By now most of you have heard that amidst the pandemic of the novel coronavirus, Walt Disney World has made the decision to temporarily close its doors. The temporary closure of the Walt Disney World theme parks will start March 16, 2020 and last through the end of the month. It worth noting that the closures are only in effect for WDW theme parks, NOT Resorts or Disney Springs. Joining in the temporary closure are Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Disney Cruise Lines.
The temporary closures of Walt Disney World is NOT a result of any cases of the coronavirus at this or any of the other Disney Properties, it is simply a precautionary measure to the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 Virus.
Walt Disney World sees thousands of guests a day throughout their four theme parks. With numbers like that, it’s no wonder Disney took the step in closing its parks. It is obvious this decision was not made lightly. The decision was made in the interest of the safety guests and Cast Members, and to slow the spread of the virus.
Below is the statement released by the Walt Disney Company on March 12, 2020 via the Disney Parks Twitter page @DisneyParksNews.
Here is a breakdown of how Disney is handling the closure;
RESORTS
Disney has been working around the clock to help guests with planned vacation for this time to either refund or help reschedule their vacations. As previously stated, Walt Disney World Resorts are staying open at this time, however, they are able to either modify or cancel your Resort reservation.
If your Disney Vacation does not fall after March 30, 2020 but you still want to modify your vacation, Disney is also going to waive all change and cancelation fees through June 30, 2020.
TICKETS
If you hold a unexpired multi-day ticket with unused days, or have a date-specific ticket that is valid between March 12, 2020 - March 31, 2020 it will automatically be extended through December 15, 2020. In a case where you are unable to come back before that time, you will be able to put the whole value of your ticket towards a new ticket in the future.
Extra-ticketed events that guests were planning on attending such as Disney After Hours, Disney Villains After Hours, and Disney Early Morning Magic between March 16, 2020 - March 31, 2020 will be refunded in full.
FASTPASS+ RESERVATIONS
All FastPass+ reservations that were scheduled for the affected time period will automatically be cancelled. Depending on when you have modified your vacation for, you’ll have to reschedule your FastPass+ Reservations. This is unfortunate for people that had a FastPass+ for some of Disney’s more popular rides and attractions.
In the coming weeks all your Annual Pass information will be updated in your My Disney Experience App.
ADVANCED DINING RESERVATIONS
For any dining reservation made at an impacted location (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, or Epcot) the cancelation or no-show fees will be waived. In the same way, if you had a pre-paid dining experience reserved between March 16, 2020 - March 31, 2020 you will be fully refunded.
ANNUAL PASSES
Disney sent out an email to all active Annual Passholders stating that passes will be extended by the total number of days the Parks will be closed. If your Annual Pass is due to expire within the window of the closure, you will also have an extension for renewal. For Florida Residents who pay monthly for their passes, your payments will continue as usual.
DISNEY EXTRAS
A lot of people like to add on extra magic to their Disney Vacation. In some cases, you have to pre-pay or put down a deposit for those experiences. If you have a reservation for any pre-paid experiences such as Bippity Boppity boutique and Droid Depot between March 16, 2020 - March 31, 2020 will be refunded in full.
For more information:
Walt Disney World: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/travel-information/
Disney Cruise Line: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/advisory/