Stay Another Day, Book a Backup Night.
300 clear nights a year is big part of the reasons why the Dark Ranger Observatory is located where it is. Nevertheless, you can increase your chances of getting a good stargazing night with us by booking an extra night's stay in the Bryce Canyon area, and then booking a Backup Stargazing Night for that same extra night.
Okay, but should our 1st or 2nd night be our primary night?
Yes, it makes it easier when your primary night is your first night. We can usually predict our weather well enough that on the afternoon of your first night we'll reach out to suggest the best night for you to attend. However, when it's not obvious, or if our prediction was wrong, there's still your backup night.
Cloudy Sky Cancellation Policy
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The Weather is Different Here...
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If during the 2 to 3-hr course of a Telescope Tour, we fail to show you at least 1 example of each class of astronomical object (solar system, binary star, star cluster, galaxy, and nebulae), we offer 79% REFUNDS. When we are sure it will be too stormy to use telescopes at all, we will text and email to alert you of a hard cancellation (79% refund).
Otherwise, when it is too close to call, you are still obligated to attend so as to earn your refund. We'll still offer the multimedia show while we wait for sky to clear. So at worst, you'll get a fun show with a 79% refund. At best the sky will clear, and there will be much rejoicing. However, if you make an Backup Night Booking and we still fail, after 2 nights of trying, to show you at least 1 example of each class of astronomical object, you will get 100% refund of your tour tickets. Yes, we will even pay your credit card transaction fees if your bank allows. |
Folks like to brag about their rapidly changing weather. In reality few places rival the clearing speed of the Colorado Plateau. The time-lapse above goes from 100% overcast, with lightning, to 100% clear in 90 minutes!
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The bottom line is: Trust us! Since we run a weather dependent business, we have to be both VERY good at predicting our local weather, and generous when we're wrong. If we weren't, we would have already gone out of business, long ago. :-)
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Book an Backup Night for your Public Tour - $1 per ticket / per night
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Many tell us they plan their entire vacations around stargazing with the Dark Rangers. So if what we offer is also that important to you, book lodging/camping for more than one night in the Bryce Canyon region. Then book your Back-up night tickets for $1 each.
By booking 1 or more Backup nights at the Dark Ranger Observatory, you increase your chances of seeing our breathtaking night sky without being obscured by clouds. Though we routinely try to reschedule all guests to avoid cloudy nights, purchasing these tickets gives you top priority as we try to move guests from a cloudy night to a more likely to be clear night. NOTE: Back-up night means you are booking a DIFFERENT night than your primary night. Back-up night bookings are nonrefundable. Sorry, $1 doesn't even cover booking and credit card fees, to say nothing of managing 2 guest lists every night.
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Additional Benefit: If in the rare event clouds prevent the use of telescopes on your intended night, and 1 or more Backup nights, you will get a 100% refund including your transaction fees - if your bank allows. In this way, the $1 per ticket provides you with some flexibility against cloudy weather - assuming you are staying in the area more than 1 night. Guests who do not purchase a Backup night ticket(s) are ONLY entitled to a 79% refund when the sky is too cloudy for telescopes on their primary night. NOTE this $1 per person ticket is only valid with the purchase of an equal number of telescope tour tickets for a primary (your intended) telescope tour night. |
Backup Night For Small Private Telescope Tours:
$2 per ticket / per night
Same increase-your-chances deal with the weather, as above, but specific to Small Private Telescope Tours.
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NOTE: Backup nights are not available for Large Private Telescope Tours. Due to the logistical costs of accommodating large private tours, they are only offered 79% refunds for cloudy nights.
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Small Private Tour Backup night bookings are also nonrefundable. Sorry, $2 per ticket barely covers booking and credit card fees, to say nothing of managing 2 guest lists every night.
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Disclaimer: ( That you will later wish that you had read and not just skimmed ).
Purchasing Backup night tickets does NOT guarantee successful stargazing, it just increases your chances of success. It's possible your primary intended night and your 1 or more Backup nights might all be too cloudy. Other times, your Backup night might fill up with regular bookings. Since we cap our attendance, and because primary night booking take precedence, Backup night tickets will be cancelled (without refund -- see above) in the reverse order in which they were purchased (similar to the policy of "last hired = first fired").
Pay attention to your email so that you will realize if and when your Backup night has been cancelled thus alerting you well enough in advance that you can exercise the option of re-booking another Backup -- assuming your vacation schedule allows.
Pay attention to your email so that you will realize if and when your Backup night has been cancelled thus alerting you well enough in advance that you can exercise the option of re-booking another Backup -- assuming your vacation schedule allows.
