During these hard times, there are far more important things to worry about than when you’ll be able to go to the parks again. As layoffs sweep the nation in a time of economic turmoil, the parks are seeing entire workforces sent home to seek unemployment, and Disney fans at home are trying to lower expenses to make ends meet––including cancelling trips, cutting subscriptions, and even scrolling past the latest shopDisney sale. While Disney has promised to extend Annual Passes through the closure, a number of Florida resident Passholders are on monthly payment plans, and it seems there are no exceptions in place for cancellations or payment holds––even if COVID-19 has taken a hit on your income.
In a new piece from the Orlando Sentinel, we see the case of Roy Jossfolk Jr., a 34-year-old Orlando freelancer who works designing websites and mobile apps. Due to the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, he’s lost a $7,500 monthly retainer after some clients have backed out. Despite cancelling other non-essential extras, like Hulu, he’s currently in a bind with his Walt Disney World Annual Pass, as Disney his not allowing any cancellations at this time.
Jossfolk told the Sentinel:
“If I want to cancel my bill because of a national emergency, I should be able to do it. How can they be ignorant to that?”
In response, Disney released the following statement:
“We understand this is an uncertain time for many people and due to the changing nature of this situation, we continue to look at various impacts and how to best meet the needs of our guests.”
Annual Pass prices went up across the board earlier this February, and with Florida resident Annual Pass monthly pricing ranging from $20 for the bare-bones Weekday Select Pass to $75 for the Platinum Plus Pass, these payments could represent anything from an essential cellphone or utilities bill, to groceries.
Other theme parks, like Universal, are assisting Annual Passholders on a case-by-case basis.
Are you an Annual Passholder struggling with monthly payments? Should Disney allow cancellations or allow payment extensions given the current Coronavirus crisis, or do you believe it’d be unfair to non-Florida residents who had to pay upfront? (After all, it is a contract.) Let us know in the comments.
