Travel Agent FAQs - Answered!

I'm only about 15 months into being a travel agent, and by no means do I have it all "figured out". I'm learning new things every day about destinations, vendors, the business side of things, etc. 90% of it was brand-new to me when I started, and I've gotten a lot of insight into how things are done as well as some misconceptions I had when I was a traveler/vacationer.

So in the spirit of passing along some of my knowledge to hopefully help you all understand the travel business a bit better, here are some FAQs (Frequency Asked Questions) that myself and many other TAs answer on a weekly basis. This is all in the spirit of passing along information that might be helpful to you as you evaluate working with a travel agent, if you haven't before.

Since my primary TA business is Disney, I'm answering these questions from that perspective, although many answers could be the same for all travel agents.

* How are you paid? Are you employed by the destination [in my case, Disney]?

I personally get this question more often than any others. Disney does NOT employ us (and as TAs we have to be very careful about how we represent ourselves, so there is not confusion that we are Disney employees). We are not on salary, nor do we earn an hourly wage.  Disney pays us commission after the completion of the client's vacation, so even though we might work with you for over a year (or more!) before your trip, we get paid when your vacation is complete.

* Do you get a lot of free vacations and perks from being a travel agent?

There's no doubt that being a travel agent has its perks. I love that I not only get to help people plan their vacations but I also get to chat Disney and share my love of the parks and cruise line, especially with those who've never been to Disney. I've also met some of my best friends in the world via my travel work and from the Disney fan community, and that connection is invaluable to me.

Each destination handles agent perks and bonuses differently and again, as I'm familiar with Disney I'll answer from that point of view. We have access to training events; there are often a few each year per destination (Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line and Disney World) and each agency is able to have a certain number of agents attend. Who attends is decided a different way at each agency. 

In addition, if you are a licensed IATA or CLIA travel agent (and getting licensed by IATA/CLIA has its own set of requirements - you don't get your card just by being a TA), you are often eligible for discounts at various destinations.

That being said - being a travel agent doesn't mean that you get free vacations, or crazy discounts. There are MANY fun and exciting things about being a travel agent - - but it doesn't mean that we're able to go around the world for no cost.

* I see that XYZ Travel Company is offering onboard cruise credits for up to $xxx. Why aren't you able to offer the same credit?

Often, this is an issue of agencies having different policies. Each business runs things a little differently when it comes to extras such as onboard credit for a cruise booking.

For my agency (and for the majority of agencies), we pay the onboard credits ourselves out of our commission. Some are paid as perks by the agency itself, and thus they can sometimes offer a higher credit or bonus. I personally have a percentage system when I am figuring out the onboard credit for a client, based on the dollar amount of your booking, but everyone does it differently (and some choose not to offer onboard credit at all, which is completely fine).

For clients who are traveling to Disney World or Disneyland, I like to put a little something extra in their client packet as my way to say Thank You for booking with me. Again, not every agent does this (nor should they be expected to) and for many it's something we do ourselves, not as agency policy.

(As an aside - - please evaluate a travel agent by more than just what they're able to offer you for booking. In my personal travel experience, before I was a TA, there is MUCH more to a good travel agent than what perks or extras they might be able to offer you.)

* Can you just answer questions for me, (and/or book my dining, FastPass+, etc) without me booking a vacation through you?

This is a tricky one to answer. I certainly don't want someone to think they can't approach me with questions if they are thinking about going to Disney, as my friends and family (and extended friends and family!) all know what I do, and frequently come to me with little questions here and there. I am also 100% happy to do a no-obligation quote at any time, if you're trying to decide if a trip's right for you. I don't have any problem "chatting Disney", and talking to you about whether or not you want to book your Disney vacation. 

I do have some clients who are members of the Disney Vacation Club and although I don't book their rooms, I do help them purchase their tickets and other items, so I offer my services to them at no cost. (If you're curious about the situations where I might charge a planning fee, please see the About Me page on this blog.) 

However, what I am unable to do is be your travel planner / travel planning resource without your booking the vacation through me or paying an a la carte planning fee. 

Hopefully this posts helps and answers some questions you might have had about travel agents, and what we do.

I hope you have fun weekend plans ahead - have a great day!

A Lunch at Beaches and Cream

Hello, all! I'm back from another fun trip to Orlando. As with the cruise I took in February, I'll be doing a different sort of "trip report". Instead of giving the information in date order, I'm just going to pull out some fun experiences and tell you about them over the next few months!

On Saturday the 18th, my cousins and I met for lunch at Beaches and Cream, the diner-esque restaurant at the Beach Club Resort. Sam and his girlfriend Skylar picked me up at the Wilderness Lodge, and we met Jacob there at the restaurant.

We've eaten here quite a few times; the food is consistently good, the service fun, and the prices are right. We had a reservation at 11:05AM so the restaurant wasn't busy; however, as we sat and had our meal, the tables filled up.

Beaches and Cream has a traditional diner menu, including burgers, onion rings, shakes and malts, and delicious ice cream treats. We all got different sandwiches and burgers; I added onion rings to my order. YUM! They are SO good and really hit the spot.

I am not a shake/malt fan BUT many people around us were ordering them and they looked delicious. Our waitress said her favorite is the Frozen Sunshine; it's rainbow sherbet, vanilla ice cream and seltzer blended together and topped with whipped cream and a candied orange slice. Someone at a table near us ordered one - and I have to admit, it did look tasty!

Of course, we couldn't go to Beaches and Cream and NOT get dessert! :) There's a smaller walk-up line in the restaurant where you can get sundaes and cones, but we ordered desserts off the menu.

We asked our server if Mickey Bars were available to order, as we didn't see them on the menu. She said yes (score!) so that's what Jacob ordered. Sam just wanted chocolate ice cream in a dish, and Skylar and I split the Banana Split.

Oh MERCY was this good!! So yummy and just what you want a banana split to be. Most of their ice cream treats are large enough to be shared by 3-4 people; this was a great size for the two of us to split.

I'll be returning to Beaches and Cream again; it's a great place to get a burger, onion rings and some killer ice cream.

Have you ever eaten at Beaches and Cream? What's your favorite thing to order?

Have a magical day!

Orlando bound!

Hi, all! Today I'm headed to Orlando, staying at the Polynesian Villas and then at the Wilderness Lodge. Be sure and keep an eye on Facebook and Twitter for pictures and fun stuff - AND make sure and download Periscope if you haven't already. It's super easy, free, and links up through your Twitter account. You can view LIVE VIDEOS I'll be doing from Walt Disney World! I'll post in advance on Facebook and Twitter when I'll be doing a video, but the app also saves them for viewing later.

Have a great Wednesday - have a magical day!

Pennies for Neverland - Making your own laundry soap

Hi, everyone! Hope you're all having a good Monday. Sorry there wasn't a Sunday with Friends post yesterday; I'll have another one for you next week!

Today I wanted to bring you a post in the Pennies for Neverland section, where I like to share ways to save money that you can apply towards Disney (or any other vacation you're taking)!

This post is all about laundry detergent, and how you can make yours at home for PENNIES a load. Super cheap and super easy!

I just made another batch this afternoon, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

To get started, you'll want to get Fels Naptha soap, Boax and Washing Soda. I bought the Fels Naptha at my local store for $1.99/bar, and in looking at Amazon today the Borax is about $7-8, and the Washing Soda is running about $10.00. The boxes of Borax and Washing Soda are HUGE; they lasted me almost a year.

Here's the "recipe" I use. I typically make a double or triple batch at a time, because I figure I might as well make a lot if I already have the matierals out. I use, per batch:

1 bar Fels Naptha Soap

1 cup Borax

1 cup Washing Soda

First, you'll want to take the soap, and grate it. I just used my food processor but you could use a cheese grater if that's what you have. I do highly recommend the food processor, because it makes it SUPER fast to grind up the soap.

The soap smells good but be sure you put a towel or your hand over the top of the food processor, as soap dust will be flying! :)

When it's ground up, it resembles cornmeal. Be sure to have a large bowl to mix it in. Then add your Borax and Washing Soda, mix together and bam! Easy peasy.

I also usually add some essential oil to my soap; today I used an orange scent that makes it smell super awesome.

And that's IT. SO easy. Foolproof, really!

When it's all mixed, you'll want to find a container to store it in. I just use an old yogurt container but you can use anything you have on hand.

I then use a tablespoon of soap in each load - just put it wherever you add your regular laundry soap in your machine, and you're good to go!

I ended up making a TON today (I bought four bars of Fels Naptha so I just went ahead and made it all). I filled up my large storage container, AND also filled about 1/2 of a gallon sized Ziploc bag. This amount of soap will last me forever - I do about 3-4 loads of laundry a week, and when I make my normal double batch I have laundry soap for about 4-5 months. I am estimating that this quadrulple batch will last between 8-10 months.

Since even the quadruple recipe doesn't use all of the Borax and Washing Soda, I estimate that the soap I made today (again, for 8-10 months worth of laundry), cost me only about $20.00! SCORE!

Try it out, and let me know what you think! Here are some links to Amazon so you can order your ingredients today!









Have a magical day!

Crossin' Off Another Resort...

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Here we are, now firmly in April and Spring is upon us! We're been having GORGEOUS weather - - I have to say, Spring is my favorite season.

In just a few weeks, I'm headed to Orlando for a long weekend to see some friends and go to the Flower and Garden Festival. I'm staying at the Wilderness Lodge for the bulk of the trip, but I'm SO FREAKING EXCITED to tell you.....I'll also be crossing off another resort on my "I've never stayed there before" list.

You guys - - I get to stay at one of the brand-spanking-new, hasn't lost that new-resort-smell Polynesian Villas. Yahoo!!

For those who might not know - - they just completed work on adding Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Villa rooms to the Polynesian resort, and they look AMAZING. Just incredible. As you can imagine, being that they're new AND within spitting distance of the Magic Kingdom means these babies are going fast and reservations are hard to come by, even for DVC members.

My lovely friend (and Mouse World Travel co-worker) Ellen was heading down a few days before me, and staying at one of the Studio rooms at the new Villas. When we realized we were going to be there about the same time, she graciously invited me to stay with her in the Studio room. A short flight adjustment later, and BAM! Here I come, Polynesian!

Of course, I'll be taking skillions of pictures and video and posting those while I'm down in Orlando, so be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What resorts are on your Disney "bucket list"? Where have you always DREAMED of staying? Share here and online!

Have a magical day!

Sunday with Friends - Leslie LaRosee

Happy Easter Sunday, everyone! I hope you have a fun day planned with your family and friends.

Sorry I missed out on last week's Sunday with Friends. Today, I bring you my friend Leslie! I met Leslie via our shared love of Disney; she's a super neat lady and I'm excited to bring you this installment of Sunday with Friends!

Take it away, Leslie!

* Tell us a bit about yourself!

My name is Leslie, I'm married to the wonderful Marc, I'm a stay at home mom to my 3 year old daughter Violet and I also sell Jamberry nails. I've been a Disney fan for as long as I can remember. On my very first trip at the age of 5, the fun was cut short when I came down with the chicken pox half way through the trip. I'm convinced that is what I am such a huge Disney person.

* What is your favorite time of year to visit the Disney parks or sail the Disney Cruise Line?

Hmm, that is a touch question. I love going in January due to low crowds. I also love going in early September with all of the Fall decorations. Most recently I went the first week of March and the weather was close to perfect, it might be my new favorite time of year.

* If you had to pick your favorite attraction at Disney World or Disneyland, what would it be?

These questions aren't easy! Can I have two favorites? I can't possibly pick just one. They are The Enchanted Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion. Ok, I lied, I have three. I have to include the Little Mermaid ride, too.

* Tell us a story about one of your favorite moments from your Disney vacation.

I just got back from a trip with my daughter and it was such a special trip for us. My husband wasn't able to go due to his job so it was me and Violet. We had a blast and I will never forget the special memories the two of us will have. I have two that stand out. The first is when she met Tiana. Princess Tiana has been her favorite for months so to see her meet her for the first time was magical. Tiana showed her how to make gumbo, it was a special moment for Violet.

The other is on our last day, the Little Mermaid ride had been under refurbishment and opened back up just in time for us. It was Extra Magic Hours and we rode and Violet was so excited she asked if we could ride again. The Cast Members just let us keep riding and riding without having to go back in line. Her squeals will stay with me forever, it was so much fun.

* If you had a friend visiting a Disney park or sailing on Disney Cruise Line for the first time, what tip(s) would you give them?

I think Disney planning is so overwhelming that I honestly refer my friends to a Travel Agent. I also always give them some of my favorite Disney websites. I always make sure to mention Kenny the Pirate, he is the best when it comes to character meet and greets.

Thanks, Leslie!

Have a magical day!

To Those who buy 100s of Park Merchandise Items....This Rant is for You

Today I heard and read (from multiple reputable sources) that a man was observed in the new Trader Sam's Grotto at the Polynesian resort, buying every single Tiki shirt they had in stock.  I won't post his picture here but they're out on the Interwebs if you want to take a look.

I have so many problems with this, I don't know where to start.

Now, let me start by saying I am not against someone making a buck for themselves on eBay. If you can sell an item to someone else and make a few dollars in the process, go for it. Knock yourselves out.

I am also OK with (most of) the Disney World shopper services that are out there. These are folks who, for a fee, will buy that magnet or bag of candy or toy you've been eyeing in your friend's vacation pictures and mail it to you at home, if you won't be able to come to Disney and get it for yourself. I'm not mad at that, because in most instances the services are just buying an item or two, here or there, for a specific person who's requested it.

What I DO have a problem with is someone buying EVERY SINGLE new Cinderella popcorn bucket they can get their hands on, thus ensuring that no other park visitor gets to have one. I have a problem with someone going into the newest lounge at the Polynesian and buying EVERY SINGLE tee shirt, and even reportedly asking the cast member if they can buy all the shirts in the back supply closet, as well.

Dear Disney World powers-that-be: it's time to crack down. It's now officially out of control.

Disney can and does limit what numbers of items you can purchase at a time with certain items, so there is some precedence for this. For instance, if you want some of the new Pandora charms, you're limited to 3 of each style. Makes sense. It's probably too hard to pick and choose what items will become popular, so it would be easier to instead restrict the number of any merchandise that you can purchase at a single time. Across the board.

The new Grotto has been a much-anticipated part of the remodel over at the Polynesian, and so it stands to reason that the merchandise would be very popular as well.  We've heard reports of people waiting hours to even to go in and get a drink. So why were purchase limits not enacted on the new merchandise?

It's one thing to legitimately run out of a popular item; that happens from time to time and I don't think Disney wants to order 1000s of units on something that *might* be popular. There's only so much inventory you order at a time and when it's gone, it's gone.

But after the brouhaha that was the Elsa dress, Disney should have enacted purchase rules for merchandise. If you'll remember, you either had to be at the park or on the Disney Store website at the *exact* second they restocked the blue Elsa dress, or pay double, even triple its original purchase price on eBay. Guests who wanted to buy one or two dresses weren't even getting a chance, because these people were buying as much as they could get their hands on. Disney eventually went to a purchase limit for the dress, but by that point the "damage" had already been done.

To the man who bought all those shirts - Shame on you. Buy five, ten - heck, even 20 shirts and sell those. There is ZERO reason to buy every single shirt. It's tacky, gross, greedy and lacks basic manners and decorum. (If I'm being honest, the less charitable part of me hopes that he's not able to sell those 100s of shirts for grossly inflated prices. A girl can dream.)

We'll see if new merchandise purchase rules are enacted, but they need to be, and soon. Or else we'll see this same sordid story, over and over again.

What do you think? What do you think Disney should do about those who'd buy every single unit, with the purpose to re-sell them? Leave you comments here or on Facebook/Twitter.