How to become a Disney travel agent?

woverbay11

New Member
I am a stay at home dad and my youngest will be starting Kindergarten in July so I will have a lot more time on my hands. I have always loved planning vacations and absolutely love Disney World. We are DVC members and try to go at least every year. So I figured what better to do than to use my love for Disney to help others enjoy the most magical place on earth. Can anyone give me any tips on where to start?

Thanks!
 

Kingdom Konsultant

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Premium Member
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We both run good, honest agencies. I do require previous experience or the proper schooling to join. I think Joe may have other things that he is looking for.

Pam
 
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Amy Angeli

New Member
Do either of you know of any good ones out of GA? I definitely won't rush into anything, hence, running my fine tooth comb over this contract, but I guess since I've been applying to this one for over 4 weeks I'm more than ready and since I've been putting the word out people are ready to book with me. But I will definitely be crossing my T's and dotting my I's and appreciate all of the advice and info from you both.
 
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Kingdom Konsultant

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Do either of you know of any good ones out of GA? I definitely won't rush into anything, hence, running my fine tooth comb over this contract, but I guess since I've been applying to this one for over 4 weeks I'm more than ready and since I've been putting the word out people are ready to book with me. But I will definitely be crossing my T's and dotting my I's and appreciate all of the advice and info from you both.
You don't technically have to work from GA. There are agencies all over the United States that are home based.

Pam
 
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Amy Angeli

New Member
I'm getting ready to go on my 4th adult Disney trip that I've booked myself but no Disney cruises to date, only cruises on another line. And no previous travel agent experience but very willing to learn!:)
 
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Amy Angeli

New Member
I want to update that I stand corrected. I finally heard back from the agency I'm considering and did indeed misunderstand the contract. There is a quota that does need to be met but if I don't meet it I don't owe the difference back but my contract can be terminated. Just wanted to correct my previous statements.
 
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DisneyJoe

Well-Known Member
They said I'd be able to do the College of Knowledge which I understand is free of charge. Beyond that training, I'm not sure.

The College of Disney Knowledge is a set of online courses that teach ANY travel agent about the Disney Destinations - and help them to sell them. It does NOT turn a travel agent into a Disney expert.

Many "regular" travel agents who just take the CDK may have never been to a Disney parks and may not even really know how to use a Fastpass.

I know that my agency and Pam's requires our agents to take the CDK as well as our own internal intensive training - besides the fact that we hire Disney experts to begin with.
 
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disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
Getting into the the Disney Travel Agent business can be a little tough when you do not have any experience. The first step would be contacting some of the Disney specific travel agencies about employment. Unfortunately, I dot not know of any that are currently hiring those with no experience.

I can however give you some advice of what to avoid and what will be expected of you.

1. Some travel agencies are run much like multilevel marketing schemes. Avoid these agencies. They will want you to pay for training, registration, etc. At that point, they really do not care if you book a single trip as they have made money off of you and anything you book will just be more money for them. I did not pay a dime for my training. A small fee for registering with the agency when you have no experience is legit, but anything else should be a red flag. You will also be expected to list with one of the agencies such as IATA. If you want to do Disney specifically, look for an agency that is Earmarked. It is not an absolute deal breaker if they are not, but Disney does not give Earmarked status to just anyone and it will let you know that the agency is serious about booking Disney.

2. There needs to be a support system in place and open communication between agents. Don't work for an agency that is just going to sign you up and then throw you to the wolves. You can never know "everything" about Disney. There is simply too much and it constantly changes. I can honestly say that I know a good bit about traveling with Disney. I work with a number of other agents that make me look like a bumbling idiot and all of us regularly ask questions of each other. Without that support system in place I would have been lost.

3. Your organizational skills must be excellent. Once you get going you will be keeping track of dozens of clients trips, all of which will have different wants and needs. They are depending on you to take all of the hassle out of traveling. When a promotion drops you need to be ready at a moments notice to start re-booking clients. You will need to keep track of all of the important dates such as payments, dining, etc and when they have questions you need to answer accurately and quickly. A missed date can mean the automatic cancellation of a Disney cruise. That is not a phone call that you will want to make.

4. Be prepared for a huge knowledge shock. When I started as a TA I thought I knew a lot about Disney. What I quickly found out was I knew a lot about how "I" did Disney. To be a good TA you need to know how everyone does Disney. This means a lot of reading about elements of a Disney vacation that you have no interest in. If a client wants to go golfing, you need to know what options they have even if you have never hit a golf ball in your life.

5. Being a Disney TA is enjoyable, but it is a job. There are a lot of late nights, early mornings and clients that make you crazy.

6. Good communication skills are essential. You must be pleasant, clear, concise and helpful. Much of your communication will be via email. The written word does not transmit tone all that well. Be prepared to proof read everything you send out to make sure you do not write anything that will upset a client.

If you have some specific questions feel free to ask.

WOW - this is the most well written advice I have ever read. Many of the points you hit are typical job interview questions. Thank you so much :)
 
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ginadee

Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard.I host Disney parties every three months,at my house.Other Disney friends bring food & drink,and we watch others vacation dvd's and discuss various things,swop ideas,I do a Disney trivia game,etc.My first one this year is in two weeks so I'am busy getting things organised as they'll be around 12 to 15 guests.;)
That sounds fantastic! I would LOVE that! A little far tho.
 
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loveysbydesign

New Member
Newbie here on these forums! I am in the process of trying to become an at home Disney TA as well. I have been offered a position with one co. but the contract they want me to sign worries me due to any type of lawsuit being filed would have to be in the state it is located...which is far away from me. So if they do not give me my commission, 60% if under $10k annual sales or 70% of it's more., and I need to sue I would have to go to their state to do so, kind of scares me.
The start up fee is $100 and includes use of the website, e&o insurance, biz. email and biz cards. I applied to 2 others and am waiting to hear back from them and am curious what the contract they have may look like.
 
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DisneyJoe

Well-Known Member
Newbie here on these forums! I am in the process of trying to become an at home Disney TA as well. I have been offered a position with one co. but the contract they want me to sign worries me due to any type of lawsuit being filed would have to be in the state it is located...which is far away from me. So if they do not give me my commission, 60% if under $10k annual sales or 70% of it's more., and I need to sue I would have to go to their state to do so, kind of scares me.
The start up fee is $100 and includes use of the website, e&o insurance, biz. email and biz cards. I applied to 2 others and am waiting to hear back from them and am curious what the contract they have may look like.

You are going to find that with any contract, for being a travel agent or not.
 
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loveysbydesign

New Member
You are going to find that with any contract, for being a travel agent or not.
That's what I was wondering, is that a common practice? It also says that if a client I booked a vacation for would sue them (as a result of something I did), I agree to reimburse the agency for all costs and damages they incur as a result plus of course my own legal fees. Is that normal too? I thought perhaps that was covered by e & o insurance? They said I am covered under their e & o insurance, maybe I should ask for a copy.
 
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DisneyJoe

Well-Known Member
That's what I was wondering, is that a common practice? It also says that if a client I booked a vacation for would sue them (as a result of something I did), I agree to reimburse the agency for all costs and damages they incur as a result plus of course my own legal fees. Is that normal too? I thought perhaps that was covered by e & o insurance? They said I am covered under their e & o insurance, maybe I should ask for a copy.
Sounds like it should be discussed with a lawyer and not here.
 
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TXDisney

Well-Known Member
So is it possible for me to do these classes and get my license and still have a regular full time job? I have a very stress free government job, and I love planning disney trips. My wife kids around that she wishes I planned everything in life like I plan our disney trips. I wouldn't mind paying for the courses if it was worth it. If it was fun for me to do, it brought in a decent amount of money on the side and didn't take an extreme amount of time. Thoughts? Like I said I work a 40hr a week job, but def have plenty of free time to deal with costumers.
 
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Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
So is it possible for me to do these classes and get my license and still have a regular full time job? I have a very stress free government job, and I love planning disney trips. My wife kids around that she wishes I planned everything in life like I plan our disney trips. I wouldn't mind paying for the courses if it was worth it. If it was fun for me to do, it brought in a decent amount of money on the side and didn't take an extreme amount of time. Thoughts? Like I said I work a 40hr a week job, but def have plenty of free time to deal with costumers.
Possible, yes. I know several people that work full time and work as a TA.

Can just anyone do both, not by a long shot.

I did it for a few years while working a full time job and as long as I kept my customer base small enough and stayed extremely organized it was doable.

The problem is the number of hours you need to work can vary greatly. You might have weeks where you have less than an hour a night of work to do and there will be others where you will be up to 3:00 AM.

Being a TA also requires you to be available 24/7. If they call you when you are at a romantic dinner with your significant other, at your kids recital or when you are at the movies, you pretty much have to stop and take the call. If you become a Disney TA you have to be available between 6:00AM and 8:00 AM EST to make dining reservations. You now also have the added element of FP+ which will have you making FP+ reservations for clients at midnight.

Lastly is the amount of time you spend researching Disney. I thought I knew how to do Disney really well when I started. I quickly came to realize that I knew how "I" did Disney really well. I suddenly had to learn how everyone else could do Disney. I also had to learn about the parks in California, Paris, Tokyo, the cruise line, Adventurers by Disney, etc.

That research never stops. Policies and procedures change all the time. If you don't keep up, you can make some pretty big mistakes.

So if you have that kind of free time, are very organized and don't let work pile up you can have both a full time job and be a TA.
 
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TXDisney

Well-Known Member
I think I'm pretty diverse in different ways to do Disbey. But yes I'd have to definitely do some research on all the other Disney locations outside of Walt Disney World. I think I could do it scheduling wise, but I guess I'd have to know how much the pay and commission was to see if it would be worth it. Also is it possible to only do Disney trips? Or would being a TA require planning all vacations?
 
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Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
I think I'm pretty diverse in different ways to do Disbey. But yes I'd have to definitely do some research on all the other Disney locations outside of Walt Disney World. I think I could do it scheduling wise, but I guess I'd have to know how much the pay and commission was to see if it would be worth it. Also is it possible to only do Disney trips? Or would being a TA require planning all vacations?
That would depend on the agency.
 
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