Lisa Federico, an experienced travel professional, founded Academy Travel as a full-service travel agency in 1996. She also established a Disney-focused division, MickeyVacations.com, and became one of the first Disney-focused agencies in the country. She then trained a team of agents to specialize in planning Disney vacations. Lisa has received many accolades, including the 2017 Travel Professional of the Year.
Throughout the years, Academy Travel has focused on providing quality travel service while working hard to ensure that our clients receive the lowest available prices and customized itinerary assistance. Lisa has built a leadership team with years of experience, plus a team of agents across the country who genuinely care about their clients.
As one of the original “EarMarked” travel agency partners with Disney Destinations, our agency has earned EarMarked status every year. We are extremely proud to be one of only three DIAMOND-level Disney EarMarked Travel Companies in the country. Our team of agents is trained to always provide the lowest available pricing to Disney or anywhere in the world.
Academy Travel also has a team of agents who specialize in other destinations, such as Hawaii, Europe, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Plus, of course, there are Cruises, the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, and other destinations throughout our beautiful world.
In October 2024, we had our annual AEP (Agent Education Program) and a spectacular celebration at the Walt Disney World Resort that both educated and praised our team for so many incredible years at the top of our business! We teed off with an early morning at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course; breakfast sandwiches were ready to feed our golfers as they headed out for a beautiful day on the green. If they were lucky, they even got to drive the Mickey golf cart!
We wrapped up night one with a Disney Villains-themed party that was absolutely SPOOKTACULAR from start to finish! Our Agents loved the opportunity to dress up in their wickedly fun costumes, take photos with hard-to-find villain characters, and indulge in themed food, sweets & treats made especially for our event! Take a look at all the fun:
The next morning we had our first official meeting in the conference hall at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, where we got to hear from several wonderful speakers who both entertained and educated our team to take their business to the next level! We had guests such as Author & Motivational Speaker Scott Deming, Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta, and marketing expert Sara Lamason! Our agents learned so many actionable takeaways; we can’t wait to watch them grow & thrive over the next year! The Walt Disney Company was even kind enough to send out Miss Minnie Mouse with a celebratory 25th Anniversary cake just for our agency! It was definitely the cherry on top of the day!
On the third and final day, a delicious breakfast buffet spread awaited everyone back in the conference hall bright and early! We got to enjoy a hot meal with a dash of Disney magic before heading to the Trade Show, which featured vendors and travel partners, such as Princess Cruises, Royal Caribean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Visit Orlando, Disney Destinations, and more! Afterward, everyone headed next door for a Q&A session with our media team at Academy Travel and The Kingdom Insider. It was a very productive session full of questions from the agents about how to use social media for marketing themselves and how they can best use the media team’s social media content!
After Lisa Federico’s closing remarks, we all headed back to our rooms to start primping for the evening Gala! This was the most anticipated event of the year for Academy Travel, and it was held at the World Showcase in EPCOT. Words can still not even express how elegant and wonderful this Gala was. Everyone looked stunning in their formal wear, and the ambiance was breathtakingly beautiful. We all enjoyed a candlelit dinner while enjoying live entertainment and an open bar. After dessert, awards were handed out to top-selling agents, and the host was so entertaining (definitely the comedy of the night!). Congratulations to all the agents again for their hard work and success!
After the awards were handed out, Lisa Federico had a wonderful surprise waiting for all of us. Everyone rushed to the front of the stage with tears in their eyes as Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel) was announced! She performed several of her most popular and iconic songs from Broadway, the animated movie “Thumbelina” and, of course, “The Little Mermaid.” Her daughter, Delaney Benson, also came out and performed with her! It was truly the most magical and nostalgic moment for everyone, and it was a gift that will never be forgotten by anyone who attended.
Afterward, another surprise! So many Disney characters came out for meet and greets, and everyone had so much taking pictures with Beast and Belle, Tiana and Prince Naveen, Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, and so many others. Everyone had the biggest smiles on their faces as they made core memories with their loved ones while taking fun photos, dancing in front of the stage, and chatting at tables. It was truly a magical night that will never be forgotten.
The next day, everyone exhausted but fulfilled from a few days of productive fun, checked out of their hotels to head back home. It was an extremely successful event and so it was filled with so many wonderful moments. Cheers to 25 magical years of Academy Travel; we are excited to see where the next 25 years will take us!
Are you ready to book your Disney vacation? Leave all the details to our friends at Academy Travel Agency & let one of their Disney experts take it from here! Just click here to select your Disney destination of choice, fill out the quick & easy questionnaire, and your personalized, free agent will be in touch soon! Take a look around our website in the meantime, and read all about resorts, cruises, dining, entertainment & more! Be sure to follow us @thekingdominsider on Instagram & The Kingdom Insider on Facebook for updates & Insider info on what’s not to be missed! Get excited; the countdown to your vacation is ON!
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