MAGIC MOMENTS

Colleen Bentley grew up going to Walt Disney World in Florida with her family. As a young teenager with very young siblings, she loved planning her family’s trips to make sure everyone enjoyed the experience. She would make—and FedEx would print— little itinerary books that mapped out each day. Which parks they would visit, which restaurants they would eat at, which FastPasses they would run to get (they were still old paper versions back then).

It was in 2018, when she visited Disney World with her own family, that she realized she could turn her youthful passion for planning into a business. She was walking around the theme park and noticing people queueing in hour-long lines for rides and the business idea presented itself.

“We never waited more than 10 or 15 minutes for even the big rides. We just knew how to maneuver so well through the parks, what time to get there, which rides to hit first. There’s a lot of strategy to it,” Bentley says. “You definitely notice all of the families standing around looking at a park map for where to go next.”

When she returned from that trip, she came up with the idea of a boutique travel planning business that focuses exclusively on Disney properties, including Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruises. Not just booking travel and hotels but creating customized experiences for families based on their individual interests.

“I’ve always wanted to have my own business and wondered what that would look like,” she says. “Disney was always a passion of mine and I’ve always loved planning trips, so I came up with this idea of a concierge planning service.”

The Park Planners creates tailored experiences for parents, and particularly their children, to really help maximize their time at the parks. If your child has a favorite Disney character, your itinerary will include precisely when and where that character can be met in the park to light up your child’s face. Snap a photo. The company also notes children’s heights so they know what rides they can and can’t hop on. Their strategic itinerary is unique to each family, because no two families are the same.

“There aren’t many services out there that offer the level of detail, customization, and high-end experience that we do,” Bentley says. “Each family has one Concierge Planner from my team assigned to work with them from start to finish.”

This includes handling any issues that may arise during the trip. The company texts and communicates with clients throughout the vacation, making dining reservation changes or other adjustments that might come up.

“At Disney World there’s so much to do. There are four parks, two water parks, and 20-plus resorts. You’re not going to be able to see and do it all,” says Bentley. “Our job is to help prioritize what is appropriate for the family and what their kids will enjoy the most.”

Bentley grew up in Hinsdale and now lives in Clarendon Hills with her own family. She opened a beautiful storefront in downtown Clarendon Hills almost a year ago.

For more information about The Park Planners, visit parkplanners.com or stop by their storefront at 227 Burlington Avenue in Clarendon Hills.