Lead Travel Advisor from Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania
Hello!
I’m Aly Hirst
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Disney-obsessed gal. Needless to say, becoming a Travel Advisor that specializes in Disney vacations is like a dream come true! I live in Gilbertsville, PA with my husband, our two daughters, and our crazy but sweet Labradoodle. I was born and raised in Connecticut and am still a New Englander at heart. When I’m not busy planning vacations, you’ll likely find me at the dance studio where both of my girls spend MANY hours each week (and sometimes I even take a class too — tap is my favorite!) — I’m definitely living the Dance Mom life.
In 2005, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Hospitality & Tourism Management from UMass Amherst. I then spent 5 years living in the DC area and worked in various areas of hotels, including the front desk, sales and special events. I moved to Pennsylvania in 2010 and continued working in hotel sales until the birth of my first child in 2012.
Not only have I traveled to the Walt Disney World Resort countless times, but I’m also a former Cast Member (RIP Spoodles at Disney’s BoardWalk). I have been the “Disney Expert” for my friends and family for years and always love helping them plan their magical Disney vacations. Beyond Disney Destinations, my family loves cruising, Universal Orlando Resort and all-inclusive vacations to the Caribbean — Aruba is my favorite island to date! As a Travel Advisor, I’m always working on staying up to date with all the latest travel industry news and love to attend training sessions with brand partners like Disney, Universal and Royal Caribbean (just to name a few).
My Specialty Destinations
- Walt Disney World
- Disneyland
- Universal Orlando Resort
- Universal Studios Hollywood
- Cruising
- Caribbean & Mexico
Working With Me
I understand that planning a vacation can feel overwhelming, especially when you already have so many other things you’re juggling in life. My job is to take the stress of the planning off your plate so that you can rest assured I’ve got all of the details covered for you. And the best part: I’m only a phone call, email or text away — you’ll always have direct contact with me to help you every step of the way — even if you need something when you’re on vacation. As a Travel Advisor, nothing feels better than hearing my clients tell me how amazing their vacation were and that they couldn’t have done it without me. Wherever your heart desires to travel, I would love to help you plan your next incredible vacation!
Certifications:
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Disney College of Knowledge
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Certified Autism Travel Professional (CATP)
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Universal Orlando Resort & Universal Studios Hollywood Specialist
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Certified Sandals & Beaches Specialist
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“Master of Adventure” with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
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Virgin Voyages “First Mate” Certified
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Hawaii Destination Specialist
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Atlantis Ambassador (Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas)
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Additional Cruise Line Certifications: Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Norwegian Cruises
What My Clients Have to Say
Beautiful Ship with Excellent Service and Entertainment
We had a Wonderful time on our 7 day cruise to Porta Plata, San Juan and St Kitts. The Celebrity Apex was a Beautiful ship with Excellent Service and Excellent Entertainment. Our Living With the Magic Travel Advisor (Debbie) made the travel process seamless from start to finish..
Magical sweet 16 trip
We had the best sweet mother daughter + besties 16 trip with our daughters. We will never forget our magical day at Disney and cruise on Royal Carribean Utopia ship. Kristy did an amazing job coordinating all the details. Thank you! Memories forever!
I had an amazing and smooth experience!
Aly has booked several trips for me and my family already, including Disney, and Mexico. I took another trip to Mexico this last February and Aly set it all up for us! We did have a hiccup in Mexico with our ride, but after frantically texting Aly, she was able to straighten it out on her end. She was fantastic! I highly recommend!
Magical Connections
Working with Aly to plan our first Disney trip was the best decision we have ever made. Taking 4 kids under 7 to Disney was daunting but Aly helped with everything! She was able to walk me through the planning process, provided tips/tricks, and helped make the trip as magical as possible! She even checked in during our trip to ensure everything was going to plan or if there were updates we wanted to make. I highly recommend Aly and will be requesting her help for future trips 🙂
Fantastic Trip Planner
My family and I were looking to do a Disney cruise, our party consisted of 11 people most of them have not been on a cruise. My wife contacted Aly and gave her an idea of what we were looking for. Aly was able to provide us a recommendation of which ship and itinerary to go on. Throughout the planning process Aly was reachable and helpful which helped put us at ease. Aly was even able to give us pointers on which on ship activities to prioritize and which ones we could skip. She even reached out to us on the morning our ship left to wish us well on our trip. I could not have been any happier with the experience we had with Aly. Thank you for helping us plan a great memorable trip.
Aly is wonderful!
Aly was with us every step of the way from the earliest planning stage until we got home from our Disney Cruise. The few weeks leading up to the cruise, it was very comforting to know she was an email, text, or phone call away with any last minute questions. She responded almost immediately and I can’t wait for her to plan our next cruise!!
10th Birthday Dreams Came True!
My husband and I have been planning to do “decades birthday” trips with our children since they were born. Our daughter chose “Harry Potter World” for her 10th birthday and I was overwhelmed with all the ideas that the internet tried to throw at us. So we reached out to Aly Hirst to help us make the planning and booking phases go so much smoother for a trip to Universal Orlando. Aly took into account our price point and specific needs and gave us some great suggestions for places to stay and extra activities to take part in. She was there (virtually) for and with us every step of the way. We stayed at Sapphire Falls (a Universal Resort), road the boat to and from the parks and City Walk daily, saw all the things we set out to see, ate all of the foods we said we would, and made a lifetime of memories. We thoroughly enjoyed our time. I cannot suggest the use of a travel advisor enough. We don’t plan any trips without the guidance of Aly anymore. She is AMAZING!
Planning a trip has never been easier!
Aly was so helpful in planning our cruise! She listened to all of our requests and provided us with several options for us to choose from. Planning a trip has never been easier!
Disney in December
Aly was amazing while helping plan our 6 day Disney trip in December, 2024. She was responsive and patient with all of our questions. We had the best family vacation thanks to all of the tips, reservations set and planning ahead with Aly and Living with the Magic Vacations.
Carnival Sunshine Cruise
This was the second vacation that Aly helped us plan. As previously, Aly prepared us in every way possible to be ready for our cruise. We knew exactly what to expect. The cruise itself was wonderful. Although the Sunshine is an older ship, everything about the cruise was great…the service, the food, the entertainment, etc. No complaints at all!
We will definitely be in touch with Aly to help us plan future trips!
Such a gem
Aly is amazing!! Bright, confident, capable, *supremely* responsive, and totally plugged in. Our planning was effortless thanks to her help. 10/10. No notes. Highly recommend.
Magical trip- Beaches Ocho Rios
After three years of planning, changing dates and locations, and finally settling in….my family of 4 made it to Jamaica. We originally booked Beaches Negril but changed the trip to Beaches Ocho Rios after deciding that we wanted a smaller resort feeling for my kids (aged 5 and 8). This resort (and the entire experience) were perfect for my family. The resort was beautiful, the staff were friendly, the room was clean, and the activities were perfect. We enjoyed everything the resort had to offer and believed it was the perfect location for our family. As the kids get older, we will try a larger resort, but this one was perfect for the time of life we are in right now. Aly was a phenomenal support and guide throughout the entire experience (from researching to booking to traveling to coming home). She is patient, knowledgeable, kind, efficient, and amazing. I will no longer book a trip without her guidance! Entrust your travel experience to an expert (Aly). You won’t regret it!
Aly was amazing to work with!
Aly was recommended to me by my cousin, and I’m so grateful. Aly was so easy to work with, and was super responsive to all of my needs. I knew that if I had a question, she’d have an answer, and it was always in a matter of hours. On the day we travelled to Disney, we had a last-minute snafu, and Aly was immediately on it, working to resolve the issue, even though it was a Sunday!! I can’t wait to work with her again to plan my next trip!! ❤️
There is no one better.
Aly is amazing. She goes above and beyond for all of her clients. When it came time to plan my family of 13’s vacation to Disney World, she made it seem so easy. She did not hesitate to take care of everything from hotels and tickets to booking special fishing trips or cruises. When my family went from 13 to 15 people coming, she handled it better than I did 🙂. My mom who has been going to Disney for more than 40 years considers Aly a life saver and would never consider going to Disney without her help ever again. I recommend Aly to everyone!
Aly was the absolute BEST when planning our Disney trip.
Aly was the absolute BEST when planning our Disney trip. We haven’t been to Disney in many many years so were out of practice and it was my youngest’s first time there. Aly went above and beyond to make recommendations based on our interests and get us in to in-park restaurants that were very difficult to get reservations to. The result of our trip was AH-MAZING! We had one of the best vacations to date. Can not recommend Aly enough.
I highly recommend Aly to anyone considering booking a Disney vacation
Aly was phenomenal, she knew all the things and helped plan and book everything. She was constantly searching for better deals and to get all the dining reservations that I wanted. We had the most magical time at Disney and can’t wait to go back. I do believe it would not have been the same without Aly, I highly recommend her to anyone considering booking a Disney vacation, she is the best.
I highly recommend Aly for all your traveling needs!
We reached out to Aly to help plan a surprise Disney vacation for our family – 4 adults and 4 kids – and it was the absolute best experience! From the beginning, she made sure all of our questions were answered, stayed on the phone when the boo bash was announced and ensured we got tickets, got our reservations set up, taught us how to work the genie, and even answered my questions when we were in line on rides while we were there. It was the smoothest planned vacation I’ve ever taken – as I love to plan itineraries and clothing options for all but don’t love to plan the logistics of a week long trip. She made it so stress free for me. I highly recommend her for all your traveling needs!! We will 100% be booking with her again in the future.
Aly is the best!
Aly is the the best! She is very knowledgeable and efficient. She made the process of booking a Disney vacation stress free which we know isn’t so easy 😆. I highly recommend her and can’t wait to book more vacations through her.
Aly was super quick to respond and make sure everything was perfect.
Aly did an amazing job planning our Disney vacation!! Any question I had, she was super quick to respond and make sure everything was perfect. I can’t thank her enough for all her help before and during our vacation. She really tried her hardest to give us a perfect vacation! Thank you so much for your hard work!! My family and I really appreciate it!
Aly is the best travel agent!
Aly is the best travel agent! Planning a family trip to Disney is an overwhelming task, and having Aly handle everything made it a seamless process. Aly’s expertise in everything Disney was also an added bonus. From booking our resort stay, to designating park days and dining reservations, she took care of it all. Not having to worry about making dining reservations was truly the best part. I will definitely reach out to Aly for any and all future vacation packages. Thanks Aly!