By Andrea Ross
I’m scared of Disney World. There, I said it.
When my dad announced THIS was where he wanted to celebrate his 70th birthday this year I was nervous… I asked if he wouldn’t rather head to Costa Rica or Alaska or possibly anywhere else. Nope. Disney World!
Because of my nerves and because I know the value of a good travel expert, I immediately contacted Susan Kelly of Travel Magic. Susan is on the Wendy Perrin WOW List and I’ve been lucky enough to know her for years. Her company, Travel Magic, knows all things Disney. It was wonderful to chat with her, hear the options, feel like I was in good hands and start to really get excited about going to the happiest place on earth!
Disney World is complicated. There are multiple lands, hundreds of hotel rooms and don’t get me started on dining and fast passes… The truth is, it was overwhelming and I didn’t know where to start.Lightbulb! This is how my guests feel when thinking about Southeast Asia. I mean how many times has a guest told me, “There are just so many options; I don’t know how to best use my time. I want to keep everyone in the group happy.”This was exactly how I felt, looking at the myriad of options within Disney World.
I think over the last 15 years my comfort level with Southeast Asia has become fairly high, to say the least… I get it, I know the local customs, I speak the languages well enough to understand them, I have seen the weather in each given month, and I win at Southeast Asia Jeopardy!
However, this isn’t how my guests feel. For them, Southeast Asia is my Disney World… big, confusing, complicated and in a whole other language.
When the information packet arrived I dove right in. It’s what I tell my guests to do – read what I send you and it will all become clear. It helped – I know I have a schedule to follow, and I appreciate that Susan and her team have literally answered every question I sent and have booked the best experiences and really made sure that what we have planned is going to keep everyone happy – but, I’m still nervous.
So when I reviewed an itinerary I was sending out recently, I added additional explanation on one of the days. When a guest called with some last minute questions, I answered and gave as much insight as I could because I get it. These trips are scary and while I know I’m in good hands, just like my guests are, travel to a new place – whether it’s the happiest place on earth or where I’m happiest on earth – is still scary! So, I’ll leave you with a quote from Walt Disney himself…
“All of our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
