Superthread for Disneyland Resort Closure and Reopening, 3/14/20 - 7/17/20: Please Post All Relevant Questions and Information Here!

[Kender]

I'm still holding off calling. I figure I'll give it at least to the end of the week before I panic call to get the extension option set up. I'm really hoping they'll release more information about how they want you to handle choosing.

For those APs on the fence about choosing, a few things to consider if you need some help working through your choices:

• If you get an extension, will the extension time be during a time you can go? Or would you 100% be unable to travel during the potential extension time? For me the current guaranteed extension covers the last few days of a trip I was taking anyways and was going to need to renew my pass to take the full trip and possible extension looks like it'll cover into close to spring break next year.
• Did you have a payment between the last week of February and March 13? You won't get reimbursed for this time if you don't continue payments. Example with myself: my payments are the end of the month. I'll get back my March 31 payment, but my February 29 payment means I paid for the whole month of March, but only had two weeks of actual access.
• Did you renew a pass last year and area only on payments that are divided by 12? In my case I used a 5 day PH w/ MP so I had a rather large down payment. Anyone with a down payment, though, will be spending more for their pass than someone who had simply renewed the same pass.
• Does the expiration date matter to you? I know some love their date for various reasons. A friend of mine actually tried to argue not being giving the extra month back during that promotion a few years ago because her expiration was her birthday. Others I've seen like it because they see it as being ahead of price increases. I do prefer my winter renewal times, but I'm not married to it. I always let my pass lapse between visits anyways since I have nothing grandfathered and get the Sig+ every time.
• Are you financially okay to continue payments later? Or, in the case of paid in full, not getting a partial refund? And can you afford to continue to go? Affording the pass is not the same as affording the trip. I've known people that before all this ignored what it really cost to go.
• Extending pass extends lower payments and protects from an increase for a few months. While I'm not so sure of a price increase coming anytime soon (and it's not unprecedented to have no increases for a couple years; Sig+ didn't have an increase from October 2015 when it debuted until February(?) 2018 when it got its first increase and they ditched the renewal discount), it is a possibility. It gives a little extra time to your pass past its old expiration.

I'm sure there's other things to consider, but these were some of the things I thought about. I was sure I would extend anyways, but these thoughts helped solidify my decision. I would be losing a lot of value not choosing option 2 and it still fits in my financial life.

 

[njchris]

• Did you renew a pass last year and area only on payments that are divided by 12? In my case I used a 5 day PH w/ MP so I had a rather large down payment. Anyone with a down payment, though, will be spending more for their pass than someone who had simply renewed the same pass.

I don't understand what you are saying here. The total cost is the same regardless of downpayment.

 

[kristensideaoffun]

I don't understand what you are saying here. The total cost is the same regardless of downpayment.

It took re-reading this a couple times to understand what they were saying. I believe what they are trying to say is, if you paid a down payment and decide to not continue with the payments, you will be out more money than someone who did not pay a down payment for their pass.

Example:
Passholder 1: $200 down payment for $599 pass paying $33.25 a month. If they had 3 months left and decided not to “hold” payments until the park re-opens, they would be “saving” $99.75.

Passholder 2: No down payment for $599 pass paying $49.92 a month.If they had 3 months left and decided not to “hold” payments until the park re-opens, they would be “saving” $149.75.

 

[dina444444]

It took re-reading this a couple times to understand what they were saying. I believe what they are trying to say is, if you paid a down payment and decide to not continue with the payments, you will be out more money than someone who did not pay a down payment for their pass.

Example:
Passholder 1: $200 down payment for $599 pass paying $33.25 a month. If they had 3 months left and decided not to “hold” payments until the park re-opens, they would be “saving” $99.75.

Passholder 2: No down payment for $599 pass paying $49.92 a month.If they had 3 months left and decided not to “hold” payments until the park re-opens, they would be “saving” $149.75.

Correct. If it’s a pass renewal you don’t have to make a down payment but you can choose to. New passes require a minimum down payment.

 

[Kender]

I don't understand what you are saying here. The total cost is the same regardless of downpayment.

It took re-reading this a couple times to understand what they were saying. I believe what they are trying to say is, if you paid a down payment and decide to not continue with the payments, you will be out more money than someone who did not pay a down payment for their pass.

Example:
Passholder 1: $200 down payment for $599 pass paying $33.25 a month. If they had 3 months left and decided not to “hold” payments until the park re-opens, they would be “saving” $99.75.

Passholder 2: No down payment for $599 pass paying $49.92 a month.If they had 3 months left and decided not to “hold” payments until the park re-opens, they would be “saving” $149.75.

I didn't think it was that difficult to understand, but I also was trying to not make the post any longer than it already was so was limiting examples

But yes, if you, like me, did an upgrade from a ticket as a down payment (or simply started a new pass year with even the minimum down payment), your pass would cost more for the used months than someone who just renewed if you take option 1.

For me, I paid a down payment of $470 by upgrading my 5 day PH w/MP. My monthly payments have been $77.42

Let's say Disney reopens June 1 and I got a refund on my March 31 payment and didn't have to pay my April 30 or May 31 payment (this is assuming they don't restart my payments May 31 if the reopen date is the day after my usual payment date). That's $232.26. My pass cost $1399. $1399 divided by 12 is $116.58. If I was on a renewal year, the amount back/waived would be $349.75.

$1049.25 would be the total cost for my AP if I was on a renewal year and took option 1. But taking option 1 on a ticket upgrade year? My pass would cost me $1166.74.

 

[mentos]

It’s basically like deciding on prepayment or refinance between a loan with an up front origination fee or not. With an up front origination fee where the APR > rate, that’s equivalent to the AP with an up front ticket conversion or down payment.

If you’re on renewal year, that’s like a no origination fee loan where APR = rate.

I just realized this is probably a more confusing way of looking at it, lol.

 

[laugard]

Yes, it's value for what you're getting over the lifetime of having the pass. Because the down payment is front loaded and separate from the prorated monthly payments, you get more value for what you paid the longer you have the pass. But that matters less if you're near your expiration date or wouldn't go during your extension anyway once the park reopens. That's why someone who's still early in their pass and paid a down payment might not find it cost effective to basically cancel their pass now even without a trip planned. (Unless perhaps they'd visited enough times with the pass to feel it made the money already spent "worth it.")

I paid a down payment, have three months left on my pass and am leaning towards not extending. Even if I deduct what I'm "losing" by not keeping the AP for 12 months vs 9 months (it's like an average difference of $5 per month I have the pass) from the 3 future months I won't be paying, it's negligible. And most importantly, I don't know that I'd plan to go within 3 months of a reopening. Under normal circumstances, yes. But even if Disney opened in June (which I don't expect), I'd want to wait longer to visit.

 

[Kender]

It’s basically like deciding on prepayment or refinance between a loan with an up front origination fee or not. With an up front origination fee where the APR > rate, that’s equivalent to the AP with an up front ticket conversion or down payment.

If you’re on renewal year, that’s like a no origination fee loan where APR = rate.

I just realized this is probably a more confusing way of looking at it, lol.

Yeah, I've been trying to keep things as simplified as possible so more people can understand it without thinking too hard about it

Yes, it's value for what you're getting over the lifetime of having the pass. Because the down payment is front loaded and separate from the prorated monthly payments, you get more value for what you paid the longer you have the pass. But that matters less if you're near your expiration date or wouldn't go during your extension anyway once the park reopens. That's why someone who's still early in their pass and paid a down payment might not find it cost effective to basically cancel their pass now even without a trip planned. (Unless perhaps they'd visited enough times with the pass to feel it made the money already spent "worth it.")

I paid a down payment, have three months left on my pass and am leaning towards not extending. Even if I deduct what I'm "losing" by not keeping the AP for 12 months vs 9 months (it's like an average difference of $5 per month I have the pass) from the 3 future months I won't be paying, it's negligible. And most importantly, I don't know that I'd plan to go within 3 months of a reopening. Under normal circumstances, yes. But even if Disney opened in June (which I don't expect), I'd want to wait longer to visit.

That's a big reason why I listed several elements I weighed in making my decision . I don't expire until December myself so I've got leeway. I might think differently if I expired soon (but not so soon I wouldn't get the full closure time added; that's a whole other situation to consider). But I also might not. I hate losing value, but I might lose more if I couldn't go during the added time in that scenario.

It's a very personal decision everyone has to make. I just hoped to offer some points not all may have considered

 

[mentos]

I don't expire until December myself so I've got leeway. I might think differently if I expired soon

Kender....Kender my quasi-neighbor and DIS Boards MVP....lol please don’t say “I expire” it really freaks me out cuz I’m in healthcare and that’s what we say when uh, someone checks out permanently

 

[Kender]

Kender....Kender my quasi-neighbor and DIS Boards MVP....lol please don’t say “I expire” it really freaks me out cuz I’m in healthcare and that’s what we say when uh, someone checks out permanently

I snorted out loud . Oh if you only knew the terrible twos of Kender you'd know it's a miracle I'm alive today. My favorite (and biggest lesson) was that metal conducts electricity. I stuck metal tweezers in an electrical socket (the only one uncovered in the house and behind a TV). I was fine and thankfully only remember the before (I was playing "drive a car") and the after lesson of "don't do that again ever". I don't remember the pain.

I also freak people out a lot because often say "I'm dyeing" when asked what I'm doing. But when spoken one obviously does not hear the "e". Not even trying to make a joke! I just don't think about the other context of it lol! I'm sure I've got several other phrases that are common in my line of work that mean something totally different (and potentially really bad) in another.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I'm still holding off calling. I figure I'll give it at least to the end of the week before I panic call to get the extension option set up. I'm really hoping they'll release more information about how they want you to handle choosing...

Same here. The poor CMs must be overwhelmed right now. Our passes don't expire for some time, so we can wait for more information to be released.

 

[meryll83]

So I just read this on another Disney site...

“According to the Disneyland website, if you have wholly unused multi-day park tickets or unused single-day park tickets, you can use them on a future visit as long it’s in the same validity period. Your ticket will have full expiration details.”

I can’t see any expiry details on my tickets on the app, so I went back to my original booking email which says...

“Multi-Day Ticket Expiration
Tickets expire 13 days after first use or January 12, 2021, whichever occurs first.”

So I guess if we don’t use them by Jan 12th we lose them?
Doesn't give us as much flexibility as I’d hoped when we have to sort travel from the UK, either based on assumptions as to when we can fly again or awaiting things to settle down before booking...

 

[StormyCA]

So, I emailed SWA about my travel funds ('earned' in 2019, set to expire 6/22/20) and got a 'cut and paste' email response that they would be extended to 6/30/2021. Nice.

I'm holding on to that email though!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

So I just read this on another Disney site...

“According to the Disneyland website, if you have wholly unused multi-day park tickets or unused single-day park tickets, you can use them on a future visit as long it’s in the same validity period. Your ticket will have full expiration details.”

I can’t see any expiry details on my tickets on the app, so I went back to my original booking email which says...

“Multi-Day Ticket Expiration
Tickets expire 13 days after first use or January 12, 2021, whichever occurs first.”

So I guess if we don’t use them by Jan 12th we lose them?
Doesn't give us as much flexibility as I’d hoped when we have to sort travel from the UK, either based on assumptions as to when we can fly again or awaiting things to settle down before booking...

As stated on the DLR website, your tickets are good until 1/12/2021. But if you cannot visit the parks before that expiration date, your tickets will still retain their original monetary value (i.e. what you paid for them or the price that is in the barcode). Hang on to those tickets! When you are able to visit DLR at a later time, you would take the expired, unused tickets to the booths to upgrade them to new tickets. You should only pay any price difference. So you won't "lose" them -- they will still be worth their original value, even if unused by their expiration date.

 

[SeaDis]

Bob Iger on Disney After Coronavirus: Disney World and Other Parks Could Screen for Illnesses

On reopening the parks after the virus passes:

One of the things that we’re discussing already is that in order to return to some semblance of normal, people will have to feel comfortable that they’re safe. Some of that could come in the form ultimately of a vaccine, but in the absence of that it could come from basically, more scrutiny, more restrictions. Just as we now do bag checks for everybody that goes into our parks, it could be that at some point we add a component of that that takes people’s temperatures, as a for-instance.

We’re studying very carefully what China has been trying to do in terms of their return to normalcy. And one of the things that’s obvious is they’ve conscripted a large segment of their population to monitor others in terms of their health. You can’t get on a bus or a subway or a train or enter a high-rise building there—and I’m sure this will be the case when their schools reopen—without having your temperature taken.

So we’ve asked ourselves the question, let’s prepare for a world where our customers demand that we scrutinize everybody. Even if it creates a little bit of hardship, like it takes a little bit longer for people to get in. Just as the case after 9/11 where people ultimately lived with the notion that in order for them to enter a building, if you’re in an office building you have to show a picture ID or get your picture taken and be screened. Or in order to enter a park you have to put your bags out there to be checked and you go through some kind of metal detector. Or certainly what’s going on in airports with the TSA.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/bob-iger-on-disney-after-coronoavirus-51586252700

 

[meryll83]

As stated on the DLR website, your tickets are good until 1/12/2021. But if you cannot visit the parks before that expiration date, your tickets will still retain their original monetary value (i.e. what you paid for them or the price that is in the barcode). Hang on to those tickets! When you are able to visit DLR at a later time, you would take the expired, unused tickets to the booths to upgrade them to new tickets. You should only pay any price difference. So you won't "lose" them -- they will still be worth their original value, even if unused by their expiration date.

Ah, that’s useful to know!
Thanks!

 

[Aurora0427]

@TikiTikiFan I just read an article about a class action lawsuit being filed against United for refusing to offer refunds for cancelled flights. Just FYI!

 

[Aurora0427]

Bob Iger on Disney After Coronavirus: Disney World and Other Parks Could Screen for Illnesses

On reopening the parks after the virus passes:

One of the things that we’re discussing already is that in order to return to some semblance of normal, people will have to feel comfortable that they’re safe. Some of that could come in the form ultimately of a vaccine, but in the absence of that it could come from basically, more scrutiny, more restrictions. Just as we now do bag checks for everybody that goes into our parks, it could be that at some point we add a component of that that takes people’s temperatures, as a for-instance.

We’re studying very carefully what China has been trying to do in terms of their return to normalcy. And one of the things that’s obvious is they’ve conscripted a large segment of their population to monitor others in terms of their health. You can’t get on a bus or a subway or a train or enter a high-rise building there—and I’m sure this will be the case when their schools reopen—without having your temperature taken.

So we’ve asked ourselves the question, let’s prepare for a world where our customers demand that we scrutinize everybody. Even if it creates a little bit of hardship, like it takes a little bit longer for people to get in. Just as the case after 9/11 where people ultimately lived with the notion that in order for them to enter a building, if you’re in an office building you have to show a picture ID or get your picture taken and be screened. Or in order to enter a park you have to put your bags out there to be checked and you go through some kind of metal detector. Or certainly what’s going on in airports with the TSA.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/bob-iger-on-disney-after-coronoavirus-51586252700

I just don’t see how this is effective. I just read an article out of China today stating that epidemiologists and doctors there think up to 80% of people there were infected by asymptomatic carriers.

 

[Blue32]

I just don’t see how this is effective. I just read an article out of China today stating that epidemiologists and doctors there think up to 80% of people there were infected by asymptomatic carriers.

I don‘t think these measures will do much either IMO. Theme parks are not built for social distancing. You are going to be around people. Some of them could have some sort of illness. It’s just how it is. I think Disney could end putting a lot of measures in place to make the general public feel better or safe but I’m not sure they will reduce risk all that much. What needs to happen is a decent amount of immunity to this thing so it’s not as contagious, and we need some treatments to take care of the sick. We can get our lives back after this thing.

 

[Aurora0427]

I don‘t think these measures will do much either IMO. Theme parks are not built for social distancing. You are going to be around people. Some of them could have some sort of illness. It’s just how it is. I think Disney could end putting a lot of measures in place to make the general public feel better or safe but I’m not sure they will reduce risk all that much. What needs to happen is a decent amount of immunity to this thing so it’s not as contagious, and we need some treatments to take care of the sick. We can get our lives back after this thing.

Agree. Disney won’t be safe for people who haven’t had the virus until they find a vaccine or a treatment that works, or unless we get really lucky and it goes dormant in the summer like the flu.