Disneyland Makes Major Updates to Refund Policies Amid Coronavirus Closures

Stephanie Downs

03/14/2020 04:43 pm EDT

Following the news that Sleeping Beauty's castle would be closing its doors until the end of March, Disneyland has released new, update information for cancellations and refunds in light of the coronavirus crisis. According to MouseInfo.com, there have been updates across the board to policies regarding annual passports, theme park tickets, special event tickets, and vacation packages. These updates come days after Disneyland announced that its park would be closed beginning on Saturday, March 14 until the end of the month.

"While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at Disneyland Resort, after carefully reviewing the guidelines of the Governor of California's executive order and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, beginning the morning of March 14 through the end of the month," a Disneyland spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday. They added that Downtown Disney will remain open and that Disneyland Resort Hotels will remain open until Monday, March 16 in order to allow time for guests to make other accommodations. Additionally, they reported that Disney will continue to pay cast members during this shutdown period.

"Disneyland Resort will work with guests who wish to change or cancel their visits, and will provide refunds to those who have hotel bookings during this closure period," the statement continued. "We anticipate heavy call volume over the next several days and appreciate guests' patience as we work hard to respond to all inquiries." Shortly after their announcement, Disney has announced a plethora of updates to their cancellation policies as a result of the ongoing health crisis that led to its closure.

Annual Passholders & Closure Info

On the official Disneyland website, they stressed that there have been "no reported cases of COVID-19 at Disneyland Resort to date." They also detailed that the parks are expected to reopen on April 1.

As for those with Annual Passholders who had valid Passports during the closure period, Disney related that they will extend the expiration date on their Passports based on the pass type and level of access. Annual Passholders will also have their expiration date extended as respect to the pass type and level of access. They will also not be required to make payments during that extended period.

Theme Park Tickets

For those who purchased tickets for use between March 14 and March 31, there will be options to use those tickets at a future date. Unused 1-Day Tier 1-5 tickets will be valid for another use through Dec. 30, 2021 while unused multi-day tickets will be valid for another period through Jan. 12, 2022.

Room-Only Hotel Reservations

If guests booked a stay during the closure period, they will be able to cancel their reservation for a full refund. The Disneyland website directed those guests to call (714)-520-5050 to receive their refund but cautioned that there will likely be a high call volume following their recent closure announcement.

Vacation Packages

Similar to the process for receiving a refund for any room-only hotel reservations, Disneyland noted that they will issue refunds to those who booked vacation packages during the closure period (excluding third-party products and fees). However, they did note that they will be giving a refund to those who booked their packages directly through the Walt Disney Travel Company.

Dining Experiences

Guests will also be able to receive a full refund if they booked a dining or activity reservation during the closure period. They also assured guests that they will automatically receive their refund if they do not take any action to cancel any reservations that were booked for that period of time (March 14-March 31).

Special Event Tickets

Any guests who booked separate, special event tickets for an event to be held during the temporary closure will receive a full refund from Disney. Just like the process with their dining reservations, guests will automatically receive their refund within 30 days if their event was scheduled to take place during the closure.

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