WDW COVID-19 Operational Changes- Reservation System-Rope Drop Procedures

[asuburbanman]

Do you need a collective ‘Dis’ scream? I feel so sorry for you.

It said in the previous post that most additional experiences will automatically be refunded.

 

[lionkingzimba]

When I tried to call Disney in the UK side for cancelling my package (their office opens at 9amGMT), I called them right when the clock strikes 9 am, and I was told the wait time is 2 hours

I was lucky enough with the USA side, after waiting for too long on the phone, and multiple times of being hung up, for the USA side, a lovely CM was able to help me to get my AHE refund after a total of 7 hours waiting.

Fingers crossed on the UK line.....

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Good morning everyone.

In case you missed it overnight, Disney posted important planning information on their website for those traveling through 3/31/2020. The information is cut/paste below, and is also posted on Post #1 of this thread.

Update on Walt Disney World Resort Operations (from WDW's Website as of 3/12/2020: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/travel-information/):
In an abundance of caution, and in the best interest of our Guests and Cast Members, we are proceeding with the closure of our theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort, beginning March 16, through the end of the month.

The Walt Disney Company will pay its Cast Members during that closure period.

Disney Resort hotels and Disney Springs will remain open until further notice.

We will continue to stay in close contact with appropriate officials and health experts.

Below, you'll find information on impacts to current and upcoming plans. Please continue to check this page for additional updates.

TICKETS
May I get a refund on my ticket?
Unexpired multi-day theme park tickets with unused days, or date-specific theme park tickets with a start date on or before March 31, 2020 will automatically be extended to use any date through December 15, 2020. If you are unable to visit by December 15, 2020 you may apply the value of a wholly unused ticket toward the purchase of a ticket for a future date.

Florida Resident Discover Disney Tickets may be used through July 31, 2020.

Guests who have purchased tickets for Disney After Hours, Disney Villains After Hours and Disney Early Morning Magic from March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020 will be automatically refunded.


ANNUAL PASSES
How does the closure of Walt Disney World impact annual passes?
Walt Disney World annual passes will be extended by the number of days the parks are closed, March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020.


RESORTS
I have a future stay at a Disney Resort hotel while the park is closed. What does that mean for my vacation?
Guests who have not checked in for stays between March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020 may modify or cancel their Disney Resort room reservation or Walt Disney Travel Company package up to their original check-in date. If no action is taken, Disney will automatically process a refund to the original form of payment within seven days of the original check-in date. If you did not book through Disney directly, please contact your travel professional.

What if I want to cancel a Disney Resort hotel reservation after the parks reopen?
We will waive all Disney imposed change and cancellation fees up to the date of check-in through June 30, 2020.


DINING & OTHER EXPERIENCES
I have a pre-paid dining reservation or experience reservation like Droid Depot during the time when the parks are closed. Will I receive a refund?
Yes. All pre-paid dining and experience reservations will be automatically refunded if scheduled between March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020.

What happens to dining reservations that required a credit card at the time of booking?
Reservations made at locations impacted by the closure will not be charged a cancellation or no-show fee.

 

[elsbit]

Yay!!! Thanks posting that info in the thread @GADisneyDad14! This means I don't have to call back because my money will be automatically refunded.

 

[sydneysmom]

I just want to say how sorry I am for everyone that had to cancel. My heart goes out to you. We are going the first week of June, and I’m hoping against hope that we won’t. It’s heartbreaking. I hope you all get pixie dust and wonderful things for this!

 

[elsbit]

I know this is a weird question, but what happens to my Disney Visa Points related to all this? I used them up long ago and I will be getting close to a $4100 refund. I wonder if I will go into a negative balance where I owe them, LOL. (which is okay, but I just wonder how it works).

 

[Lashed34]

This is all such a great shame for all the people and families who have saved and planned for their WDW/UOR holidays, it must be such a sense of loss knowing that there is absolutely nothing they can do to prevent the park closures.

I do wonder though - by keeping their hotels open, are Disney & Universal creating a bubble where holiday insurance cannot be claimed? I would imagine that most holiday insurance policies will cover a hotel closure but not a theme park. By keeping the hotels open, people will be unable to claim yet unable to actually have the holiday they wanted.

Thinking of everyone affected by this xxx

 

[Lewisc]

This is all such a great shame for all the people and families who have saved and planned for their WDW/UOR holidays, it must be such a sense of loss knowing that there is absolutely nothing they can do to prevent the park closures.

I do wonder though - by keeping their hotels open, are Disney & Universal creating a bubble where holiday insurance cannot be claimed? I would imagine that most holiday insurance policies will cover a hotel closure but not a theme park. By keeping the hotels open, people will be unable to claim yet unable to actually have the holiday they wanted.

Thinking of everyone affected by this xxx

Many/most travel insurance policies exclude epidemics and pandemics from coverage.

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

This is all such a great shame for all the people and families who have saved and planned for their WDW/UOR holidays, it must be such a sense of loss knowing that there is absolutely nothing they can do to prevent the park closures.

I do wonder though - by keeping their hotels open, are Disney & Universal creating a bubble where holiday insurance cannot be claimed? I would imagine that most holiday insurance policies will cover a hotel closure but not a theme park. By keeping the hotels open, people will be unable to claim yet unable to actually have the holiday they wanted.

Thinking of everyone affected by this xxx

I think they keep the hotels open so people aren't stuck with no where to go. I imagine they would slowly close some hotels as they empty out.

 

[jeneric997]

If I am reading this right, if you haven't checked in by the 15th, you can't check in- correct? DD is DCP at AofA and is still scheduled to work through the 21st.

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

Last day in the parks today. When we left home a handful of Americans were testing positive and now it seems the universe has shifted while we were in the disney bubble. We have seen cms wiping down all surfaces regularly and portable hand wash stations sprinkled through the world showcase. I feel like vacationers and cms have gotten more subdued during the week, but it could be just me. I will be glad to leave wdw for the first time ever.

 

[Flamingomo]

First and foremost DO WHAT IS BEST for YOU and YOUR family. Who cares what other people say about your plans and your decisions what's best for you is the most important.

I live in Palm Beach and I am DW once a month, usually for the day. I do have a 3 trip planned in May though. I was at HW last week and will bein Epcot next week.

For me what I did this past week in HS:

- After touching the touch point, sanitized
- After touching a door, or hand rail, or anything like that, sanitizer
- After getting on rides and touching the lap bar or anything like that, sanitized.
- After rides I went to bathroom and washed hands.
- before eating anything washed hands.

I will say, since all the time being at DW this past trip it was one of the first times i was really conscience about not touching my face.

again do what works for you and what's best for you

Great advice! But this is what I do on any day in Disney or anywhere else. Staying clean is not new to me. Clean off carts before I use them, sanitize as soon as I get in the car, wash hands as soon as I get home. Never touch my face, ever. I also clean every inch of where my family will be sitting on the plane and I never let them touch anything in the hotel until I clean it with Clorox wipes and spray the bed and pillows with Lysol. But again, I have always done this my entire adult life anyway.I think if everyone just did this all the time, we would not be in this situation right now. The sad part is, some people are not doing what is best for their families and ignoring this. It puts other at risk. And please, if you are sick, STAY HOME.

 

[Flamingomo]

Last day in the parks today. When we left home a handful of Americans were testing positive and now it seems the universe has shifted while we were in the disney bubble. We have seen cms wiping down all surfaces regularly and portable hand wash stations sprinkled through the world showcase. I feel like vacationers and cms have gotten more subdued during the week, but it could be just me. I will be glad to leave wdw for the first time ever.

These things should have always be done anyway. They should always have had the stations, they should always wipe everything down. Why is being clean a new thing?

 

[MommaBerd]

I also want to extend a “social distance” hug to everyone who has had their vacations cancelled. A Disney vacation is more than “just” a vacation; it takes so much time and effort to plan and all the dreams that are created in the process...my heart goes out to each and every one of you.

 

[LindyWebb]

It’s very sad, but great to see how accommodating Disney is being to refund and extend passes etc. They are doing it right. It’s quite a thing to imagine an empty Disney for weeks.

 

[lorenae]

I saw Universal closing too, and I feel so bad for everyone who has had this upheaval in their lives. Be safe friends!

I was reading the paper last night and here in Citrus County (about 50 miles from WDW) NOTHING is closed or canceled. Not the Festivals, St Patrick’s Day Parades, etc. Not a thing. They announced that nothing would be cancelled at all during this spring break. Shrimpapalooza starts today.

They said it’s because there are 0 cases in Citrus County. Keep in mind that they are not testing people in Citrus County- many people in our community have been sick including me and we were told to not go to Urgent Care or the Dr unless we were having breathing problems and that we wouldn’t be tested unless we had been symptomatic and traveled internationally. One lady in Tampa who flew in from Europe raised a fit in the airport and kept demanding being tested, and she finally was. It was positive, and she was the first admitted case in that county.

So I think Florida is in big trouble here. Without us being tested for the last few weeks, and so many tourists, it’s probably wise to try to contain the spread. My husband and I are better now, as our many people in our community- but as much as I was telling everyone they were more likely to get the measles or the flu and be sicker, I’ve come around to realizing that a canceled vacation may be a good thing for people right now.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

It’s very sad, but great to see how accommodating Disney is being to refund and extend passes etc. They are doing it right. It’s quite a thing to imagine an empty Disney for weeks.

Yeah, seems to me everything they posted last night is relatively clear, straightforward, and helpful/flexible for those impacted.

 

[wilkydelts]

Talked to a CM this morning about FP+. Said nothing the system can do right now but DO NOT CANCEL them let the system cancel them so that they stay in the system that way. Then talk to Disney at a later date once you know when you may be rescheduled.

 

[jbish]

I saw Universal closing too, and I feel so bad for everyone who has had this upheaval in their lives. Be safe friends!

I was reading the paper last night and here in Citrus County (about 50 miles from WDW) NOTHING is closed or canceled. Not the Festivals, St Patrick’s Day Parades, etc. Not a thing. They announced that nothing would be cancelled at all during this spring break. Shrimpapalooza starts today.

They said it’s because there are 0 cases in Citrus County. Keep in mind that they are not testing people in Citrus County- many people in our community have been sick including me and we were told to not go to Urgent Care or the Dr unless we were having breathing problems and that we wouldn’t be tested unless we had been symptomatic and traveled internationally. One lady in Tampa who flew in from Europe raised a fit in the airport and kept demanding being tested, and she finally was. It was positive, and she was the first admitted case in that county.

So I think Florida is in big trouble here. Without us being tested for the last few weeks, and so many tourists, it’s probably wise to try to contain the spread. My husband and I are better now, as our many people in our community- but as much as I was telling everyone they were more likely to get the measles or the flu and be sicker, I’ve come around to realizing that a canceled vacation may be a good thing for people right now.

Okay, this is just crazy. The cancellation of public gatherings is needed BEFORE the spread of the virus to prevent FURTHER spreading! The County should be getting ahead of this - not reacting to it once it's already in circulation! Meanwhile, good for that lady who flew into Tampa. She likely saved a lot more people from getting infected.

 

[jbish]

Meanwhile, as for Disney trip planning/cancelling, I just realized that if we cancel our 4/3-4/9 trip (which is very likely at this point), that means we'll miss Spaceship Earth!!! I don't think we'll get there before the May closure - who knows it they will even open by then? I know this is all trivial in the grand scheme of things, but if I can't complain to this community here, where can I? Just another reminder that you should always take the opportunity to ride the classics/favorites when you can. Fortunately DD and I got to ride it in January - and, really, it needs the refurb. I say start now!!