Is there a cost for your planning services?

Melissa Jiles's luxury Disney vacation planning services are complimentary. Disney compensates Authorized Disney Vacation Planners directly, so you pay the same price as booking on your own and receive concierge-level planning at no additional cost.

Do I pay more for my trip by booking through a travel planner?

No. Prices are the same as booking direct with Disney. Melissa is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner with Crazy Imagination Travel; the planning service is added at no cost to you.

Can you help if I already booked with Disney?

Yes. If you booked directly with Disney within the last 30 days and have not made final payment, Melissa can transfer your reservation to her care at no cost. You keep the same pricing and reservation details, plus her planning support.

What is Disney Cruise Line Concierge, and is it worth it?

Disney Cruise Line Concierge is a stateroom category, not an add-on: you book a Concierge stateroom or suite and the perks come with it — earlier activity booking, a private lounge and sundeck, dedicated Concierge hosts, and priority boarding. Melissa has personally sailed 50+ Disney cruises, including Concierge, and helps families decide whether that upgrade fits the sailing, the ship, and the budget. On high-demand itineraries the early booking window is often the reason it is worth it.

How far in advance should I book a Concierge sailing?

As early as your booking window allows. Concierge categories on popular Disney Cruise Line itineraries often sell out on the first day the window opens, so contact a planner before your window opens rather than after. For land vacations Melissa typically recommends 6–12 months ahead for the best resort and dining availability.

How do I book a Castaway Cay or Lookout Cay cabana?

Cabanas are reserved as a Disney Cruise Line port adventure once your activity booking window opens. Concierge guests get the first opportunity; remaining inventory then opens by Castaway Club level and is often gone before first-time guests can book. Melissa watches the window with you and, when a cabana is a must-have, plans the sailing and stateroom category around that goal.

Can a travel planner book Disney Private VIP Tours?

Yes. Disney Private VIP Tours at Walt Disney World can be reserved by phone on Disney's 60-day window, and as of 2026 they can also be added to a Walt Disney World vacation package through an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner — which is how Melissa can hold a tour date earlier than the public phone line. Theme park admission is not included in the hourly tour rate.

How many Disney cruises has Melissa personally sailed?

More than 50, including Concierge-level sailings. Her Concierge, cabana, and stateroom advice comes from firsthand experience aboard the ships, not from a brochure. She is based in Arlington, Texas, and plans for families across the United States.

Where is Melissa located, and does she only work with local clients?

She is based in Arlington, Texas, in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, and works with families throughout the United States. Planning is done by phone, email, and video call, so where you live is not a barrier.

What's included in your planning service?

Resort and ticket recommendations, Disney Cruise Line ship and stateroom selection including Concierge, dining reservations, day-by-day itineraries, Lightning Lane strategies, special event planning, packing lists, and ongoing support before and during the trip.

Can you help with special dietary needs or celebrations?

Yes. Melissa has extensive experience with dietary accommodations at Disney and arranges special touches for birthdays, anniversaries, and proposals.

Castaway Cay · Lookout Cay

Private island cabanas, booked like they actually sell out

Melissa Jiles plans Disney Cruise Line cabanas the way they are actually reserved: as scarce port adventures that open first to Concierge guests. She has sailed 50+ Disney cruises, including island days at Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Planning is complimentary.

Castaway Cay cabanas

Castaway Cay has a small set of family-beach cabanas, a grand family cabana, and adults-only cabanas at Serenity Bay. They include shade, seating, a fridge of non-alcoholic drinks, and typically snorkel gear and float rentals. Food is not a room-service operation; you still walk to the island eateries. Prices move by sailing and season, so Melissa quotes the live rate for your date rather than a number from last year.

Lookout Cay cabanas

Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point has Mabrika Cove cabanas on the arrival side and Serenity Bay cabanas on the adult beach. Same booking mechanic as Castaway Cay: port adventure, windowed by Concierge and Castaway Club. Location matters — some cabanas sit on a sandier stretch, others closer to rock or farther from the kids' splash areas — which is the kind of detail that only shows up after you have stood on the beach.

The booking race

Concierge guests get the first shot, then Pearl, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and first-timers. On many sailings the cabanas are gone before Silver ever sees them. If a cabana is non-negotiable, Melissa will often steer the booking toward a Concierge category for that reason alone, then be online when the window opens. If it is a nice extra, she will still try — and she will have a plan B for the island day that does not depend on winning the lottery.

Tell Melissa a cabana is on the wish list. That one sentence changes which ship, which date, and which stateroom she leads with.

Contact Melissa

Frequently asked questions

How do I reserve a cabana on Castaway Cay or Lookout Cay?: Book it as a Disney Cruise Line port adventure in your reservation when your activity window opens. Concierge guests go first; then Castaway Club tiers. Inventory is small and often gone before first-time guests can book. Melissa Jiles, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner who has sailed 50+ Disney cruises, watches that window with her clients.
Do Concierge guests get cabanas automatically?: No. Concierge gets the earliest booking opportunity, not a guaranteed cabana. You still have to reserve one the moment the window opens, which is why Melissa treats cabana sailings as a timed plan, not a hope.
Is a private cabana worth it at Castaway Cay?: It is worth it if shade, a home base, and a quieter stretch of beach are the point of the island day. It is the wrong spend if you want to bike the island, do the 5K, and bounce between Pelican Plunge and the family beach — a cabana tends to keep you planted. Melissa helps you decide before you burn the booking window on it.

Castaway Cay cabanas

Lookout Cay cabanas

The booking race

Tell Melissa a cabana is on the wish list. That one sentence changes which ship, which date, and which stateroom she leads with.

Frequently asked questions

How do I reserve a cabana on Castaway Cay or Lookout Cay?

Book it as a Disney Cruise Line port adventure in your reservation when your activity window opens. Concierge guests go first; then Castaway Club tiers. Inventory is small and often gone before first-time guests can book. Melissa Jiles, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner who has sailed 50+ Disney cruises, watches that window with her clients.

Do Concierge guests get cabanas automatically?

No. Concierge gets the earliest booking opportunity, not a guaranteed cabana. You still have to reserve one the moment the window opens, which is why Melissa treats cabana sailings as a timed plan, not a hope.

Is a private cabana worth it at Castaway Cay?

It is worth it if shade, a home base, and a quieter stretch of beach are the point of the island day. It is the wrong spend if you want to bike the island, do the 5K, and bounce between Pelican Plunge and the family beach — a cabana tends to keep you planted. Melissa helps you decide before you burn the booking window on it.