The Walt Disney World Resort is phenomenal in so many ways. Maybe most of all for its attention to detail and how everything from attractions to resorts and even gift shops, have a back-story. Yes, even gift shops!

When you begin your planning, be sure to factor in time to smell the roses and explore the details. In the Magic Kingdom, as you walk through the awe inspiring Cinderella Castle and make your way toward the magic of Fantasyland, such a wondrous little shop lies. Before you reach any attraction or encounter any Princesses, just to the right, you will find Sir Mickey’s. You can’t miss it, look for the building with a beanstalk vine growing through it!

Sir Mickey’s theme, or back-story if you will, is a culmination of two Mickey Mouse tales of long ago, “The Brave Little Tailor” (1938) and “Mickey and the Beanstalk” (1947). Both tales feature Mickey Mouse and Willie the Giant in different roles.

Though there are nods to the other...

Chances are if you are reading a blog of mine, you flippin' love Disney and are down in the Disney dumps that the parks are closed. Even if you don't have a trip that was affected by the closure or even one planned in the future, just knowing that the Walt Disney World Resort isn't operating and making dreams come true for others just really gets you down, right? Me too.

Living and breathing all things Disney 24/7 is kind of my job. With the closure, even I have had to get creative in order to keep my Disney battery charged (as my friend Steph Shuster says) and stay positive. While many of my remedies have involved baking and subsequently eating, there are plenty of other ways that won't make getting back to the gym when social distancing rules relax tougher than it should be.

Here are my suggested five cures for the Disney blues:

1. WDW Magazine-I am a feature writer for this magazine, but I think it's important to know that I was a fan long before I began writing. It's been five...

It will come as no surprise that I receive a LOT of questions. From guests, from travel agents, students and from those who follow me on social media. Typically, those questions cover a wide variety of subjects, but lately they seem to be focused on one topic. No, not whether or not you should order ice cream from the take-out window at Beaches and Cream, but rather...should we plan to go to Walt Disney World as soon as they reopen?

Whether you have a previously scheduled trip for this Summer or had to re-book a canceled reservation due to closure, it's likely this question and concern has entered your mind. Of course, we don't yet have a reopening date, but what if we did? (This type of hypothetical is often the scenario I'm questioned about.)

What if the Walt Disney World Resort opened back up on June 1st, would I go? The answer to that questions is YES, without a doubt I would go. But would I advise YOU to go? That is not as easy an answer.

I'm going to give it to you straight,...

Like most of you, I too have been struggling a bit emotionally due to the abrupt and uncertain changes we're living through right now. Naturally, from a business point of view, it's troubling. Literally all of my eggs are in the Disney basket and the closures have been quite a hit financially. But loss of income isn't what has been bothering me the most.

For all of my life, Walt Disney World has been a constant. Ever operational, enchanting hundreds of thousands of people every single day. Even when not personally visiting, I've lived vicariously through my travel clients. Whether they are experiencing their Disney vacation dreams or pouring over the planning phase and getting over-the-top excited for what's to come, my Disney motor is always running.

The closure of the Walt Disney World Resort brought on by the global covid-19 pandemic has taught me a few things about myself. I've learned that the mere existence of a captivating destination in which the primary function is to...

Who would have ever guessed that Disney destinations worldwide would have their doors closed for weeks and months on end? Not this girl, I'll tell you that. I'm devastated. My entire business surrounds and was built on my love for Disney. But just because I'm down, I am most definitely not out.

If you aren't familiar with me, the largest focus of my business centers on agent education. From mentoring those who wish to enter the field of professional Disney travel planning inside the Agent Prep Program to teaching business development and marketing techniques while providing done-for-you social content monthly inside the Plussing It Membership site, coaching is my passion.

While this covid-19 pandemic is a really hard pill to swallow for travel agents, it does not have to mean the end of our small businesses. Now is NOT the time to throw in the towel. In fact, now, more than ever before is when agents need to show up for their social audience and guests to keep the excitement and...

runDisney weekends are super fun if you are participating in the races. If you aren't however, you may just feel like running away from the crowds. As someone who has been both a racer and non-racer, here are five things you need to know to help better navigate the days, so you have the BEST possible Walt Disney World vacation you can have!

 1. The first thing to know is that there are typically four runDisney race weekends during the year. These happen during the months of January, February, April and November. So if you're planning a trip during these months, you'll want to keep an eye out for the race weekend dates. You can monitor these at rundisney.com. BEWARE they do draw in a BIG crowd, but with the right planning with an expert travel planner, you'll be just fine.

2. Secondly, it's helpful to know there are either three or four days of races plus a day before they begin for racers to pick up race bibs and submit waivers. January's weekend will have four races: 5K, 10K,...

I recently took the Caring for Giants tour at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. This tour takes you as close as possible to the African elephants that reside on the savanna you experience during the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction. I was not hosted or invited by the Walt Disney Travel Company to take this tour, I paid my own way. As such, I feel no obligation to inflate the experience or refrain from my honest opinion of it. With that out of the way, here's what I thought. Wow, that sounds ominous, but I promise-I'm just making a disclaimer!  First, you should know the Caring for Giants tour can be booked up to 180 days in advance, but we walked up and booked it the same morning we took the tour. There happened to be two spots left on the second tour of the day. You can chat with a booking agent at the kiosk just outside of the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction queue. However, if after you read this blog and decide you really WANT to take the tour, book as soon as possible. If...

Living and breathing Disney for a living sounds like the stuff dreams are made of, right? While it is an incredibly fun career with some sweet benefits, remember it's also a job. At times, it can be a stressful one. After all, the magic of a family's Disney vacation has fallen into YOUR HANDS. No pressure there! In reality, there can be a lot of pressure on you. Whether by the guest or just self-imposed because you want to be the absolute best, provide the most incredible service and ultimately get referred to again and again.

So before you embark on any journey to become a travel agent specializing in Disney destinations, it's important to decide if it's truly a goal, a dream or just a fleeting whim. That means asking yourself some tough questions and being really honest with your answers. There are some undeniable traits required if you are to be successful.

If you cannot, with certainty, answer YES to the following five questions, you might not be ready to get on that path just...

Troll v. : to antagonize (others) online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content

In other words, a real pain in the a**. When you market your business online (and who doesn't these days), you open yourself up to a slew of personality types to tend with, but trolls are in a whole league of their own. They feed on creating drama, distrust, self-doubt and causing mayhem for you and your genuine audience. While I personally will never understand what fuels this type of behavior or how it is in any way rewarding, I have had to deal with my share of trolls over the years. Allow me to share my "been-there, done-that and now I'm writing the blog post" experience with you. Maybe you'll be better prepared (emotionally) than I was at the start of my business growth.

By nature, I am a people-pleaser, which has been a phenomenal trait to have in growing my business. Exceeding expectations is great for referrals! Truth be told,  I...

Trying something new isn't always easy, but, trying something new is always essential for changing a lackluster situation. Whether your dream is to become a travel agent and spend your days planning Disney vacations or something else entirely, the fact is, something old and familiar needs to change or be eliminated to make way for the new and exciting.

Your thought process, your frame of mind, your schedule and even how much spare or "me" time you have. All of these things-and more-will be affected when you embark on a new journey. Messing with our comfort zone is a challenging business. We like it there, it's comfortable! There are no surprises and it's safe there in the c-zone. But, there are no surprises and it's safe, which also equates to boring or the aforementioned "lackluster".

While it's natural to want to mix things up and jump on the bandwagon of some new and shiny opportunity that presents itself to you, (there are hundreds advertising to us daily on social media) it's...