Well, it’s happened. Every single Disney theme park has shut down as a precaution to the novel coronavirus, with the Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney suspending departures through March as well.
If you were scheduled to take any Disney vacation during this period, you’re probably wondering how you can reschedule or get your money back. Fortunately, Disney has relaxed their cancellation policy in response to the virus, but rebooking can still be a little tricky.
Walt Disney World
If you had multi-day theme park tickets with unused days, or date-specific tickets with a valid use period through the end of March, your tickets have automatically been extended to be valid through December 15th. No action needs to be taken.
The Discover Disney ticket has been extended for use through July 31st. Annual passes have been extended by the amount of days the parks are closed. If you had a ticket to Disney After Hours, Disney Villains After Hours, or Early Morning Magic, your ticket will automatically be refunded.
All Disney owned-and-operated hotels at Walt Disney World and Disney’s Vero Beach Resort will close beginning Friday, March 20th, at 5 PM. Hotels not owned by Disney, including the Swan and Dolphin, Four Seasons, and Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels, are subject to their own operating changes and refund policies. Contact your hotel or travel agent if you have questions.
Guests staying at a Disney Resort Hotel may modify or cancel their reservation through June 30th with no fee. If you had a reservation during March, you do not need to take action if you have not checked in, as you will automatically be issued a refund within 7 days. If you booked a vacation package through the Walt Disney Travel Company that includes non-Disney owned travel or accommodations, you are still subject to cancellation fees imposed by third-party supplies. Disney can only waive its own fees.
Reservations for dining or special experiences will also automatically be refunded. If you booked your vacation through a travel agent, Disney recommends you contact them as soon as possible.
All Disney owned-and-operated locations at Disney Springs, including Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, World of Disney, D-Luxe Burger, and the Marketplace Co-Op, have been closed for the remainder of the month. Several individual restaurants and retail locations may remain open, so guests should contact them for operating hours.
Click here for all of the refunds Disney World has announced for those affected by the closure
Disneyland
Disneyland has adopted similar strategies to Walt Disney World regarding refund and cancellation policies.
Both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure have closed effective March 14th. All Disney owned-and-operated locations at Disneyland Resort will close on March 16th, with hotels closing at 11 AM PDT, and the Disney properties at the Downtown Disney District closing at 8 PM PDT. Other locations may close, so contacting the location before your visit is recommended.
Annual Passports will be extended based on the number of days closed. Unused 1-Day Tier 1-5 tickets are valid through December 30th, 2021. Multi-Day tickets may be used until January 12, 2022.
If you booked a vacation package or hotel reservation, you may cancel it online for a full refund. You will not be penalized for cancelling after the check-in date. As with Walt Disney World, Disneyland can only refund their own fees; other expenses (such as transportation) may be subject to cancellation fees depending on the vendor.
Guests with dining reservations, activity reservations (such as for Droid Depot), or special event tickets (such as for Disneyland After Dark) will automatically receive a full refund within 30 days. No action needs to be taken.
Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris has waived all cancellation fees through April 15th, and is allowing guests to rebook hotel stays at the same rate through October 15th. They request that all guests refrain from calling until March 16th, even if their reservation was for the coming days.
On their official website, Disneyland Paris released the following:
Disney Cruise Lines
Cruises scheduled for the remainder of March have been cancelled. Guests affected by this cancellation will receive an email in the coming weeks with information on how to reschedule or collect a refund. If you choose to reschedule, you will receive a credit worth the total value of your trip, redeemable in the next fifteen months. This offer extends to all European sailings through July 25th, though the day of embarkation.
Disney Magic sailings through May 8, 2020, and Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Wonder sailings through May 31, 2020 may reschedule through embarkation day, receiving a credit valid for any point in the next 12 months.
Click here for all information released about Disney Cruise Line cancellations
Adventures By Disney
All departures through the end of March, save the Australian adventure departing March 15th, have been cancelled. Disney will contact affected guests.
In addition, the following adventures have been cancelled.
- Disneyland Resort & Southern California through March
- Disneyland Resort & Southern California Escape through March
- England and France departures through April
- Egypt departures through April
- Greece departures through April
- Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos through May
- Italy departures through May
- Italy and Amalfi Coast departures through May
- Japan departures through May
- China departures through June
Guests booked through May 31st may contact Adventures by Disney up to 24 hrs in advance to reschedule their adventure (or replace it with an alternate adventure) to any date before December 31st. New adventures booked before June may be fully refunded until the final payment date.
Click here for all of the information released about refunds for Adventure by Disney trips
Stay tuned to All Ears for more information on this story as it developes
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Hello!
I called Disneyland in Anaheim regarding their Villains Nite. Working in the hospital, you don’t know if their new date they come up with, will really work for you.
There is no refund option at this time. They might consider a transfer option. However, nothing has been discussed and I should try calling back on April 30 (day of the event).
Yes, I do understand that everyone struggles. However, Disney continues to make money on Disney+ and all the other networks it just bought. Let’s also not forget the DVC fees that have not gone down significantly. This also has to be discussed after all is said and done.
It seems as Disney World usually has a more humane way of dealing with things than Disneyland. Not that they care….just food for thought.
I live in Canada and as part of a trip to attend a wedding in Paris that took place in March we bought single day tickets that had to be used by April 1st. When they closed the park Disney extended the date on the tickets but that is no use at all – We are not going to do another trip to Europe just to use the tickets. After a long time i got the following email from them.
Dear Guest
Thank you for contacting Disneyland® Paris.
We kindly confirm that our park tickets are non-refundable.
As such, we regret that we are unable to provide you with a response other than that indicated in the commercial policy on our website.
Yours sincerely,
Holly
Guest Communication
Disneyland® Paris
They didn’t even say ‘regret to inform’ but said ‘kindly inform you’
Received this in response to my inquiry about getting a refund to my previously purchased military Disney world admission tickets
Dear Guest,
We ask for your patience during this time of concern and travel restrictions due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. For the safety of our guests and staff we have temporarily closed the resort. Our ticket office has a “no refund policy”, however, we are able to assist with modifying, exchanging or upgrading your tickets. Please contact us once we reopen.
We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
The Attractions Sales Team
Delta Air: full refund
Amtrak : Full Refund
Hotel: full refund
All with no hassles
Disney Tickets: Wait and See
I assume this no refund policy will be changing. Seems like they only want to push the tickets to a later date but what if one cannot go later in the year. I assume they will resolve this. I realize this is tough for everyone concerned but a no refund policy makes no sense. So someone with authority has to make a decision ASAP. Can’t imagine my situation is unique.
Have a Magical Day