Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Turner.
Hi Jennifer, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Back in November 2015, we took our 1st Family Disney Vacation to celebrate our daughter’s 5th birthday! Something about seeing the MAGIC through your own children’s eyes is truly incredible & words cannot describe it! After that trip, we knew we wanted to soak in as many magical memories while their imagination was still there. After a few Disney Vacations and helping friends plan their Disney Vacations, I was encouraged by my family & friends to pursue a position as a Travel Planner that specializes in Disney Vacations. In January 2017, I was hired with MickeyTravels, LLC to help families plan their Disney Vacations! That day I will always remember and never forget, I turned my dream into reality…that is the day I started living the dream of being a Travel Planner specializing in Disney Vacations! I knew MickeyTravels was the agency for me as the owners created a “family” atmosphere with so much support, knowledge sharing, and more! In addition, they do not believe to charge clients planning service fees on top of paying for their Disney Vacation. How AMAZING is that!!
When I started with MickeyTravels, Disney Planning was my “hobby” so to speak as I held a Full-Time Corporate Position. Little did I know at that time God had a different path for me, and I wouldn’t know what that was until years later. In June 2019, I was laid off from my Full-Time Corporate position, and with the support from my husband, my dream of being a Travel Planner Full-Time came true! In addition, I also was asked to be a Team Lead to support new agents with their questions, provide extra support and training. This truly was another dream come true as I love supporting and sharing knowledge with my team of agents so they can grow their businesses and be the best they can be for their clients!
Since January 2017, I have helped many families turn their Disney Wishlists into reality with planning all the details of their Disney Vacation from Land to Sea to Adventure! The relationship with my clients is invaluable and means the world to me! There have been many times I have cried happy tears when families share photos or videos of their little ones or grandbabies finding out they are going to Disney OR magical moments from their Disney Vacation! These moments of JOY bring me so much happiness and fill my heart – it is the whole reason why I LOVE what I do…”Making Magic One Vacation at a Time!”
My favorite Walt Disney quote is, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” Back in January 2017, I pursued a dream of becoming a Travel Planner with the encouragement & support of my family & friends…little did I know then that so many more dreams have come true since! I was voted Best of Gwinnett 2022 & Best of Georgia 2023! In addition, I was also nominated for Best of Gwinnett 2023! To be nominated & voted for these awards from families that I have helped was truly indescribable!
The past seven years have truly been incredible and amazing!! I am truly blessed and thankful every day to do what I LOVE – help sweet families plan all their MAGICAL Vacations with many memories to last a lifetime! I wouldn’t be where I am today without each and every single family I have helped! Their support of my small business means the world to me!! I am looking forward to many more years of helping families plan all the details of their Disney Destination Vacations from land to sea to Adventure!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I started with MickeyTravels in 2017, it was a very smooth road with the best support, training, marketing and so much more! But the biggest struggle we faced as an agency and as individual Travel Planners that we didn’t expect happened in March 2020! I will never forget the day our agency owners called a very urgent Agency Conference Call as Disneyland Paris & Disney Cruise announced they were closing down operations, and we discussed how to support our clients, etc. During that call, Disney World & Disneyland announced they were closing too. We knew at that time if Disney was shutting down, then what the world was experiencing was real! During that call, we all had to pivot our plans and be there to support our clients, as we didn’t know how long this would last. We all thought that it would only last two weeks, but little did we know that Disney World would be closed for three months, Disneyland for a year, and Disney Cruise for longer than that.
While some days were tough, knowing my families didn’t have to call Disney to be on hold for hours to make changes, move their dates, or cancel their trips meant so much to me as I was there for them! Being there to support families each and every day is what got me through!
During the closures, our agency owners were so supportive (they always are) but this is when we all needed so much motivation and encouragement to get through our “darkest” times. Elyssa, one of our agency owners, started posting daily motivational quotes that would help us get through the day… three years later, she still posts those each day as we LOVE them!
2020 was definitely the biggest struggle of the seven years of Disney Vacation Planning, but with the support of our owners, we made it through! I fully believe that year, I grew stronger professionally and learned so much in different areas. Our agency also grew stronger as a team…we made it through the hardest times in our lives together as a FAMILY!!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I LOVE what I do each and every day – that is helping families plan all the MAGICAL details of their Disney Vacation! I always ensure each family I help knows as much as they can during the entire planning process from pre-planning to dining reservation wishlist to their Disney Vacation. I never want a family to be at Disney and question, “Why didn’t Jennifer tell me about this?” This is why I tell so many “I am an open book to all things Disney and share as much as possible through the planning process!”
I work for MickeyTravels, and we are an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. We are also proud to be one of the select few agencies in the world that are designated by Disney Destinations with Diamond Earmarked status for 2023! Our agency is also recognized nationally as a leader in planning magical Disney Vacations and we’re proud to offer industry-leading customer service to all our clients.
As an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, we only book Disney Destination Vacations to include Walt Disney World (Florida), Disneyland (California), Disney Cruise Line, Aulani – A Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii, Adventures by Disney and Disneyland Paris at NO additional cost. My planning services are complimentary to families who book their Disney Vacation through me as their Travel Planner. I provide one on one support by booking, planning, and creating your Magical Disney Vacation (that includes Disney Dining Reservations, monitoring Disney Promotions, sharing tips/information on Disney Genie+, keeping updated on Disney News & Updates, creating a custom itinerary & more). I am also available via phone and/or text while families are on their Magical Disney Vacation. All you do is pay for your vacation, share your Wishlists and I turn it into reality!
Beyond planning, I keep up to date on all the latest Disney News, Updates, Promotions and more – which I keep my families updated on these as well. I also complete year-around Disney Training as updates and new experiences are announced. This helps support families more to stay on top of the latest Disney News & Experiences.
Customer Service means SO much to me, and ensuring families receive the highest level! I have received feedback from families stating that I am always so attentive to their email or text, always answer all their questions as they arise, provide information to them before even asked, and respond immediately (some tell me in the subject lines to enjoy my vacation & get back to them when I am back in the office) and many have shared that they felt they were my only family I was helping. I always strive to provide the best customer service that I would want to receive when I reach out to someone for assistance & that they feel they are my only client I am working with – I feel this definitely sets me apart.
As I reflect on the past seven years, they have truly been the best and I cannot express how I feel. I have met & connected with so many amazing & sweet families, many of whom have become friends. All of my accomplishments I have achieved since 2017 are all because of my AMAZING families! I owe it all to them for their continued support of my small business and for referring my business to their friends & family!!
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Before COVID, I knew the benefits of working with a Travel Planner to help plan all the details of a Disney Vacation. But when COVID happened and the parks were closed, we knew how to assist our families. But I truly learned having a Travel Planner on your side was so important and very valuable! As the parks announced reopening plans and Disney Cruises started sailing again, Disney provided immediate training to us to ensure we knew what the changes were and how to help our families. There were so many changes made: new protocols were implemented from land to sea, new systems were put into place to manage park attendance, new health & safety procedures would impact experiences and much more. When these new changes were announced, I shared it immediately with families traveling and we would meet one on one to discuss what was the best option for them. I continuously kept families updated as announcements were made…I am pretty certain some were tired from receiving an email from me as I sent SO many (but that is part of my services).
I couldn’t imagine not working with a Travel Planner during that year of changes and transitions as the only way to be kept “up to date” is reviewing the updates on the Disney Websites. I know many families didn’t know Park Pass Reservations had to be made and would show up to the parks then couldn’t get in due to park attendance capacity had been reached. I honestly believe being there for my families to keep them updated (even if numerous emails were sent) was so important to me as they didn’t have to Google anything or read on Social Media…they had me on their side!
That time was completely out of our control…I wanted to ensure my families were kept up-to-date, safe, healthy, happy, and stress-free as I took care of their changes & plans!
Contact Info:
- Email: jturner@mickeytravels.
com - Phone Number: 1-800-904-9116
- Website: https://
mickeytravels.com/team/ jennifer-turner-ga-disney- travel-agent - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/mickeytravels_ jenniferturner/ - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/ MickeyTravelsJenniferTurner/ - Other: https://linktr.ee/
jenturnermickeytravels
