Community Update

We had a group of 20 people, mostly Girl Scouts aged 7-8 years old. We tried to make a group reservation over the course of two weeks, but no one responded to various phone and email messages. Finally, on the morning of the day that we were to arrive, someone named Lorraine from Group Sales called me back. I explained to Lorraine that our guests would be arriving between 12-1pm and would it be okay for each individual family to purchase their own tickets? She said yes. So we were surprised when we went to the park and had to walk all the way to the back of the park on the other end to the Group Sales office and they didn't allow us to purchase the discounted group tickets until all 20 people arrived. We purchased our bands anyway and were promised a refund of the difference once we had all 20 people together.

Fast forward four hours - most of us needed to leave to get to appointments or other things, so we started walking toward what would be the last ride of the day, the small roller coaster. Six of the girls went up in a group and the last of the six was pulling on her purple Adventureland band/bracelet because it was sticking to her skin. By the time she got to the staff member, the bracelet had come off in her hand. The other five girls were already seated in the roller coaster and the sixth girl was denied entry by the disinterested and obnoxious employee. When I kindly told the employee that this sixth girl was part of a group and explained that her bracelet was removed by her just seconds ago because it was sticking to her skin, the employee sighed and told me she couldn't go on the ride, that we had to go all the way back to Group Sales to get another bracelet. When I explained that we had to leave due to time constraints he shrugged and said it wasn't his problem.

I asked to speak to a manager, and a few minutes later some employee walked up to me and said, "what's up?" I explained the situation to him and he told me that it was policy that I had to go to Group Sales and get another bracelet. When I asked why he said he didn't know, just do it. I asked to speak to someone higher than him.

A young manager came over and I explained for the third or fourth time what had transpired and at this point, the sixth girl was at my side confused as to what to do. She was still holding her bracelet. The manager then accused this little 7 year old of stealing her bracelet and said she wasn't following the rules, at which point she burst into tears. I became immediately disgusted and demanded that he contact Group Sales on his walkie talkie rather than have me take all six girls all the way to the back of the park just to get a replacement bracelet when all he needed to do was verify that I had purchased the bracelet in the first place - I had my receipt in hand, every girl with me had the same color bracelet (group sales bracelets are a different color and they're not all that popular). To which he said, well, I really don't like your attitude and I could call them, but I'm not going to. And then he accused her again of stealing the bracelet.

So I had to walk all the way back to Group Sales, fuming, to get a replacement bracelet. They didn't ask me for my receipt, they just gave this girl another bracelet. So if she HAD in fact stolen the bracelet, which was ridiculous in the first place, but if she had - what was the purpose of sending us all back to the other side of the park to get another bracelet? All it did was inconvenience a customer who spent more than $600 at their establishment. And they upset a group of 7 year olds and made one of them cry. No apology, no kind words, just reiteration that kids steal bracelets off the ground. Well, if the kid stole the bracelet, you didn't do anything to establish the fact that it wasn't a stolen bracelet when you gave us the replacement, so why put us through the hassle?

The manager, Steve, told me that sometimes parents don't buy all the kids a bracelet. Really, so you think I have five kids with me and just decided that I didn't like the sixth one so everyone got a bracelet but her? That's the logic at this place?

The staff members are incredibly rude, very unhelpful, and cruel - how do you watch a little kid cry and then call her a thief? Will never come here again and will encourage every Girl Scout leader, every PTA member, and every mom I know to steer clear.