I love a good deal as much as the next guy. However, while I refrain from riding death-defying roller coasters any more at my age, nothing makes my heart sink faster than seeing a big discount after I have already made my purchase.

Last month I finished wrapping up our family plans to spend Thanksgiving in the Williamsburg area, a long over-due Christmas present to my wife from last year. Hey, I took her to Hawaii AND Disneyland, so I think that bought me ample time. In addition to spending Thanksgiving day in historic Williamsburg, we decided to also make a stop over at Busch Garden Williamsburg to check out Christmas Town. Nothing like a little Ice Palace: A Penguin Paradise or Polar Pathway of lights to get one in the holiday spirit.

So the plan-ahead kind of guy I am, I pre-purchased our tickets for not only admission to the park, but also for the Santa’s Fireside Feast. At the time of booking, I did not put to much thought into discounts as nothing really came up in a precursory search. However, this week I was surprised to be graced with an email from Busch Gardens stating the price of admission for Christmas Town has been dropped 50% if purchased during the month of November, or while supplies last.

That, my friends, is the significant kind of email that makes my stomach drop. At first I quickly dug out my confirmation email to read the cancellation policy. Unfortunately, there was conflicting information about refunds versus non-refundable tickets. So I decided to call the park to see what my options were.

The customer service agent told me I needed to purchase the discounted tickets online first. Then call back with both the new and old confirmation numbers and they would cancel the “duplicate” original order. They said normally the tickets are non-refundable unless their is a redundant order.

After doing as stated above, I called back in, and the lovely agent quickly reorganized our tickets and processed the refund. The process was extremely simple, customer friendly, and all the agents I worked with today were delightful.

In the end, I only saved about $20 for rebooking our tickets, but every little bit helps with the bottom line. Factoring the whole process took me no longer than a half hour, I think it was well worth it.

Are you headed to Christmas Town this year? Have any great tips?

Christmas Town runs from Nov. 23 and will continue, select days through Dec. 31, 2012. Discounted tickets for Christmas Town cost $17.50 per adult and are valid for three consecutive days once used. Offer valid Nov. 1 – Nov. 22 or while supplies last. Discovery Ticket is valid Nov. 23 – Dec. 31, 2012. Limit six Discovery Tickets per transaction.

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