Lead Travel Advisor from Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania

Hello!

I’m Aly Hirst

I help busy families plan stress-free, joy-filled vacations — the kind where the details are handled, the options make sense, and you can actually look forward to the trip instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

As a Lead Travel Advisor with Living With The Magic Vacations, I specialize in family vacations to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Universal Orlando Resort, cruises across most major cruise lines, and all-inclusive resorts throughout the Caribbean and Mexico. Whether you’re planning your child’s first Disney trip, a multi-generational cruise, a relaxing beach escape, or a vacation that needs to work for different ages, personalities, budgets, and travel styles, I’m here to help make the process easier from start to finish.

Because the best family vacations don’t happen by accident — they’re thoughtfully planned.

 

I live in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania with my husband, our two daughters, and our sweet-but-slightly-crazy Labradoodle. I was born and raised in Connecticut, so while Pennsylvania is home now, I’m still a New Englander at heart.

Travel and hospitality have been part of my life for a long time. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management from UMass Amherst, spent several years working in hotels and events, and even worked as a Cast Member at Disney’s BoardWalk. That background shaped the way I plan vacations today: with attention to detail, genuine care, and a focus on making people feel taken care of from start to finish.

I know vacation planning can feel overwhelming. Between resorts, room categories, dining, transportation, ticket options, cruise ships, itineraries, promotions, payment deadlines, accessibility needs, food allergies, and all the opinions online, it can be hard to know what actually makes sense for your family.

That’s where I come in.

I help you cut through the noise and make confident decisions based on your family’s travel style, budget, and priorities. From choosing the right destination, resort, cruise line, ship, itinerary, and room type to planning details like dining reservations, Lightning Lane strategy, cruise tips, payment timelines, and what to expect before you arrive, I’m here to make the process feel easier.

And once your vacation is booked, I don’t disappear. I’m only a phone call, email, or text away before, during, and after your trip.

My Specialty Destinations

  • Walt Disney World
  • Disneyland
  • Disney Cruise Line
  • Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
  • Universal Orlando Resort
  • Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Caribbean and Mexico All-Inclusive Resorts

Working With Me

I believe vacation planning should feel exciting, not exhausting.

When you work with me, you get someone who listens to what your family actually needs, helps narrow the options, watches for promotions when available, explains the details in plain English, and stays involved throughout the planning process.

You don’t have to know which resort is best, which cruise ship fits your family, whether the dining plan makes sense, or how to structure your park days. That’s what I’m here for.

My goal is simple: to help your family feel prepared, supported, and genuinely excited for your vacation.

From choosing the perfect destination to arriving home with memories that last a lifetime, I’m here to make the planning simple and seamless so you can focus on what matters most — enjoying quality time together.

Certifications:

 

    • Disney College of Knowledge
    • Universal Orlando Resort & Universal Studios Hollywood Specialist
    • Certified Sandals & Beaches Specialist
    • Royal Caribbean “Master of Adventure”
    • Additional cruise line training including Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Virgin Voyages

What My Clients Have to Say

All I can say is Shannon is absolutely Ah-maaay-zing!!!

Best cruise ever and we’ve been on many, many!

Dee

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!

Sonali

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 🙂

Diane

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.

Mike

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!!

Jennifer

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!

Jackie

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!

Jennifer

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.

Michelle

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!

Steve

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.

Leah

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!

Jackie

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!! ❤️

Maria

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!

Marisa

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.

Colleen

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.

Katrina

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.

Megan

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.

Tracey

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!

Melissa

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!

Lesley

Aly is so knowledgeable, attentive to all of our questions, and helpful

Aly is an amazing travel agent! We just got back from our Disney trip. Aly made the planning process super easy (it gets very overwhelming). She is so knowledgeable, attentive to all of our questions, and helpful. Our original travel date was planned a month earlier, but had to be rescheduled due to a hurricane. Aly was there every step of the way making sure we were able to reschedule and make our Disney experience even better than what we had planned the first time. Aly was even available to help us book our meals, which was amazing and took off so much stress! She is a wealth of knowledge and excels at her job. Without a doubt we will be using Aly for all of our vacation needs in the future!

Krista
Phone

203-364-7295