Things have been shaken up in Disney World and we are here to help you sift through it all.
Epcot Monorail
Quick recap: Disney World closed in March, kept accepting reservations, announced reopening dates, then wiped out existing dining and FastPass+ reservations. Now what? Disney is still sorting our their plan of action for the reopening, but let’s take a look at each part of your vacation to see what they are currently refunding!
Disney World plans to open Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom on July 11th followed by Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15th. To help limit the parks’ capacities, Disney is rolling out a new reservation system. But what does that mean for guests who already booked resort reservations?
Disney World Resort Hotels
As the closure has been extended, Disney has been cancelling and refunding hotel reservations that were scheduled during the closure automatically.
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney retracted their previous announcement that Resort Hotels (Other than Disney Vacation Club and Disney’s Fort Wilderness) would be reopening and have not released a reopening date for these other hotels. However, in order to accommodate guests with existing reservations, Disney World placed a hold on new hotel and ticket reservations. Guests with existing Resort reservations will have priority access to the new park reservation system.
Disney World Tickets
As we mentioned, you can’t purchase a new ticket right now, because Disney is focusing on guests with existing tickets for the time being. But with all the different types of Disney tickets available, Disney World is handling each one a little differently.
Park Tickets
Unexpired multi-day park tickets or date specific park tickets that would have been valid on March 12th are still being extended through December 15, 2020. Or, you can apply the value from an unused ticket towards a ticket at a later date.
Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom
At this time, park-hopper add-ons will NOT be automatically refunded. According to a Cast Member we spoke with, “It will not happen automatically do to the fact that we currently do not have information on if our Guests will be able to park hop.”
You can read more about Disney World’s Ticket extension policy here!
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway sign
Disney’s new reservation system will require guests to book a ticket for a specific date, similar to how Shanghai Disneyland reopened. Guests with resort reservations will have priority access to this new system. Guests will also be required to have a valid park reservation and admission before they can book dining or other experiences. We will keep you updated when we hear more details about this new system!
You can read more about the reservation system here!
Florida Resident Discovery Disney Tickets
Florida Resident Discovery Disney Tickets are currently valid through September 30, 2020.
Disney World Annual Passes
Disney stated that Annual Passholders might have access to special experiences and priority booking once the parks reopen. However, the website is still reflecting the same cancellation policy from the closures.
You can read more about Disney World’s Annual Pass refund process here!
Special Ticketed Events
During the closure, Disney has been refunding event tickets for cancelled events including Disney’s After Hours, Villains After Hours, Early Morning Magic, and H20 Glow Nights.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Magic Kingdom
Disney has discontinued ticket sales for upcoming events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, but a Cast Member confirmed that — as of now — the tickets are still valid. We will keep you updated as we learn more about these parties.
You can read more about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets here!
Disney World Dining
In anticipation of the reopening, Disney has canceled all existing dining plans and dining reservations “including Disney dining plans included in packages.”
©Disney
So if you grabbed an advance dining reservation, you booked a Disney Dining Plan with your trip, OR you received a free Dining Plan with your vacation package — these will be automatically canceled and refunded. This cancellation applies to plans from May 28, 2020 through September 26, 2021.
All pre-paid dining or dining experience reservations will be automatically refunded and you will not be charged a cancellation or no-show fee.
Be Our Guest
Note: This does not mean Disney will not have dining plans or reservations by 2021, they are just clearing their current bookings to make way for a new system.
Once the new reservation system is live, the traditional 180 day booking window will change to a 60 day booking window prior to the reservation date. Additionally, if you are a Tables in Wonderland member, your membership will be extended by the number of days the parks are closed.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Similar to the park reservation system, once the new dining reservation system goes live, guests with existing reservations will receive priority access to rebook dining reservations.
You can read more about the dining cancellations here!
Now What??
A LOT has changed in the past several hours, so things are very much up in the air. Take a deep breath and know that you aren’t alone in this. We’re tracking down as much info as we can and will keep you posted here at DFB with the most up-to-date news we have!
If you have questions about your booking, you can call (407) 934-7639 for Disney Customer Support or use the chat feature to message with someone on the Disney World website. To cancel or change your reservation, you can do so online using My Disney Experience.
As you can imagine, Disney World is receiving a high volume of calls and messages, so there might be a bit of a wait. If you booked your trip with a travel agent, you can contact them for more details and for next steps. We’re in this together and please let us know your questions so we can help you out as much as possible!
If Disney World adds or changes any refund policies, we will keep updating this post with the newest information!
Click here to learn more about Disney World’s CONFIRMED reopening dates!
What questions do you have for us about the reopening? Let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to get the answer to you!
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
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