Can't get to disney... Never say never, update on post #32!!!

[2vets]

Delta canceled flights, can[t get us to Disney until Monday, DD goes home on Tuesday. If we cancel the trip all together, what happens with our park passes? Am I out $900?

I’m so sorry.

 

[Chirple]

Sorry, @leebee. Glad you were able to get some refunds, but you are probably exhausted from the stress and last-minute scrambling. I hope you get some rest.

 

[Skywalker3]

Driving would be an option, but not tonight. Just too tired from such a long day to be safe on the roads. We'd lose all of Sunday, DD would have Monday, but had to go home on Tuesday. We were also worried about her being able to get back. If this is happening with only a 4% reduction, what's gonna happen next week, with a 10% reduction?

Bright spot: Disney refunded the LLMPs and LLSP. I'm thankful for that.

I'm so very sorry for all of this stress and the cancellations. I hope you all can reschedule. I know it's so disappointing.

 

[japanese maple]

 

[focusondisney]

@leebee so sorry your vacation got disrupted. How long did it take to get back home? You must be so disappointed. I hope you’ll be able to reschedule when this is all over.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Welp you’re not alone. The concerns here have closed long enough to kill off Disneyland in 2026…

 

[lovethattink]

Welp you’re not alone. The concerns here have closed long enough to kill off Disneyland in 2026…

That’s disappointing, so sorry.

 

[sam_gordon]

Thank you, everyone. Today has been one cluster after another. Started at 5am when we tried to check into the airport in Bangor only to learn that Delta had closed it's luggage tagging. Of course I was packed in a full size suitcase. We went home, I repacked, we rented a car and drove to Portland to fly PWM-ATL-MCO. I guess there were huge storms in Atlanta today (our captain said we might have to divert to another airport to get enough fuel to circle Atlanta); I guess it was pretty bad. We finally got to ATL, an hour late, and hustled to our gate. Waited and waited and they finally cancelled; no flight crew. Stood in line at Delta for over an hour, trying to get rebooked. We were about to be on a flight to Melbourne when that got cancelled. That's when I threw in the towel. I'm exhausted, disappointed, and sad. It's been a day, but everyone's kind words are really helpful.

I'm sorry about all of your troubles.

One question and one comment though...

What does "Delta had closed it's luggage tagging" mean? They weren't accepting ANY checked bags? Everyone had to be carry on only? I've never heard of that. What happens when the overhead bins get full?

And, regarding the bolded, a tip for anyone dealing with a cancellation... yes, get in line to get rebooked. You don't necessarily have to do it at the gate your flight is at, you could go to another gate with an agent (have to sort of judge that one... are they getting ready or already boarding?), or, depending on the airport, you might do better going to a help desk, or even back (out of security) to the check in counter.

Regardless of where you get in line, while you're waiting, CALL the airline. Yes, you will probably be on hold, but might get through quicker on the phone than waiting in line. If you get to the front of the line and you're still on hold, hang up.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

Thank you, everyone. Today has been one cluster after another. Started at 5am when we tried to check into the airport in Bangor only to learn that Delta had closed it's luggage tagging. Of course I was packed in a full size suitcase. We went home, I repacked, we rented a car and drove to Portland to fly PWM-ATL-MCO. I guess there were huge storms in Atlanta today (our captain said we might have to divert to another airport to get enough fuel to circle Atlanta); I guess it was pretty bad. We finally got to ATL, an hour late, and hustled to our gate. Waited and waited and they finally cancelled; no flight crew. Stood in line at Delta for over an hour, trying to get rebooked. We were about to be on a flight to Melbourne when that got cancelled. That's when I threw in the towel. I'm exhausted, disappointed, and sad. It's been a day, but everyone's kind words are really helpful.

I'm so sorry this has happened to you. Being the Disney person I am, whenever something happens that I know will affect people's travels, I always think of the vacation travelers, knowing it's going to be a big bummer for someone! So sorry it happened to one of our Dis friends.

 

[dizneedoll]

Im sorry too. What a mess. So were you able to make it to MCO or did you have to go home? After all the trouble you went through on Sat, I hope you were able to make it to Disney.

 

[leebee]

What does "Delta had closed it's luggage tagging" mean? They weren't accepting ANY checked bags? Everyone had to be carry on only? I've never heard of that. What happens when the overhead bins get full?

Yup, carry-on only. I'd debated packing in a carry-on but get free bags with my Delta AmEx gold card and was going to be away for a week, so chose to pack a full-sized suitcase. The doubly-frustrating thing is that at Bangor, they usually gate-check carry-on baggage as the planes are so tiny (my backpack barely fits in the overhead bins). I KNOW they would have taken DD's carry-on plane-side, with the appropriate tagging, so they COULD have taken mine, but the computer wouldn't let them print the bag tag or accept my suitcase.

 

[leebee]

Never say quit!! (Sorry this is long.. it was a long week!)

On Saturday evening, we were stranded in Atlanta. The best Delta could do was get us home, so we booked ATL-BGR for Sunday late-afternoon, reserved an airport hotel, had dinner in the airport (shout out to the bartenders at Gordon Birsch who said "we gotcha" and made us an excellent drink), and went to bed, depressed.

DD got up Sunday morning, fighting mad. She said there was no way she was letting a screwed up government that can't do their job properly cancel her vacation! We went to the airport to do battle with Delta... only to find that even though we had confirmed seats (with printed itinerary) for ATL-BGR for Sunday evening, they were nowhere in the system! The lovely agent at Delta asked us what we wanted, so DD booked a flight for Wednesday from MCO-LGA-BGR and I booked the same itinerary for Friday. DD called her boss, told her that her flights were disrupted and she needed an extra day, and I booked a rental with Hertz and I DROVE from Atlanta to Orlando on Sunday!! Of course by this point we'd canceled our hotel reservations and LLs, but Disney refunded everything, so nothing lost there. However... it was one darned thing after another on this trip. "Highlights" include:
1. Even though I picked up the rental car within 30 minutes of making the reservation, Hertz claimed to not have cars in that size, and if I wanted a car it'd cost $200 more. I took it... we were that far in, no way were we giving up... and am doing battle with Hertz to get them to honor the quote they gave me.
2. Had to drive thru torrential downpours (the kind that make you question whether it's safer to continue to drive or pull off on the side of the road) which cost us about an hour of drive-time- and also were side routed as the northbound highway was closed (even though we were driving south). Suspect there'd been a fatal accident. The NB traffic was crazy-backed up... glad we were heading in the other direction.
3. Lost my bounceback rate but still got a decent discount on the room at Coronado Springs.
4. Somewhere along the way, I left my bag of liquids, either at the Atlanta hotel or in the rental car. I didn't have my shampoo/conditioner or detangler, face and body lotions, sunscreen, face powder, body powder, travel alarm clock, etc. Annoying, but with what was in the room at CSR and borrowing from DD, it was OK.
5. Couldn't get into the parks. I got the blue light when using my finger-scan and magic band. Turns out, it's because I brought one of DD's old magic bands, not one of MY magic bands. Grrrr... so stupid. Disney fixed it and gave me a lovely Moana card to use instead. Not a biggie, but just one more thing.
6. COLD weather at Disney. On Tuesday, I wore leggings, jeans, a base layer tee, regular tee, thin cardigan, hoodie, and fuzzy socks, and I was still chilly. It was unseasonably cold and windy on the two days that DD was in Disney with me. On one night, we gave up and went home instead of staying for Fantasmic! Just couldn't fathom the metal bleachers, water screens, etc in that weather.
7. Dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby. They sat us in the back room, by the door that accesses the outdoor bar/lounge area, and they had the door open. They wouldn't close the door! Said the wait staff needed it for access, and we couldn't be reseated as they were booked. DD and I ended up sitting on the same side of the table, my poncho around our legs, to try to keep warm. I can't tell if the food was good or not, as by the time we had 2 or 3 bites, it was cold. Think about cold short ribs... It wasn't pleasant at all, and I've contacted Disney. Don't expect to get a refund or anything, but they need to know about this.
8. Worst problem? My gift card was emptied!! I buy discounted Disney gift cards over the year and put them on one card for buying stuff when we are at Disney (I can save 5% to 18%, depending on where I buy the cards.) I had a balance of $565 when I paid for my drink at Dawa bar at lunch time. When trying to pay for dinner that evening, the card had a zero balance! (used my credit card to cover supper). LONG story short, Disney reservations requested that my card be inactivated, although Disney hasn't explained any more than that. They sent the balance on the card as an e-gift card to my travel agent (which is how I'd paid for the room that got canceled). TA sent me the e-card info and I loaded it on to my back up gift card, but MAN what a stressful overnight that was, and I didn't get to MK until around 11am on a party day (spent the morning in the room, trying to get this all straightened out) so MK was packed by the time I got there. Sigh.
9. Once home, Disney was only honoring my bounce back offer for 3 days instead of 7. My TA got this straightened out, but it seems like the cursed vacation might never end...

To summarize... I had a wonderful time traveling with DD, even with all the stress and glitches. We were uncomfortably cold while she was there (and that is saying something, as we live in Maine), but she was able to score a LLSP for Guardians, so that was awesome! We were able to overcome so many hassles and still vacation together, but... it was sad. It wasn't the wonderful break I'd hoped for, it was just One Darned Thing After Another. However, our flights home were uneventful, and I've booked another trip for next November (mostly to preserve the bounceback rate), staying at AoA. Right now, I'm taking a Disney-break, of sorts, although DH and I are staying at Saratoga Springs for 4 nights in January. No park tickets, booked on rented DVC points, just a chance to relax, eat and drink good things, and use up the balance on my gift card before it "disappears" again!

 

[lowlight]

Never say quit!! (Sorry this is long.. it was a long week!)

On Saturday evening, we were stranded in Atlanta. The best Delta could do was get us home, so we booked ATL-BGR for Sunday late-afternoon, reserved an airport hotel, had dinner in the airport (shout out to the bartenders at Gordon Birsch who said "we gotcha" and made us an excellent drink), and went to bed, depressed.

DD got up Sunday morning, fighting mad. She said there was no way she was letting a screwed up government that can't do their job properly cancel her vacation! We went to the airport to do battle with Delta... only to find that even though we had confirmed seats (with printed itinerary) for ATL-BGR for Sunday evening, they were nowhere in the system! The lovely agent at Delta asked us what we wanted, so DD booked a flight for Wednesday from MCO-LGA-BGR and I booked the same itinerary for Friday. DD called her boss, told her that her flights were disrupted and she needed an extra day, and I booked a rental with Hertz and I DROVE from Atlanta to Orlando on Sunday!! Of course by this point we'd canceled our hotel reservations and LLs, but Disney refunded everything, so nothing lost there. However... it was one darned thing after another on this trip. "Highlights" include:
1. Even though I picked up the rental car within 30 minutes of making the reservation, Hertz claimed to not have cars in that size, and if I wanted a car it'd cost $200 more. I took it... we were that far in, no way were we giving up... and am doing battle with Hertz to get them to honor the quote they gave me.
2. Had to drive thru torrential downpours (the kind that make you question whether it's safer to continue to drive or pull off on the side of the road) which cost us about an hour of drive-time- and also were side routed as the northbound highway was closed (even though we were driving south). Suspect there'd been a fatal accident. The NB traffic was crazy-backed up... glad we were heading in the other direction.
3. Lost my bounceback rate but still got a decent discount on the room at Coronado Springs.
4. Somewhere along the way, I left my bag of liquids, either at the Atlanta hotel or in the rental car. I didn't have my shampoo/conditioner or detangler, face and body lotions, sunscreen, face powder, body powder, travel alarm clock, etc. Annoying, but with what was in the room at CSR and borrowing from DD, it was OK.
5. Couldn't get into the parks. I got the blue light when using my finger-scan and magic band. Turns out, it's because I brought one of DD's old magic bands, not one of MY magic bands. Grrrr... so stupid. Disney fixed it and gave me a lovely Moana card to use instead. Not a biggie, but just one more thing.
6. COLD weather at Disney. On Tuesday, I wore leggings, jeans, a base layer tee, regular tee, thin cardigan, hoodie, and fuzzy socks, and I was still chilly. It was unseasonably cold and windy on the two days that DD was in Disney with me. On one night, we gave up and went home instead of staying for Fantasmic! Just couldn't fathom the metal bleachers, water screens, etc in that weather.
7. Dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby. They sat us in the back room, by the door that accesses the outdoor bar/lounge area, and they had the door open. They wouldn't close the door! Said the wait staff needed it for access, and we couldn't be reseated as they were booked. DD and I ended up sitting on the same side of the table, my poncho around our legs, to try to keep warm. I can't tell if the food was good or not, as by the time we had 2 or 3 bites, it was cold. Think about cold short ribs... It wasn't pleasant at all, and I've contacted Disney. Don't expect to get a refund or anything, but they need to know about this.
8. Worst problem? My gift card was emptied!! I buy discounted Disney gift cards over the year and put them on one card for buying stuff when we are at Disney (I can save 5% to 18%, depending on where I buy the cards.) I had a balance of $565 when I paid for my drink at Dawa bar at lunch time. When trying to pay for dinner that evening, the card had a zero balance! (used my credit card to cover supper). LONG story short, Disney reservations requested that my card be inactivated, although Disney hasn't explained any more than that. They sent the balance on the card as an e-gift card to my travel agent (which is how I'd paid for the room that got canceled). TA sent me the e-card info and I loaded it on to my back up gift card, but MAN what a stressful overnight that was, and I didn't get to MK until around 11am on a party day (spent the morning in the room, trying to get this all straightened out) so MK was packed by the time I got there. Sigh.
9. Once home, Disney was only honoring my bounce back offer for 3 days instead of 7. My TA got this straightened out, but it seems like the cursed vacation might never end...

To summarize... I had a wonderful time traveling with DD, even with all the stress and glitches. We were uncomfortably cold while she was there (and that is saying something, as we live in Maine), but she was able to score a LLSP for Guardians, so that was awesome! We were able to overcome so many hassles and still vacation together, but... it was sad. It wasn't the wonderful break I'd hoped for, it was just One Darned Thing After Another. However, our flights home were uneventful, and I've booked another trip for next November (mostly to preserve the bounceback rate), staying at AoA. Right now, I'm taking a Disney-break, of sorts, although DH and I are staying at Saratoga Springs for 4 nights in January. No park tickets, booked on rented DVC points, just a chance to relax, eat and drink good things, and use up the balance on my gift card before it "disappears" again!

This could be the sequel to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Glad you got there, at least. Someone from Maine complaining about Florida cold though…haha.

 

[Debbie Jean]

I am in awe! You are a true Disney warrior… this is one trip that will become a family legend. I’m wishing you extra pixie dust for your January trip!