Mackenzie Harris

The Wizarding World Is Just the Beginning

I can tell you the fastest route from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade. I can tell you why you should ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at night and not first thing in the morning. I grew up with the Harry Potter books, and the Wizarding World at Universal Orlando is the place where that fandom became something I could actually hand to other families.

But here’s what surprises people. My specialty isn’t just one park. I plan Caribbean cruises, beach vacations across the islands, Walt Disney World trips, and group getaways for families of all sizes. The Harry Potter love is real. The rest of it is just as deep.

I became an advisor because I’d been doing this work for free since I was 18. Every family trip, every friend’s honeymoon, every “where should we go?” text ended up in my lap. I loved it. After years of building itineraries for everyone around me, I made it official and joined Favorite Grampy Travels, a Universal U-Preferred Platinum agency and Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.

Smaller Ships, Bigger Adventures

Cruising is where I get the most questions from first-timers. Everyone assumes they need the biggest, newest ship. They don’t. Some of the best Caribbean itineraries run on older, smaller vessels that dock at islands the mega-ships can’t reach. If you want a quieter port day in the Caribbean without 5,000 other passengers on the beach, ship size and sailing date matter more than most people realize.

I’ve sailed with five different cruise lines on six ships. My Royal Caribbean Master of Adventure certification taught me the differences between ship classes in a way that actually helps families pick the right fit. When I’m working with someone on a Royal Caribbean sailing, I’m not just matching you to a date. I’m matching you to a ship, a cabin location, and a route based on what your family actually cares about.

I hold specialist certifications with Celebrity, Norwegian, Princess, MSC, Disney Cruise Line, Virgin Voyages, and Silversea. Each line does something differently, and I’ve studied them all so you don’t have to sort through it yourself.

Planning Around the School Year (and Without One)

My family homeschools. My kids are 9 and 12. My husband and I started traveling with them when our oldest was six months old. We’ve been to Mexico, the Bahamas, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt together. We know what it takes to manage kids on a long travel day and what makes a trip actually enjoyable for the whole family, not just the adults.

Because we homeschool, I understand the flexibility that comes with off-peak travel. I work with a lot of families who can pull their kids out of school for a week, or who homeschool and want to travel when the parks are less crowded and the cruise prices drop. That flexibility is a huge advantage, and I help families use it.

I also work with multigenerational groups and first-time cruisers. A lot of my clients are people who’ve never booked a cruise before and feel overwhelmed by the options. How do you pick a cruise line when there are a dozen of them? Which cabin category actually matters? What’s included and what’s not? I answer all of those questions before you ever have to stress about them.

My background in medical office and program management shows up in how I organize a trip. Timelines, details, follow-ups. Nothing slips. When I send you an itinerary, every restaurant reservation, every port excursion, every park day is accounted for. You show up and enjoy it.

The thing I love most about this job is the moment a client goes from stressed to excited. They come to me buried in browser tabs and conflicting advice. By the time we’re done, they’re counting down the days. That shift is my favorite part of what I do.