An influencer made multiple Guest Services complaints and video rants on Wednesday after attempting to purchase a Disney snack that wasn’t for sale. She admitted to knowingly ordering the sold-out item but demanded more than a refund as compensation for her experience.
This is hardly the first controversy surrounding social media content creators at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Weeks ago, an Instagram influencer fell into Snow White’s Wishing Well at Disneyland Park while posing for a photoshoot. In Florida, a group of X (formerly known as Twitter) creators caught flack for taking a selfie with an ill stranger on a stretcher at a Disney Resort hotel.
Some Disney Parks are aware of fans’ complaints about influencers. In 2022, Tokyo Disney Resort restricted vlogging, filming, and live streaming, making it extremely difficult for social media content creators to disturb other Disney Park guests. Many fans have begged Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort to enact similar rules.
Niloufar Gibson (@iheartdisneyland and Honest Mom) visited Disneyland Park on Tuesday hoping to purchase a fudge Easter egg, an overwhelmingly popular seasonal treat from Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen on Main Street, U.S.A. Because the confectionaries are hand-crafted, they’re only sold on certain weekdays and often sell out early in the morning via mobile order.
In an Instagram reel, Gibson admitted that she knew Disneyland Park didn’t offer the fudge eggs on Tuesdays. They’re available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. However, she’d seen a social media post suggesting the chocolates were available every day except Thursday.
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The influencer was able to order a fudge egg, so she headed to Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen, where a Disney cast member was making the chocolates in the window for the next day. Unsurprisingly, her order was canceled because no fudge eggs were available for sale and shouldn’t have been on the mobile order menu.
Gibson received a refund but explained in a later Instagram story that she felt Disney cast members didn’t do enough to compensate her for the experience. Watch the video below.
“I expected better customer service… from Disneyland because they’re all about their service,” Gibson said. “…I was really, really upset about how the lead cast member reacted.”
The influencer explained that when she asked if there was “anything you could do for me,” the Disney cast member responded that the refund was all he could offer in a “very rude” tone.
“I’m like, ‘Really? Really?’” she continued. “That was a great opportunity for him to do some Disney magic and be like, ‘You know what, I’m so sorry that that happened…’ He didn’t even apologize at all… He could’ve said, ‘I’m so sorry that happened to you… Here’s a crispy treat for your trouble,’ or ‘Here’s a caramel apple.’”
“You should know how to create magic at Disneyland as a cast member,” she said.
The influencer said she didn’t want to get the cast member fired but issued a complaint at Guest Services before leaving the theme park. She also filled out a digital complaint form, for which she had previously received compensation.
Gibson explained that after getting stuck on “it’s a small world” for over an hour because a guest went streaking on the ride, Disney offered her family a free Lightning Lane. However, they couldn’t use it because the two rides they got in line for broke down. After the influencer sent an online complaint form, Disneyland Resort offered her family three complimentary Lightning Lanes for their next visit.
“I’m sure if I e-mail them about this, maybe they’ll give me a free treat,” she concluded.
Was the Disney influencer right to ask for more compensation? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.