Interview Summary: Mark Murphy with Disney Travel Specialist Abbey Johnson
About Abbey Johnson
Abbey Johnson is a part-time Disney travel specialist who has balanced this role with her full-time career as an early childhood education teacher for 14 years. She decided to become a travel agent as a stress-relieving side business rather than pursuing additional graduate education. She works with Destinations to Travel (D2Travel.com) and primarily focuses on Disney and Universal destinations, having visited Disney World numerous times (her 16-year-old daughter has been approximately 20 times).
Business Model and Support System
* Abbey is part of a team with two other teachers who help manage client needs.
* They coordinate on securing hard-to-get dining reservations, with each team member having different strengths.
* She manages client communication via her Apple Watch while teaching.
* Her team operates a Facebook group where they share information with clients.
Value Proposition for Using a Disney Specialist
Abbey highlighted several advantages of booking through a specialist rather than directly:
1. Insider Access: She once secured a Magic Kingdom park reservation for a client's father when it appeared sold out by calling the travel agent center who "waved their magic wand".
2. Dining Reservation Expertise: Her team excels at securing challenging dining reservations exactly at the 60-day booking window (starting at 5:45 AM).
* They successfully booked dining for a group of 22 people across multiple reservations.
* They coordinate strategically to secure all desired reservations within minutes of each other.
3. On-Property Benefits Knowledge: She educates clients about the value of staying at Disney properties despite potentially higher costs.
* On-property guests can book dining for their entire stay (up to 10 days) at the 60-day mark.
* Off-property guests must book each day separately at the 60-day mark for each individual day.
4. Strategic Planning: She advises clients on optimal travel times to save money.
* Noted a $4,000 price difference between spring break and early summer for her own family's Disney cruise.
* Helps clients understand the value of occasionally taking children out of school for significant savings.
Client Acquisition and Management
* Many clients come from within a one-hour radius of her home in southern Georgia.
* Her initial clients came naturally as she was already known as "the Disney girl" in her small town.
* A friend had suggested she should "do this for a living" after seeing her detailed travel planning.
* She uses a CRM system provided by her agency and maintains Google spreadsheets to track bookings and commissions.
* She organizes her bookings chronologically and by Disney's quarter system (which begins in October).
Training and Support
Abbey found Destinations to Travel through the Disney Travel Agent Prep program. Her onboarding included:
* Two weeks of training.
* Role-playing exercises with different scenarios (campgrounds, handicap requirements, etc.).
* Ongoing support from agency owner Shannon and fellow agents.
Team Dynamics
Abbey's team of three teacher-agents has a pay-it-forward approach:
* They cover for each other during unavailability.
* They split commissions on jointly worked bookings.
* They've formed a "sister-like" relationship based on trust and shared passion.
The interview concluded with Abbey explaining the value of working with an established host agency rather than going independent, noting she appreciated having access to business guidance and being part of a successful, welcoming company.
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