How We Set You Up For Success
Expedia Cruises has over 100 corporate staff at our headquarters, and we all share one mission – “Empower our franchise owners with a proven system to grow a profitable and valuable business.”
For us, that means giving you – our franchisees – the tools, systems, and support you need to be successful. We also help you troubleshoot issues by offering support in the field, as well as outstanding online and phone support. Great support also means great communication. When you call us for a question, we will return your call promptly, armed with answers.
Innovative Technology for Optimal Efficiency
By harnessing Partner Central, our proprietary technology, we have revolutionized the process of booking travel. It seamlessly integrates industry-leading booking tools, a robust CRM, and a comprehensive reporting and lead management system. Moreover, within Partner Central, we have introduced our latest cruise booking path, powered by Odysseus, which streamlines and simplifies the way you work. This all-in-one solution empowers you to effortlessly search, book, and manage cruises, ultimately freeing up your valuable time.
Below are some of the key features of our new cruise booking path:
- More content, stateroom details, deck plans, maps, itineraries, and search filters
- Pricing pulled directly from cruise lines to ensure accuracy
- Onboarding new Consultants is made easy by streamlining training on one platform vs using different cruise line tools
- Quote and cruise compare tools
- Easily share sailings, with integrated self-booking links, with customers
- Special rates and stateroom filters
- Features 40+ cruise lines, 500+ ships, and 50,000+ sailings
- Third party integrations for Insurance and
- Shore Excursions
- Plus much more!
And we’re not done yet! As we continue to enhance and expand the capabilities of this already powerful booking path, you can expect a constant stream of new features and improvements that will further elevate your booking experience.
Robust Support to Grow a Profitable Business
In addition to cutting edge technology, one of the things that makes Expedia Cruises special is that we do a lot of work at our corporate office in Vancouver. Our corporate support staff works together to secure promotional deals from cruise lines, build marketing campaigns and materials, and continuously develop new programs that will help our franchisees boost their profitability. Our goal has always been to equip our franchisees to be great leaders while making it easier for you to train your team of Vacation Consultants.
Through the process of starting your travel agency, our Franchise Service Managers will guide you through every step, helping you select the ideal location for your store (with insight from a third-party real estate company), negotiate your lease, and begin to recruit your team of travel agents. We’ll also be in touch frequently to help you optimize your business. On the day you open your doors, your Franchise Performance Coach (FPC) will be with you to help you get acclimated, to answer your questions, and to help you get off to a strong start. Expect your FPC to be in touch regularly after that to provide 1-on-1 support, communicate system enhancements, and ensure you’re on track to achieve the goals you’ve set for your business.
Cruise Management Academy (CMA) & The Navigators Approach
During your location build-out, you’ll simultaneously be learning the ins and outs of the travel industry and attending a week-long intensive training session, called Cruise Management Academy (CMA), at our corporate office in Vancouver, BC. During CMA you’ll take a deep dive into the entire Expedia Cruises system and connect with Subject Matter Experts who will answer any questions you may have.
In addition to CMA, Expedia Cruises has established our own sales training program called The Navigators Approach. This step-by-step sales methodology was developed exclusively for Expedia Cruises and to help franchisees teach their Vacation Consultants how to sell travel, even if they don’t come from a sales background. With a suite of leadership tools and train-the-trainer workshops for franchisees, we help you deliver The Navigators Approach with confidence. This program is one of the many ways we ensure that our franchisees become terrific leaders – even if they have no industry experience themselves.
Franchise Conferences & Events
Expedia Cruises provides a lot of direct support to franchisees, but one of the most powerful things we do is make it easy for franchisees to connect with one another. Customers aren’t the only ones who benefit tremendously from face-to-face meetings; our franchise owners do too.
We host annual conferences for our franchisees — either on a seven-day cruise or based somewhere in central United States. The conferences give franchisees a chance to meet, mingle, learn, and have fun. After all, fun is what this business is all about!
