The Stanley Park Railway's extremely popular Bright Nights event has already hit a speed bump for the 2024 season, and the illuminated train hasn't left the station yet.
Ticket sales for the 2024 Christmas train went poorly in early November, leaving many customers (and potential customers) frustrated; some vented on social media.
Now the Stanley Park Railway is apologizing for how ticket sales went.
"We sincerely apologize to all Bright Nights train fans, past visitors, and dedicated volunteers for the deeply frustrating experience surrounding ticket sales for our 2024 event," reads a statement posted on Facebook.
On social media, many pointed to long wait times, some spending hours at a computer waiting to try to buy tickets.
The Railway - which is operated by the City of Vancouver's park board - goes on to cite technical issues as one problem with the ticket release via Showpass.
Organizers also state they've read customer feedback and are looking at changing the system for 2025.
"[We] will be sharing the valuable feedback with the operations and event planning team to determine what changes can be made so that the ticketing process and customer experience for next year’s Stanley Park Railway events is more efficient, effective and accessible for all visitors," reads the statement.
In recent years, the train, which also does Halloween and Easter-themed ride events, switched to an online-only ticketing process, with tickets dropping weeks ahead of the rides and selling out in minutes. Organizers say they cannot accommodate on-site same-day sales, leaving many who couldn't get past the "waiting room" to buy tickets out in the cold.
Prior to this year's Bright Nights ticket release, a petition was circulated online requesting the ticketing system use a same-day ticketing system and revive in-person ticket sales. It garnered 760 signatures.
Last year, Bright Nights also faced criticism for its ticketing system, as the tickets sold out online, but the train rolled out with empty spots.
While more than 41,000 seats were sold, only 92 per cent were used, leaving around 3,000 empty seats as there was no standby system to fill spots left empty when people weren't able to go.
Additionally, organizers are also dealing with customers frustrated with Halloween Ghost Train cancellations and the refund process.
