Sorry for the absence!

I'm sorry I haven't written for a while. You guys know how busy it gets!

I had to come back to post about something that made me very sad! I can't believe that the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights will be ending this year. I will miss it, but Disney is on to bigger and better things.

There is a lot of other stuff going at WDW now, as always. We've been really busy handling guests that are going to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. The first one starts on Tuesday! I can't wait to hear about it.

I'll try to be back with more information soon. I've been seeing more hits come through so thanks to all my readers. This is exciting!

My favorite ride: Splash Mountain!

This isn't about travel agenting itself, but I thought I'd just share something about my favorite ride, which will give me a chance to put in some pictures.

I love Splash Mountain!

Splash Mountain has such a unique and nice feel. It's one of the longest rides at Disney World at over 18 minutes long (the things you learn as a Disney TA are amazing)! Seeing the mischievous forest animals play between drops always gives me a chuckle. I love the southern twangy music.

After the big drop, the ride isn't over yet! The Zipp-ee-dee-doo-dah Boat is really cool. I can't wait to make it back out to Orlando and the Magic Kingdom and ride Splash Mountain again.

Must-Have Tools for Each Travel Agent

Being a travel agent is a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work! These are some of the tools I use to make things a little easier, in no particular order.

1. Remember the Milk. I use this for my shopping lists but it's a great way to track travel checklists for each client and make sure everything gets done.
2. EasyWDW. They have free crowd schedules and they help me pick good dates for the parks my clients want to go to. Some people like TouringPlans, but I have found EasyWDW has better dates and it doesn't cost anything. EasyWDW is easier to use and the author is responsive to feedback on his site and on social media. I don't really like TouringPlans's forums and I don't like the image maps they produce.
3. WDWTools. This site is a must-have! Before I found them, I would spend hours manually checking for reservations and frankly my clients would miss out a lot. Another site called Disney Dining Buddy sprang up recently and has been putting a lot of money into ads (my friends and I see their ads all the time, even though we don't want to use them), and someone asked which was better, so I gave it a try for $8 and set up the same reservation at WDWTools, which was free since I have a membership there. It was a test reservation at Be Our Guest that I wasn't planning on booking. WDWTools was far and away the winner. I would usually get notified by WDWTools 5 or 10 minutes faster than I would get notified by Disney Dining Buddy, and Disney Dining Buddy missed several reservations. Out of dozens of notifications, Disney Dining Buddy was only faster 3 times. WDWTools also has a very nice design with beautiful pictures from Disney World. Disney Dining Buddy uses stock photos and is ugly.
4. Amazon Prime. I love Amazon Prime! I can order a lot of Disney stuff and get free, fast shipping, whether it's stuff for myself or a client packet.
5. Weather almanacs. Help your client prepare for the weather at Walt Disney World! A little rain can make the parks a lot nicer because it can thin out crowds. Your clients will love that if you help them plan ahead and make sure they have ponchos! You can use an online almanac, of course. In Florida, you should always be prepared for rain!

These are few of the tools I use all the time to help make my clients happy. Let me know what you use in the comments!

My favorite story

I just wanted to share one of the best stories I have about being a Disney TA (which means travel agent).

I was helping a family of 4 book a vacation for the oldest son's birthday. They told me he loved pirates and I was able to get them booked in one of the pirate-themed rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort. I sent a packet with a pirate hat and sword. The family told me they loved it and went on their trip. Their pictures on Facebook were awesome!

A little later, I saw on Facebook that the boy had a lesion on his skin that needed to be biopsied. They were worried it might be cancerous. I private messaged to see how they were doing and they told me that they were discussing life with their son, he told them that he wasn't worried because his trip to Disney World showed him that magic can be real and that happy places will always exist on earth even if bad things happen sometimes. The biopsy came back negative, and it was so special to be part of an experience that helped a little boy through a scary time.

I was so grateful that the parents told me that story. The magic that we bring to life is real! Get to know your clients and treat them well!

The ABCs of Being a Great Disney Travel Agent

When my friends find out I make a few hundred dollars every week from thinking about Disney they always want to know how I do it! I made this blog so it would be easier to share.

Being a Disney travel agent is all about making the magic come alive for your clients. Walt Disney World is a huge place and it's your job to know both the client and the destination so well that you can make their trip special.

Here's the checklist I send my friends when they are also interested in becoming travel agents.

1. Stay informed. Read a lot of Disney news sites. Social media is often just as important as news sites these days.
2. Get to know the themes and ambiance at each resort as best as you can. You can find walkthrough videos on YouTube and lots of pictures on Facebook.
3. Know your client. Find out if they are going for a special occasion, like a birthday or anniversary, since Disney will give me them special treatment. Learn the name and ages of each person in the traveling party.
4. Get to know the restaurants available at the parks and the resorts. Dining is a huge part of any trip and you need to make good recommendations based on steps 1, 2 and 3.
5. Disney's sites are complicated and require a lot of work these days. You will need to learn various systems. Learn what you can about the public sites.
6. Go to Orlando as much as you can yourself! On-the-ground experience is the best way to learn and provide a great experience for your clients.

That's it for now. I hope this is helpful. I'll post more soon! Special thanks to my sister Lisa for encouraging me to set this blog up.