In 2024, cruise sales by Dream Vacations and CruiseOne agencies are soaring—up 19 percent from 2023. In addition, land sales have increased 15 percent from the previous year. And close-in bookings for clients who absolutely desire to go "now" are up 16 percent.
Simply put, It's a booming time for travel advisors. So, as the 2024 Dream Vacations and CruiseOne annual conference drew to a close recently on Celebrity Ascent, Travel Agent asked some attendees to share their “top takeaway” from the weeklong event, plus their top 2025 business priority.
Elevate in New Ways
Echoing the conference theme of “Elevate,” Karen Quinn-Panzer, Dream Vacations, Naples, FL, says her top takeaway was “some great ideas on how to elevate my business.” She plans to reach prospective new luxury clients through upscale events and volunteering.
In addition, she’ll promote her travel ideas via different uses of social media and Constant Contact. For 2025, her top priority is “working smarter, not harder—which includes going outside of my comfort zone with digital ads and AI.”
Tap Into Partner Synergies
From the perspective of Trapper Martin of Trapper Martin, Shane Smartt & Associates, Dream Vacations, Orlando, FL, “being able to network with other franchises that really do support each other and don’t look at each other as competition,” is his top conference takeaway. In 2024, the agency was once again named to Dream Vacations’ “Circle of Excellence” as a top seller.
Tapping into partnership synergies, Martin’s agency recently joined with two other Dream Vacations franchisees, Mike Ziegenbalg of Mike Ziegenbalg & Associates, Jasper, GA, and Jessica Slater of Jessica Slater & Associates, Acworth, GA, to co-charter AmaWaterways’ AmaPrima.

So, this week, the three partners are hosting 160 Dream Vacations clients on a pre-cruise Prague visit and seven-night “Treasures of the Main and Rhine” cruise. Looking ahead to 2025, Martin’s top priority is “to work on more charter and unique opportunities for our clients.”
Don't Do It All Yourself
Laurie Shuss of Laurie and Greg Shuss & Associates, Dream Vacations, Bonita Springs, FL, put her top takeaway into immediate action after returning home. “I learned how to be a more productive franchise owner by listening to the ‘Fab Five’ franchise owners talking about hiring an administrative assistant,” Shuss explains. So, “I went out and hired one today!”
Speaking with luxury suppliers and learning from their presentations, she also “came away with a better understanding of what luxury travel is and why I want to increase my luxury business” as her priority for the year ahead. Plus, “a higher price tag means a comma in the commission.”
Pursue New Ideas, Be Accountable
Also, putting “luxury” as her business priority for 2025 is Barbara Linebarger, co-owner of DeLightful Memories Travel, Dream Vacations, Marietta, GA. At the conference, "we met with multiple luxury vendors one-on-one to connect, get ideas for client marketing and groups," she says. "Building those relationships will give us the advantage to help our clients have extraordinary experiences on river, land or sea."
Linebarger’s top conference takeaway is the importance of keeping focused on business goals. To assist, she’s tapped into three “accountability partners." One is her own agency's fellow co-owner Jodi Denney. Two others are Dream Vacations franchise owners from other areas of the country—Julie Vowell of Fun, Sunny Days Vacations, Missouri City, TX, and Lisa Merutka of Lisa’s 3 Wishes Travel, Bentonville, AR.
“We’ve already scheduled ‘power hours’ every week to keep us focused on our business goals with topics that range from vendor Zoom calls to tools to elevate our business,” says Linebarger. “We already have our schedule out through February” for designated topics and who will lead each meeting.
Enhance the Customer Experience
What's the top conference "takeaway" for Edith Ortega of CO Travel Group, Dream Vacations, Aurora, CO? It's all about perspective, she emphasizes: “I don’t need to do more, what I need is to do it better."
As for her top priority for 2025, that's "to elevate the customer experience by using technology like Travefy, ChatGPT and other tools I find useful." Her goal is to increase client touch points and improve customer satisfaction.
Stand Out From the Crowd
"A couple of key takeaways from the week for me are from our keynote speaker Dave Birss" emphasizes LaTasha Henderson with 2B1 Travel, Dream Vacations, Tampa, FL. “Dave said, ‘Your job isn’t to fit in, it’s to stand out and not be like everyone else.’ He then went on to say that everyone won’t be your client, and that’s ok because some people suck. I always say that I’m not for everybody and everybody isn’t for me, so I love this.”
In addition, she liked the messaging from Charity Santiago, vice president of training and events, Dream Vacations and CruiseOne. Santiago challenged the franchise owners and advisors “to look at where we may be settling and to evaluate where we can improve our processes, that will be my top priority for 2025," says Henderson.
Tap Into Technology Tools
The top takeaway for Amy Madson of Madson & Associates, Orlando, FL, revolves around the new technological enhancements that Dream Vacations Mar-Tech (marketing/technology) team introduced at the conference. “The new website customization is perfect for our agency as we have associates that specialize in different travel styles, from resort vacations to custom FIT in Europe to contemporary cruises,” says Madson.
"My own niche is river, small-ship and luxury cruising," she adds. "So, having websites that match each of our styles will strengthen our agency's overall image.”
Madson’s top priority for 2025 is “personally experiencing a variety of small-ship and luxury lines to become more knowledgeable about each brand's unique experience and inclusions.” She’ll post those travel experiences on social media, which she hopes will generate more interest, plus move clients up from contemporary cruise lines or other types of travel.
Network and Tap More Associates
As with a few other advisors we spoke with, Susan Essert of Susan’s Getaways, Dream Vacations, Cincinnati, OH, says her top conference takeaway is “networking among fellow travel agents and owners. We all have different ways of doing things so understanding that we can always do things better or more efficiently."
But she adds she will on focus on “taking a moment to breathe and focus on the positive. [And to] keep moving forward and learning from the past.”
Heading into 2025, “our business is growing tremendously, so we are going to scale up and train more associates in the Susan's Getaways' way," says Essert. She tells us that she already has a team comprised of the best personal travel assistants and now will welcome more to help meeting increasing consumer demands.
Build Relationships, Evolve
Attending her ninth national conference, Lainey Melnick of Lainey Melnick & Associates, Austin, TX, ranks in the top 4 percent sales-wise within the Dream Vacations franchise network. She echoes Martin’s view about networking. “I continue to attend because of the value it offers in relationship building,” stresses Melnick. “You can’t put a price tag on the inspiration and motivation surrounding you in this unique environment where thousands of your top supplier partners, successful colleagues plus the headquarters executive staff are confined to a cruise ship with days at sea."
Looking to 2025, she’s preparing her daughter, also her business manager and partner, to transition into the agency’s leadership role. “I used this conference to speak to others who are in the process of succession planning to give me ideas of how best to transition without losing business,” she notes. Melnick says, however, that she’ll still serve as “the face and brand of the company,” and continue to handle the agency’s public relations, marketing, YouTube channel operations and lead-generation.
Check out the inspirational keynote address about how to elevate one's business, delivered earlier in the conference week by Debbie Fiorino, chief operating officer, Dream Vacations and CruiseOne. An end-of-week Fireside Chat concluded the conference, and also revealed those booming sales figures mentioned atop this story.
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