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| Cruise Planners’ top producers trip in Italy in April 2015 with Cruise Planners co-owners Michelle Fee and Vicky Garcia as well as Kier Matthews, Europe Express and Joe Eastep, Oceania Cruises. |
Cruise Planners has been named to Sun Sentinel’s South Florida Top Workplaces, and recently hosted a land tour of Italy for its top-producing agents.
“It is a huge honor to be named a top workplace,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative. “We value our employees and create a family-like environment, which creates loyalty and breeds success. Our dedicated team is why Cruise Planners stands with the best.”
In order to achieve the title of “Top Workplace,” Cruise Planners employees ranked high levels of satisfaction in six key categories, which include direction, execution, connection, workload, management and pay and benefits. The anonymous survey was conducted by Workplace Dynamics, LLP, a research firm that specializes in organizational health and employee engagement. Workplace Dynamics conducts regional Top Workplaces programs with 40 major publishing partners across the United States.
Cruise Planners’ Home Office has seen significant growth over the last few years. From a start-up company envisioned by Fee more than 20 years ago, Cruise Planners’ Home Office Team has grown to a staff off 74 people.
Italy Trip for Top-Producing Agents
The company also recently invited its top-producing travel agents on a week-long Italy land tour. The group was escorted by Fee and Cruise Planners co-owner Vicky Garcia, as well as representatives from Europe Express and Oceania Cruises.
The group started in Florence and visited many Italian cities, complete with wine tastings at local wineries, private cooking lessons in a Tuscan villa and exclusive city excursions. The group stayed at the Villa La Palagina in Tuscany, experienced a tour of Milan complete with a visit to the Duomo de Milan, and toured Lake Como with a final night’s stay at the Grand Hotel Bristol Resort & Spa in Lake Maggiore.
“This year, we have grown our land-based business so it was a natural decision to experience Europe with so many of our top-producing agents,” said Fee. “Europe Express showed us an exceptional itinerary, guided hospitality and culturally immersive experiences, which will only help positively impact our total land sales.”
Agents also learned about Oceania Cruises’ product and European sailings while on the trip. The collaboration showcased a combination of pre- and post-cruise extension packages for travelers throughout Italy.