Disney Travel Agent?

[DuckMom]

I have found my freelance writing work dropping off and have been looking for new ways to pick up some extra money. Does anyone know anything about working as a Disney Travel Agent? It sounds ideal to me ... I already plan a lot of my friends vacations, etc, so it would fit with my skills, but I wonder if it can really be that easy. I talked with a friend who works as one on Facebook and she was a bit vague about things, so I was wondering if anyone knew anything more about it. I'd love any advice or insight.

Thanks!

 

[worm761]

I am a Disney Certified travel agent. It really isn't hard. You have to find clients of course which can be a bit tricky. You need to have insurance on yourself. It isn't too expensive if you are part of a group. Personally, I think it is best to get on with an established company. I will be honest and say that I don't make a ton of money doing this. So, unless you know a LOT of people going then it won't be a great source of income. I find it fun and it adds to my own Disney fund.

 

[DuckMom]

Thanks for the input! I'm not looking to make loads of money (although it would be nice), but just a little extra ... and probably a lot of it would go towards my own vacation

 

[danetter]

I am working toward getting certified with my local travel agency to be a home based agent. I pay an E & O insurance 1x a year and the 1x fee for training. The owner of my local agency owns an agency about 90miles from my area that specializes in home agents and he is out of town right now and the agency in Jackson is waiting until he gets back in town to fax my contract, so I should be on the go in the next few weeks. I know it will be a slow start at first but it is just as exciting to know that I can help someone else..and still be at home with my DD's.

 

[Aliceacc]

Aside from the difficulty in finding clients, what are the downsides?

I would love to do this, but I'm pretty sure the timing would be a problem for me. I can never call in my own ADRs, since I leave for school at 7 am every day.

OP, what kind of freelance writing do you do? I've had lots of success at it over the years. And your post prompted me to contact one of the sites I've written for in the past, in the hopes of getting a new assignment-- THANKS!

 

[mdsoccermom]

Aside from the difficulty in finding clients, what are the downsides?

I would love to do this, but I'm pretty sure the timing would be a problem for me. I can never call in my own ADRs, since I leave for school at 7 am every day.

OP, what kind of freelance writing do you do? I've had lots of success at it over the years. And your post prompted me to contact one of the sites I've written for in the past, in the hopes of getting a new assignment-- THANKS!

I am a travel agent and have completed the College of Disney Knowledge, but don't specialize in only Disney. However, I can easily tell you the downsides. Well, they aren't really downsides, but they are things many people do not think about when they say "I've planned trips for friends. I want to be a travel agent!"

You need to be prepared to drop everything for your client if they call with a problem, whether it's with their air, their room, etc. Working in this industry is not necessarily 9-5. You need to be able to qualify your clients and plan a trip based on THEIR wants and needs, not yours. You may find free dining to be the best thing on earth, but not everyone wants the dining plan. You may find that doing Disney from open to close is fantastic, but that's not everyone's touring style, and you have to be able to create a vacation around that. You need to make sure you take the time to monitor any specials and price drops and be proactive in getting them for your clients. You need to be able to provide SERVICE and sell your clients on that service, not just price. I do make ADRs for my clients as well as any other arrangements they want.

People also don't realize that they have to market themselves and keep up with continuing education. Completing the College of Disney Knowlege once is not enough. You have to be willing to take the refresher courses (and it never hurts to take training other than Disney).

If a person is willing to do all that, plus more, then it can be a very fun and rewarding job.

 

[DuckMom]

Thank you everyone for the feedback. I am a bit concerned about balancing time management with my kids, etc. I previously worked in PR, so I am used to having to be available 24/7 for every little thing. At least that would be a plus.

Alice, I have done some writing for websites, but was doing a lot for our local newspaper ... that just announced they are going to a 4-day per week printing and are cutting down quite a bit of their publication and using a lot more syndicated columns/wire articles to beef up their online content. It doesn't look like there will be much there for me, sadly. If you have any suggestions, I would LOVE to hear them!

Hope everyone has a good day!

 

[Kimberly Hill]

You know from your PR work that it's not a travel job but a sales job. Marketing is hard work!

Disney pays at/about 10% of the vacation total for hotel, dining, and tickets. That 10% does not include airfare, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, MNSSHP and MVMCP, and so on. So if you sell $100,000 in Disney vacations, you'll gross less than $10,000 and then you pay taxes at the self-employed rate. If you're with a host agency, they take their cut of that $10,000 first.

But if you love it, you love it! I wouldn't do anything else but it's a full-time+ job for me and we have our own agency.

 

[mellie mel]

I am a new Travel Agent and started because I found myself in a similar situation. Don't worry about Disney College of Disney Knowledge. If you love all things Disney, you will sail through the courses. You won't make a ton of money starting out and you do have to market yourself.

The one thing I highly recommend is find a local agency that will take you on an an Independent Contractor. If you find the right agency (like I did), they will give you a web presense, access to the agency E & O Insurance (I only pay $50.00 a year to be included) and access to some training as well as help you get your ramp up. As an Independent Contractor, you can set your own hours and work from home, but you will also have to do your own marketing and find your own clients. Don't focus solely on Disney either. There are lots of places to vacation and it can be fun researching new destinations for your clients. (I know I have added a few new must sees to my vacation to do list from my research). Also check your States, requirements. Some states have licensing requirements and others do not.

Good Luck and Happy Selling!

 

[mdsoccermom]

Regarding College of Disney Knowledge, they've released new requirements. You now have to take the program annually.

 

[kritter]

Regarding College of Disney Knowledge, they've released new requirements. You now have to take the program annually.

Yes, that is what the latest email said.

I love my job!!

 

[ljcraw555]

Since this is kind of along the same lines as OP question...what about the Disney CM's when you call into the 407 Disney phone number...are all of those people onsite at a call center or are they possibly working from the comforts of their own home?

Someone told me once that they work from home and the phone calls are routed to their home phone. I just was surprised that was the case, so since we were kind of on the subject, thought I would ask!

 

[mellie mel]

Since this is kind of along the same lines as OP question...what about the Disney CM's when you call into the 407 Disney phone number...are all of those people onsite at a call center or are they possibly working from the comforts of their own home?

Someone told me once that they work from home and the phone calls are routed to their home phone. I just was surprised that was the case, so since we were kind of on the subject, thought I would ask!

It is a mix of both actually. They do have a contract with a call center service that allows at home workers. (Sorry but can't remember the name of the call center service). They also have an onsite center on Disney World property in the Downtown Disney area if I remember correctly.

 

[Glitzytraveller]

It is a mix of both actually. They do have a contract with a call center service that allows at home workers. (Sorry but can't remember the name of the call center service). They also have an onsite center on Disney World property in the Downtown Disney area if I remember correctly.

The call center company is called Arise. These people are not CMs. They are independent contractors and do not work as Disney employees (ie. no benefits). However, if you ask them if they are at home or if they work for Arise, they are suppose to say they are in Orlando in the Disney Call Center. They also use "character names" or alias names.