The parks are closed for now, but they won’t be forever… and for many families, that means possibley making a last-minute scramble for planning a Disney vacation that could happen at any moment.
So, how do you ensure your vacation is MAGICAL when you have such a short of time to plan? Well, we’ve got some ideas on how to make things go as smoothly as possible!
Getting Your Tickets
So, good news. If your vacation was cancelled due to all of this, you’ve already got a ticket. Existing tickets have been extended until December 15th, save for Discover Disney tickets (which have been extended to July), and Annual Passes (which are an entirely different topic). If you don’t have a ticket, things are a little more complicated. Currently no tickets are available until June 1st.
So, our best advice is to buy a flexible date ticket. This is an add-on option on the Disney World website. While you have to pick a start date in June at first, adding this option will allow you to choose any start date from when the park reopens to the present.
Booking a Hotel
Since we don’t know when the parks reopen, we also don’t know when the hotels will reopen. This makes scheduling a stay kind of tricky. If you had to cancel an existing reservation due to the closure, there’s a special vacation package available for guests who were forced to cancel due to the closures, available for stays through September.
If you’re booking a new vacation, Disney is waiving all cancellation and rebooking fees until June 30th. This will give you a bit of flexibility if you’re rushing in for that summer arrival. If the closures are extended into June, these offers will likely be pushed back.
Most Orlando area hotels are keeping an eye on Disney’s projected reopening, and will likely be preparing for guests when the parks get a reopening date. This includes the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels and most Good Neighbor hotels. Just keep in mind that non-Disney hotels aren’t necessarily waiving cancellation fees.
Travel
Alright, now we get to the tricky part — travel. Due to the current global health crisis, traveling on planes could very likely be still be a form of transportation affected even once the parks reopen.Planes will carry fewer passengers, and there will be fewer flights in general. You might even need to submit to a temperature screening before boarding. The same goes for basically all forms of public transportation.
To avoid all of this, consider driving to the parks if at all possible. Not only will this keep your trip a lot smoother, it’ll also give you a bit more freedom to move around the park without having to deal with public transportation. It’ll also help you deal with the uncertainty of the park’s schedule if planning a last minute trip.
If you can’t drive, flight is still an option. However, be sure to check their cancellation and rebooking policies, as well as any temporary measures due to the current health crisis.
FastPasses and Reservations
If you’re looking to book FastPasses or Dining options during your trip, book ASAP. If you’re staying at a Disney Hotel, we’re already in the window for booking fast passes for a June vacation. Just make sure you get them 60 days out. If you’re not staying at a Disney Hotel, start booking them 30 days out instead. There’s no penalty for rescheduling or missing FastPasses, so if the closure is extended everything will be cleared out and you can try again. Just go ahead and pick FastPasses for any days you think you’ll be going. If you can’t make it, just delete them.
Dining reservations, as well as special experiences, are a bit tricky. You will be charged if you miss a reservation, so making a huge swath of reservations is a bad idea if it’s going to be a really last minute trip. However, that being said, as long as you cancel dining 24 hours in advance, you will not be charged!
Click here for 10 Disney restaurants that almost ALWAYS have day-of reservations available!
Anything Else?
We’ve got a guide to last-minute vacations, which applies no matter when you go to the parks. With all the resources available, you can book a magical vacation even during all of this chaos. Do you have any other tips? Let us know in the comments!
Click here for 5 MORE tips for planning a last minute
Disney World vacation!
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Not sure how it will go in Florida, but the CA governor just came out saying he doesn’t see “mass gatherings” happening anytime soon (the articles are actually here on Allears.net under the Disneyland news), and one mayor suggesting it won’t happen until 2021. I for one have had absolutely enough of all this but as much as NONE of us want to admit it, it IS possible this closure will drag on for many more months (I have a Sept trip booked, since last Sept, so….). Everyone seems to want “perfect conditions” before taking ANY sort of leap forward. I hope I’m wrong.
We already have plans for then, but at this point, I think it’s too hard to tell. I recently saw on the news that while some things may open up, anything with large crowds may not due to social distancing. I would review Disney’s cancellation policy if you book with them. We also carry trip insurance which may not cover coronavirus, but we have had to cancel twice due to hurricanes that time of year.
Do you think it would be a good idea to go late September of this year?