Pete Werner is founder of
Dreams Unlimited Travel Inc., an Orlando online
travel agency specializing in Disney vacation packages, and The Dis, an online message board and weekly podcast with nearly 40,000 listeners. Werner, 45, spoke with Sentinel staff writer Jason Garcia.
CFB: Are you seeing many signs of an economic recovery at the travel agency?
We've definitely seen an improvement this year over last. The beginning of the year was a little dicey for us because what we've noticed is, with the economy, people are not booking their trips as far out as they have previously. So we got a little nervous January and February. But then March, April and May were just gangbuster months for us. We're seeing some solid growth. We're on track to have our best year ever.
CFB: That sounds like a heckuva recovery.
I always have to knock on wood or something when I say this, but we really didn't feel the recession. And I think in part because of The Dis, and the audience The Dis has, we appeal to such a micro-niche that did help insulate us to some degree. I'm not going to say we didn't feel it all. But it was not nearly as bad for us as it was for most of the industry.
CFB: Are you seeing much interest in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?
Oh yeah. In the 13 years I've been doing this, this is the only time I've heard hard-core Disney fans even consider going to Universal. So yeah, that's been three years coming. As soon as the announcement was made, there was a measurable increase in interest. And we've seen it build over time. This year it's a fever pitch. Which has me concerned.
CFB: How so?
Well, because we're trying to manage people's expectations. I think Universal has done a disservice in the way they have marketed this. You have a lot of people thinking this is another theme park, and it's anything but. Even as a "land" inside Islands of Adventure, it's very small. And I think a lot of people are going to be at the very least confused, if not disappointed, when they get there. I don't know anybody who enjoys going on vacation being in a small, crowded area for any length of time. And that area is going to be a small, crowded area for a very long time.
CFB: Hear much concern about the Gulf oil spill?
Not really. Nothing beyond the obvious concern we all have for what's happening environmentally. I don't know that the beach areas are a huge focus for my audience in terms of coming to Disney. So no, we haven't heard a lot of that, really, at all.
CFB: How did you get into travel, the podcast, all of it?
Going into the travel business was never part of a plan. There was a point in my life where I was, how do I put it, homeless. I was homeless. My life was a shambles when I was younger. I started getting my life together in my mid-20s, and I had an opportunity to go to Disney for a day on business and it was a life-altering experience for me. And from that moment forward, I was a huge Disney fan. … And I promised myself, as long as I kept my life together, I would come back to Disney every year. And that was kind of what I used to reward myself for staying on the right path. And when the Internet came along, I'd always been involved in computers, I built a website just for myself, just to learn how to do websites, and I did it around Disney. And one thing led to another, and all of a sudden people started showing up. And within a year I realized I had something special here. Then I moved to Orlando not too long after that. The site, the boards, the travel agency all happened within about three years of each other.
CFB: Wow. That's a pretty good answer to the how-did-you-get-into-the-business question.
I think so. I think my story can only be told in America, honestly. I was homeless when I was 21 and look where I am now.
