HOW IT
My first child Samantha was born in 1988 and my son Michael
in 1992. During those early years we
vacationed at Walt Disney World two to three times each year.
We loved the magic of Disney and the kids even at such an early age
enjoyed every minute of it. When we told family and friends we were thinking of
going on vacation we’d hear “Oh let me guess where... to
During that time I got quite good at finding out deals and discounts that were available. We were Magic Kingdom Club members through my day job and we got discounts on rooms and tickets as well as merchandise at select locations including Disney stores. I found out about this amazing pass that was good all year long and provided discounts of up to 50% off the Disney resorts and was less than $250 to buy. With the Annual pass we went down more often since the park pass was already paid for and we had such great discounts on the resorts. Whenever the airlines ran promotions we were booked in a heartbeat.
One thing we started doing was staying at two to three resorts per trip. We would do less expensive resorts for a few days and then at the end of the trip we do deluxe resorts like the Beach Club or the Grand Floridian. This would allow us to stretch our vacation dollars but also circulate through all the resorts. So little by little we became experts and knew every Disney resort intimately.
Whenever family or friends (yes the same ones that busted us about going to Disney so much) wanted to go on vacation to Disney I’d get a call. “You guys know so much about Disney, where do I stay? How do I do it? What plan should I buy?” So naturally I helped them out.
In early winter of 1993 I got a call from this guy who was a friend of my brother in law Michael. He asked if I can help him plan his vacation for his wife and his two little girls. He said this vacation has to be like no other and he wants it to be special for his little girls and something they’d remember forever. I felt a little weird about it since I didn’t know him at all. Helping family and friends was one thing but a stranger? None the less I met with Mickey and his wife at their house. I brought over pictures from our past vacations and brochures for them to look at.
I helped them decide on a resort and amount of time they should go for based on what they wanted to do. I helped them plan out an itinerary. I told them the current deals on Disney and how to book the trip, what to ask for etc. What character dining was available, tips on viewing the parades, fireworks, pretty much everything I’ve accumulated over the all our vacations. They were going early summer right after the girls got out of school.
Later that summer my doorbell rang and it was Mickey. He stopped by to thank me for planning such a great trip. He raved that everything I told him was right on the money. He said that they could not have done it without me. He said I saved them money and so much time and it was a vacation they’ll cherish forever. Mickey said I should help people with their Disney vacations because I knew so much and I was very good at it. I told him that would be pretty cool and that I really enjoyed helping his family. He gave me a beautiful Disney picture frame. He said put one of your favorite memories in this frame like the memories you gave to me and my family.
Thanksgiving of that year our family was enjoying the feast my mother in law always put together. After dinner my brother in law Michael and I were talking and I asked how his friend Mickey was doing. The smile on his face went away and he said Mickey died of cancer last month. It turns out Mickey was diagnosed earlier in the year that he had six months to live. That Disney trip was important to him. He wanted to leave his family with wonderful memories and to share something special together.
The next few months I thought about what Mickey said about helping others plan their Disney vacations. In April of 1994 Mickey’s Travel was born. So many people tell me what a great name for a Disney only travel agency. Coincidence or maybe fate but it was Mickey who placed the seed in my mind and he deserved the credit, thus Mickey’s Travel.