CruisesOnly® Adds Free Hotel Stay Option to its Loyalty Club Offerings

CruisesOnly^®, one of the largest cruise agencies and the flagship brand in the World Travel Holdings portfolio, has announced that it is adding a “free hotel stay” option to its already robust Loyalty Club, the exclusive benefits program that rewards customers who have booked with CruisesOnly in the past.

Membership in CruisesOnly’s Loyalty Club is free of charge and free of bother. Customers who have booked with the agency at least once are automatically enrolled and there are no membership cards, numbers or renewals to keep track of.

“It’s important to us as an agency that we recognize and reward our loyal customers,” said Jeff Sherota, senior vice president of CruisesOnly. “Offering a choice between a free hotel stay or an opportunity to earn back unlimited onboard spending provides our customers with options to suit their travel needs.”

Here are the benefits of membership in CruisesOnly’s Loyalty Club:

Book Now, Pay Later: No Deposit Required at Time of Booking
CruisesOnly will defer the deposit, up to $500 (or up to $1,500 on select luxury bookings), when eligible sailings of three nights or longer are reserved at least 110 days prior to departure.

A Free Hotel Stay OR the Chance to Earn Back an Unlimited Amount of Cruise Cash
Past customers can decide which benefit best suits their travel needs: a free hotel stay (up to a $500 value, based on total price of cruise booking before taxes and port charges) or the chance to earn back an unlimited amount of onboard spending after they’ve cruised to recoup expenses not included in their fare such as spa treatments and specialty dining.

A 10 Percent Discount on All Shore Excursions
Valid on any shore excursion booked on CruisesOnly’s website at least four days prior to departure. Travelers can choose from a wide array of adventures in ports of call located throughout Alaska, the Caribbean and other destinations.

A Discount of Up To 25 Percent, Plus Bonus Offers, On Car Rentals
Club members enjoy discounts of up to 25 percent, plus special extras like free days or free upgrades, on top-brand car rentals reserved on CheapRentalCar.com.

Advance Notice of All CruisesOnly Sales
Club members are always among the first to be contacted (via email) whenever CruisesOnly is about to launch an exclusive/special sale.

Combinability with Existing CruisesOnly/Cruise-Line Offers
Loyalty Club benefits are often combinable with other deals on the CruisesOnly website and in its emails, as well as any perks the customer may be receiving as part of a specific cruise line’s loyalty/rewards program.

Benefits Extended to First-Time Guests Traveling with a Club Member
CruisesOnly rewards loyal customers by rewarding the people that they’re traveling with too – even if they’ve never booked with CruisesOnly before. All of the Loyalty Club benefits are available to first-time guests, just as long as they’re traveling on the same sailing as a Club member and staying in an additional stateroom.

Learn more about CruisesOnly’s Loyalty Club and visit CruisesOnly.com or call 1-800-CRUISES to make a reservation.

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CruiseOne Hosts ‘Second Chance’ Sweepstakes for Laid-Off, Retired, Current Teachers to Win Cruise Franchise

CruiseOne, a cruise-only agency franchise company, is offering teachers – current, laid-off and retired – an opportunity to launch a new career path. A “Second Chance at Success” contest will provide five winners with the opportunity to start a new career as a CruiseOne franchise owner.

“Each member of the CruiseOne executive team fondly remembers a teacher who had an impact on their life,” said Dwain Wall, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CruiseOne. “This contest is not just for those who have recently been laid-off – it’s also for the teachers who influenced us – for Mr. Flannery, Mrs. Cianciulli, Mrs. McLelland…without them, our executive team knows we would not be where we are today.”

To enter CruiseOne’s contest, current teachers, laid-off teachers or retired teachers (including teachers’ assistants and professors) must complete an online entry form by October 31, 2011.  The form and all contest details can be found at www.SecondChanceAtSuccess.com or on CruiseOne’s Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/cruiseonefranchise.

“Historically, we’ve found that teachers make great travel agents and former educators are currently some of CruiseOne’s top producers,” said Wall.  “Teachers have an instinctive knack for sales and many bring exactly the right approach, and passion for success, to our business.  We are excited to see how our winners do in 2012!”

The five Grand Prize Winners will be announced by late-November, 2011.  They will receive a free CruiseOne franchise including a waived $9,800 initial start-up fee, as well as one year of waived monthly service fees.  Additionally, CruiseOne will bring the winners to its new state-of-the-art corporate headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for six days of in-depth training.  Winners will be reimbursed for their travel and provided with complimentary accommodations during the training program.

“The travel industry, and cruising specifically, is growing at an amazing rate,” said Wall.  “CruiseOne is the ideal opportunity for teachers seeking the ability to work from home, be their own boss and most importantly, enjoy a profitable career in a field that lets them see the world.”

Initial submissions will be judged by members of the CruiseOne network development, marketing and executive teams.  Semi-Finalists will be selected after a phone interview, and asked to submit a resume, CruiseOne Franchise Application and a 1,200 to 2,200 CruiseOne Business Plan.

For more information, visit www.SecondChanceatSuccess.com. 

About CruiseOne:

CruiseOne, the nation’s largest home-based franchise travel agent network, was founded in 1992 and currently has more than 720 locations.  The company is part of World Travel Holdings (WTH), the nation’s largest cruise retailer.  The franchise has relationships with every major cruise line and many tour operators and as a result, offers consumers the lowest possible pricing.  CruiseOne is consistently recognized for its efforts, including being named Royal Caribbean’s “Partner of the Year,” Celebrity Cruises’ “National Account Partner of the Year” and Carnival Cruise Line’s “Travel Partner of the Year.”  A proud member of the International Franchise Association (IFA), MinorityFRAN, and VetFRAN, the company is consistently ranked in major editorial awards including Entrepreneur magazine’s “Top 500”, Forbes magazine’s “Top 20 Franchises to Start,” the Franchise Market “Top 100 Companies,” and FranchiseBusinessReview’s “Top Low Cost Franchises.”