Where do you want to travel next?

Our vacation planners have many destinations they can help their clients plan trips to visit. We are well-versed in travel as a whole, and many specific destinations. However, sometimes our clients ask for trips to places that we are completely unfamiliar with, and oftentimes, uncomfortable planning a trip to these places for clients.

Our philosophy is...

You cannot be an expert in the entire world. Instead, we've chosen select, hot, trending places to help our clients visit - with reputable resorts and cruise lines that we have come to know and trust.

We may have to decline your vacation request simply because taking on the responsibility of planning something to a place we are not well-versed in is actually a DISSERVICE to you as the client and traveler. We do not consider ourselves full-service travel agents. We are travel agents, but within our comfort zones of destinations we're focused on and trained in.

In a nutshell, it's not fair to YOU as the traveler to work with a travel agent who is completely out of their element and uncomfortable planning a trip somewhere they have little knowledge of. Our agency has a diverse group of team members with a wide variety of travel knowledge to many, many destinations within the US and all over the world. And we share information so that our clients have the best help possible! But sometimes a destination is not somewhere any of our team has traveled to, and ultimately it's not a destination we have a lot of information on within our team's bank of knowledge.

When this happens we have to be honest with you and tell you that you'd be better off finding someone with deep knowledge of your destination choice. We don't want to lose your business and hope you will see our honesty as value added. And when you're ready to book another destination we want to continue to help you! So please come back and ask again! We only say 'no' when it's in your own best interest.

As a general rule of thumb, here is what we can help with:

Walt Disney World Resort
Disney Cruise Line
Disneyland Resort
Adventures by Disney - including many international destinations!
Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa
Universal Orlando Resort
Sandals Resorts
Beaches Resorts
Royal Caribbean International

In addition, your own personal Pixie and Pirate Destinations Dream Vacation Planner may be able to help with other destinations. Some of our team has experience with Karisma Resorts, SeaWorld, Princess Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Lines, to name a few. Please don't hesitate to ask your planner about a destination. Hopefully they can help! If they cannot, then they may be able to direct you to the best option.

We want to continue working with you to plan amazing trips. And helping you make great memories! Just note that sometimes we do have to say "Sorry, you would be better finding someone who is well versed in that destination."

Thank you as always for your support of our small business! We love our clients and appreciate everything that you've done to help us build our brand - including word of mouth referrals! Sending someone our way is the biggest, and best, compliment!

Our people are our power. They are the beating heart of Pixie & Pirate Destinations.

Without exceptional people our values, vision and reputation would not be what it is.


Between our crew of Dream Vacation Planners we have 1300+ Walt Disney World®  Resort trips, 100+ Disneyland® Resort trips and 100+ Disney Cruises®. Plus several Adventures by Disney, Disney's Hilton Head Resort, Disney's Vero Beach Resort, and Aulani vacations under our belts.

In addition to the Disney destinations, we have also traveled to the Caribbean to Sandals and Beaches Resorts 40+ times. We have visited and stayed at Universal Orlando Resort 35+ times. We have also sailed with many other cruise lines - including Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. And visited Europe, Asia, Mexico, Canada and more!

We've traveled with friends, little ones, teenagers, extended family, grandparents, children with special needs. We have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, homecomings, graduations, and more, at various vacation destinations.

We have several graduates of the Walt Disney World College Program, a Disney Cruise bride, and many Disney"mooners".


The heart, soul and life blood of our customer service driven business is our crew. Pixie & Pirate Destinations is built on loyal, committed, focused, fantastic individuals - ready to pour their heart into your vacation planning.

This is who we are. We are Pixie and Pirate Destinations.

In order to express the vision and purpose behind Pixie & Pirate, you'll need to know the history of who I am as owner of this amazing brand.


My husband Shawn and I met as teenagers in high school. We went through hell and back it seemed at the time - sticking out our small town high school relationship through both of our graduations two years apart, college separation, and busy lives. Eventually we found ourselves married, living in the same county we both grew up in, and starting a family. Over the next seven years we would bring 3 "perfect" sons into the world. A lot happened from our teen years to our young adult years - but we managed to hold tight and grow up together.


We have roots. Deep roots. We are small(ish) town people, with a very long history. We are simple. Easy. We love life. We love each other. We love our families. We love raising kids in the same county, attending the same schools, that we did. We love Pixie & Pirate Destinations and what it stands for.


PAPD's values are deep rooted too. Simple. Customer service driven. Word of mouth powered. PAPD's beating heart is the people who stand behind the brand - who live and love this business and this industry and the urge to travel. We want to bring our clients that "small town" feeling of welcome and friendliness.


From day one I didn't want a complicated, convoluted company that was too big for itself. I wanted to grow something that stood for something. Being heavily focused on customer service and the idea that peoples' needs could be met by just being .... real. By being friendly, open, giving, caring, we are showing our clients that this is who we are. And over time is what they have come to expect. We have a reputation to uphold. And we are working towards continuing to be amazing.


My vision for our brand has always been to be a friend to those that want to travel. Being real and being available and being what everyone is looking for - a friend.


We are not a big, fancy travel agency. This is not who we are. Instead my focus has been on good people and good support systems.


The values that I have hammered away at and tried to drive into our team have helped to build a brand that is more than a technical website with lots of bells and whistles. What you see is what you get.


The original vision for PAPD has continued to be basically the same as it was on day one. While some aspects of our company and brand have changed, the basics have remained the same. Relationships are number one - between our team, and between our DVPs and their clients.


While I realize that this vision is not something that everyone will understand, it is something I am personally VERY proud of and I would not change any of it for anything. Our journey has been amazing and will continue to be amazing. We've achieved creating bonds within the PAPD family, with clients, and helped clients create bonds within their own families. What we do is important. And will continue to be very important for generations to come. We touch lives. And I'd like to think that one reason why these lives are touched as they are is because of the deep rooted values that PAPD has always stood for.


Thank you for reading. Thank you for being a part of this journey and for understanding the importance of our roots and values.

--Amanda Sykora, owner
Pixie & Pirate Destinations

Our amazing team of vacation planners love to travel. Whether it's a magical theme park, or a cruise to Alaska, we have great insider knowledge among our team! And this bank of knowledge is shared between all of us.

Here is a 'short' list of where we traveled (whether it was as a work group, or personal family vacations) in 2016:

• Walt Disney World
• Disneyland
• and California
• Universal Orlando
• SeaWorld
• multiple cruises to the Bahamas and the Caribbean
• Jamaica
• Wyoming
• New York
• Texas
• Chicago
• Florida Keys
• Mexico
• Canada
• and many other great places!

This goes to show that we genuinely love the experience of traveling in the United States and globally. All of our first hand insight is helpful to our great clients!

by Sarah H (DVP)

Sarah H shares some great information on traveling to Walt Disney World Resort with Type 1 Diabetes.

• Be careful where you leave unattended strollers - The stroller patrol has been known to move strollers after you park them.  So if you leave the stroller in the shade because you have your insulin in it, you may come back and find it in the sun.

• Double pack supplies - You never know when you might lose something or have something break.  Bring extras of everything.  You can get supplies delivered but it will cost you.

1. Redundant Meter.
2. Double the needles.
3. Twice the strips.
4. Two times the needed bottles of insulin.
5. Take double the sets, double the IV prep and twice the needed number of pump reservoirs.
6. Two carry-on bags each with half the stuff in each bag.

• Put your name/phone number on your supplies - If you lose your bag of supplies it is more likely you will get it back if you have your name and cell phone somewhere on it.

• Test BS often - Lots of walking, lots of excitement, lots of junk food, and heat can all cause BSs to be very different then you would normally expect.
• Drink lots of water - This is important for everyone, especially if you visit in the summer.
• Plan your trip - Disney is too big to do it all.  Figure out what are the most important things you want to see and do them.  Take your time to enjoy yourself.
• Call Mousekeeping for a sharps container - Or you can use an old soda bottle.
• List on your Dining Reservations that you have someone with Type 1 - Tell your hostess when you check in to the restaurant that someone in your group has diabetes. If you would like, one of the chefs will come out and talk to you and try to help you with what ingredients are in different items and carb counts if he has them.  Each chef will be different, and some will have more information than others.

• Locate the First Aid Stations - Each park has a first aid station where you can keep your supplies and change pump sites if you need to.

1. Magic Kingdom - Between Casey’s Corner and the Crystal Palace
2. Epcot - The Odyssey Center Building between Test Track and Mexico
3. Disney MGM-Studios - Next to Guest Relations Building near the Main Entrance
4. Animal Kingdom - Behind Creature Comforts in Safari Village
5. Blizzard Beach - Near Entrance between Beach Haus and Lottawatta Lodge
6. Typhoon Lagoon - Next to Leaning Palms

• Think about removing the pump on some rides - It is recommended that you disconnect your pump for free fall rides and roller coasters. You might also want to remove it and leave it with someone not riding if you go on one of the water rides such as Kali River Rapids.
• Guest Assistance Card (GAC) - You can pick this up at Guest Relations.  
• Refrigerators in rooms – All the resorts have small refrigerators in their rooms.  If you arrive and there is not one in your room call the front desk. Be sure you tell them you have a medical reason.
• Frio pack - This is great way to keep insulin cool when you don’t have a refrigerator.  Some people keep pumps in Frio packs while they are in the parks if they visit during the summer.
• Talk to your Dr. - Let your endo know that you are going to Disney and ask his/her advice.

If you are traveling to Walt Disney World with someone who has Type 1 Diabetes please consider requesting Sarah H as your Dream Vacation Planner. She has experience with this and would love to help you!

The Walt Disney World® Resort offers a wide variety of resorts for you to choose from. But why should you stay at a Walt Disney World Resort? The answer is not very simple.

As experienced Walt Disney World travelers, all of our DVPs have stayed both on and off Walt Disney World Resort property for over 30 years. Staying at a Walt Disney World Resort and taking advantage of the extras available to only resort guests are well worth consideration. Staying off site adds a lot of extra time and hassle, and overall is usually not a money saver - which is a common misconception.

Every family is different. But when considering a Walt Disney World vacation remember that Disney Resort guests are offered some "magical" extras that are not available at off-site hotels and resorts.

• Disney's Magical Express. Once you arrive at the Orlando Airport how are you going to get to your resort? Hop aboard the Magical Express bus service! This free service is a wonderful savings because you do not need to rent a car or take a cab or worry with the hassle of driving around the local area and potentially getting lost.
  

• Free Walt Disney World transportation. Disney's buses run all day long to and from the parks and Downtown Disney. You can't go wrong with a service that keeps you from paying the daily parking fees at the parks and saving money on gas. And best of all, you do not need a voucher or a set time to ride the buses. And again, getting lost while driving around Disney is common and not so magical...

• EXTRA MAGIC HOURS! Only available to Disney Resort guests, these hours are designed so that you can stay at a selected park up to 3 hours later than the general public or enter the park 1 hour earlier in the morning. It's almost like being a VIP.

• Disney Dining Plan. What's so special about a Dining Plan? It's only available to Disney Resort guests that book a package with room and tickets. There are several Disney Dining Plans and each one has it's own benefits. In a nutshell, you get to pay for your meals in advance and save some money.
  

• Free purchase delivery. Let's say you're strolling through Epcot and enter the candy shop in Germany. There are hundreds of chocolate choices and you want to purchase $100 worth of specialty chocolates as souvenirs. It's 90 degrees outside. How are you going to get the chocolate back to your resort room without it melting? Have it delivered! Disney Resort guests can have their purchases delivered directly to their resort. Don't drag it around with you!

• Free parking throughout the theme parks. Maybe you decide you'd rather drive to the Magic Kingdom for the day instead of taking the free bus transportation. Perfect! As a Disney Resort guest you can park at the theme parks for free. If you were not given a parking pass at check-in, then stop by guest services at your resort and they will make sure you have the proper paperwork to receive free theme park parking.

These are only a few of many reasons why choosing a Disney Resort tends to be the best option for most Walt Disney World visitors. There's also one BIG reason that's hard to put into words. It's being within Disney and knowing when you leave the park after a magical day that you are not going back into the "real" world. You're living the magic throughout your entire vacation.

**Information updated based on the date of this blog post. Pixie and Pirate Destinations is not responsible for missing, incomplete or inaccurate information. Contact your Pixie and Pirate Destinations DVP for up to date details.