Family blurs the line between work, play

When it comes to Disney, the Sinclairs don't look like, well, those people.

They don't have hedges shaped like cartoon mice or animated princesses adorning their furniture. But they speak the language of the Magic Kingdom, nonchalantly referencing "character findings" and "pin trading."

Amy and Jon Sinclair honeymooned in the Florida fantasyland. Their 10- and 5-year-old daughters know the rides' proper names and where to find them. And when the Sinclairs take a Disney vacation — and they do every three months or so now — it's all business.

The Mount Pleasant family launched an all-Disney travel agency called Ears of Experience in March. They hope, by the end of their first year, to plan getaways for

10 families per week.

A few months in, they're nearly halfway there.

When a Disney-bound client contacts them, the Sinclairs send an informational DVD and brief questionnaire to get a better sense of the family's personalities and interests. From there, Amy Sinclair plans an itinerary with built-in breaks and tips to keep the peace.

She warns, for example, that starry-eyed children who don't have ground rules might ask for everything in sight. And that kids sometimes get cranky if they spend all day hopping from ride to ride in the hot sun and really want some down time at the hotel pool.

Plus, she sends directions.

"You would be amazed at the people you see at the park who grab a map and that's the first time they've looked at it," Sinclair said.

When she sends back a vacation plan, it includes a note from Natalie, a rising fifth-grader who sends personalized suggestions for the children. Natalie also maintains a kids' blog on the Ears of Experience Web site.

Disney accepts all purchases directly and then pays the Sinclairs a commission. Using their service, Amy explains, spares stress and expense.

"They'll give you the pirate room when you don't necessarily need the pirate room," she said.

Before they leave for vacation, customers get Amy's cell phone number and instructions to send a text message if they need help while on the trip.

Disney officials could not provide a count on how many businesses similar to Ears of Experience exist in the cyberworld, but a simple Web search turns up a host of vacation resources from outside the Disney empire.

Amy Sinclair dreamed up her company after working as a cruise line operations director until 2007 and, in that job, selling Disney products for the better part of a decade. She first experienced Disney at age 10, when her father brought her to the resort.

Her husband, a Jet Blue pilot currently serving in the Air Force Reserve, went to Disney World once in high school and agreed when his fiancee suggested they honeymoon there 13 years ago. He was surprised to run into so many other newlyweds.

"I never realized how many people go," he said. "It's not just for kids and not just for people like me."

Natalie took her 10th Disney trip this summer, shortly before she and her father jetted off to Disneyland Resort Paris after talking about the trip for five years. Marin, who starts kindergarten this year, raves about Disney World's Cinderella Castle.

"I was in my mom's tummy when I was there," she said.

During last month's quarterly trip, the Sinclairs tested itineraries they created for customers. They also recruit other Disney-loving "research families" for year-round feedback.

If all goes as hoped, Amy Sinclair said, some of those moms one day might become her first non-Sinclair staffers.

Reach Allyson Bird at 937-5594 or abird@postandcourier.com.