Starting to dream again - info regarding cancellation and trip refunds

[friedela]

We are starting to dream of our next Disneyworld trip again and although it feels good to start thinking about a vacation, we are also very conscious of the fact that things can obviously change very quickly and we may not be able to go. In the past we have never purchased travel insurance or cancellation insurance, we just always risked it. This time we would be much more cautious about covering our butts incase we need to cancel the trip for any reason (including Disney just not looking the same by then.) Does anyone know how cancellation insurance is working right now post-pandemic? We said we would take a "wait and see" approach before booking a trip, but I am suspecting that the travel market will start getting flooded as vaccinations ramp up and we don't want to miss out.

 

[bababear_50]

Hi Hon
It's so nice to dream a bit eh?
I usually buy my insurance via RBC
https://www.rbcinsurance.com/travel-insurance/index.htmlI also have private Insurance via my place of employment.

I would contact a few places and see what they are offering.
Have fun dreaming and planning.


Hugs
Mel

 

[Honeypot]

We also wanted to get our trip booked - to have something to look forward to, but we also thought like you that things might go crazy with bookings (availability and price) so to get in early. I honestly didn't even look at trip insurance (although I do have some coverage due to paying for it with our credit card), because I found booking the Disney trip was fairly risk free. I booked the hotel and ticket package direct, so it was only a $200 deposit, due one month prior. And if I need to cancel or want to move the dates before then, I can for no penalty. Flights we booked through Air Canada, and you can either spend a bit more to have them cancellable/refundable, or in our case, we are able to do a date change for free or can cancel them and get the money back in AC vouchers that don't expire. Because we fly with them most often, I know the vouchers will get used at some point if we need. So the way we booked it, I feel good that we won't get caught out paying thousands we can't get back. Our plan is to get for spring break, hopefully things are ok by then!

 

[Starwind]

One of the big potential issues with cancelation/interruption insurance to consider is that many are voided if the trip is booked when there is a "do not travel" travel advisory in place by the Government, which there is right now. Or variations of this idea. It is therefore REALLY important to read and understand "the fine print" of any policy you are considering.

For travel medical insurance, many won't cover anything covid related. However, some policies will let you purchase a separate additional rider that will cover covid-related issue -- however the limits are much lower than the normal limits. Look around, as the covid limits vary widely between these different policies. And again, reading the fine print and understanding your policy are important.

One thing we do when we travel - even with insurance - is make sure as many things as we can are refundable or changeable upto as close as possible to travel day. For hotels that means a credit card guarantee, no deposit [except Disney, as there is no way around it there!], cancelable w/o penalty upto anywhere from day to 72 hours before arrival (again, except Disney as they have unique policies). For flights, it means not getting the cheapeast economy, but instead a fare that can be canceled (for refund or credit) or changed - either for free or a reasonable fee.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I would check out Disney’s cancellation policy. Personally, we’ve visited Disney over 30 times and never needed trip insurance. Their cancellation policy is excellent!!

Another consideration is, if you think you may want to go eventually and just delay your trip, that is also very easy to do. Our current (hopeful) trip was booked in Sep 2019 for Sep 2020 snd is now Aug 2021. All we’ve had to pay is the initial $200 deposit.

Flights are different but the Disney portion can easily be moved or cancelled with little/no fee.

 

[igrsod]

I would check out Disney’s cancellation policy. Personally, we’ve visited Disney over 30 times and never needed trip insurance. Their cancellation policy is excellent!!

Another consideration is, if you think you may want to go eventually and just delay your trip, that is also very easy to do. Our current (hopeful) trip was booked in Sep 2019 for Sep 2020 snd is now Aug 2021. All we’ve had to pay is the initial $200 deposit.

Flights are different but the Disney portion can easily be moved or cancelled with little/no fee.

How are you feeling about your chances for the Aug 2021 trip? We have a Sept 2021 trip. My DH thinks we will be going for sure.... I'm not convinced. We have cancelled and rebooked this trip 4 times. I'm thinking it's going to be a 5th.

 

[friedela]

We also wanted to get our trip booked - to have something to look forward to, but we also thought like you that things might go crazy with bookings (availability and price) so to get in early. I honestly didn't even look at trip insurance (although I do have some coverage due to paying for it with our credit card), because I found booking the Disney trip was fairly risk free. I booked the hotel and ticket package direct, so it was only a $200 deposit, due one month prior. And if I need to cancel or want to move the dates before then, I can for no penalty. Flights we booked through Air Canada, and you can either spend a bit more to have them cancellable/refundable, or in our case, we are able to do a date change for free or can cancel them and get the money back in AC vouchers that don't expire. Because we fly with them most often, I know the vouchers will get used at some point if we need. So the way we booked it, I feel good that we won't get caught out paying thousands we can't get back. Our plan is to get for spring break, hopefully things are ok by then!

Your Disney hotel and park tickets can be cancelled at no cost to you? I thought park tickets were non-refundable?

 

[hdrolfe]

Your Disney hotel and park tickets can be cancelled at no cost to you? I thought park tickets were non-refundable?

If you book a package through Disney, yes. If you buy the tickets separately or through another seller, then they are non-refundable. Package is the best way to go if you are not sure your trip will happen, $200 down and pay it off 30 days before.

 

[Honeypot]

Your Disney hotel and park tickets can be cancelled at no cost to you? I thought park tickets were non-refundable?

I booked them as a package through Disney. When you do that, it is only a $200 deposit due 30 days before, and you can cancel and get the deposit back or change dates prior to that. I think if you buy tickets separately, then they are non-refundable.

 

[friedela]

I booked them as a package through Disney. When you do that, it is only a $200 deposit due 30 days before, and you can cancel and get the deposit back or change dates prior to that. I think if you buy tickets separately, then they are non-refundable.

Thanks for the info! I had no idea that if you booked as a package that you had flexibility to cancel your hotel and tickets, that is certainly a game changer. I have been doing a lot of research and it looks like every company we would be booking with (flights, excursions, hotels, etc) all offer free cancellation within 30 days of the trip. With this in mind, I am not sure of what the point of travel insurance would be other than of course medical insurance which we have through my husband's employer.

I spoke with a Disney agent this morning and she assured me that with the 30th anniversary beginning in October, Feb. 2022 is going to be in high demand even though it is typically a more quiet month.

Has anyone ever booked a package full price then had a deal come out? Were you able to apply the deal to your package? Or are you locked in for what you signed up for? I doubt they will do a CDN res deal, but they may still do a discount on packages sometime between now and then.

 

[hdrolfe]

Thanks for the info! I had no idea that if you booked as a package that you had flexibility to cancel your hotel and tickets, that is certainly a game changer. I have been doing a lot of research and it looks like every company we would be booking with (flights, excursions, hotels, etc) all offer free cancellation within 30 days of the trip. With this in mind, I am not sure of what the point of travel insurance would be other than of course medical insurance which we have through my husband's employer.

I spoke with a Disney agent this morning and she assured me that with the 30th anniversary beginning in October, Feb. 2022 is going to be in high demand even though it is typically a more quiet month.

Has anyone ever booked a package full price then had a deal come out? Were you able to apply the deal to your package? Or are you locked in for what you signed up for? I doubt they will do a CDN res deal, but they may still do a discount on packages sometime between now and then.

I have done this, not since COVID. I had a package booked and was able to apply a room discount. Saved a bit of money any way!

 

[scrappinginontario]

How are you feeling about your chances for the Aug 2021 trip? We have a Sept 2021 trip. My DH thinks we will be going for sure.... I'm not convinced. We have cancelled and rebooked this trip 4 times. I'm thinking it's going to be a 5th.

I'll admit to feeling more positive too but the main factors for us will be:
- border reopening
- not needing to quarantine when returning (we go the week before school starts so that wouldn't work with my daughter going back to school)
- covid tests before returning home
- mandatory hotel quarantine upon landing in Canada

If all of these happen I think our chances are good and honestly with things going as they are I can see them happening by August. But if not, we'll delay again.

 

[Honeypot]

Thanks for the info! I had no idea that if you booked as a package that you had flexibility to cancel your hotel and tickets, that is certainly a game changer. I have been doing a lot of research and it looks like every company we would be booking with (flights, excursions, hotels, etc) all offer free cancellation within 30 days of the trip. With this in mind, I am not sure of what the point of travel insurance would be other than of course medical insurance which we have through my husband's employer.

I spoke with a Disney agent this morning and she assured me that with the 30th anniversary beginning in October, Feb. 2022 is going to be in high demand even though it is typically a more quiet month.

Has anyone ever booked a package full price then had a deal come out? Were you able to apply the deal to your package? Or are you locked in for what you signed up for? I doubt they will do a CDN res deal, but they may still do a discount on packages sometime between now and then.

As long as there is availability on your resort/room type, or you meet whatever the requirements might be, it can be applied to your booking. You would also be able to switch from one resort to another if you decided to take advantage of a discount available at a different resort. I originally booked mine thinking I would just apply a discount when they get released, but now I am not even sure if they will offer much in the way of discounts as I feel like they will be so busy they won't need to! So, I would also say make sure whatever you book now fits in your budget, and if you can save some money then it's a bonus.