Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirsten Cipri.
Hi Kirsten, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was a stay-at-home mom and looking for a job where I could work from home. I have been a fan of all things Disney since high school, and I always wanted to work in the travel industry, but my parents thought a Public Relations/Journalism degree would be better. During and right after college, I worked at the Disney Store and Walt Disney World. It was a part-time thing to bring in a little extra money, but it turned into a lot more than that. Life took a different direction for a while until 2007 when I became a travel advisor specializing in Disney Destinations. I tapped into a market that had not been tapped into yet, the Hispanic market, and became very successful. By 2011, I knew my marriage was going to end, and I needed to support my kids, so I decided to open my own agency. Eleven years later, I have more than 100 agents that live worldwide; our agency sales in 2022 were $15 million. As the agency grew, we started branching out from selling just Disney, and now we sell cruises, all-inclusive resorts, guided tours, and more. Of course, 2020 was scary, and I was not sure how long it would take to recover, but travel came back with a vengeance. Things got so busy with the agency that I hired my oldest son, Jason, as my Vice President at the beginning of 2022. With a degree in Business Management, he was a perfect choice. We work well together, and my agents love him.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was a smooth road. And then 2020 happened. Disney World, Universal, and the rest of the world shut down. And cruising came back in July 2021. As the shutdown continued, I wondered how long it would take for the travel industry to recover. After 9/11, it took the industry about 3 years to recover (for sales to return to pre-9/11 levels). That was only a one-day event, but I was curious how long the shutdowns would last. I told my agents that I was in it for the long haul and we needed to shift our focus. With cruising shut down for a long time, we needed to become educated in all-inclusive resorts to offer our cruising clients an alternative. I spent 2020 encouraging my agents and helping them navigate the new normal. In the early days of Covid, I thought it would be 2025 before our sales numbers would return to 2019 numbers. Well, 2022 blew it out of the water.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Castles and Dreams Travel?
Castles and Dreams Travel is a travel agency specializing in Disney Destinations, Orlando Theme Parks, Cruises, and All-Inclusive Resorts. We also do escort tours, adventure travel, and more. We are a team of more than 100 agents, with about half speaking Spanish as their native language. I tell my agents to treat their clients like their own families. If you wouldn’t sell something to your mother, don’t sell it to your client. Customer service is first on our list, and the amount of commission is the last. For example, there is an option to add water parks to a Disney World vacation. This option costs more than a one-day water park ticket. If a client asks if they should add this option for their January vacation, I will tell them no. Not only could the weather be cold, but only one park is open in the winter. If they decide to visit the water park while on vacation, they can buy a one-day water park ticket (something we will not get a commission on).
Also, we check promotions constantly. Recently, there was a promotion for Disney Cruise Line, and I saved my client almost $2,000 on their cruise. We do this for our clients automatically. They don’t have to know about the promotion and ask for it- we do it for them. My client was shocked when I told him. I am proud when our clients come home from their vacation and thank us for all we do. It does not cost extra to use our services. Our suppliers (Disney, cruise lines, etc.) already have our commission built into their price whether the client uses a travel advisor. We get the same prices that the client sees online. It’s not going to cost them anymore to use us. And we provide them with a personalized service that will be the right vacation for them, their desires, and their wallet.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I am not a risk-taker. I evaluate everything from all angles and will do something if that analysis says it’s low risk. Was that a major risk? I moved several times. I moved from New Jersey to North Carolina in 2009 and then to Orlando in 2019. Again, I analyzed everything, and neither move seemed like a big risk. It made sense at the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.castlesanddreamstravel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/castlesanddreamstravel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CastlesAndDreamsTravel
