For AP holders, seems like the right strategy is to request a refund no?

[only hope]

I understand what you're saying, but we want to see what the "new" WDW looks like before purchasing a higher priced AP in the future. If we feel it is a watered-down experience for the time we would have that AP, then we'll move on.

We're in the local AP, take the partial refund, wait and see approach. The cost delta between a current and future AP doesn't really concern us as much as the effect on the experience(s) does.

I should add that when I told them we wanted the partial refund, they asked for my phone number. I asked why and the CM told me they will call me once an opening date is announced to confirm my decision. I think there is a possibility there could be another incentive to have us not get the refund.

Which is why I said take the extension if you’re willing to go back and (especially if you) plan on renewing. They’re not reopening before my blackout starts which has me a bit bummed.

 

[terri33inne]

I haven’t seen anywhere that Disney clearly said how it’s going to be prorated, but I suspect it will be based on how many days you lose from your pass. So, the lesser of either the total time the parks are closed (if your pass expires after opening) or the time between closure and when your pass expires (if your pass expires during the closure)

That is how I interpret the line;
"As an alternative, and in lieu of an extension of their passes, Passholders who have paid in full may choose to receive a partial refund for the park closure period. "

Which I understand is open to interpretation, and not very clear. So basically, anyone with the same type pass who did not have an expiration date during the closure would receive the same amount. When it was first announced I thought they would pro-rate it based off of how much time you had left on the pass.

 

[disneypharm]

If Disney decided to refund AP holders based on the number of days closed (let's assume March 15 until July 1st), then I assume the numbers will be close to what I have below.
On Disney website, the cost of a Platinum pass is $1,272.68/365 days = $3.5 per day x 108 days of closure (March 15 until July 1st) = $377.
As we are out of state AP holders who have only used 7 days of our tickets and were planning to take 2-3 more trips this year (not going to happen), this money will definitely help!!

 

[Jax1023]

We’re taking the refund. I won’t be going back for a “socially distant” disney with no parades or fireworks of half of what I paid for. Also my DD has asthma and does not do well with respiratory illnesses in general- she’s only 2 and had had pneumonia twice. Not worth it. I’ll be super excited to return in a year or two when this is all over either via vaccine or better treatment or just herd immunity.

We got our passes last August and managed to use them for 22 days. We still had 3 weeks of trips planned- Easter, late June and August. I’m sad these won’t be happening, just like I’m sad about all the other life events that had to be cancelled. But for us, it’s not worth it.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Reading this through thread has been interesting. As someone who has held an AP I can relate, but at the risk of sounding insensitive, buying a year of tickets in advance (which is what it is) comes with a risk. Will I fall and break a leg and need surgery rendering my AP useless because I can’t travel? Or say I buy my AP but get laid off a month later, left without funds to travel, would wdw owe me anything because of that? Or a hurricane actually hits Orlando wiping out some of the rides, is that language deeming them not liable not covered when buying an AP?

Luckily wdw recognizes this pandemic is a once in a lifetime event (it had better be!) and is therefore offering the fairest thing they can: an extension for the days they are closed or a partial refund. All an AP does is guarantee you entry to the parks in the state they are in. Nothing more.

 

[Anne Ritchey]

....They’re not reopening before my blackout starts which has me a bit bummed.

Since misery loves company, I'll add:
Same here (and mentioning the beautiful, low humidity perfect WDW weather we've had over the past few weeks), but it just seems too much to handle. I do think I made a BIG mistake in renewing my AP the day before the closure was announced. Now, I'm stuck. I made my decision. I accept that. There may be no win-win here for anyone or any business through 2020. I don't believe they will open until July at the earliest which removes about 45% of the blackout days. As most of Florida is in Phase One, we'll all have to wait at least through May to see how it goes. I'm pretty sure WDW doesn't want to open just to close again (beaches in Naples--of course, not anywhere near the same situation, but people are people).

 

[only hope]

Since misery loves company, I'll add:
Same here (and mentioning the beautiful, low humidity perfect WDW weather we've had over the past few weeks), but it just seems too much to handle. I do think I made a BIG mistake in renewing my AP the day before the closure was announced. Now, I'm stuck. I made my decision. I accept that. There may be no win-win here for anyone or any business through 2020. I don't believe they will open until July at the earliest which removes about 45% of the blackout days. As most of Florida is in Phase One, we'll all have to wait at least through May to see how it goes. I'm pretty sure WDW doesn't want to open just to close again (beaches in Naples--of course, not anywhere near the same situation, but people are people).

Oh yeah, the worst trivial thing about all this is us Floridians were banned from going almost anywhere during nearly our entire brief nice spring weather season!

I’m assuming when they extend the pass they will extend it by the number of useable days we lost. That’s the fairest way to do it.

 

[randumb0]

Everyone's situation will be different so it's hard to say what strategy is best. Some people visit once a year and others once a week. Some pay in full and others pay monthly.

 

[Anne Ritchey]

Oh yeah, the worst trivial thing about all this is us Floridians were banned from going almost anywhere during nearly our entire brief nice spring weather season!

I’m assuming when they extend the pass they will extend it by the number of useable days we lost. That’s the fairest way to do it.

That nice spring weather coming after a very hot "winter." I appreciate your positivity re usable days.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Has anyone gotten a definitive answer on extending renewal deadlines? My pass expired on May 10th, and I didn’t renew because we still have no idea what’s happening with the parks. I might want to renew when they open back up & I can make an informed decision, but not right now. The last thing I was told (by a phone CM) was to renew ASAP and that I would not be charged until the parks reopened. I haven’t done that because there was no indication anywhere that that was the case.

 

[randumb0]

@MusicalAstronaut I think we won't know anything until the park opens again. My son's AP expired in April and I am planning to wait until they open to renew

 

[Duck143]

Our passes expired May 10th too and now they're no longer listed on MDE website. I haven't called to see what we will get as a refund. Has anyone gotten any sort of confirmation about a dollar amount being refunded?

 

[YawningDodo]

If Disney decided to refund AP holders based on the number of days closed (let's assume March 15 until July 1st), then I assume the numbers will be close to what I have below.
On Disney website, the cost of a Platinum pass is $1,272.68/365 days = $3.5 per day x 108 days of closure (March 15 until July 1st) = $377.
As we are out of state AP holders who have only used 7 days of our tickets and were planning to take 2-3 more trips this year (not going to happen), this money will definitely help!!

It's looking like the refund is going to be the best option for me (a fellow out-of-stater), but I'm waiting to see when the park actually reopens so I can do some math on it. It'd be a real long shot for me to be able to take another trip within the extended period; I tend to go for one longer/more expensive trip per year rather than multiple trips because airfare is very expensive from Montana to Florida.

I bought the AP to cover my January 2020 and January 2021 trips, and I'm still locked in for January 2021 (booked a DVC rental, so a big chunk of the budget is already spent whether or not I go). I don't think it's very likely I'll be able to afford a third trip within the first couple months of 2021 even without the cost of tickets, and a refund over $300 would be a nice little chunk of change for adding upgrades to the January trip.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

We have used 3 days of an AP that was activated in December. Given how reduced and restrictive the park experience will likely be upon reopening, do you think the restrictive reopening period will also be part of the refundable period? That would be a great gesture of goodwill, as this isn't what we signed up for at all, and no one here had even heard of Covid in 2019. This extended closure & Brave New World of restrictions was unprecedented and unforseeable, so I think more of a refund is fair in this situation.

 

[ipianomantanner]

Im a little disappointed but I guess Im probably in the wrong.

Our family doctor, due to my wife's medical conditions, has told us to steer clear of anything like Disney World for quite some time. Even with the extra sanitization and limited capacity, its just not worth the risk. Im slightly disappointed that when I called to just simply get a full refund on the remainder of my AP due to her medical condition and we could send record from our family doctor they said there was nothing they could do. We would of course buy APs again, as soon as its completely safe for me to take her, but just bummed that had we just booked a full vacation further out we could get a full refund, but with Ads our options seems much less flexible.

 

[Kaadk]

We have used 3 days of an AP that was activated in December. Given how reduced and restrictive the park experience will likely be upon reopening, do you think the restrictive reopening period will also be part of the refundable period? That would be a great gesture of goodwill, as this isn't what we signed up for at all, and no one here had even heard of Covid in 2019. This extended closure & Brave New World of restrictions was unprecedented and unforseeable, so I think more of a refund is fair in this situation.

This is what it seems they're doing in Shanghai about that:

**The validity period of a Shanghai Disneyland Annual Pass will be extended for the number of lost days falling between the park’s closure date of January 25, 2020 and the end of the “Advanced Reservation Period.” A Shanghai Disneyland Annual Pass that expired before January 25, 2020 or that was purchased after the end of the “Advanced Reservation Period” will not be extended. The same extension policy will apply to the validity period for General Admission tickets for Shanghai Disneyland. The detailed extension policy, including block-out days, will be communicated with Pass and ticket holders separately.

So, yeah, most likely they'll do something similar here.

 

[nyweller6306]

We renewed our gold APs in August 2019, with the intention of taking at least three trips to WDW. So far two have been cancelled, with one trip remaining end July/early July. We are hoping to make a trip over Labor Day weekend and then again next summer. I am debating between the extension to cover the Labor Day weekend trip or taking the refund, and putting that money towards renewal and keeping the same expiration. We haven't used our APs yet, and there's a chance we even get a single day out of them. Thoughts?

 

[princessbride6205]

We generally purchase a discounted Gold APH. Our family convinced us to meet them @ WDW over Easter since we’d be in the area after a cruise.

We upgraded our passes when at the park for a quick getaway this February. Figured it would be best to do it then, avoid possible price increase & to maximize the time we would have in the parks in April.

Sadly, that trip that was to start the end of March was cancelled. Now, we find ourselves with absoutely no need for the Platinum usage (& that is factoring in other booked trips we hope come to pass this year).

Yes, admittedly, another 1st world problem. With all the suffering that is going on, doesn’t seem right to complain, but here I am. Not putting the blame on Disney but I’m still annoyed to find myself ‘out’ the approx $400 upgrade over this.

Let us know what you find out! We are in exactly the same boat.
We always buy the DVC-discounted Gold pass but chose the Platinum this year since we were going to be there in April during the Easter blackout dates. The passes were renewed in February, so have not even used them yet AND they were purchased after the price increase. We really hit the jackpot of bad luck around the renewal of APs this year! I'm with you in being a little annoyed, but realizing it's small potatoes in the scheme of the current global situation. ++socially distant high five++
I think the refund is likely the way to go money-wise (refund at Platinum level, I'll renew at Gold level in the future), but I will need to run some numbers once we know the full length of the closure, so I can decide what's best for us.

 

[tommygunn]

I think a fair option for AP holders would be to allow us to “pause” our passes until such time that we are comfortable coming back.

 

[MeridaAnn]

If I was the Disney company, I think I would definitely be regretting having published early on that they're going to offer refunds before they realized just how long the closures would be. That's a lot of money that they will owe if people choose that option, so I imagine they will do everything they can to encourage people to choose extensions instead. I would think a "pause" option within reason (up to to a year?) would be better for them than having to issue refunds, but we'll see.

Also, have they actually said that the "partial refund" would be directly proportionate to the amount of time closed? As in, would 25% of the year closed definitely mean 25% back on the pass, or do they still have the wiggle room to say the refund would just be X/day, where X is a smaller number? I'm thinking of how those who pay month-to-month still have an upfront cost and then the monthly payments - so could they make X match those monthly payments, but still keep the full upfront part of the cost? Not saying whether I expect this one way or another, I'm just curious how specific the wording released so far has been.