Grad Events Frequently Asked Questions

Everything will be communicated via email. Therefore, it is pertinent to have two valid emails on your account (one for the traveler/student and one for the parent/guardian), so that all the information sent out regarding the trip is received by the participant. We highly recommend refraining from using a school email as this may not get checked as often as a personal one—use whatever emails are most frequently checked. Invoice statements are sent out once at the beginning of each month, and the months closer to the trip departure date will hold even more detailed information about what your destination requires, what to expect, your itinerary, etc. We highly recommend that every traveler follows the monthly payment plan and utilizes the auto-billing option to ensure you maintain an Active status/spot on the trip.

Trip dates will be finalized once the destination you are going to confirms the availability for the requested date by your group; this typically takes place between late September–November. Once the destination notifies Grad Events of a group’s confirmed date(s), we will then send out an updated invoice notice by email showing your confirmed date(s).

Unfortunately, no. Whether a student attends another school or not that may or may not have a Grad Events trip, they cannot attend the trip/event with another group as the parks will not allow students to attend who are not officially registered with that school or a non-senior graduate (e.g., sophomore, junior, etc.). Many of these trips are school sponsored and for liability reasons (in addition to the requirements of the park), this means that students must attend that specific school. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you no longer plan to travel, the student/traveler or parent/guardian will need to submit their official “cancellation” request in writing by either mail or email (note: the email notification must come from the same email address that is listed on the traveler’s account) to info@istours.com, and must also include Traveler ID Number (account #), First & Last Name of the traveler, and state their request to “cancel”. Once your cancellation request is received and processed, the traveler will be cancelled from the trip, and cancellation penalties (e.g., non-refundable deposit if cancellation is received before the final payment deadline date or no refund if cancellation is received on or after the final payment deadline date) will be applied, per the Terms & Conditions of the trip. If any refund is owed after the applied cancellation fee (per the terms and conditions), the funds will be issued back to the traveler listed on the account. Refunds are issued within 4-6 weeks (or 6-8 weeks if cancellation occurs on or after the final payment deadline date) of the approved cancellation date and returned in the same method they were received (i.e., credit card payments = credit card refunds and check or money order payments = a check refund). Grad Events is not responsible for misdirected refunds due to a change of address, closed bank accounts, or transactions processed on pre-paid credit cards or gift cards. For full cancellation details and trip policies please refer to the terms and conditions.

If you (student/traveler) are on the WAITLIST, please be advised that this is due to limited space availability. Travelers must still pay the required deposit to be added to the Waitlist unless registering on or after the Final Payment Date, then you will be required to pay-in-full, plus a late fee to be added to the Waitlist. Grad Events will notify you via email with a confirmation on whether or not space becomes available. However, this could happen quickly, within a week of registering, or this could happen up until 1 day before the trip’s departure date, depending on ticket and bus availability. It is up to each individual whether or not they want to continue to remain on the Waitlist until a spot becomes available. We encourage people to stay on the Waitlist, as they will be refunded their money in full if space does not become available, and they aren’t able to attend the trip.

Yes! This is peak time for people cancelling from the trip because they did not pay in full or no longer wish to attend. If our automated system has you as next on the Waitlist, but you have not paid your account in full, then the system will skip over you and will move to the next person on the Waitlist who has paid in full.

If you are on the Waitlist and would like to cancel, the student/traveler or parent/guardian will need to submit their official “cancellation” request in ‘writing’ by either mail or email to info@istours.com (note: the email notification must come from the same email address that is listed on the traveler’s account) and must also include the Traveler’s ID Number (account #), the First & Last Name of the traveler, and state their request to cancel. Travelers who cancel while on the Waitlist are eligible for a FULL refund of what they had paid to be added to the list.

You will receive your confirmed trip itinerary approximately 10-14 days before your departure date, by email. Please note that the itinerary must be approved by the bus company and head chaperones first before it can be sent out, so this can take some time. The trip itinerary is sent via email to both addresses listed on the traveler’s account. Therefore, it’s critical there are two emails listed on an account which are emails that are checked regularly.

Typically, most groups will be departing between 3AM-5AM on the morning of their departure date, however, this is not the case for every school. The reason for this is to be able to spend the most time possible at the park and get the full Grad experience!

Not always. Depending on what your trip itinerary looks like, you may be dropping off your bags at the hotel before entering the park. If this is the case, please note that you still must be ready to go to the park when you arrive and that there will not be a time in the itinerary to change and get ready before going into the park.

The group Organizer/Teacher for your trip is the one in charge of all the rooming, and they determine how the group’s rooming will be executed (including roommate assignments). The rooming process will not start until after the Final Payment Date and is due in early April.

The rooming requirement for the groups who are overnighting in a hotel is typically quad occupancy (4 sharing a room, 2 per bed). In some hotels, we are able to have up to 5 people in a room. If there are not enough students in a group (odd number) to make a full room, then we will not charge additional occupancy fees. *However, in the rare case that a traveler (or parent of a traveler) requests to be in an under-occupancy (triple, double, or single) room for special circumstances, there will be a per-person occupancy fee charged to the travelers in that under-occupancy room (note: since each trip is specific to each school/group, we would have to request the occupancy rates at that time), and there is no guarantee the request will be able to be accommodated due to room availability. Co-ed rooming for this trip/program is not permitted!

Travelers are welcome to bring their toothbrush, deodorant, change of socks/shirt/etc., in their bag, but please note that they are responsible for carrying these items throughout their trip. Also please be mindful that there are special security screenings that students will go through before entering the park, so anything they bring must be in accordance with what the park permits (this information will be sent closer to your departure date). The parks have lockers where students’ items can be stored if needed. Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, and Disneyland have lockers available for all-day rental. However, please be aware that locker rentals are on a first-come, first-served basis at the park.

• Universal Studios has three different locker categories that typically cost $8, $12, and $15. Please use the link below and refer to section #8 for further details: https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/web/en/us/faqs/services
• Disneyland Resort® has lockers in Disneyland Park®, California Adventure Park®, and between park entrances. We recommend using the lockers between parks or the lockers in California Adventure Park® as the Grad Nite event takes place in California Adventure Park®. Lockers for all-day use typically cost $7 for a Small and $10 for a Large, which can fit two standard-size backpacks. We encourage students to buddy up with a friend(s) to help split locker fees. Please use the below link for more Disney Locker info: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/locker-rentals/.
• There are several bathrooms within the parks where they can take care of whatever hygiene needs they feel necessary, and the lockers are very accessible to hold any items they may not wish to carry.
  

Should an injury occur, the parent/guardian will be contacted, and it will be up to their group’s head chaperone and the parent if the injury/situation is extreme enough to warrant the traveler being taken to the ER. If the traveler has purchased the separate/optional trip insurance through the USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services website (855-874-0156 or customercare@travelinsure.com) advised to travelers upon registering; then they will be able to file a claim with the USI insurance company once they return home to request for those expenses to be covered (note: the traveler must keep all receipts and give them to the insurance company).

Yes! We expect all our travelers to behave as civilized, respectful travelers, and if a particular traveler or group cannot manage themselves appropriately, they will be removed from our program at their own expense. ISTours/Grad Events requires that all travelers abide by all laws and regulations set forth by the state, school, bus companies, parks, and hotels while on their trip. Rules and regulations are specific to each destination/trip and this information is sent out to every traveler by email before the trip departure.

If your group’s trip is being school-sponsored, then you will need to reach out to your group’s Organizer/Teacher/Lead Chaperone for specifics regarding your trip. The trip contact can be located on your trip’s registration flyer. If your trip is not school-sponsored, then you would reach out to your group’s Event Coordinator or contact the Grad Events office by email at info@istours.com or phone at (800) 448-4444.