CruiseOne / Dream Vacations Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Dream Vacations (formerly CruiseOne) is a home-based travel-agency franchise specializing in cruises and vacation packages. Franchisees work from home earning commissions on bookings, with no storefront or inventory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A CruiseOne / Dream Vacations franchise requires a total initial investment of $13K – $21K, including a $495 – $11K franchise fee and an ongoing 1.5% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $13K – $21K
- 5th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 1.5%
- 1st pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 2,175
- 65th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $13K – $21K including a $11K franchise fee, 1.5% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSFY2024 total revenues comprise royalties from travel sales, net of $21,488,636 and franchise and other fees of $5,053,648. Net income $5,620,130. Audited by an unnamed CPA firm (signature in Boston, MA, dated March 31, 2025; firm name not captured in OCR). 2,175 franchised outlets, zero company-owned, as of Dec 31, 2024.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 100/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 27.6% CAGR over 3 years with 2175 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- CruiseOne, Inc.
- Parent company
- World Travel Holdings, Inc.
- Predecessor
- We do not have a predecessor
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer
- Bradley Tolkin / Jeffrey Tolkin
- CEO experience
- 18 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 1201 W Cypress Creek Rd, Suite 100, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33309-1955
- Auditor
- RSM US LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $26.5M
- vs $23.0M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Bradley Tolkin / Jeffrey Tolkin
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 1992
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 51
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 94% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $495 | $11K | |
| Training expenses | $250 | $475 | |
| Additional Signatories/Associates Training and Travel | $745 | $1K | |
| Office Equipment and Furniture | $0 | $350 | |
| Initial Office Supplies | $50 | $275 | |
| Computer Hardware/Software Equipment | $0 | $2K | |
| Insurance, Legal, and Accounting | $150 | $2K | |
| Permits, Franchises, Bonds, & Memberships | $150 | $500 | |
| Initial Promotion and Advertising | $250 | $1K | |
| Criminal and Civil Background Check | $0 | $50 | |
| Additional Funds (3-month initial phase for full-time franchisees) | $500 | $3K | |
| Financing Application Feenot refundable | $0 | $75 | |
| Total initial investment | $3K | $21K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $13K – $21K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $500 – $3K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $495 – $11K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 1.5%
- tiered · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- No national marketing fund or advertising program current…
- Total fee load
- 1.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $150 |
| Training fee | $495 |
| Transfer fee | $4K |
| Total fee load | 1.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
CruiseOne / Dream Vacations did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one CruiseOne / Dream Vacations unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
759%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
FY2024 total revenues comprise royalties from travel sales, net of $21,488,636 and franchise and other fees of $5,053,648. Net income $5,620,130. Audited by an unnamed CPA firm (signature in Boston, MA, dated March 31, 2025; firm name not captured in OCR). 2,175 franchised outlets, zero company-owned, as of Dec 31, 2024.
- Item 19 type
- historical sales by sales level group
- Sample size
- 1,357
- vs category median 35 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $25K→$31.9M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 296 Business Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 1.5% — below the Business Services average of 11.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports historical sales by sales level group rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 27.6% CAGR over 3 years across 2,175 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Multi-unit rate
Only 6% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Business Services averages
How CruiseOne / Dream Vacations Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2,175
- Opened
- 378
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 161
- Turnover rate
- 7.4%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 5.6%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +27.6%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +27.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 378
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 119
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 42
- Transfers (3yr)
- 20
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 504
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 0.9%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 6.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 7.4%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 51 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
51
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $1.6M
- Median loan
- $147K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (6 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 6
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Commission-dependent travel franchise with opaque profitability, unprotected territories, and aggressive growth masking structural vulnerabilities in an economically-sensitive industry.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Largest disclosed settlement: $100,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · RSM US LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 100 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI validation and profitability assessment
- 02MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk with 2,175 other franchisees in system
- 03MINOR11.3% YoY unit growth masks potential quality issues; expansion rate outpacing market demand
- 04MEDWide royalty range (1.5%-3.0%) suggests inconsistent commission structures and unclear earning formulas
- 05MEDCommission-based revenue model creates volatility; travel industry highly susceptible to economic shocks
- 06MINORLow franchise fee ($10,500) may indicate low barriers to entry/exit and higher failure rates
- 07MINOR5-year term is relatively short; high renewal/replacement churn expected
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 1.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 0 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Broward County, Florida (mediation) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | FL |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 88 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Broward County, Florida area (on-site); Online (virtual and self-study)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- MyCruiseControl
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: MyCruiseControl
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
2,405 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
CruiseOne / Dream Vacations · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a CruiseOne / Dream Vacations franchise?
The total investment to open a CruiseOne / Dream Vacations franchise ranges from $13K – $21K, with an initial franchise fee of $11K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do CruiseOne / Dream Vacations franchise owners earn?
CruiseOne / Dream Vacations does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the CruiseOne / Dream Vacations FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the CruiseOne / Dream Vacations FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is CruiseOne / Dream Vacations's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for CruiseOne / Dream Vacations (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many CruiseOne / Dream Vacations franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, CruiseOne / Dream Vacations has 2,175 total units in the United States, including 2,175 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 378 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is CruiseOne / Dream Vacations a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates CruiseOne / Dream Vacations as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 100 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.