Behind The Scenes at Our Team Leader Retreat

It’s encouraging to see the love and camaraderie that takes place when a group of Magical Vacation Planners gets together. Our travel planners live all across the United States, but this digital age allows them to work together and build relationships regardless of the physical distances. To see all of them interact in person, however, is something truly special.

At Magical Vacation Planner we emphasize the human aspect of our business. It is important that we get to know each other to work together and grow as a team. We believe in teamwork and in performing our jobs with empathy, perseverance and innovation. This is what makes MVP unique.

A great deal of these values are built at these retreats. This is where our agents get to experience our vendors and the products first hand, learn from a first-class training program and ultimately build their capabilities to stay ahead of the competition.

Coronado Springs Resort is one of Disney’s moderate category hotels, but it truly has a deluxe feel to it. It is a great choice for those who like luxury at a more affordable price, and it was the perfect location for a unique MVP experience.

Disney welcomed us with a fun-filled villain themed dinner party organized exclusively for our MVPs. With six different Disney characters stations, our travel advisors got to interact with Cruella de Vil, laugh at Gaston’s narcissist humor and take pictures with Hades, Jafarr, Maleficent and others. 

The food was delicious, particularly the truffled mac and cheese. And the DJ guided our agents through an entertaining lip-syncing competition that got the whole crowd clapping and dancing.

Training officially started the second day of the retreat. We spent the morning at Coronado Spring’s convention center where our planners learned about Disney’s new products and social media strategy, as well as MVP’s rebranding, restructuring and upcoming projects. 

After training, Disney organized a lunch for our MVPs at Steakhouse 71, one of Disney’s top restaurants at the Contemporary Resort. The restaurant is great for adults and families with children alike, with a great variety of foods and drink to choose from. We were particularly fond of the crab cake appetizer and their delicious dessert menu.

The day followed with room inspections. These are great opportunities for our MVPs to experience hotels amenities first hand. It allows them to expand their knowledge and explain to their clients exactly what to expect when booking these resorts. We got to see rooms and suites at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The day ended with free time for our MVPs to enjoy Disney at their own will.

We had breakfast at Docking Bay 7 Food And Cargo, where Disney set up a delicious buffet for our MVPs. After breakfast we got to experience Rise of the Resistance, currently one of Hollywood Studios’ most popular rides. If you’re a Star Wars fan, this attraction will realistically transport you into another galaxy where you will save the universe from Darth Vader and his evil Empire.

To add to the fun, Disney surprised us by giving us the opportunity to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot. The ride was scheduled to officially open to the public the following day, which meant an exclusive opportunity for our travel advisors. Without spoilers, we can say that the ride is absolutely spectacular and we highly recommend it to those who are planning a Disney vacation in the near future. Make sure to ask you Magical Vacation Planner about the best way to include this attraction into your itinerary.

After Cosmic Rewind we got to participate in a very exciting scavenger hunt competition around Epcot. We were divided into eight teams that set out in search of clues all around the park to complete different tasks. This wasn’t only a great team building activity, but also a unique learning experience. There are so many features and hidden secrets around Disney’s theme parks, it would take years to discover them all. A scavenger hunt is a great way to expand your overall theme park knowledge.

The day and the retreat came to an end on an extremely high note, with a dessert party at an exclusive viewing area of Harmonious. It was the perfect ending for a magical three days together with many of our MVPs.

With post-pandemic normality slowly coming back, we hope to take part in many more of these retreats soon. Every time our MVPs have the chance to spend time together, something magical happens. The relationships we build are what makes MVP special, and those relationships grow at these kinds of experiences.