Disney makes agency dream come true

MELBOURNE BASED travel agency Mr Chocolate’s Travel had its busiest day ever last week when it booked more than 100 cabins on next year’s highly anticipated Disney Magic at Sea season in Australia and NZ.

The small family business specialises in Disney vacations and is one of the entertainment giant’s biggest sellers in Australia, so the arrival of Disney Cruises Down Under was a dream come true, providing a “Disney miracle” for the agency after the disruptions of the pandemic.

Agency owner Rebecca Mason was one of the first to cruise on the recent Disney Wish shakedown cruise in the USA (pictured), and is a self-confessed Disney obsessive.

Mason’s impressive track record with Disney sales meant Mr Chocolate’s Travel was offered a direct booking portal to sell Disney cruises, and she pulled out all stops to rally the team (i.e. daughter Brooke and her boyfriend) at 2am last Thu, when bookings opened early due to the pending closure of the Disney call centre as Hurricane Ian bore down on Florida (CW 30 Sep).

She said it ended up being a “busy and emotional day” as they secured highly sought-after cabins on Disney Wonder for all of her pre-approved clients - and continues to work on getting waitlisted pax into any cabins that appear as cancellations filter through the system.

“We’ve been in the Disney game for a long time so understand the power of Disney but even we were surprised by how desperate Aussie families were to get on a Disney cruise and give their kids a taste of Disney Down Under.

“For many families, overseas Disney parks are out of reach so there were a lot of tears when we confirmed a coveted spot onboard Disney Wonder during its first Australian season.

“We made a lot of Disney dreams come true and that makes me so happy,” she said.

Mr Chocolate’s Travel is a member of the Australian Travel Agents Cooperative consortium.