Samantha Malone is a Concierge Travel Advisor with Favorite Grampy Travels, specializing in Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and theme park travel, based in Casper, Wyoming.
Every trip I plan starts with the same job: take a vacation idea that sounds fun on paper and turn it into the trip your family will still be talking about months later. I’m Samantha Malone, and I plan Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and Disney Cruise Line trips for families who actually want to use their PTO well.
That sounds simple. It isn’t. Every Disney park has a different rhythm.
Universal Orlando added an entirely new park last year, and Disney Cruise Line ships vary widely from one hull to the next. The reason most families don’t get the trip they pictured isn’t that the trip didn’t exist. It’s that they couldn’t find the path to it on their own.
I’ve spent the last decade as the planner in my friend group and my family. The cruises, the resort bookings, the dining reservations, the daily flow, even the contingency plan for the day someone wakes up sick.
Eventually, enough people told me I should become a travel agent that I started listening.
Yes, take the rest day. The middle-of-trip rest day is the single biggest reason my clients come home saying their vacation actually felt like a vacation. Going hard for five days straight is how the third day melts down and the rest of the trip becomes damage control.
Walt Disney World is the most stimulating environment most kids will ever experience. Pacing matters more than people think, and most families don’t budget for it until it’s too late.
What the rest day looks like depends on the family. Sometimes it’s a resort pool morning and an early dinner at a character meal. Sometimes it’s a slow breakfast and a quiet half-day at a low-intensity park.
The goal is to reset before the second push, not to lose a day. As a travel advisor, my job is to build you a flow, not just hand you a list of confirmation numbers.
Where to stand for the parade. Which restaurant to walk to between rope drop and a dining reservation. Those little decisions are what make the big trip work.
Right now, EPCOT is the easy pick for that slower middle day. Soarin’ Across America opens on May 26, 2026 with a brand-new bi-coastal film honoring the country’s 250th anniversary, and it’s one of the gentlest rides in the parks for younger kids and tired adults.
Calm under pressure is a learned skill, not a personality trait. I spent nine years as a respiratory therapist before I became a travel advisor, and that work was almost entirely about staying steady while families around me were not.
The mom whose toddler had a meltdown waiting for the Astro Orbiter? I’ve seen worse Tuesdays.
Travel chaos is comparatively easy. A flight gets delayed, a reservation falls through, someone forgets they were supposed to pack a stroller. The work is the same as it ever was: figure out what’s actually wrong, decide what to do, and don’t add to the panic.
My nights and weekends used to belong to a hospital. Now they belong to families who text me from a Disney resort because their dinner reservation got moved.
The job is different. The instinct is the same.
I’m the first Favorite Grampy Travels advisor based in Wyoming, and most of my clients are planning trips from the western half of the country. I work with families everywhere, though, and the conversation always starts with where you’re flying from.
The trip starts when I find a route that doesn’t break your first day.
My own family is exactly the audience I plan for. My husband and I are newlyweds, and we’ve built our whole relationship around travel.
We aren’t relaxers. Our daughter is five, our son is six, and they’ve already learned that vacation means we’re up at dawn.
So I plan best for active families. First-time Disney World families ready to commit to it. Multigenerational groups trying to fit grandparents, parents, and kids into one workable itinerary.
School-age families wanting to nail their must-do list before someone hits middle school and decides theme parks aren’t cool anymore.
That last group is where my Adventures by Disney Specialist training comes in. Once a family ages out of the standard parks, an Adventures by Disney trip, which is guided multi-country travel in Disney’s style, is often the natural next step.
I’m certified across the full Disney family of options, including Aulani for Hawaii and Disney Cruise Line, so when you’re comparing trips, we can do it apples to apples.
I plan Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, and Aulani trips, with a focus on theme park travel for active families. My specialty within that is flow: making sure your must-dos actually happen and the day moves well between them. I plan for first-time visitors and repeat families who want a smarter trip.
Yes, especially with kids under ten. A middle-of-trip rest day is the most reliable way to keep a five-day Disney trip from collapsing on day three. It doesn’t have to be a full day at the resort: a slow morning, a pool break, and an early dinner reset the family for the back half of the trip.
For active families who want to travel internationally without the planning workload, yes. Adventures by Disney trips are guided multi-country tours with two trained adventure guides handling logistics, language, dining, and pacing. The cost runs higher than a DIY trip, but for families who love the Disney guest experience, it’s often the closest version of that experience overseas.
Pick two parks instead of four. A four-day trip that tries to hit every park ends up tired and rushed. Aim for two well-chosen rope-drop mornings, your top three rides locked in for each, and a dining reservation anchoring midday, because the most common mistake families make is treating Park Hopper like a checklist.
Favorite Park: EPCOT: All the food, the festivals, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. It’s the park I recommend most often for the rest-day second half: slower pacing, but no shortage of thrill.
Favorite Restaurant: Yak & Yeti at Animal Kingdom: Best food on Disney property, hands down. I send clients here for the perfect midday Animal Kingdom break: eat well, get out of the sun, and reset before Pandora at dusk.
Favorite Attraction: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT: A different ride depending on which song you get. I’ve ridden it to all six. Worth the virtual queue, worth telling your family about beforehand so the music payoff lands.
Favorite Snack: Mickey bar: A childhood classic that still works. I tell every first-time family to order one on day one. It sets the tone.
Favorite Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line: The More At Sea package is honest value, the service is consistent, and the Vibe Beach Club is the best adults-only sundeck at sea.
Favorite Cruise Ship: Norwegian Encore: I’ve sailed Encore twice. The Choir of Man show alone is worth the ticket, and the ship’s layout is one of the smartest in NCL’s fleet for mixing kids’ activities with adult spaces.
Favorite Adventure Destination: Alaska: Hikes, wildlife, and views that don’t quit. It’s where I’d send any family ready to graduate from theme parks to a wilder kind of trip.
What’s your family’s “this sounds like it could be fun” trip?
Tell me where you’re headed and I’ll start the routing from Casper. You can reach me at [email protected] or 276-220-4902. The form below is the fastest way to get on my calendar.
Samantha Malone is part of Favorite Grampy Travels, a Universal U-Preferred Agency and Authorized Disney Travel Agency.
Complete the form below, and let’s start talking about your perfect getaway. I will contact you shortly to schedule a 15-minute complimentary consultation.
*After an initial complimentary 15-minute consultation to get to know you, yout travel style, and the destination that excites you most, a non-refundable planning fee may be required to begin the planning process.
