About Your Travel Team
Meet Shelley & William Robison
Your dedicated river cruise specialists — and the people who will still be answering your questions long after you return home.
Our Philosophy
Travel planning should feel like a conversation,
not a transaction.
Sun Sand Sea Travel, established in 2020, is built around one simple idea: exceptional trips begin with truly understanding the people taking them. We don't believe in one-size-fits-all itineraries. We believe in thoughtful consultation, careful listening, and designing journeys that reflect who you are and how you want to experience the world.
Our Network
A proud franchise office of Cruise Planners
Cruise Planners is one of North America's most recognized travel franchise networks, with nearly $2 billion in annual sales. As a franchise office, Sun Sand Sea Travel clients benefit from the purchasing power, supplier relationships, and exclusive perks of a large network — with the personalized attention of a boutique agency.
Meet William
Sun Sand Sea's lead river cruise specialist — and the first call most clients make.
William is the primary river cruise advisor at Sun Sand Sea Travel, handling the majority of client consultations and responsible for the agency's river cruise sales. Since the founding of Sun Sand Sea Travel in 2020, he has made river cruising his singular focus — developing a depth of knowledge that comes from countless client conversations, personal sailings, and an obsession with understanding what actually makes each ship, line, and itinerary different.
Before travel, William spent over two decades in investment real estate and property management — a career built entirely on listening carefully, asking the right questions, and guiding people through important, personal decisions. That mindset translates naturally into travel consulting. When the stakes feel high and the options feel overwhelming, having an advisor who slows down and thinks with you matters enormously.
He has personally explored numerous river cruise ships across multiple European rivers and brings a rare specificity to his recommendations — the kind that comes from having been on the ship, eaten the food, and walked the decks. Details that rarely appear in a brochure, but make a real difference to the traveler.
William is particularly focused on Viking River Cruises — the world's largest river cruise line — and believes in offering clients an honest, transparent picture of what Viking does exceptionally well, and where another line might serve them better.
Meet Shelley
Three decades of travel expertise — from the skies to the rivers.
Shelley has been in the travel industry since 1995 — a career that began as a flight attendant, where she developed firsthand knowledge of the aviation world and the realities of international travel. That foundation matters: she doesn't just understand travel in theory; she has lived it.
She later moved into corporate travel before spending more than two decades specializing in leisure travel planning. That combination of operational experience and long-term client planning gives her an unusually well-rounded view of travel logistics, comfort, and experience design.
Shelley has personally explored 17 river cruise ships across multiple European rivers, which means she can speak to the subtle differences between ships, lines, and itineraries with a specificity that most advisors simply can't offer.
Her passion centers on river cruising and small-ship ocean voyages, where she believes the most immersive and meaningful travel experiences are found.
While Shelley is also happy to assist with small ship ocean cruises, all-inclusive resorts, and broader leisure travel, the primary focus of Sun Sand Sea Travel is river cruising — and that is where our deepest expertise lives.
On the Rivers
We sell what we know.
Between us, we have personally sailed aboard 17 different river cruise ships and navigated multiple rivers across Europe. Our recommendations come from firsthand experience — walking the decks, dining in the restaurants, and experiencing the service firsthand.
That depth of knowledge means we can speak with specificity about which ships feel spacious, which lines deliver warm personal service, which itineraries offer the most rewarding excursions, and which promotions are genuinely worth your attention. Experience is what makes an independent specialist valuable.
Rhine River
Germany, Switzerland & Netherlands
Danube River
Austria, Hungary & Czech Republic
Seine River
Paris & Normandy, France
Douro River
Portugal & Spain
Rhône & Saône
Provence & Burgundy, France
& More
Across Europe and beyond
Why Work With Us
What makes Sun Sand Sea Travel different
Honest, unbiased recommendations — we're not paid more to book one brand over another
Exclusive onboard credit and agency perks unavailable when booking direct
We've personally explored 17 river cruise ships we recommend — and counting
Consultative approach: we listen first, then plan
Ongoing support from inquiry through return — not just at booking
Proud franchise office of Cruise Planners — one of the most recognized travel networks in North America
Real experience beats any marketing brochure
Our Approach in Three Words
Listen
Every conversation starts with your story — your travel history, what excites you, what matters most. We hear it all before we suggest a single ship.
Consult
We bring our firsthand ship experience, market knowledge, and honest assessment of each option. No pushing. No quotas. Just clarity.
Deliver
From booking to return, we stay with you. Best promotion, exclusive OBC, and a real person to call if anything changes.
By the Numbers
2020
Sun Sand Sea Travel established
17
River cruise ships personally explored
5+
European rivers personally navigated
100%
Personalized — no two trips alike
Our Travels
From the rivers we've sailed
Clients are not seen as transactions. They are relationships. Travel is not a product. It is a personal experience.
— Shelley & William Robison, Sun Sand Sea Travel
Intentionally Human
In a world of automated bookings, we remain a phone call away.
In a world where travel planning is increasingly automated and transactional, Sun Sand Sea Travel remains intentionally human. We consult. We guide. We share our personal experience. We act as trusted advisors who are genuinely invested in the quality of your journey — long after the booking is complete.
Sometimes the best planning starts with a relaxed, coffee-style conversation rather than a formal sales call. The goal is not to move you through a booking funnel, but to understand what excites you, what matters to you, and what kind of memories you want to create.
Real conversations
Unhurried, genuinely helpful calls — no script, no pressure, just honest guidance.
Questions encouraged
There is no such thing as a silly river cruise question. Ask everything.
Invested in your outcome
Your trip's success is our reputation. We care about what happens on board, not just at booking.
Here from start to finish
Pre-trip questions, onboard concerns, post-trip follow-up — we stay with you throughout.
Let's Talk
Let's start planning your next adventure.
If you are looking for a travel partner who listens first, plans thoughtfully, and values your experience as much as you do — we would love to be part of your next journey.