Meet Your Team

Owner

Crystal Burriss

In 2009, Crystal started DWB Vacations with one goal: to help families like hers enjoy worry-free vacations and memories that last a lifetime. Since then, she has become an Accredited Cruise Counselor, a Certified Travel Associate through The Travel Institute, a Certified Sandals Specialist, and was a Global Travel Marketplace Ambassador. 

Under Crystal’s leadership, DWB Vacations has earned the distinction of being an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner through Disney’s EarMarked program. 

In addition to Disney, Crystal has also completed training for Universal Orlando, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Sea World Parks, AMResorts, Jamaica Tourist Board training, and many more. Crystal believes there is always more to learn so she is always participating in continuing education sessions and visiting new ships, resorts, and destinations so she can be better prepared to help the clients of DWB Vacations.

In 2016 Crystal sailed on the inaugural sailings of Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, in 2017, Crystal attended the inaugural sailing and naming ceremony for the MSC Seaside, and in 2018 she was selected to sail on the inaugural sailing and naming ceremony of Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas. 

Travel Advisor

Alyson Cook

Alyson started her journey with DWB as a college intern her senior year. She graduated with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Appalachian State University. In 2023, she realized that as much as she loved the hospitality field, she had a passion for tourism even more. Some of her favorite memories are of traveling with her parents, and now also with her husband.  She brings that same joy into creating lifelong memories for other families and couples. As well as her degree, Alyson is a certified agent for Disney, Universal, and Royal Caribbean. Her planning and organizational skills will make your vacation stress-free and so special!

Averi Gibson

Averi became a travel advisor with DWB Vacations in July 2023. From a young age, Averi was always traveling with her family whether it be a quick trip to Walt Disney World or a week long cruise to the Caribbean. Averi has completed numerous trainings to stay up to date on what each location has to offer. Some of these include, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Sandals, Virgin Voyages, and many more. 

Averi travels to Walt Disney World more than five times a year to stay up to date on what the parks have to offer. She also travels to Universal Orlando two times a year for the same. Averi has set sail on numerous cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, MSC, and Virgin Voyages with more planned in the future! Aside from cruising, she loves to visit new places. She has also visited Aruba, Disneyland, Universal Hollywood, Aulani, toured Oahu, Las Vegas, Vancouver, New York City, San Francisco, and Cancun. Averi plans on making this list much longer in the future!

 Averi will strive to not only create your dream vacation, but a lifelong experience as well.  She will go the extra mile to make sure you have all the information and support needed for any travel destination. Her main goal is for you to travel as worry-free as possible to have the best time!

Brandi Waldheim

Brandi joined the DWB team in November 2021.  As an avid Disney fan, Brandi and her family visited Walt Disney World several times a year.  It was only natural that she took a leap and started planning amazing trips for others to share in the magic of all things Disney.  

Brandi is a specialist in Disney resorts, Adventures by Disney, Aulani, and Disney Cruise Line. She is all about the magical memories that are made when you experience all that Disney has to offer. Nothing brings her more joy than stepping foot on Main Street, USA, in Magic Kingdom and just taking it all in with her husband and two daughters. 

From the charming storefronts to the beautiful Cinderella’s Castle that awaits you at the end of your stroll, there is a little something for everyone.  Add to that the ability to take to the ocean on one of Disney’s beautiful cruise ships, explore the world on an Adventures by Disney excursion, swim in Rainbow Reef at Aulani, or stroll through the parks, allowing Brandi to find the perfect vacation for you makes the possibilities almost endless,  

As her love of travel grew, Brandi added to her areas of knowledge in the travel world.  Being a huge fan of Harry Potter, she loves to send clients to Universal Studios to explore the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and all things Universal.  From dinosaurs to Cat in the Hat, she will make sure you enjoy your time at Universal Studios. 

Or maybe you are more of an aquatic fan. No worries; she is ready to share all things Sea World and Discovery Cove. Whatever you like, she will do her best to make that adventure happen.

And when life needs a little slower pace, she is ready to help you set sail on Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Virgin Voyages.  There is nothing better than watching the sunrise as you cruise to new destinations. 

No matter your destination, she can make your adventure plans a reality. 

Travel Advisor

Cathy Palazzo

In 2016, Cathy Palazzo decided to not only share her extensive travel knowledge with friends and family, but other families as well. The excitement of others having an amazing vacation is something she enjoys.

Besides sending families on their magical journeys to all Disney destinations, Cathy has also completed training for Universal Orlando, Sandals, Royal Caribbean, SeaWorld Parks, Jamaica Tourist Board, Atlantis, and many more. With so many unique locations to visit in the world, there is always something new and exciting to learn and experience.

Travel Advisor

Dawn Ward

Dawn is new to the travel industry but not new to planning vacations.  For the last 28 years, Dawn has planned vacations for her family as well as her extended family where they have visited many fabulous locations! Dawn has traveled to Europe, Canada, Alaska,  plus cruised to many warm tropical spots in the Caribbean.  Want to stay within the continental US?  Dawn has traveled to numerous destinations across the continental US, as well.

Traveling with her family and friends is definitely Dawn’s fondest memories and ones that she will cherish forever!  Dawn will help you create these treasured lifelong memories with a vacation to your perfect destination!

Travel Advisor

Elissa Colon

In 2016, Elissa Colón joined DWB Vacations as a travel advisor. In April of 2019, she took on the role of Client Relations Manager for the company as well. Since 2016 Elissa has planned hundreds of vacations for her clients. In this new role with DWB Vacations, Elissa works to meet the needs of all the clients and to ensure that their individual concerns are met. While originally from New York, she has lived in the south over a decade now with her two children and husband. Elissa has a unique family life in that she has a son who is medically fragile and a daughter who is a working actress, keeping the family separated at times to meet the needs of both children. This has forged Elissa’s purpose for being a travel advisor; to help families make memories in the moments they have together.

Emily Martin

Emily has always had a love and passion for travel that was instilled by her parents at a very young age. Allowing her curiosity to flourish through trips all up and down the East Coast, outside the country, and even on the water. Through this, she found herself wanting to know more about the behind-the-scenes process of what it takes to travel somewhere, and in 2023 she took the leap to pursue being a travel advisor.

Before becoming a travel advisor, Emily has had the opportunity to travel to Walt Disney World multiple times, sail on the Disney Fantasy on numerous occasions (as well as the Disney Wonder while it was running Alaskan cruises), and cruises through Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruise line. Her most recent one being her honeymoon in November 2023 on the Harmony of the Seas.

Since starting at DWB Vactions LLC., Emily has completed the training for Universal Orlando and Hollywood, Royal Caribbean Cruise line, as well as Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise line. And she is not stopping there as she is continuously working on other trainings in order to be the best informed for you.

Whether you are planning a trip to Florida, or a trip sailing around on the Atlantic (or Pacific ocean) Emily will help meet all your needs and book your dream trip!

Travel Advisor

Gari-Leigh Wojciechowski

In 2017, Gari-Leigh started an internship with DWB Vacations. She joined the team full time in 2018 with her mind set to help families plan everything from quick getaways to once in a lifetime dream vacations stress free.

As a wife and mother of two kids she is used to the challenges and excitement of traveling with young kids and can help during the process with experience. As a well versed travel agent in all-inclusive resorts, cruises, and Disney World , Gari-Leigh can help make your vacation dreams come reality. Part of her mission is to make vacation planning and prepping fun and easy for her clients.

Gari-Leigh is always staying on top of the new and upcoming information in travel and constantly attending trainings and events to create important contacts that will help her clients. She was selected as a STAR (Select Travel Advisor Recognition) recipient to the 2019 CruiseWorld Conference. There, she engaged in customized programming, exclusive events and private, face-to-face supplier interactions.

Travel Advisor

Kristi Gibson

You may have heard the quote “people don’t take trips, trips take people”. That is exactly the case when it comes to Kristi. Her love for travel started very young, when she would go on vacations with her parents all the time. She started working as a travel consultant in 2012 and has booked many trips in that time. Kristi has been to Disney World over 50 times with her family, and she is also a graduate of the Disney College of Knowledge. Therefore, she is a specialist when it comes to the Disney family of resorts, cruise ships, and adventures. Additionally, Kristi has a Master of Adventure at Royal Caribbean University and has participated in onsite trainings at Disney, Universal, and Mexico. She has also trained with Celebrity Cruise Lines and is a certified Sandals and Hawaii specialist.

Travel Advisor

Kristy Vaughn

Kristy Vaughn joined the DWB team in 2019 after a 15 year career in a speciality retail setting that allowed her to work with and bond with many families. One of the things that would frequently come up during conversations with her clients would be family vacations. After many years of traveling to Disney World with her husband and 4 children, she loved to share with her clients the best practices and tips she had personally learned for creating a magical vacation. When the opportunity presented itself, Kristy decided to pursue a career as a Travel Agent. She knew she wanted to join DWB in particular because of her own exceptional experience of being a client of the agency. Becoming a Travel Agent has allowed her to professionally combine her love of traveling to Disney destinations and her love of working with families.

Her favorite thing about Disney is that there’s always something new and exciting to experience with her family while still being able to enjoy the iconic Disney attractions. Seeing the magic of visiting Disney World through her children’s eyes has made her love for Disney related travel grow. Her mission is to assist her clients in creating those special memories that they will never forgot with their families at Disney like she has been able to do with her family. She has experience in planning trips for adults only, families with children of various age ranges, and multi family trips.

Kristy is a graduate of the Disney College of Knowledge and has completed training for Universal Studios, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line. She recently earned a certificate in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Florida Atlantic University.

Travel Advisor

Laura Robinson

Laura Robinson, a native of Raleigh, joined the DWB team in 2017. Her roots may be in Raleigh but she loves to travel. Laura is married with 3 beautiful daughters. They travel as much as they can, particularly to Walt Disney World. 

Since joining DWB Vacations, Laura has completed the College of Disney Knowledge as well as extensive training for Universal Studios, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Sandals resorts, SeaWorld Parks, AMResorts, Palace Resorts and more. Laura has specialized experience assisting families with special needs and/or medical needs. Her specialties are Disney Destinations, Universal Studios Orlando and cruise lines. 

She makes it a priority to get to know her client’s vacation needs and wishes to ensure an unforgettable vacation. Through her own extensive travel, she has the ability to add personal touches to all her client’s vacations. Whether they are having an epic family vacation, a multi-generational reunion, a romantic getaway, or a friends weekend away, Laura can skillfully plan a wonderful vacation for her clients.

Travel Advisor

Lorna Garcia

Lorna Garcia joined the DWB team in 2022 and she loves to travel with her husband, son, and extended family. Lorna has traveled on multiple family vacations over the years and has a lot of experience in planning vacations for her family. The places she has traveled include Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island, Bahamas, Belize, Venezuela, areas within the USA, plus cruised to many places in the Caribbean. Lorna has also been traveling every year to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Sea World since 1996.

Whether you want to go to Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Hollywood, an all-inclusive resort, plan a family vacation, Lorna is prepared to work with you to plan your travel needs!

Travel Advisor

Mandy Stevenson

Mandy started her journey with DWB as a client in 2015.  After traveling to Disney World with the support and expertise of her DWB travel advisor, she began assisting others with their Disney vacations.  In 2023, she realized that her passion was helping others make memories in the most magical place on Earth.  She joined the talented team of travel advisors at DWB Vacations and has discovered even more places to make memories. She is a certified travel advisor for Disney, Universal, and Sandals/Beaches Resorts.  She has experience planning and traveling with children with invisible disabilities as well as severe food allergies and understands the challenges of navigating vacation with these special needs.

Mandy lives in Iowa with her husband and two busy daughters.  She has an adult son living in North Carolina. They travel to Disney World at least once a year and her children have grown up making memories in Disney.  She enjoys helping others plan for their travel as much as she enjoys traveling herself.

Travel Advisor

Melonie Groce

Melonie joined DWB in 2021. She has always been the person in her immediate and extended family to plan their vacations. After leaving the medical field, she decided to turn her love of traveling and helping others to becoming a Travel Advisor! She enjoys traveling with her husband and two sons, as well as her siblings, extended family and friends! She has completed training for Disney, Universal Studios, Royal Caribbean, Sandals and Beaches Resorts, AMResorts and many more!

She enjoys helping others create wonderful memories! Some of her favorite locations are Disney, Universal Studios, St.Lucia, Mexico, Hawaii, seeing the World on cruises and many others! Whether you need assistance with planning a family vacation, honeymoon, a couples trip, a group tour, or a spontaneous getaway, Melonie can help get you there!

Melonie is constantly staying up to date with the latest information on travel through continued education, training and FAM (familiarization) trips. She provides guidance and personalized planning for each client. Melonie’s detailed attention to client needs and excellent organization skills make planning your vacation a breeze!

“Fill your life with adventure, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”-(Adventure In You)

Travel Advisor

Quinn Willard

Quinn joined DWB Vacations in 2017. Her love of travel and expertise brought her the opportunity to help others share the excitement and memories of their own vacations. Growing up, she performed numerous times with the Candle Light Processional at Epcot and she has participated in countless runDinsey races at Disney. Quinn’s other love it Hawaii. She has visited the islands numerous times. During her time with DWB Vacations Quinn has become a Disney Destination Specialist, a Universal Vacation Specialist, a Hawaii Destination Specialist, and has also completed training for Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and numerous others. Quinn is always eager to learn and expand her knowledge of travel destinations. Over the years, Quinn has had the privilege of helping numerous families, couples, groups, and honeymooners create lasting memories with vacations to Hawaii, Las Vegas, New York, The Mediterranean, The Caribbean, The Bahamas, Alaska, Walt Disney World and Disneyland. She is passionate about each and every client and the lasting relationships that have developed year after year as they continue to experience other destinations through their partnership with her as their travel planner. Quinn approaches each client with attention to detail, step by step guidance, and personalized planning for each clients own unique needs.

Travel Advisor

Shannan Goins

Shannan started out selling Disney travel but her love of Europe broadened when she made another trip there a few years ago. Since then she has been back several more times and is making it her specialty. Shannan has also been to Thailand and enjoys taking cruises, family travel to theme parks, and girls trips. Shannan is versed and has participated in FAMs and other onsite trainings at Disney, Universal, cruise lines, all-inclusive resorts and various destinations in the U.S. and overseas. 

Travel Advisor

Sheena Truss

Sheena has been planning travel for families for 6 years. She has a passion for helping families make traveling affordable and stress free. Family destinations are her specialty, but she also enjoys helping couples create the perfect getaway. Sheena is known by her travelers as someone who makes things personal. Sheena has traveled to the Walt Disney World resort over 20 times for both personal travel and training. She has visited Universal Orlando 5 times, as well as Busch Gardens. Sheena has traveled on Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines. She has completed training for Princess Cruise Lines, Universal and Walt Disney World. She continues to expand her expertise by taking classes with Globus Travel, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney Cruise, as well as webinars and live meetings with Princess Cruises, Carnicallval, Disney Travel, GoGo Vacations and more. She is currently working toward earning her title as Accredited Cruise Counsellor with CLIA

Travel Advisor

Tina Ginter Hardy, CTIS

Tina was born to travel. Having been raised in Florida, she grew up in the travel and hospitality industries. She started off working in the attractions, moved into sales, then shifted gears to the student travel industry. Here she earned the CTIS (Certified Travel Industry Specialist) certification and was responsible for booking student group tours to many popular destinations, as well as on cruises. She also worked as a tour director, helping student groups during their trip; from check-in, to getting around to each of the activities on their itineraries, performance opportunities, dining and more.

Tina took a break from the workforce to raise their only son, and now that he is in middle school, has come back to the field she loves most…. TRAVEL! She is eager to help you make great travel memories for you and your family (or friends).

Some of her travel experiences include; backpacking through Europe after college, cruising, several visits to Japan, a couple of trips to Mexico, visiting all 4 of the Disney World theme parks (many times)  and 3 other Disneyland parks throughout the world (Anaheim, CA / Paris, France / Tokyo, Japan) and so much more. She has a strong passion for travel and believes that travel enriches one’s life experiences, helps educate young ones and helps bring the world together.