Charity Santiago and Drew Daly at the 2026 National Conference (Source: Kip Radt Photography)
WHY IT RATES: The two new specialized events will bolster Dream Vacations and CruiseOne learning opportunities at all stages of travel advisors’ careers while also providing them with new ways in which to build their expertise. — Claudette Covey, Executive Retail Editor
Dream Vacations and CruiseOne are enhancing their travel advisor training and events portfolio in 2027, giving franchise owners and advisors more opportunities for professional development, immersive education, networking and business growth through specialized summits, regional training, intensive courses and industry events.
The lineup introduces two new specialized events, Disney Summit and Sales Summit, joining a year-round training calendar focused on marketing and technology, river cruising, luxury travel, group travel, land vacations, Cruise Control, Dream Vacations and CruiseOne’s proprietary booking technology, and other areas of travel advisor development. The additions reflect Dream Vacations and CruiseOne’s commitment to evolving its training with the needs of advisors at every stage of their business development.
“Our advisors learn in different ways and are at different stages of building their businesses, so our training and events need to meet them where they are,” said Charity Santiago, vice president of training and events. “By expanding our specialized summits, immersive education and regional training opportunities, we’re giving advisors more ways to build expertise, learn from one another and turn that knowledge into business growth.”
New Specialized Summits Expand Travel Advisor Education
The inaugural Disney Summit will take place Jan. 20-22, 2027, at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Fla. Part of Dream Vacations and CruiseOne’s Immersive Education Series, the event combines education, firsthand product experience and networking to help advisors strengthen their Disney expertise and sales. Programming includes a full day of Disney training, access to Disney leadership and subject-matter experts and experiential components.
The new Sales Summit, taking place July 26-29, 2027, at AVA Cancun, will focus on helping advisors convert more prospects into clients and increase sales. Together, the Disney and Sales Summits give advisors additional opportunities to sharpen their expertise, learn from one another and put new strategies into practice.
The broader 2027 training and events calendar gives Dream Vacations and CruiseOne franchise owners and travel advisors opportunities to develop expertise across multiple areas of their businesses.
Highlights include:
• Disney Summit: Immersive Disney-focused education and product experience, Jan. 20-22 in Orlando, Fla.
• Cruise Control Intensive: Specialized training centered on Dream Vacations and CruiseOne’s proprietary technology, with sessions throughout the year.
• Regional Training: In-person and virtual education opportunities scheduled throughout 2027.
• River Summit: March 16-23 aboard AmaVenita from Amsterdam to Basel.
• MarTech Summit: Marketing and technology education, May 10-11.
• Luxury Summit: June 14-18 at Hotel Bardo Savannah.
• Sales Summit: July 26-29 at AVA Cancun.
• Groups Summit: Aug. 4-5, virtual.
• Land Summit: Aug. 23-27 at Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana.
• National Conference: Oct. 24-30 aboard Carnival Festivale.
“Some of the most valuable learning happens when you bring advisors together and give them the opportunity to share what’s working in their businesses,” said Dawn Nowlan of Nowlan Travel by Dream Vacations. “I make it a point to rotate my associates through events so they can learn firsthand from presenters and fellow advisors and bring those ideas back to our business. The education is incredibly valuable, but so are the relationships and connections we build along the way.”
Training Leadership Earns Industry Recognition
The organization’s commitment to advisor education was further recognized in 2026 when Charity Santiago, vice president of training and events, received The Travel Institute’s Educational Excellence Award.
“We are proud to recognize Charity Santiago's exceptional leadership and her commitment to making quality education a cornerstone of success at every stage of the advisor career journey," said Taylor Ruecking, president of The Travel Institute. "This excellence in training, supported by meaningful investments in ongoing professional development resources, empowers advisors and advances the professionalism of the industry."
This recognition complements Dream Vacations and CruiseOne’s continued investment in advisor education and professional development.
“There is nobody more passionate about learning and creating user friendly training programs than Charity Santiago. Her leadership has transformed our training and we continue to make a significant investment in training because we want our advisors to have every opportunity to be successful,” said Drew Daly, CTIE, senior vice president and general manager of Dream Vacations and CruiseOne. “Our industry is constantly changing, and having access to specialized education and firsthand product experiences helps our advisors stay ahead of those changes and become an even stronger resource for their clients. The depth of our 2027 lineup really shows the commitment we’re making to their continued success.”
Those passionate about travel and entrepreneurship who would like to join a travel agency network that invests in advisor education, professional development and business growth should visit DreamVacationsFranchise.com to learn more about owning a Dream Vacations franchise.
SOURCE: Dream Vacations, CruiseOne
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