Minding Your Business- Cruise Planners

“Our business is a full-service travel agency, so we do everything from land vacations to river cruises to ocean vacations to weekend getaways, and we have a lot of experience in what we're doing,” said Rick Carlson, who owns Cruse Planners with his wife Allison Read. “We've had the opportunity to travel a tremendous amount ourselves to be able to help clients, too, because we've been there firsthand. We've been to some exciting places like Antarctica this past year!”

Now in their 26th year in operation, Carlson and the team at Cruise Planners have offices in Mashpee and Hyannis by appointment and also the convenience of Zoom to meet with clients. Cruise Planners is a franchise and is a licensed, bonded and insured travel agency, as well as a member of the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) and American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). 

In addition to having access to exclusive offers and deals, clients working with Cruise Planners get a huge sense of relief knowing that they are getting personalized service and dedicated planning strategies from well-traveled industry professionals. They have the expertise and tools available to offer special travel fares to destinations all over the world, including ocean cruises, river cruises, all-inclusive resorts and every type of vacation destination in between. 

“A lot of people go and search and they think, oh, we have to pay a travel agent. We do not charge any fees,” Carlson said. “We do all the planning with you. We get everything done for you. There's no additional fee. We're compensated by the cruise lines and the hotel operators. Some agencies do charge, that's their business model. Our business model is not to charge a fee.”

In addition to a strong social media presence and huge referral business, Cruise Planners prides themselves on offering in-person special events to promote their vacation packages and experiences. 

“We also do events like we're doing at the Chatham Bars Inn introducing a product, like the Viking River Cruises event coming up,” said Carlson. “It lets them know about the company and the options that are there. Our favorite thing to do is the events and meeting the people personally. It verifies for the person if they want to do business with us, too. It helps you in providing guidance as to what cruise line might be the right match for them, so we meet the expectations they'll have.”

The event taking place at Chatham Bars Inn next week will be held on Aug. 5 at 3 p.m. There will be exclusive offers and promotions for the 2026, 2027, 2028 river, ocean, Mississippi and expedition cruises. RSVPs are required for the event as space is limited (call or email to 774-994-8460 or events@cruiseplannertravel.com). Carslon said they hold events throughout the year on the Cape and beyond that give folks a fantastic opportunity to learn about and take advantage of all the amazing trips Cruise Planners offer.

“It's a personal service that we provide. We want to make it their vacation. It's not mine. We're gonna listen to them, help plan the vacation for them to ensure everything they want is in place, and that's ideally what we want to be able to do,” Carlson said. 

Take the stress and worry away and be sure to attend one of Cruise Planners’ upcoming events around the Cape, or give them a call to chat about travel plans! 

“And it's been a great 26 years,” Carlson said. “It's been a lot of fun. You know we have some wonderful clients that really become friends over time!”

Cruise Planners

978-263-7795

 www.cruiseplannertravel.com