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.
Report your credit card stolen. Pretty simple
Scott, I loved your comment! It’s so nice to see that there are still people with common sense!
Thank you, have a good day😜
Absolutely! Just BREAK THE LAW, commit FRAUD, and be disgustingly unethical and immoral. Sounds like a FANTASTIC solution to an absurd, whiny, entitled problem!!
The only thing whiney and entitled is your comment but I guess its ethical to charge people 100s a month for services the cant use. That’s breaking the law too dumb ass
You’ll never be able to get another AP Until that is paid off. Terrible idea
You can report it stolen or just cancel it all you want but unfortunately Disney will consider this a non payment and will block you indefinitely from ever getting a future annual pass for the foreseeable future.. trust me, I know this by experience. Disney will NEVER forget you owed them money, NEVER. But you’re right, if you don’t care about that, then yes, you can easily cancel your card.
That’s a terrible idea. If Disney can’t get the passholder to eventually to pay the amount owed they will simply send the account to a debt collection company and let them handle it. I’ve dealt with debt collectors before and personally I’ve had my fill to last a lifetime.
I’d never want to cancel my Annual Pass because I love Disney that much but in this critical scenario I think allowing us to pause payments temporarily (let’s say pause April’s payment & move that months payment to the end of the year) seems pretty reasonable for those who want to keep their passes.
I Think this is a good idea, but from a Bob spent to much money standpoint, this is a form of income right now for disney in a time when they are bleeding money
Makes sense since I myself lost half my hours and only work part time. I pay about $209.00 for my daughter and I a month for our passes. It’s not like we do not want to pay. We rather buy essential items not a pass when the park is closed anyway.
This is crazy. We also have no household income now. $117 a month for a family’s passes to closed parks. I can have electricity or a worthless pass. This is not magical. I never thought I’d see the day where Disney should look to Universal for a lesson in high standards. Beyond disappointed. I thought Disney was better than that! At least pause the payments if you refuse to cancel them!
Maybe you should have put some money away for uncertain times instead of burying a frivolous extravagance.
Gee whiz thanks Mr obvious
Lisa could’ve paid for her passes without issue if the country wasn’t in light lockdown due to a virus infecting the population. It’s almost like you’re choosing to miss the point and be a jerk.
maybe you shouldn’t be a tell all what to do rude person or judge someone else…….
Wow.. so judging.. because yeah we should have all known we would all be living in a Contagion movie? This is more than just “uncertain times” who would ever imagined this? Disney should definitely pause payments due to people being out of work.. maybe you’re one of those higher paid employees if Disney that didn’t lose their jo?🤔
You were talking about Disney right?
Hopefully this situation is no more then two months. If you can’t pay you can’t pay. Once things get back to normal and back to work, you make up the back payments and your card will be honored again. Worry about feeding the family. And do not worry about things that you can’t control
That’s not have it works, if you miss more then 3 payments in a row you will have to pay the whole thing off before using it again, at least that’s how it works at Disneyland
Disney fans: “Suck it up! You should have to suffer because I’m jealous you’re local and/or I think I paid more than you.” I sincerely hope Disney changes course on this because they are just asking for a class action suit. And to all you Disney World shills, A CONTRACT CEASES TO BE A CONTRACT WHEN ONE PARTY STOPS PROVIDING THE SERVICE IN THE CONTRACT. It’s astounding to me that you guys are AGREEING with a billion dollar corporation who’s treating their long time customers this way at a time like this. All you Disney shills need to understand that… Read more »
A CONTRACT CEASES TO BE A CONTRACT WHEN ONE PARTY STOPS PROVIDING THE SERVICE IN THE CONTRACT. This is not sound advice. Bottom line if you feel that Disney broke the contract you will still need to keep up your side of the contract and sue them for lack of performance. I’m not a lawyer, neither is anyone else on here either so contact a real attorney to get actual advice.
M
I agree
Contract is a contract.
So if the contract states i should have
access to the park Monday thru Thursday, is that my fault if they wont allow me to???
You will need to sue if they deny you access. There might be a case for a class action lawsuit. I haven’t read the contract we agreed to but they might have an act of God clause, basically saying they’re not liable for pandemics, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. and we still have to pay them. I don’t know what it say’s.
Read this very carefully: a contract ceases to be a contract when the service is no longer provided. Understand?
That’s not true. Cite case law.
Exactly! People who bought the passes outright aren’t allowed to call and ask for part of their money back. That’s not how it works. You signed a contract, you agreed to a certain payment, it is your responsibility to manage it. It’s is not Disney’s responsibility to take more of a hit because of people’s financial problems. The man in this article is an absolute joke. If he had a monthly retainer that large, he has other work. There’s no excuse for him to not be able to make his annual pass payments. And if he can’t — his problem.… Read more »
How stupid can Robert and Vanessa be? The parks are CLOSED. So no, one shouldn’t be paying a bill for a service that you CANNOT UTILIZE.
The annual pass is not a monthly subscription. It NOT a service. It is a SINGLE ticket (product) that costs between $319 and $999 and gives the purchasers access to all the parks for 365 days. Some people are required pay that *entire* cost ON the day of purchase. Certain people qualify to have that cost divided over 12 months. Depending on your standing, Disney waves the down payment of $159. Nobody pays more than a 0.00% APR. The days the parks are closed are being added to the end of your contract, so you’ll ALWAYS get 365 days. If… Read more »
Again some of you miss the point of the entire article. We all purchase things that are not essential during times when we have “extra” income but the current situation makes it difficult even impossible for some to afford these non essentials. What we all are asking from Disney is to understand the times and make some adjustments to their policies and suspend, not forgive, the monthly payments til things get back to normal. If we as the public are asked to make changes in our daily lives then its not a lot to ask a multi-million dollar corporation to… Read more »
But it’s not a tangible item. It’s like a service. Just like if you paid for gardening etc. if they can’t perform the service why would you pay? I’m a contractor and I lost out in the contracts I had. I’m not being paid because I can’t perform the service. This ain’t rocket science here. And yes they should refund the pass holders who paid in full as well.
That’s not the way the real world works. By your logic if you’re buying a car with payments and it breaks then I can stop making payments and it’s all good.
I don’t have the option to return the unused portion of my annual pass so why should someone who got a monthly payment plan get to return theirs? it’s not a monthly pass, it is an annual pass, suck it up like the rest of us.
Amen
THIS!! THIS A MILLION TIMES! Florida residents should not get preferential treatment.
Agreed I paid mine in full . Get over it people it is what it is
Sure there’s a global pandemic leading to widespread layoffs, but you should still fork over money you don’t have and go hungry bc John over here says daddy disney needs it’s money. Capitalism is brainwashing, y’all bootlickers in the comments are insane
I just paid 7,000 for a week at Disney with my son….lines were so long despite it being a slow week because of the locals who evidently only pay $75 A MONTH to be there. Boo hoo…pay the bill while the parks closed…it’s still an incredible obnoxious bargain.
So met me get this straight. YOU can afford to drop 7k on a vacation so therefore the rest of us under a contract who aren’t receiving what we pay for should just suck it up and be ok with giving Disney hundreds every month instead of rent and groceries? It’s a bargain to be ripped off by Disney!
Someone seems to be bitter they spend $7K in a very dumb way…
Because your an idiot and paid $7,000 of your precious savings on a week to spend in the hot weather and long lines?
If $75 breaks your bank then you shouldn’t be wasting it on an amusement park….put it in the bank…start saving money and stop clogging up the parks
I’m starting to think that you guys are from Disney casting.
Actually it is $75 per person. Family passes can be really expensive. What you can afford to pay when you are working is totally different than what is essential when you have no income. I am lucky that I can work from home so the monthly cost is not an issue = the issue is the park. People who have lost their income due to this virus should be allowed to postpone the payments or cancel. The place is crowded and the perfect place to spread illness. I plan to let my passes expire and I don’t plan on going… Read more »
Fortunately, our Silver pass expired on March 15. We will not renew until things are back to normal. Besides, we are blacked out for the summer. Hopefully, we get to renew in August.
Why am I on the hook for my end of the contract if the other party isn’t holding up their end? I don’t understand why it’s ok for Disney to close with no open date in sight yet continue to charge me for a ticket I can’t use.
That’s what an EXTENSION means. The end date on your pass will be extended as many days as the park is closed. They are more than holding up their end of the deal. They aren’t saying you have to pay and they are still going to end your pass. They are saying you have to pay just as you would, and they will extend you access to the park. At least make some effort to be informed prior to climbing up on that high horse of yours.
Then he should be able to pay during the extension for the extended time, not pay while the park is closed. It’s totally lame on Disney’s part not to shift payments along with the shift in pass usage.
Exactly. Payments should be paused until the park is open again.
How does this work with being blocked out for the summer. Will we get extra time we can’t use. Extending my time into June or July makes no sense when I am blocked during that time.
It does say on the website that they are officially opening back up on a certain date.
The pass is a luxury. It’s one of those things that you should make sure you already have the money BEFORE you commit. Anything could have happened that would make this fellow unable to work: an accident or illness, for example. Of course nobody was anticipating a virus laying workforces low, but he shouldn’t have purchased it if his budget was that tight. He was right on the edge to begin with.
If a nuke wiped out disney, would it still be my fault??
Your mortgage is a luxury. It’s one of those things that you should make sure you already have the money BEFORE you commit. Anything could have happened that would make this fellow unable to work: an accident or illness, for example. Of course nobody was anticipating a virus laying workforces low, but he shouldn’t have purchased it if his budget was that tight. He was right on the edge to begin with.
Are you people illiterate or just plain dumb. The guy LOST his income due to an extremely unforeseen circumstance like many others these days! I longer wonder how the heck Trump won the election. Unbelievable!
It’s not a gym membership. It’s not a Netflix subscription. He financed it across 12 months. If I buy new furniture and finance it over 12 months, then 3 months in I lose my job, I don’t get to say “hey, take this furniture back, I can’t afford to sit on it anymore.” You could, but it’ll be repossessed and your credit will be stained. Why is this any different?
But you pay for what you have, if Disney says “we closed”, am I still getiing what they promised? If it even means closed for over 2 months? Whats a deal if they can’t hold their end of the bargain!!!!
Ridiculous comparison. What if the store came back and took my couch before the 12 months is over but still made me pay for it?
Not ridiculous at all. They’re paying for 12 months of access, they’re getting 12 months of access. It may not be 365 consecutive days because of a pandemic, but they’re getting what they paid for.
The couch could break still under warranty and you wait 2 months for a new one to come in.
Because your furniture doesn’t suddenly become unusable for weeks or months without telling you when it will be usable again
THE PASSES WILL BE EXTENDED. NO PASSHOLDER WILL LOSE ANY DAYS. Why is this so difficult for people to grasp?
But if they extend it into the time we are blocked out we are getting nothing
Because!!!! I will lose my life to use it when they will open the parks. Make sense!!! Don’t want Take a risk to contract the virus at them fucking parks. 🤮
Could get infested.. thus making it unusable for weeks or months until taken care of..
This is such a difficult situation, as there has never been one like it before.
Disney can, however, pause annual holder’s payments as long as their parks are closed. This seems like the right thing to do because there is no access to their parks.
If you actually read your contract it informs you that can’t cancel your contract.
If Disney is extending annual passes, it should be without payment. The monthly payment can be made up at the end during the extended month.
Yes! At the very least, they should PAUSE our payments. I’m literally worried about affording groceries right now but Mickey still has to get his cut.
Think of it as they are paying employees and you are helping to make that magic happen.
They have more than 140 billion dollars to pay employees with, doesn’t include the 10,000 CP’s they let go and only payed through March.. once they open, more jobs will be cut to make up difference in losses over time. The amount of FL based monthly payment making pass holders should have their payments delayed for at least this month and next, seeing as Universal Studios is delaying payments and still giving extra days to pass holders for how many day’s parks are closed. Paying $50/mo for park access isn’t what I’d call a big expense or luxury if you… Read more »
Totally agree. So many companies have stepped up and have some sort of financial help. I had been an Universal pass holder for 8 years and decided to change a bit and do Disney this year but I’m extremely disappointed and deeply regret my decision.
It’s at times like these that you see their true colors and Disney’s is very ugly.
Exactly what I had suggested. Car payments are doing it, my phone plan did it like I don’t understand why this isn’t an option. We still want it and we still want to pay for it but just temporarily pausing it would be fantastic and totally reasonable.
I get Disney’s side of the arguement. These are annual passes financed over 12 months. The revenue is already accounted for in their financial forecasts. If they let a large percentage of these passholders cancel, it will have a significant impact in their financial statements. However, it is bad PR to have these stories out there, not that Disney has ever cared. It seems like it would be better for Disney to work out customer hardships than to let them stop making payments.
I get Disney’s side of this. The way I see it, while a closure for a few days (or, for that matter, a “capacity lockout” or a set of attractions at one park closing) isn’t a cause for a partial refund, we’re not looking at a lost weekend but probably somewhere in the ballpark of a 30-75 day closure of all parks (I think 45 is reasonable to expect, per above, but wouldn’t be shocked if it ran longer based on the situation in Hong Kong in particular). That’s unprecedented. It’s even worse with some of the limited passes since… Read more »
If you need to finance an amusement park pass, you can’t afford it. You’re over leveraged and planned poorly.
If I recall correctly, the payment plan is managed by a third party. Disney probably doesn’t have any control over how they operate. Disney gets their money up front.
It’s an annual pass not a monthly pass. Are credit cards, auto loans, and mortgages doing this?
YUP. Many are. Hell, even Universal is giving this option to their passholders.
I think that it is ridiculous to have people continue to may payments. Disney should delay payments until this crisis is over. As far as people being frivolous and not having a lot of money in the bank, listen up, they still deserve to have a trip to Disney. I am one of those people and I plan 1 trip a year because that is all my family can afford. As far as committing to a contract even the government feels different. I have student loans and am currently not incurring interest and my payments have been deferred. Really Disney… Read more »
You are in a contract, you pay the bill. If you can’t afford $75 a month less than a month into this situation than you shouldn’t have had a pass to begin with. You are going to get the “lost time” back at the end of your contract. I can understand a little frustration, but expecting it vs being pleasantly surprised if Disney chose to cease payments are 2 different things. This is like Disney+ subscribers expecting Mulan to go straight to Disney+.
As a out of state passholder who had to pay all up front. I say suck it up Florida residents!
not my fault you don’t live in Florida, they give us a discount because we visit more, just like we should be able to cancel until we know what’s going to happen, we support Disney, you come once for every 10 times my family goes, stop being haters and have compassion for other human beings, why would you be against someone trying to save money in a rare time of economic hardship? No wonder there is a virus, no matter the situation I always stand up for others in times of need, they should refund you as well.