Cruise Planners Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Cruise Planners franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Cruise Planners discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Total Sales data for 2,255 Active Outlets and 600 Dormant Outlets in 2025. Excludes operating expenses, costs of sales, and net income. Unaudited franchisee-reported data.
What a Cruise Planners franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $695 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 2.25% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Total recurring fees | 2.25% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $1,945 – $20,505 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 1.5%-3% gross commissionable fares; $80/mo admin fee; $180/yr E&O insurance; $95/yr access fee per additional person.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Cruise Planners system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 3,124 |
| Ceased operations | 157 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 124 |
| Transferred to new owners | 3 |
| Closure rate | 5.0% of outlets |
157 outlets ceased 2025; 124 terminations, 33 reacquired, 600 dormant (19% of system).
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Cruise Planners worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 2.25% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $1,945 | cheaper than most (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 5.0% of outlets | worse than 72% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 2 | more litigious than 68% of peers |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Cruise Planners
The franchisor's framing: Total Sales data for 2,255 Active Outlets and 600 Dormant Outlets in 2025. Excludes operat… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Cruise Planners franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Cruise Planners franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $1,945–$20,505, including a $695 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Cruise Planners franchise owners make?
- Total Sales data for 2,255 Active Outlets and 600 Dormant Outlets in 2025. Excludes operating expenses, costs of sales, and net income. Unaudited franchisee-reported data. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Cruise Planners franchise fees?
- Cruise Planners' FDD discloses a $695 initial franchise fee, a 2.25% royalty on gross sales, for roughly 2.25% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 1.5%-3% gross commissionable fares; $80/mo admin fee; $180/yr E&O insurance; $95/yr access fee per additional person.
- What is the Cruise Planners franchise profit margin?
- Cruise Planners does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Total Sales data for 2,255 Active Outlets and 600 Dormant Outlets in 2025. Excludes operating expenses, costs of sales, and net income. Unaudited franchisee-reported data. Recurring fees alone take about 2.25% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Cruise Planners franchise failure rate?
- 157 outlets ceased 2025; 124 terminations, 33 reacquired, 600 dormant (19% of system).
- How many Cruise Planners locations are there?
- Cruise Planners' FDD reports 3,124 total outlets, with 157 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 3 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Cruise Planners have complaints or lawsuits?
- Cruise Planners discloses 2 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a Cruise Planners franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Cruise Planners scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 2.25% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 2 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Cruise Planners or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.