Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Sandisw]

Have you tried? Just asking - we had purchased an AP in 2019, never activated and long story short I emailed guest services about a refund and they refunded no problems.

But your pass was just a voucher. People who have used it are different.

For example, if someone used it for 7 days already, how do you calculate refund? If they just divide cost by 365 and refund time left, it means they got the benefit of an AP for those 7 days.

Or, so they take off the cost of a 7 day ticket, and refund what is left? I think this is why it would be hard to see a blanket option.

But, I do think that some level beyond closure seems appropriate if one can’t use it daily like expected. I am hoping they will come out with something later.

 

[Eric Smith]

Wasn’t that opening day widely considered to be disastrous? They really enjoy tempting the Fates, don’t they?

It seemed to work out just fine for Disney

 

[gottalovepluto]

Heres a dumb question. Did they not allow them to purchase anything between 7 and 14? Does that mean UK guests can only do 6 or less? Have they historically been allowed to buy from the US site?

ETA - is this a sign that there won’t be anything longer than 6 day tickets, period?

These tickets seem to be a EU special so I don't think Disney is getting rid of the 7 and 14 day ticket as much as they are getting rid of/limiting the special EU offer. Currently, they'll have to buy tickets at the same prices as us non-EU folks after Sept 2021.

 

[WonderlandisReality]

Heres a dumb question. Did they not allow them to purchase anything between 7 and 14? Does that mean UK guests can only do 6 or less? Have they historically been allowed to buy from the US site?

ETA - is this a sign that there won’t be anything longer than 6 day tickets, period?

when I lived over there I could do either. If I was on my US vpn I saw the US site. Never did though, because kids were very little.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

And it covers people who even though the parks are open are not comfortable going back yet Which is a segment I think needs to be considered in all this.

Yes, definitely. I’ve seen a lot of people unhappy with the options because even though they can go they don’t want to do it in a mask for the duration of their pass or aren’t comfortable with the risk of going to a theme park. Both of which are pretty legitimate concerns IMO.

Like I said, I think they’ve been very fair with the multi day ticket crowd, and have gone above what they needed to do. Hopefully that extends to us too.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I've seen reports of expired passes being extended, too. They said they would be, just for the number of days you lost though & not the 4 months that unexpired passes are getting.

Mathwise that doesn't make any sense. Everyone lost 4 months... extending my 3/30 expired pass to 4/14 or whatever would be beyond idiotic.

 

[Eric Smith]

But will that mean you can’t leave & take a break & get back in?

Probably not. I don’t see any reason this would be the case

 

[chicagoshannon]

Mathwise that doesn't make any sense. Everyone lost 4 months... extending my 3/30 expired pass to 4/14 or whatever would be beyond idiotic.

It would get extended to July 27 or whatever the math would come out to.

 

[jenjersnap]

Maybe we should wait for some official announcement before we get the pitchforks out.

Agreed. Plus, Remy last posted 11 days ago which, in the current Disney state of chaos, is, like, forever. Things may have changed.

 

[wdwoutsider]

I could see a class action lawsuit coming on season passes. Particularly for residents of ny-nj-ct they legally couldn't visit WDW but I imagine a solution for everyone is coming. Disney is very cash poor and lost alot of revenue but legally irrelevant from any discussions. Season pass holders are paying for access and it's all gonna go down to how Disney wrote it in the terms. By not opening they also saved alot of operation expenses , utilities etc so it's unfair to do nothing even it's an emergency.

Epic ski season passes are probably the best settled issue. There was a class action lawsuit but dropped , with credits for either season pass renewal or cash credit on daily lift tickets for next season if you don't want to renew. Legally I would think Disney has to do something similar for people who don't want to renew , you lost days you could have entered. I would expect something fair or lawsuits will jump in , so on one needs to worry imho. I think Disney will either offer fair solutions or the courts will make them. Disney won't get away with just an SOL here

 

[vinotinto]

I've seen reports of expired passes being extended, too. They said they would be, just for the number of days you lost though & not the 4 months that unexpired passes are getting.

Both of those things would be the same: extended for the number of days you lost and the 117 days "other passes are getting" actually works out to be the same expiration date.

For example:
My pass expired on March 31st. I had 15 days left when they closed the parks. Parks are reopening on July 11th. the closure period is 117 days (almost 4 months).

Number of days I lost: When you add 15 days to July 11th, my pass should expire on July 26.

Number of days of the closure: When you add 117 days to the original expiration date in my pass (March 31) you get July 26th.

It's exactly the same. Of course, my expired AP has not yet been extended, but once extended, my new expiration date should be July 26.

 

[Krandor]

Yes, definitely. I’ve seen a lot of people unhappy with the options because even though they can go they don’t want to do it in a mask for the duration of their pass or aren’t comfortable with the risk of going to a theme park. Both of which are pretty legitimate concerns IMO.

Like I said, I think they’ve been very fair with the multi day ticket crowd, and have gone above what they needed to do. Hopefully that extends to us too.

wgich is why I thin a prorated refund of rest of ap is a good compromise option and they can get a new pass when they are ready. Maybe even let them do renewal rate is within a year. A feeeze would be better but has issues.

 

[cakebaker]

Have you tried? Just asking - we had purchased an AP in 2019, never activated and long story short I emailed guest services about a refund and they refunded no problems.

That’s my plan for is for my voucher, but I bought it just before the price increase forever ago, so I’m waiting it out to see what the end game is before I cash in my chips.

 

[Mit88]

What did we expect for AP? Well, I didn’t expect more than this. I think what they’re doing is bare minimum.

I wanted more though. I was really hoping they would take into account those of us who bought APs to cover 2+ already planned trips (and not just people who wanted to go as much as possible for a year), and are too far away to be made even close to whole by the partial refund and extension, or any other in park perks they may throw in. I have an email in now, so we’ll see. My expectations are low though.

I will be really frustrated if they don’t allow me to opt in to the partial refund before the parks open if I’ve already been auto extended though. Taking the chance, I guess. I am fine with Disney being as quiet as they want to be, and I can be patient, but not at the financial expense of guests. I think it’s great how they’ve let people get all their money back (who are not AP) and what they’ve done for regular tickets in terms of the generous extension and refunds when requested. Stinks they aren’t extending that flexibility to APs.

To me, they’re doing less than the bare minimum. No, the passes dont act as guaranteed access, but most people that are buying APs know that its just covering their behinds for 4th of July, Christmas Day, and New Years. Many, if not all find the Park Hopping option of the AP to be the most important part of the pass. I completely understand why its not an option for the initial opening and probably for the foreseeable future, but that takes value off the pass. Theres nothing in the legalities that states that due to a pandemic park hopping during your allotted AP period will be closed for either the entire duration, or at least a good portion of it.

Yes, the 4 month extension is fair, but our old pal Remy said “more than fair”, and more than fair isnt exactly less compensation than every other theme park in the US in terms of extensions.

My issue is the exact same as yours. Yes, we got that email in April for the refund or extension. But the extension was a pretty easy determination. Parks are closed 4 months, you get 4 months extra. But they have yet to state any information about the refund. Because theres nothing in the contract stating compensation of a refund, if you opt for one, theres nothing in there that states how much of a refund you’d be getting. They could send you a 100 pennies and say “Theres your refund”. And because they never stated how much people would be refunded, they dont have to send you fair compensation back. So for me, if you’re going to surprise people with extensions, I really hope that theres leeway when it comes to calling and asking for a refund instead. My AP originally expired in October. I have no plans on going to WDW from November through February. I was holding out hope that they’d follow SDL and keep the clock stopped to at least get me to my trip in March.

 

[yulilin3]

Wasn't it just this morning a certain poster told us some would be disappointed if they were expecting things?

 

[Sandisw]

Wasn't it just this morning a certain poster told us some would be disappointed if they were expecting things?

Yup..and AP holders was one of those groups.

 

[Iowamomof4]

Maybe we should wait for some official announcement before we get the pitchforks out.

I've been trying to wait for official announcements, but from what others are saying they have been told by cm's, I believe I have now waited too long. I'm still waiting at this point though, because I'm holding out a glimmer of hope that there will be something good that we haven't heard about yet. I'm trying to just get used to the idea that DH and I will have to buy new tickets when we decide we can return, but man, I was really hoping Disney would end up doing SOMETHING to make it right. I mean, at first they extended my kids' tickets to December 15, and then they extended them all the way to September of next year. They honestly set a precedent by doing that - saying that what they said at first could be amended later. So how was I supposed to know that when they said we should call for a partial refund they REALLY meant it that time?! Sigh. I'm not mad at you, just venting some frustration today. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge deal. I just felt like I was doing the right thing in being patient.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I could see a class action lawsuit coming on season passes. Particularly for residents of ny-nj-ct they legally couldn't visit WDW but I imagine a solution for everyone is coming. Disney is very cash poor and lost alot of revenue but legally irrelevant from any discussions. Season pass holders are paying for access and it's all gonna go down to how Disney wrote it in the terms. By not opening they also saved alot of operation expenses , utilities etc so it's unfair to do nothing even it's an emergency.

Epic ski season passes are probably the best settled issue. There was a class action lawsuit but dropped , with credits for either season pass renewal or cash credit on daily lift tickets for next season if you don't want to renew. Legally I would think Disney has to do something similar for people who don't want to renew , you lost days you could have entered. I would expect something fair or lawsuits will jump in , so on one needs to worry imho. I think Disney will either offer fair solutions or the courts will make them. Disney won't get away with just an SOL here

Im pretty sure what they’re doing with refunds and extensions (and any fine print we accepted) is enough to keep them out of trouble legally.

People may try, because that is what people do, but I think our only solution will come from Disney themselves. Trying to resolve this in a court is just going to waste money and time.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

To me, they’re doing less than the bare minimum. No, the passes dont act as guaranteed access, but most people that are buying APs know that its just covering their behinds for 4th of July, Christmas Day, and New Years. Many, if not all find the Park Hopping option of the AP to be the most important part of the pass. I completely understand why its not an option for the initial opening and probably for the foreseeable future, but that takes value off the pass. Theres nothing in the legalities that states that due to a pandemic park hopping during your allotted AP period will be closed for either the entire duration, or at least a good portion of it.

Yes, the 4 month extension is fair, but our old pal Remy said “more than fair”, and more than fair isnt exactly less compensation than every other theme park in the US in terms of extensions.

My issue is the exact same as yours. Yes, we got that email in April for the refund or extension. But the extension was a pretty easy determination. Parks are closed 4 months, you get 4 months extra. But they have yet to state any information about the refund. Because theres nothing in the contract stating compensation of a refund, if you opt for one, theres nothing in there that states how much of a refund you’d be getting. They could send you a 100 pennies and say “Theres your refund”. And because they never stated how much people would be refunded, they dont have to send you fair compensation back. So for me, if you’re going to surprise people with extensions, I really hope that theres leeway when it comes to calling and asking for a refund instead. My AP originally expired in October. I have no plans on going to WDW from November through February. I was holding out hope that they’d follow SDL and keep the clock stopped to at least get me to my trip in March.

We are also October expiry and in a perfect world it would be safe enough to travel next March for spring break (our cancelled trip from 2020) and a slightly more generous extension would have covered it.

Actually in a really perfect world they would allow us to freeze, we’d wait longer until we felt 100%, and then sneak a bonus trip in as a celebration that this garbage is over.

 

[Mit88]

Im pretty sure what they’re doing with refunds and extensions (and any fine print we accepted) is enough to keep them out of trouble legally.

People may try, because that is what people do, but I think our only solution will come from Disney themselves. Trying to resolve this in a court is just going to waste money and time.

Disney doesnt often lose in court. And I dont envision this being any different. But I think a PR hit from your loyal customers that have APs, like the locals, is going to be different than normal PR hits from either outside perspectives from the media, or guests making a trip once every 5 years.

I dont think they’ll actually do it because they both seem too nice to, but the Trackers making a video saying that they wouldnt buy an AP again because they felt screwed out of this year’s pass, and now that uncertainties are in the back of everyone’s mind, I think they’d be more afraid of that type of reaction than just a normal guest

You’re being rewarded of surviving this pandemic, and able to go to theme parks again with (allegedly) 3 days a month, and the inability to park hop. I wouldnt be surprised if a lot of locals dont renew just because you never know if this can happen again, and what we’re returning to AP wise isnt exactly what we signed up for.

In the end, this is not what Disney WANTS to have to do. But I also think there are better ways to make their APs happy coming back to the parks. I’ve been very vocal that theres nothing deterring me away from going to the parks as soon as I can. But this is the first thing thats kind of frustrating