How to Become a Disney Travel Agent

Are you a fan of Disney? Do you like to travel? If you answered yes to both of these questions, it’s possible for you to combine these passions into a career or side hustle. By becoming a Disney travel agent, you can earn money by making bookings for clients, and you can even take advantage of savings on your own Disney adventures.

Let’s take a look at how to become a Disney travel agent, ways it can save you money and how you can earn some cash while helping others make their Disney dreams come true.

Why become a Disney travel agent?

There are plenty of reasons to become a Disney travel agent:

• You can receive benefits on personal travel, such as discounted hotel rooms, free theme park tickets and complimentary cruises.

• You’ll be able to control your own schedule.

• Most agents are able to work from home.

• You’ll earn a commission on all successful bookings.

» Learn more: 10 ways to save on your first — or next — Disney vacation

How to become a Disney travel agent

Becoming a Disney travel advisor is similar to the process of becoming a regular travel agent.

You’ll first need to meet the specific requirements of being a travel agent — but there are additional criteria you’ll need to meet to specialize in selling Disney vacations.

• If you’re already a travel agent, you can register for Disney travel agent training on the Disney Travel Agents website. Once you’ve created an account, you’ll need to complete the College of Disney Knowledge training, which includes online classes and other valuable information about Disney Destinations.

• If you’re not already a certified travel agent, you’ll need to become one prior to signing up for Disney travel agent training. Certification programs vary in terms of cost, time commitment and requirements. Once you've completed a program, you can choose to join a travel agency or operate on your own with a small business. At this point, you can register for the training mentioned above.

Once finished, you’re eligible to become an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and entitled to all the benefits that the designation includes.

» Learn more: Do travel agents really save you money?

Save money as a Disney travel agent

Some of the best reasons to become a travel agent include the benefits that you’ll receive, such as special access to discounted hotel rates. Disney travel consultants are no different; as a Disney travel agent, you’re entitled to some excellent perks, like:

Discounted rates

How often do you travel to Disney? Even if it’s just once a year, you can take advantage of highly-discounted rates on accommodation and park entrance fees. And yes — this applies to Disney’s own branded hotels, in addition to other properties, cruises and excursions that include:

• Disneyland Resort Hotels.

• Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa.

• Walt Disney World Resort Hotels.

• Adventures by Disney.

• Disney Cruise Line.

• Select all-inclusive resorts in Mexico.

The discounts you’ll receive will vary based on where you’re going, but you can expect to save up to 50% on your travel.

» Learn more: What a travel agent can do for you that a search engine can't

Complimentary Park Hopper tickets annually

Businesses want you to be familiar with what you’re selling. After all, the better you know a product, the more capable you’ll be of helping clients choose the right vacation.

To that end, Disney provides Authorized Disney Vacation Planners with complimentary theme park tickets. As a standard Disney travel agent, you’ll receive a one-day park hopper ticket to either Walt Disney World or Disneyland each year.

Or, if you want to visit for a longer period of time, you can opt for specially discounted two- to 10-day park hopper tickets at Walt Disney World.

Other discounted theme park tickets

Discounted tickets aren’t limited to Disney, either. As a Disney travel agent, you’ll also receive up to four half-priced tickets to Universal Studios per year.

» Learn more: How to go to Disney World for cheap

Earn money as a Disney travel agent

Another great reason to become a Disney travel agent is to earn money. So, how much do Disney travel agents make? The answer to this question depends entirely on you. Disney travel agents work on commission, which means that you’ll only make money when your clients book their vacations and complete their stays.

Disney pays a 10% commission to travel agents. If you’re working independently, you’ll receive the full 10% — so if your client booked a $5,000 vacation, you’d receive $500 in commission. Do this often enough, and you can see how this side hustle can turn into a full-time job.

You can also opt to join an existing travel agency. These companies offer more support and can help you find your feet if you’re just getting started. Depending on the agency, it can also provide marketing support and send leads to you.

If you do choose to join a travel agency, you’ll need to split your commission. The rate for this will vary based on where you’re working, but you can expect to receive as much as 75% of the total commission Disney pays out.

This means that if you had a client taking a $5,000 vacation, Disney would pay the travel agency $500. At a 75% split, you’ll then be paid $375. It’s less than you’d make if you were operating on your own, but it may be worth it for the added support and access to interested clients.

» Learn more: The best ways to buy Disney tickets

If you’d like to become a Disney travel agent

There’s no denying that there are great benefits to becoming a Disney travel agent. This includes free theme park tickets, discounted rates at official Disney hotels and even savings on cruises. Aside from these perks, you can also turn your passion into a job by selling Disney vacation packages to customers.

Whatever your reason for wanting to become a Disney travel agent, you’ll need to first become a certified travel agent and then complete Disney’s specialized training program. Once that’s done — you’re in.