Disney planner on how state of world affecting Disney World

Name: Christi Perry

Job: Travel planner with Simply Enchanted Travel

Age: 42

Hometown: Chattanooga

That light at the end of the tunnel might just be the nightly fireworks at Disney World. Travel planners everywhere are anticipating a big summer ahead at "The Most Magical Place on Earth" as people look forward to safer travel as the coronavirus wanes.

Soddy-Daisy resident Christi Perry, 42, became a home-based travel planner with Simply Enchanted Travel last spring, just as COVID-19 was sending almost everyone into hiding. In her job, Perry specializes in planning Disney vacations.

Disney World closed in March 2020 and didn't reopen its Florida theme parks until July.

With five-night family vacations at Disney's mid-priced resorts costing $5,000 or more, people have been saving their money and waiting for the day when the coast is clear. That day appears to be on the horizon, and none too soon for people in the travel business.

Here, Perry - who's been to the park several times since it reopened - shares her personal and professional insight, in her own words.

* As people get more comfortable and stimulus checks come in - and (people) have some money put back from canceled vacations, too - I think we are going to see a big uptick.

* We call that "revenge travel." That's a new name that's come out because a lot of people did cancel the vacations that they had planned (during the pandemic).

* I started as a travel planner right before (Disney) shut down in March. I had been doing it a little over a month. I have had the unique experience of trying to build my client base at a time people weren't traveling.

Contributed photo by Christi Perry / Christi Perry, left, is shown with her daughter DellaMae, 8, at Disney World.

* One of the things about working as a travel planner, you may do a lot of work on the front end for free. We don't get paid unless (people) travel. A lot of the work is putting together quotes for people and answering a lot of questions. You don't always end up getting a paycheck, but it's stuff that's important to do to get your name out there.

* (During the pandemic,) I've never really gotten scared or thought "Did I make the wrong decision (being a travel planner)?" There were times when it was a little frustrating (not knowing) when Disney would reopen. Then in July they opened up the theme parks.

* One of the things I love about Disney is their attention to detail. I knew their track record as a company: They would put forth the effort to make it the safest possible experience.

* Now, not only do you need a park ticket, but you have to make a park reservation for a certain day. That's how they manage the park attendance.

* Every person who makes a park reservation has a health acknowledgment that they review. The limited capacity - managing attendance through reservations - was one of the steps in letting people back in a safe and responsible way.

* Right now, you see more people in the (Disney World) parks. It's not the ghost town it was in July. People are gaining more confidence and feeling safer traveling.

* In order to maintain that, people need to be very responsible about traveling. We can't just go wild and not adhere to safety guidelines.

* I think this summer we will see more travelers, certainly, than last. The stimulus checks alone may not be allotted for vacations, but we (travel planners) do talk a lot about preparing for people who are saying, "I need to go somewhere now!"

* I have a page for social media where I update park information. I'm getting more "likes" and hits to that page.

* I feel like the value in using a travel agent has never been more significant than now. When you use a travel agent, you've got somebody helping you stay on top of policy changes and travel requirements.

* One of the things I like to ask people is, "Do you have in mind any place you want to stay?" A lot of people are coming in with no Disney experience whatsoever. I will quote them rates for different resort categories. They can see what each end of the spectrum will run you.

* A vacation is an investment. You don't want to spend money on a vacation and not have a good time.