A big mix-up for a family traveling to Disney led to a happy ending in The Happiest Place on Earth.
@aofthecoast TikToker Andie Coston shared scenes from her family vacation as a group of 16 enjoy Disney together. Their trip came after Coston’s parents mistakenly bought $10,000 worth of Disney+ gift cards, which were for the company’s streaming service and not the theme park.
On Tuesday, Coston posted the first pictures from her family trip to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. To start the vacation, the family explored the Animal Kingdom park. Coston shared videos of her loved ones enjoying a safari ride, posing in front of the Tree of Life and enjoying a meal at the Rainforest Cafe.
A family who spent 10K on Disney+ cards is enjoying their trip to Disney.
Courtesy of Andie Coston
Family Buys $10,000 in Gift Cards for Disney Vacation, Only to Realize They’re for Disney+ (Exclusive)
The TikTok user’s next post included two cute photos of her family posing together in matching brown Disney T-shirts by a body of water. Coston reflected on her viral fame in the headlines, calling it a “BANANA experience” and crediting her “support system” for helping her deal with “online trolling, criticizing, hate and sheer disregard for the value of human worth.”
In a subsequent TikTok, Coston shared her desire to reunite with the Disney cast who played Snow White at the park when she visited as a child, as she reportedly still works at Disney World, now as the Fairy Godmother.
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Andie Coston’s family on a trip to Disney World.
Courtesy of Andie Coston
Unfortunately, after searching the park and talking to other employees, Coston stated in her TikTok Story that she was unable to find her childhood cast member before leaving the park.
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Before the trip, Coston shared a series of now-viral TikToks in which she gave a real-time update on her family’s Disney vacation planning, beginning with the explanation that the big family excursion was originally scheduled for 2020 and was later postponed following the outbreak of the pandemic.
“We finally got it planned this Christmas. All 16 of my family went. To save some money, my parents bought 10,000 Disney gift cards to buy our tickets and restaurant reservations,” explained Coston.
“I went home this weekend and they were having trouble loading the gift cards and purchasing the tickets properly,” she continued as she showed off the physical gift cards and revealed that they were all for Disney+, Disney’s streaming service, and not for theme park-related use.
Less than 24 hours after her first TikTok post about the situation, Coston was able to find a solution. Disney reached out to the family and was able to “convert $10,000 in Disney Streaming gift cards to $10,000 in Disney Parks gift cards.”
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The Coston family at Disney World.
Courtesy of Andie Coston
Speaking with PEOPLE about the experience, Coston expressed her gratitude to everyone involved in resolving the situation.
“I’m so glad we were able to work it out, especially for my parents. It was also good to hear that my parents weren’t the only ones going through this,” she told PEOPLE.
“I have received many messages and comments from people telling me that they or someone they know has had similar experiences. I hope this story will make more people aware of the difference in cards so that no one else has to experience it.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education