Disney Hurricane Policy

[TinyToonThor]

If you are staying at a Disney resort, and the parks close due to weather, and you have UPHs, how does Disney reimburse you? Do you get an extra day, room and all?

 

[peter11435]

Technically they do not have to reimburse you at all. However, if the parks are closed they will almost certainly give you an extra day that will most likely not have an expiration date.

 

[safetymom]

Why should they reimburse you for your room? You are still using the room even if the park is closed.

They did reimburse those that had UPH for the days the park was closed.

 

[TinyToonThor]

Originally posted by safetymom
Why should they reimburse you for your room? You are still using the room even if the park is closed.

Well, if Disney is such a magical place, then it's the right thing to do.

 

[Royalbear]

Well, if Disney is such a magical place, then it's the right thing to do.

But even a magical place needs to make money to survive! Why should Disney take a hit for Mother Nature? Hurricane season has always been from August to November. Hate it that there are so many this year.

 

[skoba-nelson]

On our recent visit our whole floor except us on the west side of building 10 in the 70's section were locals or coastal residents riding out the storm, including one CM and his family. He didn't like the way his new house handled Charley and wanted to be somewhere safe for Frances.

 

[TDC Nala]

During Frances, I certainly did not expect them to reimburse me for a room I was still staying in.

I have an AP so I don't know about the ticket thing, but I heard they were doing something about that. I just don't remember what it was.

 

[tjkraz]

I have to agree--all of that magic doesn't come free.

Reports from the prior hurricanes indicated that folks were offered rooms at deeply discounted prices. That's pretty much the same stance that airlines take on weather-related cancellations--they'll get you to a hotel with a decent discount, but they're not going to put you up for the night.

I'm sure some allowance would be made for UPH days that cannot be utilized. If the trip is extended, they'll certainly extend the UPH for a comparable number of days.

But just remember that the parks will only close in extreme circumstances. It's pretty rare for hurricanes to hit the Orlando area as hard as they have this year. You could still get wind and rain as a result of a storm passing nearby, and the parks will remain open.

 

[DizGeek]

Why would they not be required to reimburse you for an UPH if the park was closed down? Wouldnt a movie theatre reimburse you for the ticket if they couldnt show the movie? How about a rained out ball game....they at least re-schedule it. Disney has to give you back money or tickets for any unused passes by law.

Heres what Disney did for us upon checking out after Frances....NOTHING! We actually had to ask for UPH reimbursements! Did I mention we paid for these in full before arrival? I had to ask them about it and they happily gave future passes to me, but not until I mentioned it. What happened to all those people who didnt mention it?

 

[safetymom]

Hurricanes that come through Orlando are rare. The last one that came through the Orlando area was 40 years ago.

If you are still using the room why should you get the room for free?

They did credit people for the days the parks were closed.

I think WDW did all they could to help those people who had to ride out a hurricane in Orlando.

 

[PlutoPony]

WDW and the airlines seem to have been pretty generous in their hurricane responses so far. So much so that I wonder if they aren't defeating the purpose of travel insurance, at least for this possibility? We bought the insurance primarily to cover for a hurricane but wouldn't have needed it the way WDW allowed changes and cancellations w/o penalty.... Any thoughts? Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining about how they've done things ! (and I'm not trying to start a flaming war here - OK?)

 

[safetymom]

I am sure that anyone that didn't know that WDW refunded the cost of the missed days if they contacted WDW they would take care of it for them.

WDW had a lot on their hands to get to everyone.

I would be thankful that you were all safe and sound and didn't suffer any damage. Anything else could be taken care of after the fact.

 

[DizGeek]

Originally posted by safetymom
I am sure that anyone that didn't know that WDW refunded the cost of the missed days if they contacted WDW they would take care of it for them.

You're sure? I'm not...I'll bet there are many families who went to Disney for the first time and didnt know to ask for a refund for unused park tickets. Disney really shouldve mentioned this at check- out...isnt that kind of like stealing?

 

[gigi1313]

we were at pop century thru frances... and imo they did an awesome job of not only keeping us informed, safe and entertained (in the lobby when it was safe to be out of our rooms, and by showing three diff't movies 24/7), they also took care of us by offering (yep, offering!) us uph's w/a 20 year expiry as reimbursement for the closed park days (and they gave us all adult uph's even though two of our travellers were children), and because our airline was not flying on our originally scheduled day, they gave us a $49/night/room rate, which was the lowest available... imo, they easily could have gouged us for the $77 rack rate, but made a smart customer-service decision to go easy on those that had no choice but to stay...

in addition, they offered free 5lb bags of ice, and sold "survival bags" (uncrustables, raisins, nutrigrain bars, chips and bottles of water) for $5 each (when the same size bottle of water was going for $2.50), which again, they could have gouged us on the price (our options were severely limited!) but chose not to and took the route of good customer service instead...

also, sunday night as frances was winding down, the cm's behind the front desk were not all experienced front desk workers... they were working w/a "emergency crew" and therefore not every cm was as knowledgeable as he/she might have been had it been their regular job... getting an inexperienced front desk cm might have been the reason a previous poster did not get "offered" replacement passes, but instead had to ask for them...

overall, our family was pleased w/disney's response to a situation that they could neither predict nor control (and disney is not used to not being in control!) and because of that, would tempt fate and travel there during hurricane season again...

 

[DizGeek]

Originally posted by gigi1313
in addition, they offered free 5lb bags of ice, and sold "survival bags" (uncrustables, raisins, nutrigrain bars, chips and bottles of water) for $5 each (when the same size bottle of water was going for $2.50), which again, they could have gouged us on the price

I was there then as well....you thought that was a good deal? If I could buy the same at a Super Market, what would that cost? $1?

Nice to see Disney making a few bucks during a crisis huh?

 

[safetymom]

If you didn't like the way you were treated you were free to go stay off property.

Many many CM's had a great deal of damage to their homes and they came to work to make sure that the guests still had a good vacation.

You should be thankful that you didn't have to worry about your home and still had a safe,dry, and room with a/c, tv, etc. that many people in FL didn't have.

 

[DizGeek]

I was? How?

Do you know when/where/how I booked my trip? Did I have a rental car? Was the airport open? Is it possible for you to say that I was free to stay off property without knowing the facts?

All I'm saying is, we were NEVER offered a rebate/replacemant tickets for UPH's that were already paid for until we asked about them. And as I said before, I'm sure MANY people left without knowing that they couldve gotten reimbursed.

 

[safetymom]

Yes I do know how it was in Orlando. I live about 15 mins from the parks. I was one of those people that didn't have power, a/c, tv. I also lost all the shingles on my roof.

I am sorry if you feel you weren't treated fairly. I am sure many others think that Disney did a lot for them during the hurricane.

 

[DizGeek]

I'm sorry you lived through that...however, I didnt ask if you knew what it was like. As tragic as the season has been, I'm responding to a "Disneys Hurricane Policy" thread and nothing more. I feel Disney let me and many others down regarding reimbursements. Nothing else.

Hopefully, you and yours got through everything allright.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by DizGeek
I feel Disney let me and many others down regarding reimbursements.

If you read these forums long enough, you'll see pleanty of posts that begin "Guess what I got in the mail today from Disney....a check!"

Disney audits many, if not all, guest bills after check-out and it's not uncommon at all for folks (who clearly didn't bother to review their bill before check-out) to receive reimbursement for incorrectly charged goods or services. So, I would contend that those who didn't receive compensation for unused UPH days will probably receive an adjustment in the mail after Disney has had time to sort through the records.

Of course, if you are really as disenchanted by this as you seem, then voice your displeasure with your pocketbook. Don't go back. Complaining on an Internet message board sure isn't going to accomplish anything.