Here Now : & Very Upset, advice please

[Dentam]

Sorry for your grandsons' medical emergencies and the family's aborted vacation, but just a reminder th a Salt Disney World is The Most Magical Place on Earth.

Seriously?


I'm so sorry that this happened to your grandsons and created such a scary situation for your family, OP. Disney should definitely be making this up to your entire family. They are lucky that your grandsons are okay now.

 

[jdb in AZ]

When Disneyland first opened, a friend was there with his family. The dad wasn't feeling well so he sat on a bench while the rest of the family went on a ride. When they came out they discovered the dad had had a fatal heart attack. Disney made arrangements to fly the family home; they even bought the family's car so they wouldn't have to deal with shipping it home. IIRC they lived somewhere in the midwest at the time. Disney really went above and beyond, not because they were liable for anything; they just wanted to help. I don't know how much things have changed now that Walt is no longer in charge, but I hope WDW helps out. Not because the family demands it, but because it's Disney.

 

[hereyago]

did OP pay for the trip for everyone? If not then, nothing is owed to her.
Hopefully, the parents would get compensated for medical bills,etc.

 

[luvsJack]

When Disneyland first opened, a friend was there with his family. The dad wasn't feeling well so he sat on a bench while the rest of the family went on a ride. When they came out they discovered the dad had had a fatal heart attack. Disney made arrangements to fly the family home; they even bought the family's car so they wouldn't have to deal with shipping it home. IIRC they lived somewhere in the midwest at the time. Disney really went above and beyond, not because they were liable for anything; they just wanted to help. I don't know how much things have changed now that Walt is no longer in charge, but I hope WDW helps out. Not because the family demands it, but because it's Disney.

I agree.

Everyone can go back and forth about legalities and whatever but at the end of the day Disney is likely to do something for the family simply because they are Disney.

They are a business yes. But that business depends on a certain reputation. And that is what they want to protect most and usually they want to do the right thing, just because of who they are.

 

[Hikergirl]

OP thank you for explaining the allergy. I didn’t realize they had an allergen free waffle option. Maybe Disney should use something like a food coloring for them so there would be a visual clue for kids to know whether it is safe to eat them. I know mistakes happen, but I would hope Disney does the right thing here since this was a pretty big mistake and the chef admitted it.

 

[Klayfish]

/

I think it's funny that everyone thinks Disney is so wonderful and that they will "make it right", Disney's only goal is to make it go away. Most stories I've ever heard about Disney doing good by someone is when it is not their fault. If you're looking for apologies, they aren't going to come from Disney because they are not going to admit fault.

At this point if you really "want something" from this, your son will be the one who would need to take it up himself. Disney will probably throw them a few thousand dollars if they sign a statement holding them harmless. Otherwise, the only recourse is a lawsuit.

OP, I know this was scary and awful and just shouldn't have happened. It's so raw and real right now that you just want some answers and comfort. As with most traumatic things, you are just going to have to feel and work through these emotions for things to feel better. I hope this comes quickly for you.

Curious how you know that Disney's only goal is to "make it go away"? Do you work there? In their insurance department? Have experience with stuff like this? Lawsuits for these types of incidents are quite rare actually, but I'm sure you know that. I don't work for WDW either, so I can't say first hand that their one and only goal is to "make it go away". But knowing what I know, I doubt it. Get it settled, sure. But just make it go away in the heartless manner you seem to imply...I doubt it. Besides, I didn't know it's a bad thing that people have faith that Disney would do the right thing??

 

[Pumbaa_]

Sometimes you just want validation. For someone to say I’m sorry.

I’m glad the boys survived. The worst part is the long term effects this will have on the family. How long until they go out to eat again? Can they trust the restaurant. This trip did not end well at all and certainly tainted the fun that was had. I’m sorry this happened to the boys and your family.

 

[Lynn CC]

I’m home now, Disney did call me back & I told them how I felt about planning this trip with my son & missing the time I was supposed to spend with my family. It was such a fast moving scary situation for everyone involved. We only see one another one or two times a year. Not to mention the money we spent to get us all there from CA & Texas. I then gave them my sons number to contact him.

 

[katie01]

I’m home now, Disney did call me back & I told them how I felt about planning this trip with my son & missing the time I was supposed to spend with my family. It was such a fast moving scary situation for everyone involved. We only see one another one or two times a year. Not to mention the money we spent to get us all there from CA & Texas. I then gave them my sons number to contact him.

I really hope they will do something for you so you can have a do-over. Even if they don't "have to", but just because they understand how scary and disappointing the trip was, and want to give you a chance to make happy memories there again. Please keep us posted

 

[Lynn CC]

I think this is good advice.

Lynn, I totally get all the emotions you're feeling - the sadness, the anger, the frustration, etc. They are justified. But I think what you will probably see as time moves on is that you were all very fortunate that there wasn't a greater tragedy than loss of vacation time, and it's something to be thankful for that both of your grandsons are alive and recovering. Vacations can be redone.

We've had enough stuff go on in our family that we now have a saying. "As long as everyone's alive and healthy, we can get through anything." It helps us keep things in perspective.

I imagine the chef is probably feeling pretty awful about this. If you have it in your hearts to reach out to him to let him know the boys are doing ok now, it might mean a lot to him. It sounds like it was a mistake.

I hope your family gets some sort of satisfaction from Disney if that's what will help you feel better about the situation. It does only seem fair. But I also agree they will likely not be dealing with you, as grandparents; they'll deal with the parents. (Imagine if they had to deal with everyone's extended families every time something happens?)

Wishing you all well, and still want to hear what you thought of Melia sometime, aside from this happening. Sending love and prayers to your grandchildren for their continued recovery.

Melia Orlando Suites was wonderful.
My son got a one bedroom suite as did DH & I.
It had a kitchen with full cooktop stove, full size refrigerator, dishwasher & everything you need to cook & serve a meal.
It was very spacious. A nice balcony with table & chairs. We requested fireworks viewing rooms on the Disney side. 5 th. Floor is a must to see them, not lower floors. They were extremely friendly & housekeeping was great at replacing everything & tidying up every day.
We had a package delivered seemingly when DH broke his glasses, got new ones overnight.
The pool was fantastic day & night. We had a quick bite in the 360 lounge which was delish & service was quick & friendly.
Proximity to the parks was within a 10 min. Drive for all parks & we didn’t hit traffic either way in the morning, afternoon or evening.
DH & I also stayed at POR & Yacht Club we liked them too but missed the kitchen.
I’d give Melia a 10 Star

 

[Lynn CC]

I really hope they will do something for you so you can have a do-over. Even if they don't "have to", but just because they understand how scary and disappointing the trip was, and want to give you a chance to make happy memories there again. Please keep us posted

I really hope so, I was so excited to see the grandkids, each moment is very precious to me when I’m with them.
I’ll keep you posted.

 

[Lynn CC]

Seriously?


I'm so sorry that this happened to your grandsons and created such a scary situation for your family, OP. Disney should definitely be making this up to your entire family. They are lucky that your grandsons are okay now.

I agree with this

My goodness, I'm so sorry!

What did they eat that they are allergic too? My nephew is highly allergic and carries an epipen. He's never had a problem at Disney but I'd like to know what to look out for.

How long was your trip? How many days did you lose? That would be a factor for me in what I would expect Disney to do to rectify the situation. At the very least, I would expect Disney to cover the medical cost if they were aware of the allergy and told you that the food didn't contain the allergen. I would also think that they would reimburse you for unused hotel and park days.

As far as who to talk to, I would start with CS at the hotel and move up the chain from there depending on how far you want to go and what you want Disney to do as an apology.

They ate the Mickey Waffles. That was the only thing my older grandson ate, and it was just one bite. The younger grandson ate more of the waffles. The chef prepared their breakfast, but somehow he wasn't sure about the waffles when he came out to talk to me afterward he said it was the waffles.
The previous character breakfasts the children ate the Mickey Waffles that the chefs prepared and were fine. They ate them last year on our trip to Disneyland as well.
It happened so fast, I was really shocked and had no idea what my grandsons were about to endure.

 

[low-key]

They need to give you all an all exclusive trips to make this right , and let your g sons be grand Marshall of a Parade

 

[Lynn CC]

They need to give you all an all exclusive trips to make this right , and let your g sons be grand Marshall of a Parade

That would be wonderful, just to get the time back with them and my son and his wife would mean the world to us.

 

[low-key]

That would be wonderful, just to get the time back with them and my son and his wife would mean the world to us.

let them know you will sign a paper you dont hold them responsible for this, if they do this and dont forget the grand Marshall , I wont settle unless thats included

 

[andersonsc]

I’m just curious as we’ve just started down the road of having a kid with a food allergy... but did your son have epi pens for his boys? If so, were they used?
My son spent several hours in the ER as well after eating the allergen. He got steroids, fluids and IV Benadryl. He was fine by morning. Even though he felt problems in his throat it was not true anaphylaxis. Even so, the doc told us to always take the newly prescribed epi pens with us. So that’s why I’m wondering if your grandsons had or used the epi pen and if it helped.

 

[Dentam]

I’m just curious as we’ve just started down the road of having a kid with a food allergy... but did your son have epi pens for his boys? If so, were they used?

Yes, she stated in an earlier post that they had them and used them.

 

[maxiesmom]

They need to give you all an all exclusive trips to make this right , and let your g sons be grand Marshall of a Parade

This makes me

I'm betting nothing they can do will erase such a horrible memory. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the kids don't want to go back for quite a while.

This is not something that can ever be made right by a trip or by being in a parade. Paying for losses, medical bills, and maybe a donation to a college fund. A trip back to where you almost died? Doesn't sound appealing.

 

[cabanafrau]

I should add at first aid in Animal Kingdom where they first took the children there was a police officer taking notes & another legal lady interviewing & documenting everything.

I’m home now, Disney did call me back & I told them how I felt about planning this trip with my son & missing the time I was supposed to spend with my family. It was such a fast moving scary situation for everyone involved. We only see one another one or two times a year. Not to mention the money we spent to get us all there from CA & Texas. I then gave them my sons number to contact him.

They didn't have your son's contact info. from the legal lady who interviewed and documented at First Aid?

 

[Lynn CC]

They didn't have your son's contact info. from the legal lady who interviewed and documented at First Aid?

Yes, I gave his number to the legal lady. My son was beside himself with worry.