COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions
- Are you still booking parties and events?
- We are temporarily not accepting new character appearance bookings during the months of April and May. If your intended date is after June 1, 2020 we have updated our booking policy if COVID-19 regulations are still in effect. Rather than requiring our normal non-refundable booking fee of $100 we are now requiring a non-refundable booking fee of $20. If COVID-19 interferes with your booking and the party or event must be cancelled you may opt to either reschedule your date or we will send you a personalized video message from your intended character (Personalized video message valued at the same rate as our updated booking fee. If you choose to reschedule your date 100% of monies paid will be transferred to your new selected date. There is a one calendar year extension to reserve your new date however if a new date is selected in the year 2021 the difference of our $100 non refundable deposit will be due with the remaining balance of services due the week of your party/event at least three days prior.
- Are these new policies permanent?
- No these policies are not permanent. These policies only apply to bookings directly effected by COVID-19 and are updated as necessary as we keep track of the progression of COVID-19. We consider current or potential bookings until July 31, 2020 directly effected by COVID-19.
- No these policies are not permanent. These policies only apply to bookings directly effected by COVID-19 and are updated as necessary as we keep track of the progression of COVID-19. We consider current or potential bookings until July 31, 2020 directly effected by COVID-19.
- How can we help?
- Keep our performers performing by purchasing one of our virtual services priced between $10-$60, check out our 'Packages' tab for more info! These services can be gifted to a friend or family member!
- Sponsor a live story-time. We can go live or prepare a prerecorded story time for your online group.
- We can accept donations that directly help us fund live story times and events for the community. Donations can be accepted via Venmo: @OnceUponATimePartiesAL or PayPal: onceuponatimemobile@gmail.com
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why book Once Upon A Time Parties?
- The performers of our company can guarantee that your party or event will magical for all who attend. We can work with you on activities, songs, games, characters and even budgets. We strive to make sure all clients are satisfied and all little princes and princesses are enthralled with our fairytale characters.
- Once Upon A Time Parties is in NO way affiliated with any theme parks or other entertainment corporations. All characters are based off of a variety of fairytale works and ideas that are public domain and have no rights with other companies.
- Do I need a deposit?
- Yes! All parties require a minimum $100 deposit. This is to secure your party date, time and performer. We will send you an invoice for the remaining amount to your email address through PayPal which will be due 3 days prior to the party, otherwise you forfeit your booking and deposit. The deposit is non-refundable unless through cancellation by our company from emergencies.
- Should you need to cancel your booking all payments are 100% transferable to a date booked within 90 days of the original booking date however there is a $20 rescheduling fee that must be satisfied before services are rendered along with any other package fees that were not satisfied. *Availability may vary by date and character.
- 30 Minute party packages require payment in full.
- Parties over $250 require a 50% deposit.
- When should I book?
- The suggested time to book a party is four weeks prior. You are always welcome to submit a last minute request, but due to high demand, it is better if you contact us in advance to secure your party.
- Do I need to tip?
- Gratuity is NOT included in our packages or events. It is not mandatory to tip, but if you feel your princess has exceeded expectations, please tip!
- Should I hire a photographer?
- Absolutely! If it is within your budget to add a photographer to your party, do so! The photos you receive will be magical memories you can look back on later! We recommend Katco Photography, Admoni Photography or Jamie Roberts Portraiture. Ask us how to include one with your party package!
- What are your policies?
- All bookings require 100% of the balance to be paid before services are rendered. All parties require a minimum deposit of $100. This is to confirm your booking and ensure your requested date and time is available for you. All payments are non-refundable unless our company has an emergency cancellation then you will be refunded 100% of the deposit money paid. In paying the invoice, you agree to the terms and conditions and understand that this is a non-refundable payment. The remainder of the balance must be paid at least three days prior to your party, or we will cancel your booking.
- All hosts are expected to keep the time as our performers will not perform with their phones, clocks or watches directly available to them. Any time the performer spends over their scheduled time will be billed for accordingly to the party host/original booker.
- Our cast members can guarantee that your party will be magical, fun and exciting for all that attend. We offer a variety of storybook characters who bring the fantasies to life in a memorable and magical way.
- Character performers may vary from those in promotional pictures. Should you want a specific performer to attend your event or party, please let us know at time of booking. While we can't promise the performer you request will be the same for your event, we can guarantee that all performers are professional and will give your child a magical experience.
- It is not our intention to violate any copyright, trademark or licensing laws. Our characters are NOT name brand copyrighted characters, and are inspired from public domain stories. We only accept event bookings from those who are aware that we do not offer any licensed characters, nor do we work for or represent the Walt Disney Company or other entertainment corporations. **In the event that you require a licensed copyrighted character, you should contact the company and or copyright holder.**
- We reserve the right to refuse any parties or events that do not have the best interests of our performers, such as and not limited to dangerous environments, inappropriate party requests, far travel location, etc. The performers reserve the right to leave a party in the event of an unsafe environment, the arrival of law enforcement, offensive guests or the presence of drugs, smoking or alcohol.
- If your event takes place outside, please take note of the weather beforehand, as our characters may need shade, water or other precautions due to Mobile's hot and humid climate. If your event will be taking place outside it is suggested to have an alternative indoor location as a back up as we do not offer refunds for cancelled parties due to weather unless our company initiates the cancellation for performer safety in which case we will refund all payments made.
- Please note that our princesses are professional performers and are not responsible for taking care of or "babysitting" the children present at the party, and are simply entertainers.
- Our performers work solely for Once Upon A Time Parties, LLC and will not perform with other costumed characters or hired companies at your event or party. If there are other costumed characters that may cause problems such as other princesses or superheroes, our performers have the right to leave the event. This is simply to keep the magic for the children and keep our actors in prepared situations.
- From the moment of arrival until leaving the party, our performers will stay in character. Please do NOT ask questions about the costumes, company or performers' personal lives.
- Should you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact us through our Facebook, website or email.
COVID-19 Policy Updates: Cancellations and Rescheduling
For current bookings:
As per our policy our deposits remain non-refundable [$100 for parties with a total balance of $250 and under OR 50% of parties with a total balance over $250]. We understand your concerns regarding the health of your children and guests so we want to offer a few alternative options if in the event you choose to cancel or reschedule services.
Typically our policy allows 100% of monies paid to be transferred to a new date within a 90 day period of the original party/event date with a $20 rescheduling fee. Due to the uncontrollable spread of the COVID-19 virus we are allowing a 100% transfer of monies paid to any date within a one calendar year period from the original party/event date with any rescheduling fees waived. In this case any additional add ons made to the original package would require the appropriate fees. The package that has been booked will be transferred to a date of your choosing within the allotted time to reschedule. You will have the option to change the time and character as long as our schedule and availability allows. A new date can be chosen at any time but we do request that all rescheduling inquiries be made at least 4-6 weeks in advance from your ideal date so we can be sure to accommodate your booking. If you choose not to take advantage of the updated policy regarding transfers we will be happy to refund any amount over the deposit amount covered above and in our Terms & Conditions agreed to when booking your character appearance with us.
If you do not plan to postpone or reschedule your party date but decide to exclude additional guests and entertainment we are offering a live video chat in place of your in person visit. During this time the performer will still conduct each activity covered in your selected package such as an interactive story time, princess etiquette lessons and sing a longs. All live video chats will be a maximum of thirty minutes and will be conducted via iPhone FaceTime or Google Duo (downloadable for free in your app store). During the live virtual visit your child and guests will still be able to interact with the character(s) in real time. For packages including a one hour visit we will issue a refund of any amount over the deposit amount which is the cost of our thirty minute visit. If you decide to take this option we will offer a discount code valid for one calendar year from your original party/event date to use for any of our many upcoming events or services should you choose to hire us again in the future for your entertainment needs.
As a final option to utilize your non-refundable deposit fee, we will issue a gift certificate in the amount of the deposit fee in which we will mail for you to gift or sell to a friend or family member. These gift certificates will have an expiry of one calendar year from the original party/event date and can be used for the deposit on any of our in-person character visits. Travel fees and add-ons will require the appropriate fees if applicable. We will include directions on how to schedule services using the gift certificate.
If you have any questions or would like to take action regarding your current booking please contact us. We are doing our best to take care of everyone as soon as possible, so we greatly appreciate your patience!
For new bookings:
We are accepting character appearance bookings for June 1, 2020 and after. We have updated our deposit policy to the following:
Bookings made during the months of June and July will be subject to a $20 non-refundable booking fee. Should the date need to be cancelled due to COVID-19 safety laws and CDC suggestions the deposit paid will be used for a personalized video message instead. All monies paid are 100% transferable to a new date within a one calendar year period with any rescheduling fees waived. If the date is rescheduled to a date after the first 90 days of the original event date the full deposit amount of $100 will be due with the remaining balance not due until the week of your party/event date.
Thank you for supporting our company and we can’t wait to continue spreading magic in our area as soon as we are able.
As per our policy our deposits remain non-refundable [$100 for parties with a total balance of $250 and under OR 50% of parties with a total balance over $250]. We understand your concerns regarding the health of your children and guests so we want to offer a few alternative options if in the event you choose to cancel or reschedule services.
Typically our policy allows 100% of monies paid to be transferred to a new date within a 90 day period of the original party/event date with a $20 rescheduling fee. Due to the uncontrollable spread of the COVID-19 virus we are allowing a 100% transfer of monies paid to any date within a one calendar year period from the original party/event date with any rescheduling fees waived. In this case any additional add ons made to the original package would require the appropriate fees. The package that has been booked will be transferred to a date of your choosing within the allotted time to reschedule. You will have the option to change the time and character as long as our schedule and availability allows. A new date can be chosen at any time but we do request that all rescheduling inquiries be made at least 4-6 weeks in advance from your ideal date so we can be sure to accommodate your booking. If you choose not to take advantage of the updated policy regarding transfers we will be happy to refund any amount over the deposit amount covered above and in our Terms & Conditions agreed to when booking your character appearance with us.
If you do not plan to postpone or reschedule your party date but decide to exclude additional guests and entertainment we are offering a live video chat in place of your in person visit. During this time the performer will still conduct each activity covered in your selected package such as an interactive story time, princess etiquette lessons and sing a longs. All live video chats will be a maximum of thirty minutes and will be conducted via iPhone FaceTime or Google Duo (downloadable for free in your app store). During the live virtual visit your child and guests will still be able to interact with the character(s) in real time. For packages including a one hour visit we will issue a refund of any amount over the deposit amount which is the cost of our thirty minute visit. If you decide to take this option we will offer a discount code valid for one calendar year from your original party/event date to use for any of our many upcoming events or services should you choose to hire us again in the future for your entertainment needs.
As a final option to utilize your non-refundable deposit fee, we will issue a gift certificate in the amount of the deposit fee in which we will mail for you to gift or sell to a friend or family member. These gift certificates will have an expiry of one calendar year from the original party/event date and can be used for the deposit on any of our in-person character visits. Travel fees and add-ons will require the appropriate fees if applicable. We will include directions on how to schedule services using the gift certificate.
If you have any questions or would like to take action regarding your current booking please contact us. We are doing our best to take care of everyone as soon as possible, so we greatly appreciate your patience!
For new bookings:
We are accepting character appearance bookings for June 1, 2020 and after. We have updated our deposit policy to the following:
Bookings made during the months of June and July will be subject to a $20 non-refundable booking fee. Should the date need to be cancelled due to COVID-19 safety laws and CDC suggestions the deposit paid will be used for a personalized video message instead. All monies paid are 100% transferable to a new date within a one calendar year period with any rescheduling fees waived. If the date is rescheduled to a date after the first 90 days of the original event date the full deposit amount of $100 will be due with the remaining balance not due until the week of your party/event date.
Thank you for supporting our company and we can’t wait to continue spreading magic in our area as soon as we are able.
