Trying to cancel my vacation

[shaunaluvsdisney]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this so moderators feel free to move this if needed:

We booked 2 months ago a trip to Disney with the intent of getting AP's, staying at Pop, and having the dining plan. I paid a $200 deposit on the trip as well as asking for travel insurance(which I have never added before). I was concerned with flu/illness and thought the insurance would be a good thing to have.

Finances have changed and we can't afford to go on the trip now. I had my husband call today to try and cancel the trip and get our deposit back. He was told that because we got the travel insurance that after 14 days of booking we can only get $63 back on the deposit. The rest goes to the travel insurance. Our trip was scheduled for Jan 31st-Feb 9th .

Does anyone have any experience with this? It just doesnt sound right that we would loose all that money for booking travel insurance. Had I not booked the insurance would I have gotten all $200 back?

Thanks for any information or suggestions ou can give.

Shaunaluvsdisney

 

[kerri0616]

I've never bought travel insurance, but I have canceled a trip before. I believe 45 or more days before the trip, I received my full $200 back.

K

 

[Sandi]

I think you should only lose the cost of the insurance. Check your invoice or receipt and see how much you paid for the insurance. I thought it was about $50. The rest should be refunded. I sometimes buy insurance, but not always. I've never cancelled nor had to use the insurance, however.

Good luck.

 

[ajpa]

I think the insurance disney adds is around $67 per adult, so that sounds about right.

Maybe you can reschedule your vacation instead of canceling -- will that allow you to keep the $200? Say reschedule it for around a year after your initial schedule?

 

[catne]

you do lose the full cost of the insurance once you're past the first 14 days because you actually were insured during that time ...in other words, you did receive the insurance product you purchased - the trip insurance. If you had to cancel your trip during that time due to one of the insured occurrences, you would have been covered. That is why you will not get the cost of the insurance refunded - like any other insurance you don't get a refund when you don't use the coverage.

Don't know the exact cost of the insurance, and don't have my receipts handy, but if I recall, it was around $130 or so for the two of us.

You would have received the full $200 back if you did not have insurance and you had cancelled more than 45 days before the trip.

 

[RMulieri]

That is correct.You get back the deposit minus the insurance. You can only get a full refund of the insurance within 14 days of booking.If you cancel or CHANGE your dates you get back the deposit LESS the insurance amount.Travel insurance is non refundable and only good for the dates of the trip it is booked for.This is why I never add the insurance till the 45 day mark on my pkg.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

They definately told me the insurance was non-refundable after 14 days so that sounds right. Sorry to hear you had to cancel that's the pits

 

[LexiC123]

Did your husband cancel the reservation already? If you didn't, you might have some recourse...if you find a sympathetic CM to talk to.

The same thing happened to me earlier this year. Back in January, I booked the BC for Memorial Day week and took out the insurance because my DH has a history of back problems and we never knew when his back might go out on him again.

Maybe I was overexcited about the fact that this was going to be our first trip back to the World in seven years, but I'd never used travel insurance before and honestly did not recall being told that the insurance was non-refundable.

We found out in March that DH could not take time off in May, due to work constraints. We decided to reschedule for August, so that we'd be able to still take advantage of the Buy 4/Get 3 promotion. When I called to change the dates, I found out that $133.00 of our $200.00 deposit would be forfeited to cover the travel insurance. I was on the verge of tears at the thought of that much of our hard-earned vacation money going to waste. The CM was beyond understanding and so sweet...she got her manager on the phone and they agreed to transfer over the entire $200 deposit to the new reservation.

Ultimately, we had to reschedule the vacation yet again and did indeed forfeit the $133 for the travel insurance. Luckily, we were able to secure a reservation at the Dolphin for $150/night less than we were paying at the BC, so it all worked out.

If you haven't yet canceled the reservation, maybe you can try to reschedule for later in 2010, in the hopes that things might look brighter on the financial front. It's worth a shot.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Nikisha421]

wow i never realized that adding the insurance changed the whole ball game...OP sorry about your situation...but i must say thanks for posting since now i and maybe others have just been enlightened

 

[jimmaher69]

A travel agent once told me not to buy the insurnace until you get closer to the travel date because of this reason.

Hope you can go again soon.

 

[skier_pete]

Disney's right - if you booked the travel insurance right from the start - they won't refund the travel insurance. That's $67 per adult or $134...meaning you get $66 back. The travel insurance is NON-refundable.

Here's a tip - NEVER book the travel insurance ahead, only add it on when you make your final payment at 45 days out...else this is what will happen. (This isn't just Disney - if you had bought travel insurance anywhere else, they usually give you 14 days to change your mind, then the travel insurance is solid.)

SkierPete

 

[RMulieri]

Disney's right - if you booked the travel insurance right from the start - they won't refund the travel insurance. That's $67 per adult or $134...meaning you get $66 back. The travel insurance is NON-refundable.

Here's a tip - NEVER book the travel insurance ahead, only add it on when you make your final payment at 45 days out...else this is what will happen. (This isn't just Disney - if you had bought travel insurance anywhere else, they usually give you 14 days to change your mind, then the travel insurance is solid.)

SkierPete

Exactly...I always get the insurance.But I never add it till my 45 day mark

 

[DebbieB]

Does the Disney travel insurance have a pre-existing condition clause? Usually if you purchase the insurance within so many days of deposit, they will waive the clause. If you wait to buy the insurance and then are diagnosed with an illness, then buy the insurance, will there be a pre-existing exclusion?

 

[jemzmom]

Exactly...I always get the insurance.But I never add it till my 45 day mark

If she was booking room only, with the intent of buying ap's, then she could get a full refund on her deposit up to 5 days before arrival! (assuming she booked using the regular disney phone reservation line). Only packages have the paid in full by day 45... So I think a better question for them to ask the reservations desk is "why did you offer and sell me this? I thought you guys were here to help me." and maybe throw in a "that was not a very magical thing for you guys to do."

I am so so so sorry to hear that happened to you. Disney usually has fantastic customer service, but every once in a while we consumers notice something that stinks. I really think you should let them know how you feel now that you know this, and maybe they will think about changing the policy or at least explaining the cancellation policy before they commit you to the insurance.

 

[ShannonMB]

WOW! This thread is so informative! I never knew any of this with regard to the travel insurance. I'm so sorry, OP, that some of us are learning this lesson through your situation, but this is really good to know for future trips! I hope you'll be able to reschedule and get all the $ toward the rescheduled trip.

 

[RMulieri]

If she was booking room only, with the intent of buying ap's, then she could get a full refund on her deposit up to 5 days before arrival! (assuming she booked using the regular disney phone reservation line). Only packages have the paid in full by day 45... So I think a better question for them to ask the reservations desk is "why did you offer and sell me this? I thought you guys were here to help me." and maybe throw in a "that was not a very magical thing for you guys to do."

I am so so so sorry to hear that happened to you. Disney usually has fantastic customer service, but every once in a while we consumers notice something that stinks. I really think you should let them know how you feel now that you know this, and maybe they will think about changing the policy or at least explaining the cancellation policy before they commit you to the insurance.

She had the dining plan and paid a $200 deposit , which sounds like a pkg to me.Even if she planned on buying AP's, unless she is an AP holder already she would need to purchase a minimum of 1 day park tickets per person in order to get the dining plan,that could be used towards the AP purchase.it would make it a package not room only.In any event...Never buy anything or agree to anything if you do not what it is you are purchasing..I understand the OP's situation, I have been in the same place myself.You may get a sympathetic CM,you may not.

 

[Kay1]

If she was booking room only, with the intent of buying ap's, then she could get a full refund on her deposit up to 5 days before arrival! (assuming she booked using the regular disney phone reservation line). Only packages have the paid in full by day 45... So I think a better question for them to ask the reservations desk is "why did you offer and sell me this? I thought you guys were here to help me." and maybe throw in a "that was not a very magical thing for you guys to do."

I am so so so sorry to hear that happened to you. Disney usually has fantastic customer service, but every once in a while we consumers notice something that stinks. I really think you should let them know how you feel now that you know this, and maybe they will think about changing the policy or at least explaining the cancellation policy before they commit you to the insurance.

But, really, OP says she asked for the insurance because of her flu concerns.

 

[Allison]

I am so so so sorry to hear that happened to you. Disney usually has fantastic customer service, but every once in a while we consumers notice something that stinks. I really think you should let them know how you feel now that you know this, and maybe they will think about changing the policy or at least explaining the cancellation policy before they commit you to the insurance.

The OP wanted the insurance. I don't see how this "stinks" as far as Disney doing something wrong. Any travel insurance I have ever purchased becomes non-refundable at some point. Otherwise, people would cancel it once they get close enough to their trip that they don't feel they have a risk of something happening to cause cancellation of the trip. Just because people don't know the terms doesn't make Disney in the wrong.

Sorry you had to cancel the trip, OP, that does stink.

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this over to the resort board in case the folks over there have additional input.

 

[VeroBeach]

If she was booking room only, with the intent of buying ap's, then she could get a full refund on her deposit up to 5 days before arrival! (assuming she booked using the regular disney phone reservation line). Only packages have the paid in full by day 45

Disney insurance can only be added to MYW packages, NOT to room only reservations.