How to Reschedule, Cancel, and Even Book a Disney Trip During Coronavirus
With the parks being closed right now, and things feeling so uncertain everywhere, you might be wondering what to do about your Disney World vacation dreams.
Should you cancel your upcoming trip? Should you reschedule? Should you still book the trip you had been planning?
The answers will vary person to person. So here I will discuss how and when you should cancel a Disney trip, how to reschedule and why that might be a good option for you, and how to approach a new booking.
Should I Book a Disney Vacation Now?
If you have been dreaming of going to Disney, and had been planning on booking your trip about now, you might be wondering if that's something you should still be doing.
I am here to tell you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with booking your trip now. As long as you understand the next few months are up in the air. We don't have a set park opening date. We don't know if things will open up all at once or if there will be soft openings here and there. We don't know how crowds will look once everything is back up and running.
So with all of that in mind, if you do decide tobook your Disney vacationnow, I highly,HIGHLYencourage you to use a Disney travel agent to book your trip.
I say this for a few reasons. First, should closures extend beyond what you predict and end up happening over your trip dates, you may find yourself on HOURS long hold with Disney guest services. The wait times for reservations have been up 3+ hours.
When I was forced to change my plans (which included a Disney Cruise), my agent spent a full day on the phone just to move my dates. So let an agent be the one to sit on hold for you. There is no way I would have been able to deal with that.
Second, I would suggest using an agent because I suspect Disney will be offering some crazy deals to get people back in the door when the parks reopen. The economy is struggling. A lot of people are out of work, or are losing out on hours. So there's a chance we could see some amazing discounts. And a Disney agents job is to look out for those things and apply them to your reservation.
Just make sure that your agent is a Disney specific travel agent with good reviews.You can get a quote from my personal agent Siera here(she's awesome).
Rescheduling Disney Vacation
Many of us, myself included, have been forced to reschedule our Disney World vacations. As of the time this article was published, Disney issued a statement saying that they would be closed indefinitely, with the resorts saying closed to the end of March.
If we look at other closures around the world, including other Disney parks, we'll see that Tokyo Disney closed February 29, and will remain closed until at least mid April. It seems fair to assume that the parks in the United States will be closed for at least a similar length of time. Especially considering our COVID-19 positive test results have been higher than other countries.
So what does that mean for your trips this Spring or even trips for the Summer or Fall?
As of today, if you have a trip scheduled for any time in the month of April, and you are in a position where you can afford to reschedule, I would definitely contact your travel agent or contact Disney to reschedule your trip for a later date.
If your trip falls in the month of May, I personally would reschedule. I can't imagine that the parks would be open by May. And if they are open, I can't imagine that this outbreak would be contained enough for a trip to a crowded theme park.
If you have a trip scheduled for June or later, rescheduling is a personal decision based on your family's situation and health. Trips that far out have plenty of time to decide whether or not they want or need to cancel. But I would definitely keep an eye on containment of the virus leading up to your trip.
If you booked with a travel agent, they will be able to reschedule your trip for you. If you booked your trip yourself, you can make changes to your reservations online without having to call Disney (wait times have been atrocious lately). You can find step by step instructions on how to make changes to your reservation here.
Cancelling Disney Reservations
If you have a Disney vacation booked, you might be wondering if you should cancel. So who should cancel a trip?
While my livelihood is based on you guys booking and planning Disney vacations, right now everyone's priority should be the health and safety of everyone in this country and around the World.
So I would suggest cancelling your Disney trip if you find yourself in a position where your income has been cut. Disney has a fantasticcancellation policyas it is, but given the circumstances right now, they are being even more lenient with cancellations and fees.
So if you're in a position where money is tight, cancel your trip now and get that cash back. Disney will still be there when things have settled down. And I have a ton oftips on saving money on Disney vacations. So when you're ready you can do Disney and on a budget.
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