in the U.S. and abroad. Cruise Planners is headquartered in Coral Springs, Florida, and is now the most extensive home-based travel agent network in the United States.
The fact that its co-founder Michelle Fee is a travel enthusiast and professional has worked exceptionally well for Cruise Planners. When Fee helped start the company in 1994, she had a career as a travel agent and an unstoppable drive to reach the top. When industry retirees Lynn Korn and Marvin Davis joined in, the company's formula for growth yielded great results.
Why You May Want to Start a Cruise Planners Franchise
Cruise Planners is happy to welcome anyone with Cruisitude, a term coined by the company, referring to a positive, travel-inclined attitude or disposition in life. If you love to travel, are ready to commit to a travel-centric business, and share the company's vision for growth, Cruise Planners could be a good fit.
Cruise Planners seeks to have a family-friendly company with franchisees who come from diverse backgrounds, from retirees enjoying their encore career to young professionals escaping the 9-5.
Cruise Planners has been ranked in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 many times in recent years. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.
What Might Make a Cruise Planners Franchise a Good Choice?
Cruise Planners is a good franchise option for many reasons, mainly because of its presence in the travel industry. It is also home-based, which means you can run your business at your place and time.
Cruise Planners also provides proven, award-winning technologies, tools, and professional coaching for what they believe to be an affordable price. Cruise Planners may be one of the least expensive franchises in the market, with incentive programs for certain groups, such as military personnel, first responders, and independent travel agents.
To be part of the Cruise Planners team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should be prepared for ongoing fees that will include royalty fees.
Cruise Planners is known to be one of the best franchisees for veterans to open, ranking highly on Entrepreneur’s Top Franchises for Veterans multiple times in recent years.
How To Open a Cruise Planners Franchise
Once you meet the initial requirements to be a Cruise Planners franchisee, the team may get you on board with a video walkthrough, which gives you an overview of the franchise, its training programs, technologies, and more.
A more detailed presentation of the Cruise Planners franchise opportunity will come to you via their Franchise Disclosure Document. This will be followed by a mandatory multi-week waiting period, during which they will dig deeper into your financial background. If everything checks out, you can sign your franchise agreement and immediately begin working with the franchise team to get you started on your new venture.
Company Overview
About Cruise Planners
Industry | Recreation |
---|---|
Related Categories | Travel Agencies |
Founded | 1994 |
Parent Company | CP Franchising LLC |
Leadership | Michelle Fee, CEO |
Corporate Address |
3111 N. University Dr., #800 Coral Springs, FL 33065 |
Social | Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok |
Business Overview
Franchising Since | 1999 (26 years) |
---|---|
# of employees at HQ | 137 |
Where seeking |
This company is offering new franchises throughout the US. |
# of Units | 2,962 (as of 2024) |
Line graph showing the number of units this franchise had for the last 5 years. |
Information for Franchisees
Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Cruise Planners franchise.
Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees
Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.
Initial Franchise Fee
|
$695 - $10,995 |
---|---|
Initial Investment
|
$1,945 - $20,465 |
Veteran Incentives
|
$4,000 off $10,995 franchise fee |
Royalty Fee
|
3% |
Term of Agreement
|
3 years |
Is franchise term renewable? | Yes |
Training & Support Offered
Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.
Classroom Training | 54 hours |
---|---|
Ongoing Support |
Purchasing Co-ops
Newsletter
Meetings & Conventions
Toll-Free Line
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security & Safety Procedures
Field Operations
Proprietary Software
Franchisee Intranet Platform
|
Marketing Support |
Co-op Advertising
Ad Templates
National Media
Regional Advertising
Social Media
SEO
Website Development
Email Marketing
Loyalty Program/App
|
Operations
Additional details about running this franchise.
Is absentee ownership allowed? | No |
---|---|
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit?
|
Yes |
Can this franchise be run part time?
|
Yes |
# of employees required to run | 1-2 |
Are exclusive territories available?
|
No |
Franchise 500 Ranking History
Compare where Cruise Planners landed on this year's Franchise 500 Ranking versus previous years.
Additional Rankings
Curious to know where Cruise Planners ranked on other franchise lists? Find out below.
Ranked #70 in 2025
Franchise 500
Ranked #15 in 2024
Fastest-Growing Franchises
Ranked #24 in 2023
Top Home-Based & Mobile Franchises
Ranked #4 in 2021
Top Part-Time Franchises
Ranked #7 in 2024
Top Franchises for Less Than $50,000
Ranked #14 in 2024
Top Franchises For Veterans
Sign Up for Our Franchise Newsletter
Stay up to date on the latest news and trends affecting the franchise industry.
Related Franchises
Are you eager to see what else is out there? Browse franchises that are similar to Cruise Planners.
Related Franchise Content
Catch up on the latest franchise news, trends, and more.
Sam The Concrete Man is North America's #1 Residential Concrete Franchise
Sam The Concrete Man franchisees have the flexibility of working from home in the high demand residential concrete industry.
4 Tips for Selecting the Right Location for Your Franchise
Stay true to your model and understand your guests so your new location will create the same experience they've come to expect everywhere you operate.
Why 2025 Will be a Big Year For Franchising — And How to Capitalize
Franchising is an excellent choice for the business owner who wants to join an established brand that enjoys widespread name recognition, has built customer loyalty and offers reliable, time-tested systems and processes.
This Franchise Has Seen Remarkable Growth in the $5.3Bn Drug Testing Industry
Fastest Labs is a leader in the high-growth and recession-resistant drug, alcohol and DNA testing industry
I'm CEO of an International Commercial Cleaning Franchise. Here's How I've Turned My Failures Into Fuel for Success.
Failure is not the end — it's a stepping stone to success. Explore how setbacks can be transformed into valuable learning experiences that fuel growth and resilience.
Want to Be an Entrepreneur? Start With These 4 Simple Steps.
Check out this list of 4 things that don't require a lot of time or money, but can get you in the right frame of mind to figure out if entrepreneurship is the right fit for you.