We are seasoned travel advisors with a passionate dedication to crafting unforgettable travel experiences for our clients. As experts in stress-free travel planning, we offer personalized service and peace of mind that only comes from working with professionals.
Our brand is Cruise Planners, but whether you're looking for a cruise, an all-inclusive resort stay, a comprehensive land tour, or a fully packaged vacation, we have the expertise to turn your travel dreams into reality. With a specialty in cruising and Alaskan adventures, our extensive knowledge and firsthand experience aboard many of the major cruise lines set us apart.
Cheryl holds certifications with top cruise companies like Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, American Cruise Line, and more, ensuring she can offer insider insights and advice on a wide range of seafaring vacations. Our expertise isn't limited to the high seas; Cheryl is also certified with Travel Alaska, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Princess Alaska Experts, highlighting her exceptional understanding of one of the most captivating destinations on Earth. Our dedication to continued education and professional development also includes accreditations with the Rocky Mountaineer Rail, Sandals Resorts, Hyatt Brand, and more. As well as, an Allianz Travel Insurance Specialist.
After training and getting certified with Explore Fairbanks, Cheryl was invited to spend a week in the interior of Alaska based out of Fairbanks. This was great opportunity to experience and learn more beyond cruising Alaska. She was one of six travel agents that attended. They flew over the Arctic Circle, traveled the Dalton Highway (think Ice Road Truckers and Arctic Circle line), hiked with huskies, road ATVs, took the Alaskan Railroad to Denali, toured Denali National Park, visited Santa Claus at North Pole Alaska, toured hotels and so many other experiences she can now share with you.
Our family also took a cruisetour (cruise + land) to Alaska. Seeing Alaska in pictures is nothing compared to being there in person and experiencing it. The majestic mountains, glaciers, culture and the people made it an amazing vacation. We went whale watching, visited the Mendenhall Glacier, walked in the Tongass National Forest, took a Gondola up a mountainside, flew in a helicopter to then walk on a Glacier, visited an Iditarod Sled Dog Kennel, sailed in Glacier Bay and watched otters float by the ship. There is so much more we saw and experienced.
As members of industry-leading organizations such as CLIA, ASTA, and ITAN, we maintain a strong commitment to the highest standards of travel planning and customer satisfaction. When working with with us, clients are not just booking a trip; they're crafting a journey filled with memories to last a lifetime. For those seeking the best travel agent ideas and special deals, our expertise and personalized approach make us the perfect allies in your travel adventure planning.
Hours of Operation
Monday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Friday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday
10:00am - 1:00pm
Sunday
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Testimonials
Cheryl is very helpful at getting us information and keeping us up to date on when things should be done.- Paula S.
Cheryl Howard was wonderful to work with! She answered all our questions, arranged several "extra" things, and stayed on top of everything.- Elizabeth B.
As cruise newbies, we asked a ton of questions, and she patiently guided us every step of the way. When I fractured my ankle just a week before departure, Cheryl stepped up and handled last-minute accommodations with care and speed. Her dedication made our celebration smooth, memorable, and stress-free. With State #50—Hawaii—on the horizon, we’ll absolutely be working with Cheryl again for that cruise and all future travel!- Michele H.
As cruise newbies, we asked a ton of questions, and she patiently guided us every step of the way. When I fractured my ankle just a week before departure, Cheryl stepped up and handled last-minute accommodations with care and speed. Her dedication made our celebration smooth, memorable, and stress-free. With State #50—Hawaii—on the horizon, we’ll absolutely be working with Cheryl again for that cruise and all future travel!- Michele H.
Cheryl provided us with excellent personal driver's for our trip and Penny was able to reach her every time we had any questions.- Nancy M.
Great trip and a ton of fun. Cheryl did a fantastic job of organizing our visit and giving us the maximum experience in the time we had. Wouldn't do another trip without her input and help.- David B.
Cheryl did an awesome job booking our trip the the Netherlands and Belgium. Both of the places that she booked were some of the best boutique hotels I have ever stayed in. I cant wait for her to plan my next trip.- Lynn B.
Just returned from a 3 night RCCL cruise to Ensenada. We booked last minute and our travel advisor, Cheryl Howard quickly booked it for us.- Carrie M.
Our advisor was very helpful, and was timely in getting back to us when we had questions. I really liked that she met with me in person and printed and laminated our luggage tags for our cruise.- Jessica C.
Cheryl was super awesome to work with. Looking to book our next cruise already;)- Summer G.
Cheryl did a phenomenal job arranging our trip to Glacier National Park. We started planning late but she was able to get us great travel and hotel accommodations!- Pam E.
Cheryl Howard did an amazing job organizing our travel plans. We were also very impressed with Viking River cruises.- Carrie M.
Very easy to work with. Only feedback would be to verify flight number is correct with ride pickup from airport as ours was put down incorrectly which led to a delayed pickup at the airport. Also a note that the Inn at the Spanish Steps was wonderful but it is definitely not for travelers who can’t do a large number of steps as the elevator doesn’t go to the floors the rooms are on and also doesn’t go to the breakfast area so travelers must be able to climb a large number of steps. It is a fabulous hotel though if they can! Locations of hotels in the heart of things were perfect!- Heather M.
Cheryl did a fantastic job arranging our trip to Africa through Ama Waterways. Everything went smoothly and we had a wonderful trip.- Richard W.
Cheryl did a fantastic job arranging our trip with Ama Waterways. Everything went smoothly. The trip was well thought out and included land/water safaris as well as history of southern Africa.- Rick W.
Cruise Planners were always available to answer questions or provide documentation when needed.- Gerald M.
Thank you Cheryl for planning such a wonderful European family vacation. We really appreciated your planning and communication skills, the hotel in Florence was the best, Amsterdam a close second! The tour companies were easy to work with and things went very smoothly.- leslie D.
Thank you, Cheryl, for your excellent planning skills and creating a wonderful European vacation for us! Your communication was top notch and we truly appreciate all of your efforts- Leslie D.
Cheryl did a fantastic job helping set up our cruise, Hotel, and transfers. Would have been lost without her help.- Julie F.
Smooth sailing booking this trip!- Lynn I.
Royal Caribbean was wonderful! The ship was so clean and constantly disinfected. The staff went above and beyond to meet the needs of our food allergies (gluten free/dairy free). Excursions booked with Royal Caribbean were well worth the extra cost - they held the ship for us to return after our tour hit traffic delays.
I would suggest encouraging families traveling with kids to book an airport shuttle at the end of the cruise. The Miami port was stressful and we would have preferred booking a bus to the airport ahead of time instead of navigating transportation on our own.- Margo L.
Cheryl answered all my first time cruising questions and provided our family with what we needed to have a great trip.
Royal Caribbean was wonderful! The ship was so clean and constantly disinfected. The staff went above and beyond to meet the needs of our food allergies (gluten free/dairy free). Excursions booked with Royal Caribbean were well worth the extra cost - they held the ship for us to return after our tour hit traffic delays. I would suggest encouraging families traveling with kids to book an airport shuttle at the end of the cruise. The Miami port was stressful and we would have preferred booking a bus to the airport ahead of time instead of navigating transportation on our own.
Cheryl was very responsive and helpful when we had questions or concerns!- Susan K.
Any question or concern I had was answered quickly and with good direction- Jayne O.
The Viator tours were excellent and what we expected. All the tour guides spoke English well and easy to understand. The hotel up in the Alps was absolutely charming, and the people were super nice.- Joyce W.
Cheryl was great to work with. From the moment I suggested visiting Puerto Rico, she sent me information and pricing. From there we were able to pick out where we wanted to stay and pay for our trip. She sent us links of things to do as well as updates as we got closer to our departure. She took the time to update us on our adventures planned as well as our constant flight time changes on the way home. I would recommend Cheryl and Cruise Planners for anyone looking to book a vacation.- TAMMY R.
Thank you, Cheryl, for working so diligently and patiently. Our first cruising experience was fantastic, and we are grateful for your guidance and professionalism.- Kim Z.
Cheryl was GREAT! I told her a bunch of things I was looking for in my next vacation and found us the perfect spot with everything we asked for and more.- TANYA J.
Great time! Thank you for your help.- Tammi R.
We had an amazing trip. Two days near Arenal where we saw the waterfall and did an ATV tour. Then five days in Quepos, we did two days of deep-sea fishing and toured the Manual Antonio National Forest. We saw a lot of wildlife, ate wonderful food, experienced fun adventures, and saw beautiful views. Cheryl from Cruise Planners connected us with local Costa Rico team members who supported us throughout the week. They provided excellent recommendations for lodging, restaurants (including making reservations), and sightseeing ideas. We had an excellent trip.- Mike and Michelle S.
Our cruise on Odyssey was excellent. Cheryl took great care in making sure we had our onboard materials and changes in our itinerary in our hands.
We loved the ship and it was perfect for our family of 6. Lots of options and things for everyone to do.
One thing that wasn’t as convenient as we hoped was that our two rooms were not as close to one another as we had hoped. While it looked like they would have been across the hall from one another, the interior room was only accessible by going down the hall and then back down the interior hallway.
Not a huge deal but would have been more convenient to be closer to each other.
Overall, Odyssey is a gorgeous ship with lots to do and we had a great time.- Lisa R.
Cheryl at Cruise planners has been a delight to work with. She has helped us with two cruises now and made some excellent recommendations on hotels as well. The one cruise involved coordinating the needs of various different parties and reduced the stress of the trip greatly.- Bev M.
We enjoyed our Celebrity Cruise immensely, especially the ports of call. Food was good, and we had several different options. Only complaint was the bartenders around the pool area were not very friendly or aware of the customers order in line. It was my wife's first cruise and she definitely wants to go again. Also, the on and off the ship was extremely easy.- Daniel O.
Cheryl at Cruise Planners did a great job helping up set up our vacation. She was thorough in her directions, and was open about her experiences regarding the cruise line, we enjoyed as a family.- Jody B.
My husband and I had a dream come true with a vacation to Hawaii for our family of 10 people with the incredible help of Cheryl Howard. She was able to coordinate three different cities that we were coming from to travel seamlessly to Hawaii, and back without any complications. Cheryl addressed all our concerns quickly, confidently and completely! Thank you for making this trip full of memories to last a lifetime!- Margie W.
Cheryl was great to work with. She answered all our questions and was very helpful figuring everything out!
Cheryl was great in helping us determine what cruise-line and ship would be best suited for us. We had outlined certain things we wanted - whales, glaciers, moose, and bears. Our ship was one of the few permitted to go into Glacier Bay, for a once in a lifetime experience. We were so close to the glaciers that you could smell the crispness to the air and hear them calf. She also gave us an amazing recommendation for a whale watching excursion that was outside of those you pick from the ship’s options. This was the best decision because we found our tour was more intimate and had an amazing crew. Our extension to Denali was perfect and we had numerous opportunities to see wildlife. Each of our excursions was purely magical. Please make it to Alaska and experience all you can!- Shannan S.
Thanks for everything, you're the best!!! You know, we have planned many trips before with various travel agents and we must say you are truly one of the best agent/agency we have had the pleasure to interact with!! We thank you very much for all your work and dedication to make this trip happen! It was truly magical and stress free, because of you !! We will definitely be using you again !!!- Kevin K.
There was a lot of rework with this trip when illness caused a change in destination. Cheryl went above and beyond to ensure our vacation was a successful one. The cruise was fabulous with zero issues all the way from beginning to end. Thank you for making this a very positive experience!!- Susan B.
Our experience with the 'Small Ship Cruising' concept riding the vessel American Song was quite enjoyable. By the third day we found ourselves talking about our next river cruise, how it would have to be longer than the cruise we were currently enjoying.
Our cruise on the Columbia River in the mountainous northwestern US was suggested by our very helpful team from Cruise Planners. They managed the arrangements for all the components of our cruise which included airlines travel to and from as well as first night hotel stay. Cheryl from Cruise Planners was in regular contact with us to make sure that we had our registrations and check-ins online completed in the proper time frame. We were delighted with their help so that every part of our cruise happened as expected.
Having only experience with Caribbean cruises on large ships, I was a bit surprised by what we found on the American Song. I found the Song did indeed provide features and amenities as the big ships, just on a smaller scale. The American Song didn't have all the lights and glitter like the bigger ships. 0ne exception to this would be that the staterooms were actually slightly larger than what we've experienced on bigger ships. As promised all staterooms had a balcony.
Meals were planned and prepared by a top notch New Orleans chef. Every meal we had in the main dining room was excellently presented and delicious. A second chef manned the grill and food preparation at the Sky Lounge were prepared to order food was available throughout the day.
Room cleaning and towel service work was completed each day while we were off on Excursion and follow up check was done by staff members to be sure that rooms were serviced to our satisfaction.
The ship was in a different port every day so there were excursions everyday. We were accompanied by a naturalist from the area to explain what we were seeing from a historical aspect. He also provided daily briefings on what would be seen on certain excursions to help those who may not have investigated the options of time. At each port there were opportunities to walk or jog along the roadways or walkways of the town where the ship docked, if not going on any of the excursions. The ports we stopped at were typically small towns with limited tourism business outside of the excursions provided. The major excursions were reached by bus transportation.
The cruise was not specifically an adult event, but of the 180 capacity about 5% were not adults. The accommodations on this ship, such as no swimming pools or video game rooms, there wasn't much attraction for the younger crowd. With such a low capacity, the ship was much less crowded and a lot quieter which provided the environment where one could easily carry on conversation with others.
Our vessel had parlor or small meeting room space on each deck with larger communal areas on the top decks. This provided plenty of room and tablespace for socializing, card playing, games or to just watch the river go by. The 'Small Ship Cruising ' concept is very attractive to Cruisers who wish to see and learn about new and interesting areas in a relaxing environment.- Gerald M.
Cheryl made our honeymoon planning a breeze and was always available for questions 7 days a week all day. She was always responsive and went above and beyond throughout the process. Thank you again for making our honeymoon special!- Brandon D.
Cheryl was very helpful when planning a trip for our family of six. Lots of options, as well as personal feedback from her experiences on the cruise ships.- Lisa R.
Our vacation was 3 years in the making due to COVID, but once we finally set sail in July 2022, we realized it was worth the wait. We were very nervous with lingering COVID protocols in Canada (we set sail from Vancouver), and how cruising would be overall. We had to jump through a lot of hoops and paperwork because of traveling to Canada and COVID testing and vaccinations required. Cheryl was on top of EVERY detail and made this process manageable for us. I had tons of questions that she pleasantly answered each time I contacted her, all the while reassuring me that everything would work out fine. We traveled with another couple and she coordinated every last detail for all of us. From room type, room location, dinner seating, Vancouver hotel, Anchorage hotel, hotel transfers, securing us on-board cruise credits, guiding us through picking excursions. We definitely wouldn't have been able to plan this on our own. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime. Unimaginable views of this gorgeous state. Everybody should experience Alaska. We've since recommended Cheryl to others planning a trip. Our son just recently booked a trip using Cheryl to Ireland and Scotland for his honeymoon in 2023. Thank you Cheryl for your attention to detail and helping us check Alaska off our bucket list.- Lori D.
Very attentive and responsive to communication!
Cheryl is an absolute pleasure to work with. She is professional, knowledgeable and very responsive. This is the second time she’s helped us plan a vacation and our family is grateful to her. We’ll surely use her services again.
Cheryl is the absolute best when it comes to her job! We have worked with her on various trips, and she is amazing ! Details and “extra” care and concerns have been covered completely!
We highly recommend her... she is a great representative of her company! We have been on at least 30 cruises, so we speak from experience!
Thanks, Cheryl, for doing such a super job! We will be contacting you soon for another fantasy journey! You’re the best!
Jay and Barbara Hutchens- Barbara H.
Cheryl helped my toddler son and I find a perfect vacation package in Mexico. Her attentiveness and professionalism is superb. We felt like we were in wonderful hands the entire time.- Polina G.
Cheryl helped me and my toddler son find a wonderful vacation package in Mexico. The attentiveness and professionalism we received was superb. We had a wonderful time and are very thankful to Cheryl.- Polina G.
"Jim and Cheryl go above and beyond to work with you on trip planning-they really spend the time to understand what your priorities are and craft a trip to exceed them. I did not know how much else they did besides cruises-they do lots of other types of trips too! Best of all, they are super approachable and welcoming."- Margaret M.
Cheryl was recommended to us off of a local wedding site. I am SO glad to have found her! We wanted to go to New Zealand for our honeymoon and she booked us an AMAZING trip! It was so nice in the craziness of all of our wedding planning to not have to think twice about planning this! Not only was Cheryl respectful of our budget, but she tailored our honeymoon activities to our personalities so perfectly. We had an absolute blast! From a beautiful bed and breakfast, to zip lining, a helicopter ride, boat tours, she made sure we were able to do it all! She budgeted so we were able to do way more than I thought we would be able to fit within our budget! Cheryl kept in constant communication and made sure this process was as simple as possible! We will definitely be back to plan another trip soon! Thank you Cheryl! Our honeymoon was beyond our expectations!- Kaitlyn S.
Cheryl booked a fabulous Celebrity cruise for us this month to Europe for 12 nights. She was absolutely tremendous-got us a great deal and took care of all the tiny details to make an amazing journey for my husband and me. I highly recommend her!- Deborah R.
Experienced cruisers and international travelers to offer their expertise.- Joyce W.
