From left: Drew Daly, senior vice president of Dream Vacations; Alicia Linden, vice president of recruitment marketing of Dream Vacations; Sandi Szalay, vice president of information technology of Dream Vacations (Source: Kip Radt Photography)
WHY IT RATES: Dream Vacations and CruiseOne continue to raise the bar on strategies to help travel advisors capitalize on cutting-edge technology with the unveiling of the newest generation of AI-powered MarTech, which will provide them with time to more seamlessly grow their businesses. — Claudette Covey, Executive Retail Editor
Dream Vacations and CruiseOne unveiled the next generation of its MarTech ecosystem during its 2026 National Conference aboard Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, showcasing how artificial intelligence (AI), customizable technology and marketing resources are working together to help travel advisors reach more customers, generate leads, save time and grow their businesses.
As the Dream Vacations and CruiseOne network approaches $1 billion in combined land and cruise sales, the company continues investing in technology that helps franchise owners scale their businesses while keeping advisor expertise, service and personal relationships at the center.
“After 34 years in this business, we know what our advisors need to be successful, but how we deliver the support continues to evolve,” said Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager of Dream Vacations and CruiseOne. “We are putting AI to work where it can make a real difference, whether that is helping an advisor reach more customers, reducing manual work or creating a better experience for their customers. For us, it is about using the technology in practical ways that make our advisors’ day-to-day easier and free up more of their time to focus on their clients.”
AI Search Creates a New Lead-Generation Channel
As travelers increasingly turn to AI-powered search for vacation information and recommendations, Dream Vacations and CruiseOne are making their franchise owners’ websites easier for AI search engines to find and understand.
This work builds on recently recognized innovations. Dream Vacations earned a 2026 Travel Weekly Magellan Gold Award for its Agent Directory in the Web Marketing/Advertising category and a Silver Award for “Helping Travel Advisors Thrive in the Age of AI” in the Travel Agent Innovation category. Earlier this year, the company added AI-friendly schema markup to advisor websites, making it easier for AI search engines to understand advisor expertise and include relevant content in search results. Franchise owners are already reporting leads and bookings from travelers who discovered them through AI search.
Next, AI-search optimization will extend to blog content advisors create for their websites and all custom landing pages. Because advisors control this content, they can showcase specific destinations, travel styles and specialties they want to be known for and reach travelers searching for that expertise.
“Having a professional, tech-forward website presence helps build trust, establish credibility and connect advisors with travelers looking for their expertise,” said Alicia Linden, vice president of consumer and recruitment marketing. “But reaching the customer is only the beginning. Our MarTech ecosystem connects the entire journey, helping advisors attract and nurture leads, manage opportunities and ultimately turn more of those connections into bookings.”
One advisor who has already seen the impact is Amy Madson of Madson & Associates, who received a lead from a traveler who said they found the agency through ChatGPT.
“When a customer told me they found me through ChatGPT, it really drove home how much the search landscape is changing,” said Madson. “People have access to more information and options than ever before, which highlights what travel advisors bring to the table: trust, expertise and personalized guidance.”
AI and Automation Help Advisors Save Time
That flexibility extends beyond an advisor’s website and into the technology franchise owners use each day. Upcoming enhancements to Cruise Control, the network’s proprietary customer relationship management (CRM) and booking technology, will give advisors even greater flexibility in how they organize clients, bookings and daily priorities.
One of the upcoming AI-powered enhancements will address a common source of manual work for advisors. Cruise Control is being developed to read supplier booking confirmations and use that information to begin creating bookings, significantly reducing duplicate data entry for reservations that must be manually loaded. This is a game changer for reservations without live supplier connectivity.
“What is exciting is how much more personal the day-to-day experience can become,” said Sandi Szalay, vice president of information technology. “Our advisors don’t all run their businesses the same way, so Cruise Control shouldn’t require everyone to work the same way either. With enhancements like our Activity Manager and AI-assisted booking creation, we are creating greater flexibility while taking manual work out of the advisor’s day.”
The innovations highlighted at National Conference reflect a broader MarTech roadmap shaped by advisor feedback, with recently introduced and upcoming enhancements across Cruise Control, advisor websites and customer communications, including:
Expanded document attachments for FIT land and cruise bookings, giving advisors greater flexibility to keep important booking information and client documents together.
A new Client Intake Form created through Cruise Control’s Form Builder, making it easier to capture client information and preferences and put those details to work throughout the planning process.
Global Search and Saved Search throughout Cruise Control, helping advisors find the client and booking information they need more quickly and easily return to the searches they use most.
Expanded supplier connectivity, beginning with Oceania Cruises before the end of the year, followed by Regent Seven Seas Cruises and AmaWaterways, expanding shopping, booking and reservation retrieval, giving advisors more options within their existing workflow.
An enhanced Final Payments experience launching Dec. 2, introducing greater customization, flexibility and actionable reminders to help advisors manage upcoming payment deadlines and client follow-up.
Website Enhancements from Search to Booking
Dream Vacations and CruiseOne continue investing in advisor websites to strengthen the path from inspiration and research to booking. Planned enhancements will simplify the mobile shopping experience, making room, cabin, rate and promotion options easier for travelers to navigate. An updated booking experience is planned for Dream Vacations and CruiseOne websites in 2027.
Together with AI-search optimization and niche marketing resources, these enhancements are designed to help advisors reach travelers looking for their expertise and turn online discovery into new business.
Dream Vacations and CruiseOne also announced the return of its award-winning MarTech Summit in 2027, providing franchise owners and associates with dedicated education around marketing, technology and practical strategies they can apply to their businesses.
The company’s continued investment in MarTech is also part of the support platform available to entrepreneurs joining the franchise network. Those researching how to start a travel business or exploring a travel agency franchise can visit DreamVacationsFranchise.com to learn how Dream Vacations and CruiseOne support home-based travel advisors with marketing, technology, travel agent training and established industry relationships.
SOURCE: Dream Vacations, CruiseOne
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