Staten Island family who visited Walt Disney World courtesy of Make-A-Wish Foundation files complaints against theme park
Peyton Moss, 5, of Huguenot, and his family received a fully-paid Walt Disney World vacation courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Here he is pictured arriving at the Give Kids The World Village, a hotel in Kissimmee, Fla., located several miles from the Disney site in Orlando, Fla. (Photo courtesy of JoAnne Moss)
A young Huguenot boy living with a debilitating disease was having the time of his life in Walt Disney World -- but one tasteless comment ruined everything, according to the child's family.
And now JoAnne Moss wants an apology.
And according to the people at "The Most Magical Place on Earth," they are going to get one.
A six-day visit to Walt Disney World funded by the Make-A-Wish Foundation was, for the most part, a great time, according to JoAnne Moss, the mother of a 5-year-old Peyton, who lives with the exhausting genetic deficiency hemophilia A, which, if not treated properly, could result in death.
But on the family's last night in Disney, Friday, Nov. 1, a park employee said the boy's mother was "taking advantage" of her son's wish by trying to enter a Walt Disney World souvenir shop after she was not permitted, said Mrs. Moss.
The family couldn't enter the store called the Emporium around 7:15 p.m. because it was after the 7 o'clock cut-off time in which only folks with tickets to Mickey Mouse's Not So-Scary Halloween Party could be in the park.
"That ruined my entire night. I'm supposed to have a stress-free week. That was disgusting what she said," said Mrs. Moss.
The manager was summoned and park security followed, recalled the mother.
Because of his disease, Peyton had a port installed into his chest at 17-months-old so his parents could provide him with direct medicine, Factor VIII, a blood-clotting protein. Without the medicine, hemophilia A causes spontaneous bleeds, according to Mrs. Ross.
"Until [that worker] is in a hospital with her baby and has to give her kids medicine every day to keep her son alive, she has no idea what I'm going through," said Mrs. Moss.
The family waited outside the store for an hour. A crowd observed as her children cried, said Mrs. Moss. Around 8:15 p.m., they were allowed access to the store, where they spent $191, said the Huguenot resident.
The Moss family meets with Cinderella in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Fla. From left to right, Joshua, his daughter, Shyanne, son, Peyton, and wife, JoAnne.
Between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2, the Moss family celebrated Halloween with Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters, ate ice cream, explored the Magic Kingdom and documented their memorable trip with plenty of photographs.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation made it all happen by providing $2,325 in spending money, all-you-can-eat food services and hotel accommodations at the Give Kids The World Village -- a hotel in nearby Kissimmee, Fla., transportation to Florida, and a rental car.
Mrs. Moss filed multiple complaints with Walt Disney World. She also informed the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Give the Kids the World Village of the incident.
"I want them to apologize to us and I want her to be disciplined," she said. "[The worker] can't just say that. That's terrible."
According to Walt Disney World spokeswoman Andrea Finger, the company will apologize.
"We have a long history of welcoming make-a-wish families to our park and creating magical experiences for them," said Ms. Finger. "We've reached out to the guest to learn more about the situation and apologize that their experience didn't meet their expectations."
Make-A-Wish Foundation spokeswoman Gaby Sappington said "Peyton's family made them aware of what happened on their wish trip. We were also made aware that the family contacted Disney about their complaint. Make-A-Wish has no further comment beyond those aspects."
"We have a long-time partnership with Walt Disney World and appreciate their high level of service provided to our wish families," said Betsy Culpepper, spokeswoman of Give the Kids the World Village. "We address any guest concerns with them immediately and we have every confidence that they follow through appropriately and effectively to address them."
And now JoAnne Moss wants an apology.
And according to the people at "The Most Magical Place on Earth," they are going to get one.
A six-day visit to Walt Disney World funded by the Make-A-Wish Foundation was, for the most part, a great time, according to JoAnne Moss, the mother of a 5-year-old Peyton, who lives with the exhausting genetic deficiency hemophilia A, which, if not treated properly, could result in death.
But on the family's last night in Disney, Friday, Nov. 1, a park employee said the boy's mother was "taking advantage" of her son's wish by trying to enter a Walt Disney World souvenir shop after she was not permitted, said Mrs. Moss.
The family couldn't enter the store called the Emporium around 7:15 p.m. because it was after the 7 o'clock cut-off time in which only folks with tickets to Mickey Mouse's Not So-Scary Halloween Party could be in the park.
"That ruined my entire night. I'm supposed to have a stress-free week. That was disgusting what she said," said Mrs. Moss.
The manager was summoned and park security followed, recalled the mother.
Because of his disease, Peyton had a port installed into his chest at 17-months-old so his parents could provide him with direct medicine, Factor VIII, a blood-clotting protein. Without the medicine, hemophilia A causes spontaneous bleeds, according to Mrs. Ross.
"Until [that worker] is in a hospital with her baby and has to give her kids medicine every day to keep her son alive, she has no idea what I'm going through," said Mrs. Moss.
The family waited outside the store for an hour. A crowd observed as her children cried, said Mrs. Moss. Around 8:15 p.m., they were allowed access to the store, where they spent $191, said the Huguenot resident.
The Moss family meets with Cinderella in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Fla. From left to right, Joshua, his daughter, Shyanne, son, Peyton, and wife, JoAnne. The Make-A-Wish Foundation made it all happen by providing $2,325 in spending money, all-you-can-eat food services and hotel accommodations at the Give Kids The World Village -- a hotel in nearby Kissimmee, Fla., transportation to Florida, and a rental car.
Mrs. Moss filed multiple complaints with Walt Disney World. She also informed the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Give the Kids the World Village of the incident.
"I want them to apologize to us and I want her to be disciplined," she said. "[The worker] can't just say that. That's terrible."
According to Walt Disney World spokeswoman Andrea Finger, the company will apologize.
"We have a long history of welcoming make-a-wish families to our park and creating magical experiences for them," said Ms. Finger. "We've reached out to the guest to learn more about the situation and apologize that their experience didn't meet their expectations."
Make-A-Wish Foundation spokeswoman Gaby Sappington said "Peyton's family made them aware of what happened on their wish trip. We were also made aware that the family contacted Disney about their complaint. Make-A-Wish has no further comment beyond those aspects."
"We have a long-time partnership with Walt Disney World and appreciate their high level of service provided to our wish families," said Betsy Culpepper, spokeswoman of Give the Kids the World Village. "We address any guest concerns with them immediately and we have every confidence that they follow through appropriately and effectively to address them."
No comments:
Post a Comment