Kings Park marching band gets luggage back after canceled Disney trip, 13-hour delay; families still waiting for refunds
Kings Park High School marching band members are finally getting their luggage back after their Disney trip was canceled following a 13-hour delay at JFK airport.
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Members of the Kings Park High School marching band are finally being reunited with their luggage after their Disney trip was abruptly canceled over the weekend.
Band members say many of the missing bags have now been recovered, days after they were left without their belongings following a 13-hour wait at JFK airport on Saturday. However, families say they are still waiting for refunds related to the trip.
“My friends that are still here and I are pretty upset about it,” said sophomore Julianna Martinsen.
The band had been scheduled to travel to Walt Disney World for workshops with Disney’s marching band and color guard, along with plans to march in a parade. Instead, students say they never received their checked luggage at the airport, and the trip was ultimately called off.
Some students who had already traveled to Florida with their families also missed out on the experience.
“They never got to do the workshops,” said sophomore Michael McKenna. “They had to sit and watch the parade we were going to march in.”
Kaleidoscope Adventures, the company that organized the trip, said it has been working to return students’ belongings. According to students, some suitcases were located in Orlando, and chaperones had to go to the airport to retrieve them.
“I know a lot of people’s suitcases are in Orlando, Florida, and our chaperones had to go to the airport to find these luggages,” Martinsen said. “From what I heard, it was a struggle.”
In a statement to News 12, Kaleidoscope Adventures said Delta Air Lines has issued refunds for airfare. The company added that it is working to secure additional refunds from local suppliers.
“Our intention is to consolidate any applicable refunds and issue a single reimbursement to each affected family to their original form of payment, once all the funds have been confirmed and cleared through the banking systems,” the statement read.
While students say they are relieved to have their belongings returned, many families say they are still waiting for the financial side of the trip to be resolved.
