An InteleTravel advisor in Ireland has landed a huge group booking for a dance academy in Dublin that could be worth over €150,000.
Lucille Furlong of Inclusive Travel Ireland has already booked 234 people to stay at Disneyland Paris in November. Of those, 89 will be members of the jazz dance school, Star Struck Dance Academy, who will be performing to guests on stage, and the rest are made up of family members and teachers.
They will be staying at the Disney Explorers Hotel for three nights, on a bed and breakfast basis, and have two days’ park tickets. Some families are choosing to stay longer.
Lucille is currently negotiating with a private air charter company and scheduled airlines for the flight tickets and will present the group with the options by the end of the month. By the time the flights and extra stays are booked, the sale is expected to top €150,000.
The dance academy students auditioned to perform at Disney and Lucille said it had taken a long time and a lot of effort to put the deal together, but it had been worth it.
“I heard about the opportunity when I spoke to another agent who had worked on Disney Cruise Lines and was focusing on the Disney Performers Packages,” said Lucille. “I used to be a ballet teacher and I think that helped when I first approached the dance school back in February. My son is also one of the students, so they knew me.
“At Disney they will have dance and performance classes, then rehearsals before performing a 10-minute piece on the main stage. In the audition they had to record two original pieces, with family-friendly music.
“It’s a very exciting opportunity and I’m delighted to be putting together the trip for them. I’ve just secured the booking, so it’s a fantastic start to 2025!”
Lucille has also just been appointed as InteleTravel’s newest Ambassador, a volunteer position within the organisation where she helps share knowledge, tips and tools to help fellow advisors.
As well as landing a bumper pay day, Lucille says there are lots of spin-off benefits to booking the huge group.
“People are approaching me to do other trips for them. Lots of the families want to do add-ons to the Disney trip and I’ve booked 47 people in 2 different bookings for a theatre break in London to see Six The Musical, and I am currently working on a quote for 34 people to go to London for a Harry Potter Experience. I also have 2 other dance schools interested in Disney Performers Package for 2025/26.
“There is a lot of work to do but the potential for me to grow my business is massive.”
