70 years of Disney Plus: Family accidently spends thousands on streaming instead of trip

A Midwest family's Disney World trip has been saved by a holiday miracle after they mistakenly bought over $10,000 in gift cards for Disney's streaming service instead of the theme parks.

Andie Coston, of Normal, Illinois, told USA TODAY on Wednesday that her family had been planning the vacation of a lifetime to Disney World in Florida since 2020, when the pandemic halted her plans to take her children to "the most magical place on Earth."

The family decided to go to Disney this month, and Coston's parents thought they had bought $10,000 in gift cards to the park to help pay for the adventure for 16 family members in all. But they made a mistake: They bought about 100 gift cards worth $100 for the Disney+ streaming service.

"We were all befuddled and baffled at what had happened," said the 41-year-old Coston. "The absurdity was funny but then the realization that we may not actually make it to Disney was sad ... This has always been the one big trip that I can take my kids on."

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Andie Coston turns to TikTok for help

When her mother was unable to resolve the issue with Disney's basic customer service line, Coston took to TikTok about the nonrefundable and non-transferrable gift cards.

"That's over 70 years of Disney Plus," Coston wrote on the video, which has more than three million views. "My mom is distraught, dad frustrated, and the kids worried we won't get to get into Disney."

Through the support from the video and a friend who works for the company, the family was able to transfer to their funds to the correct gift cards.

Family had to photograph each gift card

The company needed pictures of the backs of each Disney+ gift card in order to complete the transfer. Coston said her mom and niece spent around four hours on Monday night emailing the photos when they were hit by another inconvenience.

"Their internet went out," Coston said. "You can only send so many images per email. My mom said they were up 'till about 11:45 p.m."

She added that her parents will have to mail some of the photos out. While the process was slow and tedious, she is grateful they were able to transfer the funds.

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Trip is finally set and stone

After a hectic journey, Coston's family is ready to embark on their highly anticipated vacation. Coston said they were able to keep their original flights, as well as book a resort nearby and restaurant reservations.

Coston is most excited to see her kids have fun and try new foods. She also hopes to reconnect with the Fairy Godmother actor who played Snow White when Coston visited the parks as a child. Just like with the gift card debacle, she's all about having family stories to tell.

"This will be legend passed on for generations," she said.