CruiseOne Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a CruiseOne franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
CruiseOne discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
2025 performance data for 1,475 outlets operating 12+ months; average sales $511,424. Excludes 153 mature outlets exiting, 13 that opened/closed same year, 492 new 2025 openings. Cherry-picked: omits struggling dormant outlets (<$25K sales) from main table.
What a CruiseOne franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $495 | 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 | $2,290 – $20,695 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 1.5%-3% based on commission tier; 3% travel insurance fee; $150/person E&O insurance; variable service fees $25-$150/month.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
CruiseOne system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 2,515 |
| Ceased operations | 128 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 128 |
| Transferred to new owners | 6 |
| Closure rate | 5.1% of outlets |
128 terminations + 38 non-renewals in 2025 from 2,176 prior outlets = 7.4% annual churn rate.
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 CruiseOne worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 2.25% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $2,290 | cheaper than most (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 5.1% of outlets | worse than 73% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
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 CruiseOne
The franchisor's framing: 2025 performance data for 1,475 outlets operating 12+ months; average sales $511,424. Excl… 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
CruiseOne franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a CruiseOne franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $2,290–$20,695, including a $495 initial franchise fee.
- How much do CruiseOne franchise owners make?
- 2025 performance data for 1,475 outlets operating 12+ months; average sales $511,424. Excludes 153 mature outlets exiting, 13 that opened/closed same year, 492 new 2025 openings. Cherry-picked: omits struggling dormant outlets (<$25K sales) from main table. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the CruiseOne franchise fees?
- CruiseOne's FDD discloses a $495 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% based on commission tier; 3% travel insurance fee; $150/person E&O insurance; variable service fees $25-$150/month.
- What is the CruiseOne franchise profit margin?
- CruiseOne does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 2025 performance data for 1,475 outlets operating 12+ months; average sales $511,424. Excludes 153 mature outlets exiting, 13 that opened/closed same year, 492 new 2025 openings. Cherry-picked: omits struggling dormant outlets (<$25K sales) from main table. 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 CruiseOne franchise failure rate?
- 128 terminations + 38 non-renewals in 2025 from 2,176 prior outlets = 7.4% annual churn rate.
- How many CruiseOne locations are there?
- CruiseOne's FDD reports 2,515 total outlets, with 128 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 6 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does CruiseOne have complaints or lawsuits?
- CruiseOne discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a CruiseOne franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. CruiseOne scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 2.25% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare CruiseOne to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36648-202605-03 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with CruiseOne or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.