Each travel agency has its own set of criteria required when hiring Disney travel planners, but the best job candidates all share some key characteristics. Here are some of the most common character traits of successful Disney travel agents, as shared with me by the owner of one of the top Disney-focused travel agencies in the country.
If you’re trying to get hired for a Disney Travel Agency job, be sure to highlight these when you submit your job application.
And if you’re already an agent, you can use this list to determine what you already excel at and where you need to improve.
Now let’s get to the list!
1. Passion
It’s no surprise that Disney travel agent jobs require a passion for Disney Destinations.
There are so many Disney fanatics out there, why would any Disney-focused agency hire someone who isn’t a genuine Disney enthusiast?
2. Disney Destination Knowledge
It’s not enough just to love Disney movies. You must be experienced in visiting Disney Destinations. When you apply for a job as a Disney travel agent, the agency will almost certainly ask if you’ve actually been to some of these places you’ll be promoting.
Firsthand knowledge helps you make personalized recommendations for clients’ trips — and helps you translate what a client says into understanding what they actually want.
For example, if someone asks about “the restaurant in the castle,” you need to know it’s called Cinderella’s Royal Table so you can book it for them.
There are more than 200 restaurants at Disney World — what do you book if your client wants Italian? Which resort would you suggest if they want to walk to EPCOT?
Extra Credit: Can you name this restaurant? A good Disney travel agent can!
3. Commitment
Most Disney agencies want candidates who can devote as many hours as possible to their client’s needs.
While some agencies accept part-time agents, most are looking for at people who can devote 30-40 hours per week or more.
4. Flexibility
One of the biggest perks of having a job as a Disney travel planner is having a flexible work schedule. You can generally set your own workday, making time for picking the kids up from school or long lunches with friends.
But flexibility goes both ways.
- There will be morning, afternoon, nighttime, and weekend phone calls. Clients will email and text day and night.
- You’ll need to be up at 6:00AM Eastern Time on the day your client’s dining booking window opens in order to secure hard-to-get dining reservations
- When new packages/bookings are released, you may be slammed for a few days in a row
- Some agencies may have regularly-scheduled team video calls and manager 1:1s.
Make sure that you are just as flexible as you want your agency to be with you.
5. Detail-Oriented
Clients depend on Disney travel planners to take the headaches out of booking a trip. As their vacation planner, these hassles are your responsibility.
You must possess excellent attention to detail when you book travel.
One small error can complicate or even ruin a Disney trip — it can cost you, your agency, and your client money.
Despite the competition, agency owners do talk to one another. A reputation for continually making mistakes will doom you in this industry.
6. Well-Organized
You will be juggling multiple client trips at once. Having a good organizational system is key to keeping everything in order.
You will need an efficient system to track all the key dates, dining reservations, payments, etc.
Your agency may have dedicated software to help, but it’s up to you to put it into action.
7. Proactive and Prompt
Disney travel agents must be proactive and prompt.
Travel planners answer questions before they’re asked and prevent problems before they arise.
They address their client’s questions and concerns quickly.
They are always looking out for the best interests of their clients. A great agent automatically re-books the client’s vacation package when new savings promotions are launched.
New promotion? The best Disney Travel Planners are already rebooking eligible clients.
8. Solution-Oriented
Good agents love a challenge.
A client might want something that’s not available. But you can’t just say “sorry.” You’ll need to find alternatives that still give them the type of experience they want.
Let’s say you get a last-minute booking from a client. They’re a casual Disney fan, but they’ve heard about Cinderella’s Royal Table and want to eat there. By this point, it’s completely booked up and you can’t get a reservation for them.
As a solution-oriented agent, you can suggest a similar princess dining experience at EPCOT’s Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (which the client may have never even heard of) and explain to them why it’s a good alternative.
9. Customer Service Skills
Travel professionals balance calmness and friendliness to put the client at ease. Being polite is a base-line requirement, but it goes beyond that.
In the unfortunate event that something goes wrong (even if it’s the client’s fault!), you need to be able to handle the situation deftly to get everything back on track.
10. Empathy and Patience
You know a lot about Disney. Your clients might not.
You might have answered the same question 15 times today. But it’s the first time this client has ever asked it — and it’s important to them.
You might know there’s practically no hope of getting a same-day reservation at Rose & Crown for the fireworks. Your client doesn’t realize that when they ask you to book it.
It’s vital for you as an agent to understand where your client is coming from. After all, the entire reason the client hired you is to handle something they don’t understand. Embrace that and WOW them with your knowledge and abilities!
Disney Cast Members know you can’t just roll your eyes when the 30th person asks “What time is the parade?”
11. Reading Between the Lines
Stellar agents are always listening for little hints during their conversations with clients. Something mentioned in passing might offer a big clue about the perfect resort, restaurant, tour, or activity.
For example, you ask who’s going on the trip. The client replies, “well, it’s just us and the kids.” Then she jokes, “actually, we might bring my dad along, too, if we can convince him to miss fishing for one weekend.”
To the novice travel agent, it’s a throwaway remark that really only affects how many theme park tickets to buy.
But to the experienced Disney travel planner, that one remark means:
- Your dad doesn’t have to miss out on his weekend hobby — we can book him a fishing excursion on Bay Lake!
- There’s lots for grandparents to do with their kids at Disney World. I’ll factor those ideas in when I’m making their itinerary.
- Maybe they’d be better off in a Deluxe Villa, since it has separate bedrooms for everyone and a full kitchen to save money on big family meals (we can even arrange to have groceries delivered).
Mention those options to your client. They might not decide to take every suggestion, but they’ll believe you’re practically psychic because you’re considering things they never even thought about!
12. Ability To Sell
The most successful agents have the confidence to make decisions and the ability to close the sale.
You do not want to alienate potential clients with a bad attitude or a hard sales pitch; but you shouldn’t be wishy-washy in the process.
Remember — you and your agency are paid solely based on what actually gets booked. If you can’t close the deal, you’re not making any money.
13. Good Communication Skills
Like many sales roles, Disney travel agent jobs require good communications skills.
You must possess excellent written and verbal skills. Effective agents are upbeat, articulate, and helpful.
This doesn’t just apply to phone conversations. It’s not always easy to convey a pleasant tone via texts and emails, so avoid writing anything that sounds abrupt, angry, or unsympathetic.
14. Marketing and Social Media Savvy
Some larger agencies may provide a few business leads. But the most successful agents mainly find their own clients.
Community groups, social media, and word of mouth are just a few ways to promote yourself.
Knowing how to market your business increases your chance for success.
Consider creating a Facebook business page to market your travel services
15. Friends and Family
It helps to have a large circle of friends, family, and acquaintances to pitch your services to. Having a large target group from the start will help you hit the ground running. This is especially important for part-time agents who won’t have as much time to market to strangers.
16. Experience
Prior travel agency experience is great, but prior Disney travel experience may be more important.
Those who have not previously worked as travel agents should at least have experience booking their own trips. It’s even better if you’ve helped friends or family plan their trips.
17. Tech-Savvy Multitasking
Disney travel professionals use multiple online booking systems and client management software. You should understand how to use all of these (or be comfortable learning them).
Strong troubleshooting skills help, too. Since you’re working from home on your own equipment, you won’t be able to flag down an I.T. tech as they walk by.
And you’ll regularly communicate via text, email, and telephone — plus the occasional video conference. Good agents aren’t flummoxed by this technology.
18. Trustworthy
Clients will be giving you their credit card numbers to book trips. And you’ll have access to other personal information. The company that hires you must fully trust you — their reputation is on the line!
19. Ambition and Work Ethic
Most Disney travel planners work remotely and set their own schedules (within reason). That means there’s not much stopping you from wasting the day on social media and playing with your dog. But you clearly will NOT be successful if you do so.
Because you’re working for commission rather than an annual salary, you’ll feel the money pinch quickly if you’re not actively booking or seeking new business.
If your agency has quotas or performance expectations, you might even lose your position should you fail to perform as expected.
20. Independent (But Still a Team Player)
This one might seem contradictory, but it’s really not.
Travel Agents are independent contractors and are expected to handle most situations on their own.
After your initial training, it’s not reasonable to expect your manager to tell you exactly what you should be doing each day, how to make a certain booking, and so forth. You can certainly ask for help as you need it, but you don’t want to come off as someone who has no ability to function without minute-by-minute guidance.
On the other hand, you absolutely cannot take an “I am my own island” stance for everything. You might be asked to handle something for another agent’s client while that agent is on vacation. And many agencies use group chats to answer each other’s questions.
You joined an agency to benefit from the advantages of working with a larger group — be sure to give, not just take.
21. Positive Character
Most Disney travel agencies require their agents to be generally likeable people.
Which of the Seven Dwarfs would you rather have on your team? Happy or Grumpy?
Put simply, agencies seek all the good qualities and none of the bad!
Having all of these traits will make you stand out from other applicants and help you land your dream job: booking Disney vacations!
Think You Have What It Takes?
Then it’s time to apply for work as a Disney travel professional!
Click the button below to access an agency owner’s tips for applying to be a Disney Travel Agent.
If you’re ready, you can even be able to submit an application directly to two excellent Disney-focused travel agencies from the same page!
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