Memorial Day

Remembering those who have served and continue to serve......

The land of the free, because of the brave!

Tracy Heiser Of Crown Point, IN Thinks She's Tricky

Tracy Heiser, who claims to be a motivational speaker, trainer and a professional marketer, ought to learn a little bit about the Internet. But then that might be a stretch when the only experience she seems to have is in painting fingernails. Could Tracy really be a beauty school drop out and found her way to YTB? Here's the back story to this post.

A few days ago, a new commmenter began to mouth off with the same rhetoric we have heard for years. They claim I lie, I cheat, I don't tell the truth, I harass, etc.  As I have been doing for years, I asked him or her to put up or shut up. All of a sudden he or she produced a URL http://www.johnfrenaye.com and suggested that it was some dark secret of mine as it pointed to a ZamZuu shopping site. I have been clear on many occasions that a few years ago, I signed up for the Rep opportunity to check it out. I was contacted by Eran Distler from YTB's compliance department asking me to either keep my Rep site or this blog. Since the blog earns more money than most people in YTB, it was a no brainer and I submitted a support ticket to have my site deactivated. It was live for maybe two weeks and my former upline Rep, Denyse Turner can probably confirm the dates if YTB provided her with the information on her downline.

Normally, I might say that http://www.johnfrenaye.com was a good try, but in this case, it was just a try--if that. It seems that Tracy Heiser, a YTB zealot for many years (and past commeter on this blog) went to the expense of securing the domain which utilizes my name. Now at this point, the zealots are all saying "you are lying, there you go slamming another woman without cause."  Well folks, here's your cause.

Tracy Heiser, YTB ID #520342 is the zealot behind johnfrenaye.com.

Oh, she is a little more crafty than I gave her credit for.  In the time that I began to create this post and now, it seems that it has been changed to another YTB Zealot RT Holt with a YTB ID# of 870123.

If I had to guess, Tracy probably realized that I could easily find out what she had done and tossed one of her own downline under the bus with a redirect to his site--likely unknown to him, created a brand new ZamZuu site, or is using one of the many who have fled the company.

I guess this post now brings into question the morality of Tracy Heiser--manicurist extraordinaire, and the new commenter, sickofpickingnames--who quite likely is Tracy Heiser.  Maybe there is a reasonable explanation. Maybe the URL will be forwarded to another ZamZuu site.  Maybe YTB will contact Tracy and tell her that this type of behavior really reflects poorly on her, YTB, and ZamZuu.  Who knows.

But as I said good try.

Travel Cop's Threat

Class Action Case Dismissed

What remained of the Class Action suit against YTB (all but one plaintiff were dismissed last week) was completely dismissed from Federal Court today.

The plaintiffs have consolidated and amended this suit several times since it was filed in 2008.  With this dismissal, the plaintiffs will be able to file it in State court. It is unknown if they intend to do so.

More details at KMOX

Here We Go Again

History tends to repeat itself. Remember when everyone in YTB was advertising online with all of the claims to riches? That was one of the California issues.  Well, here it is starting up again:

Employer Name: ZamZuu	SpiderID: 2993705
Location: Fort Worth, Texas	Date Posted: 5/23/2010
Wage:	Category: Sales/Demonstrators
Job Code:
Number Of Openings: 9

Job Description:
We are seeking 9 individuals who are highly energetic, not easily discouraged, extremely organized, and highly motivated. This is a sales position with incredible growth potential. Pay is commission based only and has neither a minimum salary nor a maximum. There are no income caps. We are seeking an elite group. We do offer constant support and training, therefore, there is no experience necessary. Please ensure all contact information is current when submitting for this job posting. We will need current phone numbers and email addresses on all applicants.

Job Requirements:
Outgoing personality
Articulate
Self Motivated
Go getter attitude

Job Criteria:
Start Date: Immediate
Position Type: Other
Years of Experience Required:
Education Required: High School
Overnight Travel:
Vacation Time:

Job Benefits:
Flex Time, Casual Dress

Company Profile:
We specialize in affording people the opportunity to becoming a CEO. We host an internet mall and travel business.

Contact Information:

Contact Name: TERRICA LOCKHART	Company Type: Other
Company: ZamZuu
City: Fort Worth
State: Texas
Zip: 76161

Psst Kim Sorensen.....

You need to get in touch with Mark Zuckerberg and let him know that your Facebook page is doing crazy things.

It seems that this post discussing the reduction in your Carnival Cruise Lines commission and the displeasure of some of your fine RTAs has disappeared.  But fear not, I have a copy for you right here.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

I think Leno's writers would have a tough time making this stuff up. Even one of the "most influential people in travel" does not even seem to know what his own company--"the largest seller of travel in the world by 2010" is doing. Dear Kim---#1, probably  not the best idea to put your CONFIDENTIAL commission percentage out there on Facebook for all the world to see.  And  #2, when you answer a question, sometimes it makes sense to be correct about it.  But now that the truth is out, maybe you can explain to your "Facebook Family" why the percentage went down 12.5%.  Maybe Ann Sedgwick can come on and maybe explain how YTB had their commission reduced in a "banner year".  I am sure your "Facebook Family" would like to know!

PS--YTB does not pay commission, Carnival pays commission. YTB splits it!

More Bad News For YTB Travel

Despite the man behind the green curtain's Kim Sorensen's videos, it appears that YTB Travel is feeling a pinch. Carnival has dropped their commission to 14% from 16%, It also appears that Costa and Auto Europe have also dropped them down a bit. It was not too long ago that Carnival's Ann Sedgwick told Kim and his Facebook fans about the "banner" year YTB was having with Carnival. I wonder what that banner said?  Mission Accomplished?

Look a little more and all of the great "vendors" like Sprint, RCI Vacation Certificates, Port Promotions, Well Wishers, Groople and yes even YTB Outdoors have dropped YTB!  Imagine that.  Don't believe me? Log into your back office and look for the YTB Supplier Change Log.

Isn't America Great?

A few years ago, YTB was celebrating Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness eluding the authorities. But the real Lady Liberty, not the foam one that served as a channel to move $8M from YTB to the pockets of Coach and Kim, represents the American dream.


Where else but in America, can a person be a documented failure in business, and then turn that failure around, by hard work plagiarism, spelling errors, poor word choice, mis-truth, false information, and come out ahead? As I have said before, YTB was foolish enough to give the TravelPro all sorts of leeway in his non-compliance and now he is forging ahead with other opportunities armed with the contact information of most everyone in YTB.

Yes, the TravelPro will now be one of those "teach the scammers how to scam" people. You know the type--sign up for my mailing list and I will teach you how to build a downline of 100,000 people in 2 weeks. Buy this video and make yourself me rich. All built on his own personal experience failure with YTB. Yes, while the TravelPro is unabvle to get 250 in a downline, he will tell you how to get thousands. Yes, while TravelPro was unable to make Director in YTB in 6 years, he will tell you how to do it tomorrow. Yes, while TravelPro was not able to make any substantial money in YTB, he will be your guru to riches. I wonder if his new program might be called "TRUTB, The TravelPro's Method To Financial Success"?

But in all seriousness, TravelPro has professed that YTB was a good program and for him, it apparently is. He had senior directors and managers referring people to him. He is claiming to have developed the theme for this year's convention. Foolishly, they listened to him and offered him their most valuable asset--their people. And now, the TravelPro has turned his failure in YTB to success with several other opportunities including ShoppingGenie.  I wonder if he is with Narc That Car?

People will ask, why the personal attack on TravelPro? Well, while I have occasionally taken jabs at him in the past, for the most part, this blog has stayed on the issues. Unfortunately, when the TravelPro is out of things to copy or misspell, he resorts to attacks--you did see his tag cloud didn't you.  His lack of credibility, his lack of any moral scruples, and his profession of success all the while falling deeper and deeper into failure was indeed rich content for this blog. When Bush was out of office, all the late night comics bemoaned the loss of material--in a sense, that is what is happening now.

Here is the latest from TravelPro:

Remember this guy? (How could anyone forget?!)

Yes, it's the man - the myth - the legend in his own mind - Andy Cauthen!

We still keep in touch with Andy and he's doing great and sends his love. (We just talked to him a day or two ago.) We were thinking about Andy a lot this week and out of the blue, he called. (Funny how that happens - huh?)

The reason he was on our mind was due to one of the best contributions he's ever given to YTB. In our opinion Andy's greatest gift to us was his 76 Tips on Goal Setting which we not only took very seriously, but has paid off in spades for us personally.

We set goals each and every year, but Andy's suggestions and guide helped us polish our dreams and goals. Our goals became crystal clear by the time we were done. Today, we find ourselves being rewarded with an abundance of opportunities that we credit to this very exercise.

We never expected that our goals would come to fruition so quickly. Like magic - the right people - the right companies - the right products and opportunities just fell right into our laps.

It's been coming at such a rapid pace that we need to bump up our timeline and make a necessary change in our newsletter.

We're expanding and growing!

Over the last two and a half years we've studied data from this very newsletter, and we've found some interesting trends.

• One, you really like free stuff. (Duh! Like that isn't obvious even without data.)
• Two, you really like tools that help you become more business savvy.
• And Three, you're looking to promote your business in new and innovative ways.

While you'll find all the great news about YTB Travel and Zamuu like you always have, we're going to expand and break out of the current mold and offer more of what we believe will help you grow and expand as a person and a business owner.

Create new revenue streams - build better relationships with those you come in contact with - market more efficiently and effectively.

Sound good?

There is one catch and we've got to do this in order to be compliant. You'll notice logo's and trademarks of Zamuu and YTB going away very soon because this publication will no longer be YTB and ZamZuu specific. Same great information - just a little different look than you've become accustomed too.

You have entrusted us from the very beginning and we don't want to break that trust or the value we provide each and every week. It's an honor to have you as a subscriber and we want to keep you as a subscriber. Therefore, we have to make this small change.

One last thing we know about you. You've mastered change as part of YTB and ZamZuu. You're strong, determined, and resilient.

We're looking forward to adding even more value to you as a subscriber to Just Picture It Now.

You deserve it!

PS - Speaking of value...We'll have some very valuable information for you Monday morning on our blog. (A Google Alert came in this morning which uncovered a real gem!)

Yet another blow to critics who simply won't take "no" for an answer. ;-P

See you Monday on our blog!


Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agents / Network Marketers
YTB Travel Network

But fear not TravelPro--you were not a complete failure and you have earned a permanent spot in the Dumbasses Den.

LOL Of The Day

With the chance that the TravelPro might not be around too much longer--at least in YTB and travel, I thought this was funny. He is proud to claim how insignificant this blog is and how my opinions are really of little consequence and how he focuses on his "business" and so forth.He often states how this blog (and I) obsess over him.

Well take a look at his tag cloud. Tag clouds will change their font size and stroke based on popularity. And I must say I am flattered that the TravelPro feels I am more popular than Kim Sorenson (one of the most influential people in travel I hear), Coach, Scott Tomer, Candi May, Carnival Cruise Lines, YTB Travel, his beloved Steelers, Agent Training, and even his Family.

Now who is obsessing over whom?

TravelPro Throwing In The Towel?

It seems after 5+ years, TravelPro is realizing that YTB is not for him and appears to be throwing in the towel. Or possibly he is being thrown under the bus by YTB. I am not quite sure, but from this blog post, it appears that instead of "spanking me", it seems he might be the one getting spanked.

I suspect that his involvement in ShoppingGenie was a little too much for YTB to take. After all it is headed by a silent founder of YTB. Ron Head is also their new face and lead distributor.

In his post, the TravelPro goes on about all of his passive streams of income (and I am a firm believer in those for sure) and it appears that one of his largest assets is the mailing list he has accumulated over the years. Doug was shrewd enough to ingratiate himself into the good graces of some very senior people at YTB and had them referencing his blog and suggesting people sign up. Right now, with the dismal number of people in YTB, I suspect that he has a contact list of everyone in YTB and a good portion of everyone who was in YTB to utilize as a prospect in his new venture--courtesy of the naivete of YTB and their management. In today's age of technology, data (and content) is king.

While I have run into many zealots over the past few years--Metre Wisham and her cocaine white Bentley, Earl from the farm and his prostitutes in Honolulu, Proud to be YTB and his $30,000 per month income from travel sales, Alphie, TravelCop, Firemedic, and the rest; none have been so persistent and zealous as Doug Bauknight. Doug put all of his eggs in the YTB basket and lived and breathed it. In his post, he references a job as being a carrot to entice people. It seems to me that YTB was simply that. Even in their latest "incentive", YTB dangles the carrot of $1 million dollars-if you recruit 27,000 people to pay $249 and $50 a month.

I think Doug finally realized this--or possibly that no matter the name change, the reputation of YTB/ZamZuu will be a detriment and there was no way he was making Director even under these reduced requirements.

As I said a few days ago, it would be interesting to watch this all unfold, and just as I thought, it is.  Stay tuned!

And The Award For The Greatet Spin Goes To....

Robert VanPatten!

From the official press release from YTB:

In addition, travel commissions paid per Travel Store Owner were up approximately 61% compared to the same period of 2009.

He neglects to say that travel commission paid to ALL travel store owners were DOWN 20%. He also neglects to say that between March 2009 and March 2010, 37, 314 people realized that YTB was a sham and quit the program. And he also neglected to tell you about those commissions paid to the store owners.  In the first quarter of 2009, they earned (based on 73,801 TSOs) $19.16, and in the first quarter of 2010 (based on 36,487 TSOs --who incidentally include non travel people who have opted in for the ZamZuu scam) earned $31.22.

WOW--at $31.22 a quarter, these "Business Owners" might have a banner year if it keep up. $124.88 in income for the year. All for the low low price of $49.95 a month!

What's Another Loss?

Why bother with a profit when you are so good at accruing losses?

YTB loses $373,000 in three months!  And here I thought that was what directors were making each month!

Yes, the 10-Q is out. Have not looked at it yet!

TravelPro Preparing An Attack

This just in, the TravelPro is going to "spank" me soon. I have to presume it is about the Shopping Genie post. I have heard that many in YTB (not just the "TravelPro") are using it and combining it with their ZamZuu "business. Although I am not sure why they need another way to supplement the travel and shopping business--after all, YTB has promised 10,000 millionaires.

Anyhow, here's the email received from our own "TravelPro" who never follows this blog:

And as I said, I may be off base, and when I am I admit it and own up to it. Unfortunately that cannot be said of some others.

This Might Be Fun To Watch Unfold

As we know, YTB has been tanking in the recruitment (survival) department of late. Just yesterday, they tossed out another carrot--you can now become a director for 250 people under you. Of course there are bonuses and health insurance thrown in to entice people into a recruiting mode. And the legality of the health insurance is still in question if indeed these people are "independent contractors". However, with YTB restricting them from being in another "opportunity" when they become directors and providing health insurance, it seems like they might be more like employees. Boy, I would hate to see that back tax bill.

But more recently I have learned of a little tiff between Coach and a guy named David Freed. It seems that Freed was a founder of YTB in addition to Coach, Scott and Kim. It also seems he was with AL Williams and likely a disciple of Coach. ANd now we see all sorts of former YTB people flocking to support his new venture.

Freed is running a company called My Shopping Genie. The first time I heard of it was when TravelPro was singing its praises a few weeks ago as he was trying to capture another slice of the Internet boom. My shopping Genie seems to be a competitor of YTB/ZzmZuu. Of course since the TravelPro has been unable to attain Director status in his nearly 6 years with YTB, he is free to pursue other opportunities. I just wonder if Coach is happy that those opportunities are with a nemesis and several traitors.

Traitors? Well,l it seems that the TravelPro's upline (like most uplines in YTB) has disintegrated and the two Directors who were above him--Doug Moutardier (correction, per Rodney Ward, Moutardier was not in TravelPro's upline nor was he a director) and his personal Sponsor Tim & Georgia Dominey have joined the ranks of My Shopping Genie. I have heard that the Domineys were terminated without cause because someone at YTB felt they were with another MLM. They may have been, but if YTB was churning out millionaires, why go anywhere else. This termination for suspicion seems to be a way of life for YTB. I remember when Bill Hoffmann left and everyone was carving up his downline, a former Director, Teri Perez was tossed out.

But one of the more interesting connections with YTB/ZamZuu and My Shopping Genie is the new "face" of the company. None other than Ron Head--the man who is known all over for his recruiting abilities and the man who was responsible for the incredible growth of YTB several years back. This is the same man who Coach publicly fired on a conference call. This is the same man whom Coach wrote about in his book. This is the same man who was considered to be Coach's best friend.  I guess the moral of the story here is that friendship with Coach is only skin deep.

Since leaving YTB, Ron and Judy have been busy re-establishing themselves with another opportunity and by all appearances doing very well. While those in YTB continue to see their travel sales decline and find it more and more difficult to sell the girdles, picture frames, and purses in order to make a buck. While not an outright admission, even the TravelPro has said he had to take on writing work and relies on all sorts of affiliate programs for income. And now, he is promoting an opportunity which is diametrically opposed by his own personal Savior--Coach Tomer. Judging what happened with Peter Jensen, Bill Hoffmann, Ron Head, Camaron Corr, Mike Arceri, Tim Dominey, and many others--how will Coach Tomer react to the TravelPro's promotion? YTB has been quick to embrace the TravelPro and allowed him to skirt their own regulations while forcing compliance for others. Jeannie Sharpless has been recommending everyone sign up for his newsletter every chance she gets. And when they do, what do they get? A recruitment pitch to another opportunity operated by Ron Head and David Freed and chock full of former YTB Directors!

Coach Is Not Happy About People Like This

Apparently there is another disgruntled MLMer that jumped ship a few weeks ago. Mike Arcadi was a Director and apparently he quit his position by the book, and feels YTB has now decided to find a way to NOT pay him the money he is due.  I have an email into Mike to see if he is willing to talk; but in the meantime, check out these screen shots which were sent to me last night--obviously they were deleted fairly quickly, but for those who did not have the opportunity to see them:

Sorry, can't copy and paste the content (or anything past the "more" tag) as it was sent to me as a JPG. You should be able to click on the image to enlarge it a bit and then click on it again to enlarge it some more!

A Little Sensitive

Wow, seems like someone is a little sensitive. Someone asked if there was a way to book Royal Caribbean for a client like they were booking NCL through Pleasant Holidays. The reaction was a bit extreme. I wonder what the real story is behind all this?  Hmm, enquiring minds want to know.

 Here is the full text of Jeanie Sharpless's response:

NO! There is not! For now, just be pleased that we can book Norwegian through Pleasant Holidays. I encourage you to call into my weekly Monday night calls at 8:30 Eastern on the YTB/ZamZuu conference line...641-594-7505. This call will teach you about booking online and off line (in the Travel Agent Program), as well as learning about your Internet Business Center. Reminder to everyone....please do NOT call Norwegian and do NOT call Pleasant Holidays regarding my cruise. Please refer questions and bookings to GroupTravel@ytbtravel.com and put "Jeanie's Hawaiian Islands Cruise" in the subject line. They'll send you the flyer that you can insert your contact info and all details.

The ZamZuu Way

The TravelPro explained the compensation program for ZamZuu very well in this week's newsletter.

When a store offers cash back, ZamZuu takes it all and gives 50% of it to the customer and the other 50% is to them to distribute to the field. The premise is that the typical customer does not realize that they can typically get MORE cash back by going directly to the store or another website--like bing.com.  So, ZamZuu essentially screws the end user out of the money they could have made to reward the rest of the pyramid.  I wonder if this endears customers to keep returning? ZamZuu also disclaims the cash back amount saying that it does and can change at any given time--so the question remains...is ZamZuu being upfront?

But wait, if you buy from one of the "featured" stores like Melissa Boston and Jerome Hughes' girdle company Ghiada, the customer earns nothing back, but the percentage to share with the pyramid is greater.

Yes, on the surface, it sounds like a good deal--just like YTB did at one point. But when the threads all begin to unravel, it will begin to fail--also just like YTB did.

So, as a ZamZuu owner, how do you convince people to buy merchandise through you? You tell them they earn cash back--but when they realize that they could have received twice as much cash back than you told them, are they coming back to you for their next purchase?  Suppose you sold them a store. The same issue arises. Now, they are paying $299 and $49 a month for a concept that has a dead end. If they find people to shop through them, they are short term customers as they will realize they are being cheated.

The only way I can see to make any money here (aside from recruiting of course--because it IS all about recruiting) is to sell the "featured" products like the girdles, the photo frames, and the purses with photos on them. None of the "featured" products are anything that will create a huge demand in and of themselves. After all, if they were THAT good, why aren't they available in Macy's, Nordstroms, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, GNC, etc.? Why are these products "featured" with ZamZuu who has such a relatively small distribution system? Perhaps the "featured" products are inferior or not capitalized well enough to support a legitimate distribution channel.

Coach: Travel Is Dead

If you did not need any more proof that travel is merely an afterthought in Your TRAVEL Biz, check out this Facebook post. One of the Canadian faithful has been abandoned and she is seeking help.  It seems that she does not have any "pears" to help her out in this business.

The first thing Coach does is tell her she is not alone. Well, we know that---the RTAs and Reps have been running like rats off a sinking ship for the past few years. And then she goes on to tell her all the resources for...wait for it...ZamZuu!  And the very last sentence...oh and if you are talking travel, go see Kim on Facebook.  Now THAT'S what I call support!

Here is the text in case the post is deleted or does not render properly.

Karen Mayhue Hynes
Hi Coach, I was not sure how or who to contact so i am starting with you here. I have been with YTB for just over a year and i am very confused. I have no upline in canada and the person that showed me YTB has left the business. On top of that i have just move to Calgary, Alberta and know no one. I can not fine a meeting or anyone to help me understand all the componets and the in's and out's of this great business. Please i need some one that can take me back to the basics of the company and explian it all. You can't sell what you don't understand. I do hope you or some one can help. Hope you and your family is well, Karen Hynes (XXXXXX@XXXXXX.XXX)
Yesterday at 1:35am

Coach Tomer
Hi Karen! You're not alone! That's what I love about Facebook! You can connect with people hundreds of miles away. My suggestion would be to stay plugged in here to my page, head over to ZamZuu's page as well (http://www.Facebook.com/ZamZuu), read your BizNuuz every week, and get in to your media center. Our weekly ZamNuuz program is archived ... See Morethere in both the Rep Back Office and Business Center. (Not sure if you're a Rep or a Business Owner...) That media center can provide tons of materials, tools and explanations to get you back on track. We also have two Rep tools in http://www.ZamZuuTV.biz and http://www.ZamZuuTV.com that rebroadcast every 15 minutes! I'd start with those to see the two different opportunities that we offer! I hope this helps! I wish you only success in our company! If you're a Travel Site Owner, there's a plethora of materials available in the Travel Portal and a great place to start would be Kim's page (http://www.Facebook.com/JKimSorensen)!
5 hours ago

Don't Leave Kim Out Of The Lawsuits

It hardly seems fair that the Tomers are all named in the lawsuits and defaulted loans. Poor Kim Sorensen feels left out of the loop.  Well Kim, sometime being left out of the loop is a good thing. But apparently you were included this time.  Again, FH Partners (assumed from another sweetheart deal from Meridien) is suing Tomer, and this time it is against Tomer and Sorensen and CCMP, Inc.  which is the corporate name of Beryl-Martin--the company YTB paid millions of dollars to to produce the fake Statue of Liberty.

I guess that whole "if it ain't right" think is so 2007.

Two financial institutions have filed suit against borrowers they claim have failed to repay more than $400,000 worth of loans.

FH Partners claim Meridian Bank loaned $604,240.50 to defendant CCMP while defendants James L. Tomer and J. Kim Sorenson guaranteed repayment of the funds on Sept. 28, 2006.

Later, the FDIC assigned the loan to FH Partners on Feb. 13, 2009, and FH currently holds the note, according to a complaint filed April 27 in Madison County Circuit Court.

Since then, CCMP has failed to make payments on the loan, the suit states. In addition, Tomer and Sorenson have not made payments, although FH demanded immediate and full payment of the note on April 6, 2010, the complaint says.

"As of March 30, 2010, the Borrower owes FH $403,724.23 under the Note and interest from and after that date pursuant to the terms of the Note," the suit states.

In addition to the money it says the defendants owe it, FH Partners seeks costs, attorneys' fees and other relief the court deems just.

Jeff R. Wagener and Randall F. Scherck of Lathrop and Gage in Clayton will be representing it.

Madison County Circuit Court case number: 10-L-462.

Good News On The Horizon

In two more weeks, we will be able to see the stellar turnaround of YTB and the effect ZamZuu has had on their performance when they release the 8-K for the first quarter of 2010.

Still no word if they were able to shake enough change out of the couch to pay FH Partners last week--or if FH Partners is now the proud owner of a promissory note for $500K.

Narc That Car Information

Check out this Atlanta investigation on Narc That Car. Boy does some of the rhetoric sound familiar?


And part 2:

YTB & NCL Together Again

Well, sort of. Although, I am not sure why a company would support one that threw them to the curb--albeit in an indirect way. And I also wonder how the company that did the throwing feels about a group of the very same people they threw to the curb sailing on their vessels and holding recruiting and training meetings. Maybe Andy Stuart can clarify this for us.

But kudos (I guess to YTB for figuring out the workaround for the NCL ban---sell it through Pleasant Holidays!

This news was broken by the TravelPro in his newsletter this weekend:

You all know, and if you don't - YOU SHOULD know Jeanie Sharpless. When we first got into this business all those years ago, Jeanie not only gave us, but everyone on our team their first instructions on YTB and how to get started with her Monday night Training Call.

She's also the voice you hear every Thursday night with our Preferred Vendors each and every Thursday night.

The girl not only knows her travel, but has a heart of gold when it comes to helping others, no matter who you are, or where you come from.

We are please to announce, and you are the first to see the final, confirmed information for "Jeanie's Hawaiian Islands Cruise" (March 19-26, 2011 - with a 2-night pre-cruise hotel included for March 17 & 18).

This trip includes:

• Norwegian Pride Of America Cruise March 19 - 26, 2011
• Roundtrip Airport Transfers
• 2 Night Hotel Accommodations March 17 & 18
• All Applicable taxes

Brought to you by our good partners at Pleasant Holiday's who provided us with this great group rate that's commissionable!

Attached is a document that can be customized by each RTA by adding your own contact info in the upper left area. Also available is the form to be used when booking your cabin (and/or) cabins for clients. This cruise is open to everyone, not just RTA's.

The trip also offers travel training onboard the ship (for RTA's) and a site inspection at one of the resorts on one of the islands.

There is an "option" to attend a Maui Luau. RTA's must let the Group Travel Department know if they choose this option when they call. Details are still being finalized, but the payment should be approximately $100-$110 per person. (More details to come)

Also "included" is a 2-night hotel stay at the Sheraton Waikiki -- 2 nights prior to sailing. Rooms can be upgraded for additional charges if you prefer ocean front. Rates quoted are for "Run of House" (ROH). You will need to tell Amy at the time of booking.

This is a 4 1/2 star, beautiful property "on" the beach. This is a great deal! The view is spectacular and they just completed a million+ dollar upgrade.

We can't encourage enough that you need to book this now, interest is HUGE and they should sell fast! (The Group Travel Department has already begun sending this info out to the list of 30+ RTA's that have already requested info.)

All site owners can book a cruise for themselves and earn the commission. You must be registered with Pleasant Holidays to log into their website for air, excursions, etc. If you are not already registered, send an e-mail request for registration to Registrations@ytb.com. (Provide your name, Travel ID number, phone number and a password of your choosing.)

You must be in the $499 Travel Agent Program and you must have completed your First Class Training to do this. Only RTA's that are participating in the Travel Agent Program (for $499.95) and have completed the First Class Training are eligible for booking "multiple" cabins (or groups) into group bookings. Those that are participating in the ZamZuu Program (for $249) can upgrade to the Travel Agent Program and complete their First Class Training if they wish to book more than their own cabin.

ONLY RTA's can e-mail or call our YTB Travel Groups Department (no clients). ALL bookings must go through the site owner! Payments are only accepted via phone or fax. NO PAYMENTS ON E-MAIL! The Group Cruise Department contact info is on the registration form.

If you have trouble or further questions please e-mail GroupTravel@ytbtravel.com.

This is going to go fast, so book early!

Pleasant Holidays will be a guest on Jeanie's Monday night calls for a 2-week session starting June 14th to help you promote this trip to your clients.

The "work" is done...all you need to do is promote it to everyone you know (including your events, meetings, etc.) and sell this dream of a lifetime vacation!

P.S. to Jeanie - Thanks "Doll" for giving us the exclusive on this over the weekend! ;-P