Would You Be Upset and/or Ask for Anything?

[Chef Mickey]

I'm interested to hear what others would do in this situation. I am not mad at Disney at all. It's not their fault, but I do think they could/should have an acceptable response/solution to the issue.

Cliff's Notes: Halloween party 9/13, rained until 9:15 (too hard to really even move around with poncho). Cancelled 8:45 parade bc it was pretty bad. Guest Services overrun with 200 people, would not give swap fro Friday Party. Cleared up and still had Fireworks and second parade. Basically half the Halloween party was a "rain out" as even the Mine Train closed for a while and were not handing out candy.

More details:

Anyone else at the Halloween Party on 9/13? If you were, you know it was the only rainy night in the last 8-9 days in Orlando.

It rained (hard) from around 7pm-9:15pm during the Halloween Party. Pretty bad luck if you had tickets to the Halloween Party. They cancelled the 8:45 parade.

I'll say this. I am a Disney apologist and I know they don't control the weather. This was pretty bad though. We had ponchos and normally have no issues walking in the rain with a poncho and enjoy the parks. This wasn't that situation.

The Halloween Costumes made it harder to just "forge ahead" because my wife had special makeup, dress, etc and it kind of took the fun out of it wearing a Poncho and trying to avoid getting wet.

My shoes/socks were getting wet just walking on the streets, so we had to take cover until after 9. We rode the Haunted Mansion several times in a row and waited it out.

Parade was cancelled. Trick or Treat Stations were not operating everywhere.

Went to Guest Services and probably over 200 people were already there. I was going to ask to swap Halloween Party tickets for Friday. I didn't want to wait in line, so I luckily found a Guest Services person who just happened to be walking outside and she said they were unwilling to do swaps, so don't even bother asking. At best, they were offering 1 day base tickets for any day in the future (decent, but basically worthless to anyone who goes for several days and additional days cost $10 or so after 7 days).

I wasn't satisfied but I appreciated her honesty. We decided to make the best of it and enjoy the fireworks and second parade. It did hurt our plans because we wanted to do the first parade, fireworks, and focus on doing rides with a slower park.

We ended up having a good time, but I'd say we kind of didn't get our money's worth. With the cancelled parade, over 2 hrs of rain, and closed trick or treat stations, there wasn't a lot of value for 5 hours and $150 for 2.

I sort of understand Disney's position too. What are they supposed to do? Refund everyone? Give everyone tickets for free to Friday? (then they can't sell tickets for Friday bc everyone from Tuesday is going free).

Tough situation, but I did contact Guest Services and will look into it.

What would you do?

 

[danlb_2000]

I'm interested to hear what others would do in this situation. I am not mad at Disney at all. It's not their fault, but I do think they could/should have an acceptable response/solution to the issue.

Cliff's Notes: Halloween party 9/13, rained until 9:15 (too hard to really even move around with poncho). Cancelled 8:45 parade bc it was pretty bad. Guest Services overrun with 200 people, would not give swap fro Friday Party. Cleared up and still had Fireworks and second parade. Basically half the Halloween party was a "rain out" as even the Mine Train closed for a while and were not handing out candy.

More details:

Anyone else at the Halloween Party on 9/13? If you were, you know it was the only rainy night in the last 8-9 days in Orlando.

It rained (hard) from around 7pm-9:15pm during the Halloween Party. Pretty bad luck if you had tickets to the Halloween Party. They cancelled the 8:45 parade.

I'll say this. I am a Disney apologist and I know they don't control the weather. This was pretty bad though. We had ponchos and normally have no issues walking in the rain with a poncho and enjoy the parks. This wasn't that situation.

The Halloween Costumes made it harder to just "forge ahead" because my wife had special makeup, dress, etc and it kind of took the fun out of it wearing a Poncho and trying to avoid getting wet.

My shoes/socks were getting wet just walking on the streets, so we had to take cover until after 9. We rode the Haunted Mansion several times in a row and waited it out.

Parade was cancelled. Trick or Treat Stations were not operating everywhere.

Went to Guest Services and probably over 200 people were already there. I was going to ask to swap Halloween Party tickets for Friday. I didn't want to wait in line, so I luckily found a Guest Services person who just happened to be walking outside and she said they were unwilling to do swaps, so don't even bother asking. At best, they were offering 1 day base tickets for any day in the future (decent, but basically worthless to anyone who goes for several days and additional days cost $10 or so after 7 days).

I wasn't satisfied but I appreciated her honesty. We decided to make the best of it and enjoy the fireworks and second parade. It did hurt our plans because we wanted to do the first parade, fireworks, and focus on doing rides with a slower park.

We ended up having a good time, but I'd say we kind of didn't get our money's worth. With the cancelled parade, over 2 hrs of rain, and closed trick or treat stations, there wasn't a lot of value for 5 hours and $150 for 2.

I sort of understand Disney's position too. What are they supposed to do? Refund everyone? Give everyone tickets for free to Friday? (then they can't sell tickets for Friday bc everyone from Tuesday is going free).

Tough situation, but I did contact Guest Services and will look into it.

What would you do?

I could understand people wanting something back, but personally I wouldn't look for a refund unless something was completelty cancled. Since they didn't cancel both showings of the parade I would feel that I got what I paid for since I still would have gotten to see the parade. We did the Spirit of Aloha dinner show at the Poly that night and they had to cancel the last portion of the show. Because of this they gave everyone a 50% refund which I think was very generous since we did get dinner, and most of the show.

I got tickets for the Friday night Halloween Party and the concierge said that the tickets were hard to get for that night because they gave out a lot of comps on Tueday, although I don't know if that was actually true or not.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Sorry, but in their shoes, I wouldn't give anyone anything. It's rain. Since you said the fireworks and second parade happened, that's pretty much the main difference for the party. The only time a refund should be given is if the party is completely cancelled, and the park is closed completely. And even then they might not, as the tickets clearly state that they are non-refundable. Not being an apologist, but you take your chances with any of the weather in Florida, and you just hit a bad time. Should they refund day guests because it rains all day one day? Party is no different.

 

[wdwfan22]

From my personal experience, you should have waited in the line if you wanted a refund or if you were staying at a Disney Resort went to your front desk that evening. I have been refunded because of rain on several occasions at both the Halloween & Christmas parties. Once the party has concluded though they won't do anything for you.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Sorry, but in their shoes, I wouldn't give anyone anything. It's rain. Since you said the fireworks and second parade happened, that's pretty much the main difference for the party. The only time a refund should be given is if the party is completely cancelled, and the park is closed completely. And even then they might not, as the tickets clearly state that they are non-refundable. Not being an apologist, but you take your chances with any of the weather in Florida, and you just hit a bad time. Should they refund day guests because it rains all day one day? Party is no different.

I see your point, but I do disagree with your analogy.

The difference is, I've already paid for general admission and in addition to that, I've paid for an extra 5 hours. Of that, 2 hours were hard rain and the parade was cancelled which impacted other plans. 1 of the 3 "extra" items (2 parades and 1 fireworks was cancelled) and many "trick or treat areas" were not operating.

On a general admission day, hard rain all day would be extremely rare and harder to justify a refund just because of the amount of options you have and the hours in the day. I feel like 5 hours is a tighter window and you're actually paying for those 5 hours in addition to general admission. You're paying for incremental items not included in general admission like parades and fireworks. If a major item of the like a parade is cancelled, I think some consideration is warranted.

 

[MermaidJuli]

When you purchase tickets, the website says verbatim: "Tickets are nontransferable and nonrefundable. The number of tickets available is limited. Events often sell out early. Tickets are valid only during specific event dates and hours. Prices, entertainment, attractions, experiences, ticket types, entitlements and other event elements subject to change without notice."

When you purchase tickets, you agree to those terms. If you don't like those terms, you are in no way required to purchase those tickets.

The honest truth is... this is Florida. Any event, any time, any day of the year is subject to monsoon like storms. Because of that, most events, concerts, festivals, parades, parties, etc. that require tickets purchased in advance expressly state in the purchase agreement what those terms are.

When you agree to any event in Florida, you go in knowing that bad weather can happen. It happens with weddings, with funerals, with major life events in which you get no return value or exchange date.

I know you shelled out a lot of hard earned money for your vacation, and in that position I would be annoyed. And I know Disney goes far beyond in customer service than almost anywhere else does. But, you were able to ride the rides during that period, and you got 2 of the 3 big events of the night, despite a torrential downpour. If you were really upset, you could have stayed at the end of the night to ask them about options. But after enjoying 2 of the 3 big events of the night and then leaving, I'd probably chuck this one up to bad luck that still turned into a fun night.

 

[copcarguyp71]

I don't do special events and am never let down. I pay once and once only to get into the parks and refuse to pay again to be permitted to stay in. That having been said though, I do not believe that they are responsible or obligated to give anything back either legally or morally. It's a calculated risk just the same as booking a vacation a year in advance without travel insurance.The only time I would think that they would owe anything would be if the park had to be cleared entirely due to weather, flooding, loss of electricity, etc. Just my two cents but glad it sounds like you guys tried to make the best of it.

EDIT: As a side note and afterthought....Disney could probably clean up selling insurance for afterparty tickets. The odds would be in their favor but the peace of mind could be the guests option.

 

[MickeyMomV]

I get it as we have been at WDW and had to alter plans due to rain on several occasions. If I paid extra to go to one of the party's and it rained I too would probably be upset but if they offered one of the parades and the fireworks combined with some of the trick-or-treat stations I would say they did what they could with the weather being out of everybody's control. What I can say is that if it was us I would have made sure we had all of our costume pictures taken and then shed the costumes and taken advantage of the fact that half of the people left because of the rain!

On a side note, if they wanted to give me a 1 day non expiring ticket I would have taken it and turned a future 10 day trip into 11 days. We have had 2 trips where I wished we would have been able to add just one more day.

 

[disneyflush]

I don't think a hard ticket event should be viewed as a gamble to win or lose depending on the weather. There should be some kind of pre-determined recourse a guest can choose if it rains as described.

If the tickets were $30 each it would be much easier to swallow only getting half the party. Since they are priced to 'maximum possible pain threshold' the company leaves itself almost no margin of error on putting on a perfect show.

 

[Chef Mickey]

When you purchase tickets, the website says verbatim: "Tickets are nontransferable and nonrefundable. The number of tickets available is limited. Events often sell out early. Tickets are valid only during specific event dates and hours. Prices, entertainment, attractions, experiences, ticket types, entitlements and other event elements subject to change without notice."

When you purchase tickets, you agree to those terms. If you don't like those terms, you are in no way required to purchase those tickets.

The honest truth is... this is Florida. Any event, any time, any day of the year is subject to monsoon like storms. Because of that, most events, concerts, festivals, parades, parties, etc. that require tickets purchased in advance expressly state in the purchase agreement what those terms are.

When you agree to any event in Florida, you go in knowing that bad weather can happen. It happens with weddings, with funerals, with major life events in which you get no return value or exchange date.

I know you shelled out a lot of hard earned money for your vacation, and in that position I would be annoyed. And I know Disney goes far beyond in customer service than almost anywhere else does. But, you were able to ride the rides during that period, and you got 2 of the 3 big events of the night, despite a torrential downpour. If you were really upset, you could have stayed at the end of the night to ask them about options. But after enjoying 2 of the 3 big events of the night and then leaving, I'd probably chuck this one up to bad luck that still turned into a fun night.

It was no doubt a fun night and we did end up staying. For me, we kind of had to stay because of the unknown. It would have taken another 2 hours to wait for a solution at Guest Services. If I didn't like it, the party would have been over.

I get the whole ticket policy thing. I really do. I really don't blame Disney, but that policy is just written for the masses and to cover themselves. At the end of the day , they are just words and Disney, for me anyway, has always gone above and beyond to make me happy.

There is no sense in spoiling the night waiting for Guest Services to maybe give you an acceptable solution. I went in knowing it could rain out, but while Disney doesn't control the rain, I don't either. If all 3 of their special events were cancelled, they could technically use the same logic and not refund anything either. I don't think that'd be very fair. Turned out, only 1/3 were cancelled, but it did change the night.

Clearly, they were trying to help out guests who complained. Some I even heard got to come back Friday. I wasn't going to enjoy what I could Tuesday and THEN ask to come Friday as well. That's tacky. For me, I made the best of it Tuesday and dealt with it after the fact.

Ultimately, I really don't think it's anyone's fault. However, I have purchase protection and can always deny the charge. I have a Sapphire Reserve and they certainly take care of me, never denying any request. A $450/yr fee for a credit card and they will eat $150 if they have to.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I don't think a hard ticket event should be viewed as a gamble to win or lose depending on the weather. There should be some kind of pre-determined recourse a guest can choose if it rains as described.

If the tickets were $30 each it would be much easier to swallow only getting half the party. Since they are priced to 'maximum possible pain threshold' the company leaves itself almost no margin of error on putting on a perfect show.

I'm a huge Disney apologist and usually agree with a hardline on refunds/concessions for weather, etc. But I agree with you on this.

These special event tickets are different than general admission. They are tight timeframes, very specific "special" benefits, and are pretty expensive for the hours you receive. If rain ruins an entire parade and half the night, it's tough to just tell a guest "too bad, thanks for the money." I know they can do that and they are well within their rights, but I also see the other side.

I also understand it sets a precedent that they do refunds for weather, but I think on a case by case basis for special events they need to have a process (and I know they do). I will let everyone know the outcome.

 

[Richards070712]

My family was at the party on 9/13. We just put our hoods up and forged ahead. Yes it was slightly uncomfortable, and was inconvenient, but I knew ahead of time I was taking the risk of it raining. We just did some indoor things, like the Country Bears, and strolled the parks to take in the atmosphere. On the plus side it did clear the streets where it was easy to navigate. Overall we had a good time since we got to see the fireworks, which is our favorite, and the late parade, which is also our favorite! Personally, I didn't expect Disney to do anything for me or offer me anything.

 

[copcarguyp71]

I don't think a hard ticket event should be viewed as a gamble to win or lose depending on the weather. There should be some kind of pre-determined recourse a guest can choose if it rains as described.

If the tickets were $30 each it would be much easier to swallow only getting half the party. Since they are priced to 'maximum possible pain threshold' the company leaves itself almost no margin of error on putting on a perfect show.

So using that same logic if you get in a car accident the day before you leave for a fully paid trip (as much not disneys fault as the weather) then somehow they should owe you something? I know I sound like I am coming off like a jerk and I do not mean it that way but I just don't understand how Disney owes anybody due to weather. I did postulate above though that Disney could sell upgraded tickets that cover this and I am sure in the long run they would actually make far more money than they would pay out.

 

[Patcheslee]

I'd ask for a Character sucker to make up for all the missed candy, but that's about it

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I'd try to not let it bother me.

 

[danlb_2000]

So using that same logic if you get in a car accident the day before you leave for a fully paid trip (as much not disneys fault as the weather) then somehow they should owe you something? I know I sound like I am coming off like a jerk and I do not mean it that way but I just don't understand how Disney owes anybody due to weather. I did postulate above though that Disney could sell upgraded tickets that cover this and I am sure in the long run they would actually make far more money than they would pay out.

Disney obviously thinks they owe people something in these situations since they did compensate at least some people who complained. I was at the Spirit of Aloha show that night and they gave the entire audience a 50% refund because the last part of the show was canceled and people didn't even have to ask in that case.

 

[Bluewaves]

Ask for 30% off , but since you didn't wait at guest services that night I'd say you're out of luck.

If most of the party went on it went on, so your shoes were wet, its Disney, I pack 4 times as many socks as I need and extra shoes, your wife did special make up for the party that she didn't want to ruin, that's your choice not Disney's. I'm usually the first to throw WDW under the bus for their policies but in this case I don't see what you have to complain about. The party went on for the most part, you're guaranteed 5 hours in the park with less than normal attendance and that's what you got. You missed out on one parade.

 

[rob0519]

A few years ago we paid for the Fantasmic Dining Package. I really didn't want dinner at Hollywood and Vine, but I wanted a decent seat for the show as we had not seen in in 6 or 7 years. So, as expected the food selection was so so and we began the long trek to the stadium. We got decent seats and wait for the show to begin. At exactly show time an announcement is made that there is lightning in the area and the show is cancelled. Not a drop of rain, we never saw any lightning, but the show is cancelled. We never got any compensation for that. It's not about 6 or 7 years later and we still haven't seen Fantasmic in close to 15 years.

 

[Bairstow]

I was there that night.
It didn't rain for two hours- it rained for four- from 6 until 10.

It nearly ruined the night for us, since we also do the parties mainly for the atmosphere and enjoying everyone else's costumes.
We were in costume ourselves, but fortunately they tended to be rather warm and we didn't have tricky makeup or props to keep up with. We also had our full raingear with us (goretex and whatnot), but even then it's hard to manage a theme park when every outdoor ride is shut down due to lightning and even a lot of indoor stuff like Philharmagic wasn't operating because they had to turn the buildings into makeshift rain shelters.

Overall we still had a good time, though we took a VERY long break for dinner at Village Haus, and stuck around for the final parade and castle show, so we didn't get out of there until 12:45.

We didn't bother complaining to guest services, and probably won't bother now- it would be distasteful to pretend to be unsatisfied and a one-day ticket within the next year or a replacement party night for this year are both of very little use to us.

 

[carriebeth]

Disney can not control the weather. I think it would be unreasonable to ask for compensation for anything when the experience was not what you hoped for due to weather. We were at Disney that night and the rain was really bad. We were at MK and had reservations at 7:25 for Ohana. The walk from MK to the monorail left us completely soaked. THe wind was strong enough to turn our umbrellas inside out and useless and our poncho hoods blew off and ponchos themselves blew up and around. Ohana was not as enjoyable as it should have been because we were all completely head to toe dripping soaked and the a/c inside made us freezing cold. My baby ate in only a diaper because his clothes were so wet and even his extras in my diaper bag were completely soaked he was cold and wet and fussed most of the dinner. My shoes that I wear frequently and cause no discomfort were so wet and rubbed the bottom of my heels and left me with blisters for the remainder of our trip. I had to wear flip flop type sandals the rest of the trip to avoid pressure on my heels. If they were to compensate for the party should we have been compensated for dinner? Maybe expected to be provided dry clothing? Everyone on Disney property was impacted in some way that day. Its just not possible for Disney to compensate everyone for something they have no control over.