I was recently interviewed by VoyageMIA Magazine and I am honored to share this with you.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story starts as a young woman in the cruise industry as it was literally just starting. I was one of the first reservation agents for Carnival Cruise Lines when there were only two (2) ships in Mia
mi. I continued working onboard a cruise ship as a pursers clerk and then furthered my career in many roles within the cruise industry. In 2007 I decided to purchase my very own Cruise Planners franchise and by 2008, I had sold over $1,000,000 (Millionaires Club). Fast forward to today, I am one of Miami’s top cruise specialists selling cruises all over the world. My clients know that they can count on me and over the years, we have developed into relationships that turn into generational business as well as friendship. Customers choose me over others because I’m honest, knowledgeable and I have truly grown with the times to make sure my clients get where they need to go and for the best price. My clients know that they can count on me as their representative for their vacation.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not always been so smooth. After two years on my own, the housing crisis became my reality and I lost half of my business overnight. So like a lot of people I just needed to work harder to rebuild. Fast forward today, Covid-19 has paused all the Cruise ships. I am working hard to book as many Cruises as possible for 2021 and 2022 so my clients have something to look forward to and they get ahead of the pent-up demand that I am sure is going to happen.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Cruise Specialist and I love selling Cruises. I am also an American Express representative that allows me to offer group rates and promotions from Cruise Planners as well as American Express benefits. I am a full-service Travel advisor so I can sell everything to travel. I am proud that I get to do what I love and help people make vacations I feel confident that once I get a client, I challenge myself to keep them for life.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Because its such a questionable time in the travel industry and we are working basically for free making sure all passengers are refunded rebooked and making sure everyone is informed on everything travel… the hope is that word of mouth and booking your next vacation with me will be beneficial for me in the coming year or two.
Contact Info:
- Email: staci@staycruising.com
- Instagram: @cruiseplanners_stacisanford
- Facebook: https://www.staycruising.com
- Twitter: stacisanford@staycruising
