Walt Disney World Releases Updated Information on Coronavirus Closure, Including Annual Pass Extensions and Refund Policies

Matthew Soberman

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Walt Disney World Releases Updated Information on Coronavirus Closure, Including Annual Pass Extensions and Refund Policies

As the Walt Disney World Resort prepares for a lengthy closure of its theme parks over the Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic beginning Monday, March 16th, the resort has released updated information concerning reservations, ticket expiration extensions, annual passes and more.

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TICKETS

May I get a refund on my ticket?

Unexpired multi-day theme park tickets with unused days, or date-specific theme park tickets with a start date on or before March 31, 2020 will automatically be extended to use any date through December 15, 2020. If you are unable to visit by December 15, 2020, you may apply the value of a wholly unused ticket toward the purchase of a ticket for a future date.

Florida Resident Discover Disney Tickets may be used through July 31, 2020.

Guests who have purchased tickets for Disney After Hours, Disney Villains After Hours and Disney Early Morning Magic from March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020 will be automatically refunded.

ANNUAL PASSES

How does the closure of Walt Disney World impact annual passes?

Walt Disney World annual passes will be extended by the number of days the parks are closed, March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020.

RESORTS

I have a future stay at a Disney Resort hotel while the park is closed. What does that mean for my vacation?

Guests who have not checked in for stays between March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020 may modify or cancel their Disney Resort room reservation or Walt Disney Travel Company package up to their original check-in date. If no action is taken, Disney will automatically process a refund to the original form of payment within seven days of the original check-in date. If you did not book through Disney directly, please contact your travel professional.

What if I want to cancel a Disney Resort hotel reservation after the parks reopen?

We will waive all Disney imposed change and cancellation fees up to the date of check-in through June 30, 2020.

DINING & OTHER EXPERIENCES

I have a pre-paid dining reservation or experience reservation like Droid Depot during the time when the parks are closed. Will I receive a refund?

Yes. All pre-paid dining and experience reservations will be automatically refunded if scheduled between March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020.

What happens to dining reservations that required a credit card at the time of booking?

Reservations made at locations impacted by the closure will not be charged a cancellation or no-show fee.

As of the writing of this article, resort hotels and Disney Springs will remain open during the park closures. Keep reading WDWNT for continuing coverage on this ongoing story.

MORE:

Walt Disney World Resort Website Experiencing Occasional Unavailability Following Announcement of Temporary Park Closure

BREAKING: Walt Disney World Resort Closing Temporarily Over Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Reedy Creek Fire Department Reports Seven Walt Disney World Firefighters and EMTs Currently Under Quarantine for Coronavirus

58 thoughts on “Walt Disney World Releases Updated Information on Coronavirus Closure, Including Annual Pass Extensions and Refund Policies”

  1. Traveling to Orlando just for Disney World and now I find out it will be closed!!!!! What do I need to do to get my money back instead of a gift card that I will never use!!! We are talking about 1,000 dollars!!! I NEED MY MONEY RETURNED BY DISNEY!!!!!! Way to go Disney World cost all my vacation money and days now I have to not have vacation and going to loose all my vacation money!!! You people are not right

    • good point.
      Hopefully during this time, mydisney experience app will still work and folks can make FPs, dining reservations etc.
      And if lucky even snag a ROW boarding group (like a few weeks ago, some did it from maine lol)

  2. I love Disney but this ticket refund policy is horrible. My family was suppose To enjoy Disney World and then go on the cruise. Due to the Virus it was cancelled on us ( totally get it) But… Now disney is saying it will not refund our park passes? I have a college age daughter and her 3 friends that booked tickets for 1 day At Epcot to come spend with her Family and Grandparents. They will not be rebooking this trip anytime soon as they all graduate this year and will be busy starting their lives. With that said for collage age kids the entry fee is not just a small change.$$$ You really should outright refund the the cost of the tickets for anyone who had planned and booked to visit the Park During your time of closure. This is a disappointing policy.

    • i agree totally we are from Montana and planned and now we have been cancelled and have no possible date in sight to rebook this trip due to other prescheduled events.

    • I completely agree- my husband is a federal officer and his vacation weeks are planned out for the entire year. We will not be able to return this year and don’t know when we will in the future since my daughter is also starting college. We bought three adult tickets and one child for six day park hopper.. that is VERY expensive. I think this policy is unfair and refunds should be processed for those that aren’t able to make future plans.

    • I agree with Shelly, my daughter has $800 in tickets with no idea if she can ever use them in the future. They should be refundable , I always thought of Disney as being a respectable enterprise this is not fair. Some have financial hardships and need the refund back.

        • really?
          Do you realize people are losing their jobs since the virus? They had their jobs when they book their trips.

      • Same….you would think they would do the right thing. Post on Twitter. Maybe if enough people post, they may change the policy

      • I was denied a refund also. Guy just said the value of the ticket won’t expire and I can apply the value I paid to another ticket even if they expire. So yes they are denying refunds on tickets.

    • Did you actually talk to someone? I cant get thru and my vacation was supposed to start this sunday

    • I agree. We purchased theme park tickets for our college age student and a friend from Brazil for Spring Break. Now, we’re sol. Especially with the Brazilian student who is heading home in June.

    • This whole thing a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. Don’t SLEEP through Great Moment with Mr. Lincoln: PAY ATTENTION

      At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some trans-Atlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined could not, by force, take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, that if it ever reach us, it must spring from amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be the author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through ALL TIME, or die by SUICIDE.

    • My son and his friends are in a similar situation. All will be graduated in May and working full-time jobs – no telling when they will be able to go to Disney World again. They need to issue refunds.

    • Meanwhile if you bought your tickets through any re-seller instead of directly through Disney, you can get a full refund pretty easily.

  3. This was supposed to be my first time ever going to Disney so you can imagine how sad I am. I purchased the one park admission ticket on the 17th for my boyfriend and me and now I’m really disappointed that I probably can’t even get a refund for that cause it’s not a multi-day ticket or after hour pass. I’m a college student so it was a lot of money I invested in Disney. I was so excited and the refund policy is ridiculous. I have no interest in even coming to Disney at all now.

    • It’s a blessing in disguise. One day at WDW is not enough. Save up and return for when you can do all the parks and then some.

  4. OK…we’re concerned about your safety and our cast members’ safety…but we’re staying open through the weekend. WHY?

  5. This policy is ridiculous. THEY CHOOSE TO CLOSE THE PARKS!!!! I can cancel my hotel but not get a refund on my tickets. SHAME ON YOU DISNEY. This is NOT the right thing to do.!!!!!! If we chose a refund, you should refund out $$ because if was DISNEY that locked us out of the park on our Spring Break

  6. I purchased a 4-day Florida Resident Discover Disney in January. I am 81 years old, and there is no way I will feel safe going to Disney World before July 31, 2020. This one-month extension of my ticket is outrageous. Either extend it until December 15, as they are doing for multi-day theme park tickets, or refund my money. I will not go anywhere until a vaccine for Covid-19 is available.

  7. Time for a class action lawsuit! Full refunds must be issued or its theft for failure to provide a service.

    • That’s exactly what we are going to do!! Disney make millions if not billions and are not going to refund !! I’m sure we will find a good lawyer who will love to take our case!

    • Our family’s tickets were for the end of March and beginning of April. We live in Michigan. That’s a long way to travel to see if they really do reopen on April 1, yet the April tickets won’t be reissued. Extending just a few months up until Mid December does not work for my family. They changed the refund rules deal when they closed the park. They MUST be required to refund our money.

      • I’ve looked at the new 2021 ultimate pass for all parks sea world and universal had gone up £91 .im in the uk and due to bring my son and grandson may14th.thats £91 per ticket they definitely should at least extend your valid tickets until a years time or I won’t be going ..this would’ve been my 6th visit plus 2 in euro Disney .i hope they freeze prices 👍it’s the right thing to do !

    • Technically, all they have to do is offer some sort of recourse, which they have, and they are in the clear.
      They offered to honor them at any time in the future, it is then, up to you if you choose to use them.

  8. Omg..this is a terrible policy considering the circumstances. We were to be there April 4th for 4 days of park fun. We have cancelled the trip and we won’t get an extension on our paid for tickets! That is unacceptable. We had hopes to return in the fall.

    • I got a full refund on Friday! We will rebook our trip when the world returns to normal. Thanks Disney, for doing the right thing.

  9. They will pay the staff which is appropriate but will not refund park tickets. Some people either can’t afford to reschedule again by the end of the year or for various reasons can not use the tickets. Great loss of money for the families that Disney want us to believe they care for.

  10. Is the passholder information the same for Disneyland? I couldn’t find anything and my pass expires on March 30th….

  11. Does anyone know if we can get a refund or switch out dates if we are already checked into our Disney resort? We were supposed to be there this Sunday for a week?
    There are instructions on what to do if you haven’t checked in but not for the people who have already checked in.

  12. We were booked from the 13-20th at a Disney resort with 7 day passes for two adults and two children. The park closure was announced less than 24 hours before our flight departure to Orlando. Disney’’s policy states they are offering refunds for events booked after the park closes on the 16th. I’m currently seeing charge alerts on my Amex from what I presume is a “missed dining reservation.” We have prepaid dining experiences set up on the 15th and according to Disney’s policy we would not qualify for refund. Disney is unreachable by phone. While this whole situation is a nightmare, and there are 100x more important things going on right now, it would be a good idea for them to re-examine their refund and cancellation policy or they will be battling folks in similar situations on a case by case basis.

    • Update: I was finally able to reach Disney today by phone. The entire process took about two hours of combined hold time. If you call, and have multiple reservations (ie hotel, resort, tickets, dining, pre-paid experiences), you can probably cut that time by trying to navigate their menu directly to Guest Services. They were able to address the cancellation fees for dining reservations, as well as our pre-paid experiences that were set to take place from the 13-15 (ie before the official closure). They were also able to arrange for a refund of our resort stay. Park tickets are still currently “non-refundable” but the cast member I spoke with suggested they will be producing more info in the near future about how to address tickets or rescheduling, etc.

  13. My daughter purchased tickets and cannot make a return trip. She needs a refund. I hope Disney realizes that this is a special circumstance and refunds should be issued. This raincheck policy is wrong.

    • I’m from NY , I have two 4day passes for April 15th that were $815 ,Disney is saying that they will be closed through March , however who really know’s when they will open back up? I’m not settling for a credit I want a full refund !

  14. My in laws were coming from Israel for my daughter’s wedding at the end of May. I bought their tickets, their flights are booked (so far). They are considering cancelling, because everything keeps changing so fast. I doubt they will come before the end of the year at this point. The tickets are non transferable, so I can’t even use them. This is $1500 worth of tickets!

  15. I am booked to stay at Old Key West for 10 nights with the Disney dining plan. I have booked directly with Disney. If I decide to come and stay at OKW can I use the DDP but claim back the cost of the park tickets if the parks are still closed? Any ideas? Many thanks

  16. Hey people complaining about the tickets not being refunded. Read again. If you’re not planning to come again to Disney this year, you can use the money you paid for tickets as credit for tickets for ANY FUTURE YEAR…you’ll just have to pay the difference of any ticket price increase. So unless you were NEVER coming to Disney again, you’re not losing out on anything. The only people getting “screwed” are ones that never planned to come to Disney again at all.

    • You don’t get it! People are losing their jobs right now because of this virus. They’re being layed off. A credit isn’t going to do anyone any good. People need their cash back. Why is that so hard to understand?

  17. Disneyworld refuses to refund my tickets. They closed the park in Orlando, which cancels my family trip.
    The four seasons allowed me to cancel our hotel rooms, but Disney is keeping my ticket fees.
    UNBELIEVABLE!
    I can’t believe this is how they treat their patrons.
    I can understand closing the park, but keeping my prepaid ticket fee is just criminal. We won’t be able to go for another year so it doesn’t do us any good to “postpone” the use of the tickets.
    I encourage people to think hard with whom they want to spend their money because Disney does not care about treating you fairly.

  18. Last year I did a private tour at Disneyworld Magic Kingdom in Orlando. It was something like $6,000 for the one day. It was for myself, wife and daughter. This year they close the park and won’t even refund my tickets that cannot be used.
    I guess I am “glad” that this happened to me because now I can be an amazing anti-Disney ambassador. A former patron that spent tens of thousands of dollars and now will happily go to Hawaii instead. I wonder if Disney knows or understands that the patrons like myself run in circles with the other people that book these types of tours and spend this kind of money.
    Food for thought.

  19. Disney owners and executives !!!! do the right thing and refund our ticket money. We need these funds to support our families during this pandemic !!! some are out of work, loosing income and need our money refunded. You have plenty and its time to take care of all the people who supported you all these years.

  20. I saved up for some time and got the tickets before the virus struck. Now with potential travel bands and closers it’s unlikely I’ll be able to make it, and way never be able to goto Disney in the future. It’s not right to keep my hard earned money and not provide any services! Refund my money, please.

  21. With all of the uncertainties and stress that everyone is dealing with, Disney should do the right thing and issue refunds!! My son and his family were to come visit us in FL and we planned on going to Disney April 7-12th!! We are so disappointed and stressed that we cant do that!! With people losing their jobs and the economic situation, Disney should show some compassion!! I donknow WHEN or even IF we can plan another trip!! So sad!! 😥

  22. I cancel my trip to Disneyworld today and was told my insurance would not be paid back but that is NOT what this site says ! It says I should be fully refunded!!

  23. I will never go to disneyland ever again. Lost my job and my vacation days. They are a scam of a company. It will take me a year to build up vacation again if I even go back to work in the next month. They say the tickets are good to the end of the year but now I have no money because I lost my job because of this virus. Multi million dollar company and people need their money now more than ever. Fuck Disney. Will never give them another dollar.

  24. Hi All,
    My question is for Student Tours. My daughter and her school were scheduled visit WDW in late April 2020. All student trips were cancelled, rightfully so due to COVID-19. That being said, was told that Disney was offering refunds…but not to student tours….which cost significantly more. We have 250 students…at $1100 and $1300 for Teachers/Chaperons that we are told we can’t recoup. Have you gotten any feedback on this or any advice on how to approach this being that this is unprecedented times, and to be accommodating to families? Please advise. Thanks!

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