Best strategy with one unsure person in a party

[marchingstar]

I haven’t been to the World for a few years, so the park reservation system is new to me.

We’re planning a trip next year, and there’s one person in our group who might or might not make it. I’m trying to figure out our best options. What I can think of :
1. Buy his tickets at the same time as ours, and either return or reassign it if he can’t make it. Can tickets be returned? Is the process for reassigning complicated?
2. Wait on his ticket, and risk the parks reaching capacity before he decides. I guess the question here is how close to our travel dates we can get without park reservations. Our visit is May 2023.

Thanks very much for the help! It’s amazing how a few years without visiting makes me feel like a newbie.

 

[mickey916]

You may want to look into buying his ticket through Undercover Tourist. They are refundable (as long as you don't make any changes like adding hoppers or changing days). They just charge you a small processing fee for canceling. Your other option would be to buy it and re-assign it to someone else if he changes his mind. As long as it isn't used you should be able to re-assign and pay the difference if it's a future date. I always buy early and make park reservations 'cuz it's the worst to be shut out.

 

[snikki]

I would book a package and remove them if they decide not to come.

 

[g-dad66]

Days for which reservations are not available for all parks have generally been within the next 30-day time-period, so I wouldn't worry about park reservations until about March.

You can always check out future availability any time at https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/availability-calendar/

 

[lanejudy]

Are you staying onsite? If so I would book a package. That allows you to drop the extra person up until 30 days before arrival, even closer but with a $50 change fee. Tickets purchased directly through WDW (not with a package) are generally not returnable/refundable but if unused will hold value as a credit towards future tickets. Tickets purchased from some authorized resellers may be refundable, check the vendor's policy for details.

 

[rwdavis2]

Explain to this person the issues with being non-committal. It’s so much more complicated now that last minute decisions are risky.

But the package strategy seems the best way.