AP Only Info Thread Reservation System /Extensions / Refunds

[jo-jo]

We have a trip planned in April. If we took the extra time, our AP would still be valid. But we were concerned what if health wise , we couldn't make the trip, we'd be sunk. Our plan was to get the money for the almost 8 months refund and then get a new AP for the April trip. Start the clock again.

 

[Best Aunt]

So basically if you were thinking of calling to get an update on when you might get the money for cancelling your annual pass, you won't get through because now they are offering APs for sale -- by calling the same phone number.

They're starting a new issue before resolving the old one. Sigh.

 

[shoreward]

Just did online chat with CM who confirmed that renewals will be on a case-by-case basis. You must call in to VIPassholder help line for complete information and assistance. The CM referred to this as a "recovery option."

It will be interesting to see if they send out emails to guests with cancelled APs; if the phone lines are swamped now, can't possibly imagine what they will be like, once word really gets out, via official channels.

 

[lcur77]

Just got off the phone with someone. They submit a request to a team and they will reach out within 48 hours to tell you if you are eligible and to process the payment if you are. One thing I did ask about and what very surprised at the response was about upgrading tickets purchased because of the lack of AP sales. They said they will not upgrade tickets, you have to buy the pass for full price. If that is the case I do not know if I will buy the pass now.

 

[yulilin3]

Just got off the phone with someone. They submit a request to a team and they will reach out within 48 hours to tell you if you are eligible and to process the payment if you are. One thing I did ask about and what very surprised at the response was about upgrading tickets purchased because of the lack of AP sales. They said they will not upgrade tickets, you have to buy the pass for full price. If that is the case I do not know if I will buy the pass now.

just when I think "that's the worst possible decision Disney has done" they surprise me
Why would they
A. Not do this online
B. Rely on the phone team who are obviously swamped and have been since April
C. not come out with a clear set of rules so people can think about what they want to do and then decide to call

 

[hertamaniac]

Just did online chat with CM who confirmed that renewals will be on a case-by-case basis. You must call in to VIPassholder help line for complete information and assistance. The CM referred to this as a "recovery option."

It will be interesting to see if they send out emails to guests with cancelled APs; if the phone lines are swamped now, can't possibly imagine what they will be like, once word really gets out, via official channels.

The only "recovery option" that I would consider is if they offered us 24 months from the moment we re-scan into a WDW theme park (and not try to gouge me for parking when trying to enter said park).

This shell game of finding your refund money is merely an exercise of Disney adding more shells.

 

[JessLCH]

What if we still just want out money back? When will they refund? The email said mid to late September. September ends tomorrow!

 

[jo-jo]

Just to throw a little more chatter into the mix... My DD's family have APs. They just took the partial refund. But the youngest who turned 3, now needs a ticket. Talking to chat, they said since the rest of the family has APs, they would be allowed to buy a new AP for her.

 

[hertamaniac]

What if we still just want out money back? When will they refund? The email said mid to late September. September ends tomorrow!

I think the e-mail I got said they would be sending out the refunds mid to late September; it didn't mention the method of transport.

 

[JessLCH]

Here is the exact language from the email I received confirming the refund request:
Refunds to original form of payment can be expected by mid- to late September. Refunds may take up to an additional month to receive if original form of payment is not available.

 

[Eastern]

Has this been posted? https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/passholders/paid-in-full-annual-pass-reopening-refund/?

• If the total amount that you paid for your pass(es) (minus any refunds already given) exceeds the “usable value” (see below) of your pass(es), that excess will be refunded to you.
• The usable value of your pass(es) equals the total sale price of your pass(es) multiplied by the number of days that you could have visited any park prior to March 16 and divided by the total number of access days to any park permitted under the pass(es) at pass activation.

I used their formula and it does come out to what I expected. Now they just have to send me the check.

 

[Spaceguy55]

I just did a call with the AP line and got most of the same info as already posted. I have already canceled and received my refund as I posted up thread..But I went ahead and bought the Fl 4 day ticket with my refund, I asked if I could apply that to another AP and got the same answer as above...No. The CM then said that I could do that at Disney Springs when I come down along with setting up the monthly plan again, I'm not so sure..but if I did that I would probably lose my park reservations so not going to try. I will just use the 4 day and buy an AP after...if they still will be offering them.

 

[Dis703]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1310986533047017472

How can they be selling passes when they still have days that we can't access certain parks for a park reservation? That seems rather strange.

 

[DisneyHomework]

I’m on 1 hour plus hold... hearing a Canada song again which makes me wonder where my call routed? I have previously emailed multiple times and asked for a pause or apply the refunds to an annual pass that was pushed out further. Very curious about this option, and, about what my refund actually is and when I will see it.

 

[shoreward]

It was just announced that Disney is laying off 28,000 CMs. Maybe that is why they are now selling APs - they need cash and they need visitors.

Text of memo sent to CMs by Josh D’Amaro:

Team,
I write this note to you today to share some difficult decisions that we have had to make regarding our Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products organization.
Let me start with my belief that the heart and soul of our business is and always will be people. Just like all of you, I love what I do. I also love being surrounded by people who think about their roles as more than jobs, but as opportunities to be a part of something special, something different, and something truly magical.
Earlier this year, in response to the pandemic, we were forced to close our businesses around the world. Few of us could have imagined how significantly the pandemic would impact us — both at work and in our daily lives. We initially hoped that this situation would be short-lived, and that we would recover quickly and return to normal. Seven months later, we find that has not been the case. And, as a result, today we are now forced to reduce the size of our team across executive, salaried, and hourly roles.
As you can imagine, a decision of this magnitude is not easy. For the last several months, our management team has worked tirelessly to avoid having to separate anyone from the company. We’ve cut expenses, suspended capital projects, furloughed our cast members while still paying benefits, and modified our operations to run as efficiently as possible, however, we simply cannot responsibly stay fully staffed while operating at such limited capacity.
As heartbreaking as it is to take this action, this is the only feasible option we have in light of the prolonged impact of COVID-19 on our business, including limited capacity due to physical distancing requirements and the continued uncertainty regarding the duration of the pandemic.
Thank you for your dedication, patience and understanding during these difficult times. I know that these changes will be challenging. It will take time for all of us to process this information and its impact. We will be scheduling appointments with our affected salaried and non-union hourly employees over the next few days. Additionally, today we will begin the process of discussing next steps with unions. We encourage you to visit The Hub or the WDI Homepage for any support you may need.
For those who will be affected by this decision, I want to thank you for all that you have done for our company and our guests. While we don’t know when the pandemic will be behind us, we are confident in our resilience, and hope to welcome back Cast Members and employees when we can.
Most sincerely,

Josh D’Amaro
Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products

 

[beethOH]

I’m being told that of our four annual passes, mine - the only one WITH a MDE - is the one that didn’t get cancelled.

July 14th -cancelled via email - received one email confirming cancellation (no names/accounts
July 27th - called to confirm cancellation and found out only my pass was linked to the email since I’m the only pass with MDE. Asked that all the other passes for our family - husband and two children - be cancelled. Received two email confirmations of cancellation after this conversation.

August 8th - called AGAIN because still worried my husbands hasn’t been cancelled since we were missing a 4th cancellation confirmation email. Called and they spoke with BOTH myself AND my husband. We confirmed we wanted ALL passes cancelled. They said my husbands hasn’t been cancelled yet and we did so. We received a fourth confirmation of cancellation email after this phone call.

TODAY - on chat looking for update of refund. Now they are saying everyone’s pass EXCEPT MINE is cancelled. The person who called every single time. The person who asked them to cancel all four passes every single time. The only person with an MDE account. The person who owns the email address they sent the cancellation request and confirmations to. They’re saying I never cancelled.

I can’t with this anymore. GOOD GRIEF We got our passes in late Nov. 2019. First time EVER as passholders. Been taking our kids for five years. We’ve been so excited to become passholders and enjoy that perk. I don’t know if I can give them any more money after all this

For anyone that is now being told that your cancellation request didn't go through did you get the confirmation emails from Disney? They don't say anything but in theory I had two passes and got two emails. One I canceled through the link but I had to call Disney for DH since he doesn't have any type of account with Disney.

 

[OKWFan88]

I spoke to a CM today about the status of my refund (out of state AP - cancelled end of June) and they stated if I don't get it by the end of Sept then I should call back. So I said the end of Sept is tomorrow and they repeated for me to call back if not received. (My original payment is still active - Chase Disney Visa) I just have to shake my head. The ridiculousness of all of this is insane.

 

[kmorlock]

IF they had half a clue, they would have offered the option to pause AP’s. So many people would have likely gone that route. As a DVC’er, we plan everything around use years, banking/borrowing, etc. Between DVC, and FL Residents, we probably count as a majority in the bulk of the AP members. To have the assurance that whether we waited out a year, or went back July 4th, our pass would be there, intact and with whatever remaining time would have been the easiest route for us and them(plus maybe extra for the closed months thrown in as dust). It may not have been right for every single person’s situation but, I’d bet most of us would have taken that offer in a heartbeat. How do these crazily paid execs come up with these nonsensical strategies?

 

[KristinU]

IF they had half a clue, they would have offered the option to pause AP’s. So many people would have likely gone that route. As a DVC’er, we plan everything around use years, banking/borrowing, etc. Between DVC, and FL Residents, we probably count as a majority in the bulk of the AP members. To have the assurance that whether we waited out a year, or went back July 4th, our pass would be there, intact and with whatever remaining time would have been the easiest route for us and them(plus maybe extra for the closed months thrown in as dust). It may not have been right for every single person’s situation but, I’d bet most of us would have taken that offer in a heartbeat. How do these crazily paid execs come up with these nonsensical strategies?

The only case that I can think of against allowing a pause is that the liability is still on the books and hangs out there until whatever deadline date they'd make up. Two years, three years? Tough to figure out what would be feasible for them and satisfactory to passholders. It seems to me that the refund option is for accounting purposes and they wanted it to be as clean as possible for the books. Incredible customer satisfaction mess, though. I can't express how badly this has impacted my family's impression of WDW and Disney in general. DH and I have been going at least annually, usually much more often, since our honeymoon in 1994. I'm actually finding myself not even watching Disney+ content lately. And now with so many CMs losing jobs, it makes me more sad and more mad. I understand that it is a business, but the handling and PR spin could have been so much better.

 

[la la limon]

Has anyone who put in a request for an AP heard back yet? On Saturday, a CM took down my info and said they would be in touch within 48 hours. It's now Wednesday. Not sure if I should call again or sit tight...

TIA!