Abby Shafer - Travel Agent, Fairy Tale Getaways

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Abby Shafer - Travel Agent, Fairy Tale Getaways Full service travel agent with a focus on Disney, Universal and cruise vacations. Let me do all of the work to plan your next vacation.

I will be sure to make it an adventure you will NEVER FORGET! I am an avid traveler who is ALWAYS looking for the next adventure. I've traveled to over 30 states, including Hawaii, as well as Canada, Mexico, Europe & the Caribbean. My favorite destinations are Walt Disney World, Hawaii and Aruba. I also enjoy weekend getaways in the continental 48. Some of my favorite "Quick Trips" include San Francisco & Napa Valley, New York City, Seattle & Las Vegas. For me, a great vacation isn't complete without good food and adventure. I've hiked Diamond Head, zip-lined over Niagara Falls, surfed the shores of Kaanapali Beach & taken an off-road Jeep adventure on Aruba's North Coast. Allow me to help you find your next adventure!

10/15/2026

🚢🏰🎢 11 DAYS. 3 VACATIONS. ONE EPIC ADVENTURE! ✨

The countdown is over, and we're getting ready for 11 days of family fun!

🏰 Tonight…. DVC late night event at Epcot
🚢 Tomorrow…. CRUISE LIFE! 🌊
🏰 Next stop… DISNEY WORLD! 🐭
🎢 Grand finale… UNIVERSAL ORLANDO! ⚡

Because why take ONE vacation when you can squeeze THREE into one trip?! 😂

Now for a little packing challenge! 🧳

🎉 LET'S PLAY A GUESSING GAME! 🎉

For our family of FOUR, how much luggage do you think we're bringing for 11 days?!

🧳 How many LARGE suitcases?
🧳 How many carry-ons?
🎒 How many backpacks?

👇 Drop your guesses in the comments! Let's see who gets all THREE right! 😂

✈️ A Little Travel Advisor PSA: Your Budget & Your Expectations Have to Match ❤️I've had a version of this conversation ...
09/29/2026

✈️ A Little Travel Advisor PSA: Your Budget & Your Expectations Have to Match ❤️

I've had a version of this conversation with quite a few families lately, so I thought it might be worth sharing.
When you start planning a vacation, there are really two conversations we need to have:

What do you want your vacation to look like?
AND
What do you want to spend?

And sometimes...those two things don't quite match.

You may be envisioning:
🏨 A beautiful resort in a great location
✈️ Convenient flight times
🛏️ Plenty of room for the family
🌊 An ocean-view or balcony room
🍽️ Great dining
🚗 Easy transportation
🎢 Upgraded experiences
✨ And maybe a few special extras
..while working with a budget that would have comfortably purchased that vacation several years ago, but simply doesn't today.

And that's okay!

That's exactly where a good travel advisor should help.
My job isn't to convince you to spend more money simply so I can book a more expensive vacation.
It's to tell you honestly what the vacation you're describing actually costs—and then help you decide where to go from there.

Maybe we:
💰 Increase the budget
📅 Change the dates
🏨 Choose a different resort or room category
✈️ Adjust the flights
✨ Prioritize the experiences that matter most
🌴 Consider a different destination
✂️ Remove some things that aren't as important to you

What I can't do is make a $10,000 vacation cost $5,000 without changing something about the vacation.

And sometimes the least expensive option technically checks all the boxes—but doesn't deliver the experience you were expecting.

There's a big difference between finding the best VALUE and simply finding the lowest PRICE.

My goal will always be to help my clients spend their vacation dollars wisely—not unnecessarily.

Sometimes I'll tell you an upgrade is absolutely worth it.

Sometimes I'll tell you to keep your money.

And sometimes I'll have to tell you that the vacation you're envisioning simply doesn't align with the budget we've been given.

I'd much rather have that honest conversation before you book than have you spend thousands of dollars on a vacation that leaves you disappointed. ❤️

The best vacation isn't necessarily the most expensive one.

It's the one where your budget, expectations and priorities all match.

👇 When you travel, what's the ONE thing you're willing to spend more on—and what's something you'll happily save on?

09/10/2026

🚨 We may have officially lost our minds. 😂

This fall, we're attempting what might be our most ridiculous family vacation yet...

12 DAYS.
🛳️ Royal Caribbean
🏰 Walt Disney World
🎢 Universal Orlando

ALL. IN. ONE. TRIP.

Because apparently choosing just one vacation wasn't enough for us. 🤣

As a travel agent, I actually LOVE trips like this because I get to experience everything myself before recommending it to my clients.

And you better believe I'm going to be taking notes. 👀

I'm planning to show you:

🛳️ Our Royal Caribbean experience
🏨 The resorts and rooms we're staying in
🎢 What we think is actually worth paying extra for
🍽️ What we're eating—and what's worth the money
⚡ How we're handling lines and park strategy
💰 Where I'd splurge vs. where I'd save
😂 What goes wrong...because something always does
👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 And what it's REALLY like doing all of this as a family

Most importantly, when we get home I'm answering the ultimate question:

Would I EVER combine Disney + Universal + a cruise into one vacation again?

Place your bets now. 😂

👇 But first—I want YOU to choose some of my content.

What do you most want me to show you?

A: Hotel & room tours 🏨
B: What everything actually costs 💰
C: Food & restaurants 🍽️
D: Disney vs. Universal comparisons 🎢
E: Royal Caribbean vs. Disney Cruise Line 🛳️
F: ALL OF IT—I want the good, the bad and the meltdowns 😂

🏰 Okay, Disney friends… my score is 34/40! 😂Apparently, even after all of our Disney trips, there are still 6 things on ...
09/05/2026

🏰 Okay, Disney friends… my score is 34/40! 😂

Apparently, even after all of our Disney trips, there are still 6 things on this list I’ve NEVER done! 👀

🎯 What’s your score? And for extra bragging rights… can you guess which 6 I’m missing?

Drop your score + your guesses below! 👇🐭✨

✈️ TRAVEL AGENT FAIRY UPDATE: THEY MADE IT TO VENICE! 🇮🇹🧚‍♀️For everyone who asked for Part 2 after my parents were told...
09/04/2026

✈️ TRAVEL AGENT FAIRY UPDATE: THEY MADE IT TO VENICE! 🇮🇹🧚‍♀️

For everyone who asked for Part 2 after my parents were told they might just have to “miss their cruise”…
we have officially made it to the happy ending. 🙌

After abandoning their delayed flight out of Indianapolis, renting a car, and driving to Chicago, they spent the night near O’Hare and woke up yesterday ready to try this whole getting to Europe thing again. 😂

And this time?

It all worked.

✈️ Their flight took off only about 15 minutes late.
❤️ A very kind woman switched seats with my dad so he could sit next to my mom.
🇩🇪 They had a quick but easy connection in Munich.
🇮🇹 They landed in Venice this morning.
🧳 ALL FOUR BAGS MADE IT. (Because at this point, I wasn't taking anything for granted. 😂)

And as I write this, they are on a boat cruising through Venice on their way to their hotel.

They made it. Their luggage made it. And they are going to make their cruise. 🚢

48 hours ago, the answer was essentially, “You may just miss your cruise.”

Today, THIS is their view. 👇🇮🇹

Sometimes travel doesn't go according to plan. The key is knowing when to stop trying to save Plan A and start creating a really good Plan B.

🧚‍♀️ Travel Agent Fairy mission: COMPLETE.

Now go enjoy Italy, Mom & Dad. You've earned it🥰🇮🇹

🏰 5 Disney Splurges We’ll Happily Pay For Every TimeWe've done Disney enough times to know there are plenty of things yo...
09/04/2026

🏰 5 Disney Splurges We’ll Happily Pay For Every Time

We've done Disney enough times to know there are plenty of things you DON'T need to spend extra money on.

But there are a few things the Shafers will happily pay more for every single trip. 😂

🏨 #1 — Staying On-Site

We learned this one the hard way. Once, we stayed with family in a beautiful 3-bedroom condo just 6 miles from Magic Kingdom.

We left at 10:00 AM with two small kids.

Between driving, parking, the tram and the boat...

We didn't walk through the Magic Kingdom gates until 12:15. 😳

More than TWO HOURS of our Disney day—gone. That's when I learned: At Disney, I'll pay more for TIME.

🏡 #2 — A 1-Bedroom Villa

We love our DVC 1-bedroom villas. The extra space, kitchen and washer/dryer are great—but we especially love having somewhere we actually WANT to spend our afternoon break.

🎟️ #3 — Park Hopper

Our ideal Disney day? Park in the morning → resort pool → drinks for Mom & Dad 🍹 → relax → different park for dinner → roller coasters in the dark. 🎢

We don't Park Hop to cram in more. We Park Hop for flexibility.

⚡ #4 — Lightning Lane

I'm not paying for Lightning Lane so we can do MORE. I'm paying so we spend LESS of our vacation standing in line. 😂

🥂 #5 — The RIGHT Special Experiences

I'm not splurging on every Disney extra. I'd rather skip a few mediocre expensive experiences and spend that money on one really memorable dinner or experience our family will love.

After years of Disney trips, I've realized our biggest splurge isn't necessarily luxury.

It's TIME.

Less time waiting.
Less time commuting.
More flexibility.
More relaxing.
More time actually enjoying the vacation. ❤️

👇 What's one Disney splurge you'll happily pay for every time?

✈️ Tell Me Your MUST-HAVE Travel Accessories! 🧳We're getting ready for a big trip this fall, and I want to know...What i...
09/04/2026

✈️ Tell Me Your MUST-HAVE Travel Accessories! 🧳

We're getting ready for a big trip this fall, and I want to know...

What is the ONE travel item you absolutely swear by?

I'm talking ALL the travel things:
👜 Favorite personal item/carry-on
🧳 Checked luggage you love
🧊 Packing cubes
🔋 Portable chargers
💺 Airplane must-haves
🧴 Toiletry organizers
👟 Shoe bags
🧺 Laundry bags
⚖️ Luggage scales
📱 Tech organizers
☕️ Or that completely random thing you pack that everyone else needs to know about 😂

I feel like everyone who travels a lot has at least one thing that makes them say:

“I will never travel without this again.”

So tell me yours! 👇

Bonus points if you tell me the exact brand or drop a picture of it in the comments.

I'm always looking for something that makes traveling with a family a little easier—and I may have to test some of your favorites on our upcoming trip! ✈️🏰🎢🛳️

What should I add to my travel arsenal? 😂

🏰 4 Things We Will NEVER Do at Disney World Again 👀We've been to Disney enough times that we've developed some pretty st...
09/03/2026

🏰 4 Things We Will NEVER Do at Disney World Again 👀

We've been to Disney enough times that we've developed some pretty strong opinions. 😂 And while there are plenty of things we'll happily pay for over and over, these four are officially NEVER AGAIN for the Shafer family:

⚡ #1 — Go without Lightning Lane

At this point, I'm paying for it. 😂

If we're already spending thousands on a Disney vacation, I don't want to spend hours standing in 90-minute lines. I'd rather pay a little more and have more time actually enjoying the parks.

Lightning Lane is officially part of our Disney budget.

🛒 #2 — Go to the parks without a stroller

Yes, my boys are 9 and 12. And YES, we still take a stroller. 😂

No, they're not riding in it.

It's our Disney command center for bags, drinks, snacks, purchases, pins and everything else we accumulate throughout the day.

Could we carry everything ourselves? Sure.

Do I want to? Absolutely not. 😂

🏰 #3 — Eat at Be Our Guest again

This one might get me in trouble. 👀

The restaurant is beautiful and I'm glad we've experienced it, but for us, the experience doesn't justify the price—especially when the Beast is the only character.

I'd rather save the money OR spend a little more and dine inside Cinderella Castle at Cinderella's Royal Table. 👑

Be Our Guest is officially a one-and-done for us.

😴 #4 — Rope drop AND close down the park on the same day

Those 12–14 hour park-marathon days?

The Shafers are retired. 😂

We'll rope drop. We'll stay until park close. But we're not doing BOTH on the same day anymore.

I'd rather take an afternoon break, enjoy our resort, have a nice meal and head back refreshed than have everyone exhausted and miserable by 8 PM.

We've learned that doing less can actually make us enjoy Disney more.

Now I want to hear YOUR controversial Disney opinion. 😂🍿

👇 What's one thing you've done at Disney that you would NEVER do again?

And Be Our Guest fans and rope-drop-to-fireworks people...we can still be friends. 😂❤️

✈️ Today I earned my Travel Agent Fairy wings. 🧚‍♀️My parents and another couple were supposed to fly from Indianapolis ...
09/03/2026

✈️ Today I earned my Travel Agent Fairy wings. 🧚‍♀️

My parents and another couple were supposed to fly from Indianapolis to Venice today, with a connection in Philadelphia.

They did everything right:
✔️ Booked their flights 10 months ago
✔️ Had a 4-hour layover in Philly
✔️ Booked Premium Economy
✔️ Planned to arrive ahead of their cruise

And then… travel happened.

Their flight from Indianapolis kept getting delayed. And delayed. And delayed. The inbound aircraft was dealing with weather and then sat waiting for air traffic control clearance.

After about two hours of delays, the gate agent finally acknowledged what was becoming pretty obvious:

Their chances of getting to Philadelphia in time to catch their flight to Venice were slim.

The bigger problem?

Flights to Venice today AND tomorrow were full.
And because the original delay was weather-related, they weren't getting much help finding another solution.

At one point, my mom was essentially told:
“Well, you might just miss your cruise.”

🚨 Nope. That was NOT an acceptable answer.

So my mom called me.

And this is where real-life travel experience matters.
I travel. A LOT. And based on that experience, I knew what I would do in this situation: get to a major international airport and avoid the East Coast.

So while I was talking to airline agents, I was also searching flights from other airports. Could we reroute them? Could another airline get them there? What major airport could they reasonably drive to?

Chicago.

And then I found it.

✨ Four Premium Economy seats out of O’Hare tomorrow evening. ✨

I confirmed they could receive a refund for their original tickets, booked the new flights, rented them a car, and got them hotel rooms in Chicago.

Tonight they're in Chicago.

Tomorrow they'll board their new flight to Europe.

And most importantly…

They're going to make their cruise. 🚢🇮🇹

THIS is why I believe your travel agent should actually travel.

Not just book travel.

Travel.

Because experience teaches you things you don't learn from simply knowing how to make a reservation. You learn how airports work, which connections make sense, what alternatives to look for when things go wrong, and when it's time to completely change the plan.

Someone you can call when Plan A falls apart and say:
“Okay, Abby. What would YOU do?”

Because “I guess you'll miss your cruise” isn't a travel plan I'm willing to accept. 😉

And finding FOUR Premium Economy seats less than 24 hours before departure?

🧚‍♀️ Travel Agent Fairy status: ACHIEVED. ✨

🏰 “Why use a travel advisor for Disney? Can’t I book it myself?”Absolutely. You can also do your own taxes. 😉😂But Disney...
09/02/2026

🏰 “Why use a travel advisor for Disney? Can’t I book it myself?”

Absolutely. You can also do your own taxes. 😉😂

But Disney planning is more than booking a hotel and buying tickets.

You’ll need to decide:

🏨 Which resort and room type?
🎟️ How many park days? Park Hopper? Rest days?
⚡ Which Lightning Lane options are worth it?
🍽️ Where should you eat, and which reservations matter most?
🚝 What’s the best way to get around?
✨ Which extras are worth the cost?
💰 Where should you splurge—and where should you save?

That’s where experience matters.

I’ve planned and experienced Disney vacations with my own family, and I’ve learned that the most expensive trip isn’t always the best one.

Sometimes I’ll recommend spending more. Sometimes I’ll tell you to save your money.

A good travel advisor turns hundreds of choices into a vacation that fits your family, priorities and budget—so you spend your money on what actually makes your trip better. ❤️

👇 Disney veterans: What’s one thing you wish you’d known before your first trip?

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