Family is horrified to realize they accidentally spent $10K on Disney+ gift cards

No matter how you slice it, a trip to the Disney parks is expensive as heck, and it only gets pricier and pricier as time goes on. So when one family tried to take advantage of a kind gesture from their grandparents — paying a portion of their upcoming Christmas trip using $10,000 in gift cards — they were horrified upon realizing that the gift card purchase was for the Disney Plus streaming service, not for park tickets.

TikToker Andie Coston recently shared that her parents had purchased the gift cards in 2020 with the hopes of 16 family members being able to go on the trip together. Of course, the pandemic happened, and when the family went to take their long-awaited holiday getaway, they realized they had $10,000 in credit towards the streaming service, or 70 years worth, as Coston pointed out in her now-viral video.

“We leave in six days and the parks are selling out of tickets because it’s Christmas. My mom is distraught, Dad frustrated, and the kids worried we won’t get into Disney,” Coston wrote at the end of the video, which racked up nearly three million views in a matter of days.

Coston opened up more about the whole ordeal in several follow-up videos, explaining that her parents simply didn’t realize that there was a difference between the gift cards. “My parents are 78, they don’t use streaming services,” she said. Her parents also purchased them online and scratched off the identifying info on the cards, so they couldn’t be returned or exchanged for the appropriate cards.

Commenters wondered if it was a scam, and Coston assured new followers that it was an honest mistake. Others also mentioned that the week between Christmas and New Years is historically among the busiest at the Disney parks, with reservations required to enter and parks often hitting capacity and denying entry to those without a reservation. While understandable, even Disney veterans (hi, it’s me!) find planning to be overwhelming these days, as so many things have changed in recent years. (And yes, you used to be able to walk up day-of and buy a ticket for entry into the parks.)

Thankfully for the Coston family, all’s well that ends well, because they were able to connect with someone at Disney who transferred the money to gift cards that are usable for their park tickets.

“I am so glad we were able to get it resolved, especially for my parents’ sake. It was also good to hear that my parents are not the only ones who have experienced this,” Coston told PEOPLE.

“I received many messages and comments from people telling me that they or someone they know have had similar experiences,” she added. “I hope that this story makes more people aware of the card difference so no one else experiences this.”

Here’s hoping they still have a wonderful trip and that they can laugh about this experience as they’re waiting in line for Space Mountain or enjoying a Dole Whip with each other in the parks.