When you’re working with family travelers, you’re most likely going to get familiar with booking theme park vacations. Families take a variety of trip types, including all-inclusive vacations, tours, cruises and road trips, but theme park visits are most certainly among the favorites.
Theme park bookings can be lucrative from the start, but it’s always nice to learn new tips and tricks for increasing commission opportunities. Check out these four tips for increasing commission when booking theme park vacations.
Educate Your Clients
Cailyn Kison, travel advisor at Elm Grove Travel, says it all starts with education. When travelers see the differences between hotel options and what’s all included, they’ll understand when an upgraded room category makes sense.
“At Walt Disney World, for example, Deluxe Resort guests receive extended evening hours in the parks on select nights,” Kison said. “That benefit alone can be worth upgrading from a Moderate to a Deluxe resort for some families. The amenities, proximity to parks and overall experience are noticeably different at each tier.”
Sometimes it’s hard for families to see the big picture. They may be concerned about the price at first glance, but once you lay it out for them, it usually makes sense in the long run. Kison likes to walk her families through “ticket math.”
“Adding an extra park day is often surprisingly affordable compared to the base ticket cost. For a relatively small increase, they gain a full additional day of entertainment,” she said. “At Universal Orlando, I frequently recommend Express Pass. Purchased separately, it can be expensive. However, upgrading to a Premier hotel includes Express Pass for everyone in the room. In many cases, the hotel upgrade costs less than buying Express Passes outright. Clients get a nicer hotel and skip-the-line access, and it naturally increases the overall booking value.”
Prepurchase Things They’ll Buy Anyway
Think about when you go on vacation. Even if you prepaid for the major parts of the trip, you usually still pull out your wallet for something. Kathy Barkauskas, concierge vacation planner at Teddy Bear Travel, says to handle these things for clients ahead of time. It makes their trip more efficient, and it’s more cash in your pocket.
“Book all the things!” she said. “I work to find vendors that complement theme park vacations – stroller rentals, scooter rentals, airport transfers – these are all things that can earn you commission! It may only be $15, but it adds up over multiple reservations and can often add $100 or more commission to a trip. These are things the client needs and will reserve anyway; why not be their one-stop shop and make a little more money doing it?”
Families have several mouths to feed, and that doesn't change during vacation. Securing meals in advance is a great way for travel advisors to increase their commission and may even save the client money.
“The dining plan is another major opportunity,” Kison said. “It provides strong value for clients and increases the overall package price in a way that makes sense. With Disney’s 2026 promotion where kids nine and under dine free with a dining plan, it’s an easy conversation for families with younger children. If they skip the plan, they will still pay for those meals while vacationing. Prepaying simplifies the trip and often saves money.”
Add in Memorabilia
According to Dana Zificsak, CTIE, travel agent educator at Guts Grit Goals LLC, it’s important to make sure clients know all the offerings available to them that can enhance their trip.
“One example for my clients is I always recommend the photo packages, either Memory Maker for Disney or Universal Photos at Universal,” she said. “They will pay more if they don't have it ahead of time, and a lot of people wind up buying it anyway, so I always offer it because buying ahead of time allows me to earn commission, and it also saves them money.”
Advisors can also consider working with Treering Memories to create photo books for their clients. This can be offered as a value add or a post-trip upsell.
Charge a Fee
Last but not least – something you’ve heard time and time again – it’s okay to charge a fee for your services to increase the overall commission on a booking. Many agencies choose not to, but with the amount of work you’re doing for each client, it’s not unreasonable to charge a booking fee on top of the commission you make. Most clients will gladly pay it if it means they don’t have to lift a finger during the planning process.
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