For so many of us, a Disney vacation is the trip of a lifetime. It takes a lot of time, effort, and planning to visit the "The Most Magical Place On Earth," and it also takes a significant amount of money, especially if you are traveling with a large group. Families spend thousands of dollars each year on Disney trips to give their loved ones a bit of magic. They are often memories that last a lifetime.
Preparing for a Disney trip can be a dream come true, but sadly, it can also be a nightmare. Take Andie Coston's family, for example. She shared a TikTok explaining that her parents decided to take a multigenerational trip to Disney World with 16 family members, including their children and grandchildren. Then COVID hit, and things got postponed.
Well, it is finally time for the trip, and as Coston's parents tried to pay for their vacation with the $10,000 worth of Disney gift cards they had purchased at Sam's Club, they realized their devastating mistake. They actually bought $10,000 in Disney+ membership gift cards. Yep, we got sick to our stomachs, too.
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The parents thought they had purchased the right cards.
Many savvy Disney vacationers will tell you to purchase gift cards from warehouse clubs such as Sam's or Costco because they sell them at a lower price, ultimately saving you money. When you are spending $10,000, it can be a decent savings. That is all Coston's parents tried to do when things went wrong.
In her TikTok, that familiar "Oh no" music plays, and Coston explains in text over the video that her parents were having trouble redeeming the cards, and she shows a fat stack of $100 Disney+ cards. Her parents, bless them, apparently didn't know the difference.
When asked how no one picked up on the strange purchase at the register, Coston tells CafeMom she doesn't have a clue. "The cards were from Sam's Club and I have NO IDEA. That's the question of the day. Did anyone notice!?"
Her parents just wanted to save a bit of money.
The family worked with Magical Mommy, a Disney travel agent named Ashton Anderson, to help plan their trip. She tells CafeMom she is the one who suggested the parents buy the gift cards in the first place to get a bit of a discount on their trip.
She explains that buying the cards at a discount can save guests as much as 5%. Coston's parents contacted Anderson when the cards wouldn't combine on the Disney website, and she couldn't figure out why. She says that's when she received a text with a photo of the stack of Disney+ gift cards, and her "stomach sank."
"That's when I went into action! I called everyone at Disney that I knew to call but no one could help. I live in the hometown of the headquarters of Walmart/Sams club so I knew someone would know how to help!" she tells us. "Little did I know it would be my oldest brother! He is a buyer for movies at Walmart and has a close relationship with Disney! That's when he reached out to all the right people who wanted to help!"
Coston's parents felt terrible about the whole thing.
She says that when she posted the TikTok, which now has more than 2 million views, she was hoping for a little help. Lots of people left encouraging comments, but others were not so nice.
“This is why my parents aren’t allowed to make these types of decisions without a child present,” someone wrote.
“I'm not in the right tax bracket to feel empathy for this situation I don't think," another comment reads.
Others didn’t get how no one stopped the purchase.
“Who the h— allowed them to buy all of those?! You would think that would raise some retail red flags at checkout,” someone questioned.
But the kind comments helped a lot.
“I believe that Disney would transfer it. They are typically very accommodating and have excellent customer service," another person wrote.
“Holy moly!!! Your poor mom!!! I hope they are able to fix this for you guys!!!!” someone commented.
Coston is grateful for the help.
"That has helped my parents feel less frustrated with themselves. I also think compassion and kindness to a long way in any story like this," she said.
Lots of people worked to help Coston's parents get a resolution from Disney.
In the days following her viral video, people came out of the woodwork to help Coston's parents handle the gigantic misunderstanding. Anderson did all she could, and someone even tracked down the email for a bigwig at Sam's Club to try to get a resolution. At first, Coston said she hadn't heard from anyone, which was disappointing, but the family still planned to take the trip.
"Thankfully it wasn't about money for my parents, but I've heard stories where it's been a financial hit and that breaks my heart and could be prevented with a better system or fix from Disney," she tells CafeMom.
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Thankfully, the family received a bit of Disney Christmas magic.
Monday night, Coston posted a video update on TikTok that noted a representative from Disney contacted her parents, and the company will turn the "$10,000 worth of Disney streaming into $10,000 of Disney Park gift cards." She said she was so glad the issue was resolved and thanked everyone for their support in getting Disney's attention.
Coston tells CafeMom she is just glad it is all behind her. "We are so relieved it worked out. Now I just have to pack and plan for six people ," she says.
She has big plans for her magical vacation.
"My goal is to meet the Fairy Godmother who I met as Snow White as a kid. I will share if that happens!" she tells us.
We hope her family's wishes come true this Christmas, especially for her parents. They obviously are filled with so much love for their kids and grandkids, and they definitely deserve a magical trip.
