A Love for Travel Evolves into a Thriving Family Business
ORLANDO, Fla. (July 26, 2011) – A family’s passion for travel, cruise vacationing in particular, has fueled the steady growth of Cruises-N-More into one of the nation’s leading cruise travel agencies today. The online cruise broker, launched 13 years ago out of a home, is now regularly ranked among the top one percent of agencies in the United States based on volume.
The high volume of cruises it books enables the company to offer special cabin upgrades and other value-added amenities to clients that smaller agencies cannot.
How did Cruises-N-More reach this point, given its relatively young age? Founder Patricia Neidhardt says it is the family-friendly culture of her agency that sets it apart from others in the business and draws new and repeat cruise travelers to book all types of vacations with them.
“We began cruising as a family back in the 1980s when our children were very young,” Neidhardt said. “They produced great family memories and heavily influenced my decision to launch Cruises-N-More. My vision was to launch a cruise travel agency that put the customers’ interests first, just as if they are family. All of our employees know how a family wants to be treated on vacation and we work hard to fulfill their wishes.”
Not only does her family still enjoy cruise vacations together, daughter, Tiffany, and son, Todd, and daughter-in-law, Tifni, all help manage Cruises-N-More.
“My children had other career opportunities, but we all share such a passion for traveling that it just seemed natural for them to join the company,” Neidhardt said. “I’ve instilled in them the same attention to detail and approach to treating every customer like a member of the family as I embraced when we launched the business.”
Neidhardt says that multi-generational bookings are very popular, especially for family-friendly itineraries to the Caribbean. There is something for everyone, no matter what their age, to entertain themselves on a cruise vacation.
“Rather than living near each other, many families are now spread out across the country, due in part to our economy and need for people to find work,” Neidhardt said. “What we’re seeing is families planning cruise vacations with parents, grandparents, children, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and cousins as a way to meet in one location and stay connected in an incredibly relaxing and fun atmosphere. There’s no better travel value, especially with gas prices rising.”
This year, cruisers also are finding great deals for upscale sailings to the Mediterranean. Some Mediterranean cruises, for example, include airfare from most major U.S. cities; complimentary shore excursions, cabin credits up to $600 and other special perks.
The Neidhardt family travels together frequently, too, not only on cruises, but also to Hawaii and various countries in Europe. Two year-old grandson, Xander, has already sailed on multiple ultra-luxury ships and visited the Caribbean, Europe and Hawaii, as well as various states in the U.S.
“Hopefully, traveling from a young age will inspire him to one day join the family business,” says Neidhardt. “He’s already motoring around the office – maybe we’ll have him answer the phones soon to share his thoughts on his last cruise with our customers.”
In addition to cruising, the family also vacations together on a regular basis in Hawaii, on the island of Maui.
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About Cruises-N-More
Cruises-N-More is family-owned and operated with a goal to give customers the best deals in a friendly manner that put the customer’s best interests first, treating them as family.
Cruises-N-More was named by MSNBC as a top web broker. Cruises-N-More consistently ranks among the top producers with the major cruise lines and CEO Pat Neidhardt is a member of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Advisory Board. Cruises-N-More has been featured in USA TODAY and Frommer’s ‘Cruises for Dummies’ book as having great cruise prices.
Cruises-N-More has received many accolades from the cruise lines. The agency has received the following awards: Princess Gold I-Excel Agency; Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Online Agency of the Year/Key Account; Carnival Top Agency & Select Agency; NCL President’s Club Agency; Holland America Centurion & Premium Preferred Agency; Disney, Silver Sea, Crystal & Cunard Agency Producer.
Cruises-N-More
610 Crescent Executive Court, Suite 220
Lake Mary, FL 32746 USA
1-800-733-2048 USA toll-free
+1-407-771-4454 direct-dial
http://www.Cruises-N-More.com
Media Contact:
Darla Freeman
+1-248-568-3860
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