Last minute cancellation question

[Whaleyam1]

We're Disneyland locals planning a WDW trip in February 2024, and I'm trying to decide whether to book a room only reservation or book a package with resort + tickets. I'm not interested in the dining plan, so that's not an issue. But I have questions about cancelling and rescheduling a trip. What happens if someone ends up getting sick right before the trip? Would we be able to reschedule for another time? We've had two vacations (to other places) ruined by a positive Covid test the day before leaving, so I feel a little anxious booking travel now.

Is it better to have a room-only or a package in this type of situation? I've read that the cancellation policies are different, but is Disney more able to reschedule a trip for someone if they have a package versus a room only reservation?

 

[missingdisneymore]

We're Disneyland locals planning a WDW trip in February 2024, and I'm trying to decide whether to book a room only reservation or book a package with resort + tickets. I'm not interested in the dining plan, so that's not an issue. But I have questions about cancelling and rescheduling a trip. What happens if someone ends up getting sick right before the trip? Would we be able to reschedule for another time? We've had two vacations (to other places) ruined by a positive Covid test the day before leaving, so I feel a little anxious booking travel now.

Is it better to have a room-only or a package in this type of situation? I've read that the cancellation policies are different, but is Disney more able to reschedule a trip for someone if they have a package versus a room only reservation?

They have very different cancellation policies so whichever is a personal preference based on your risk level comfort. Rescheduling is really irrelevant to either. You don't just reschedule, you cancel and then possibly rebook. If you do it outside of the cancellation window, no problem. Within specified time frames, there are financial costs.

If you're concerned about losing money, I highly recommend trip insurance. But even that has restrictions and limitations.

 

[Starclassic]

We're Disneyland locals planning a WDW trip in February 2024, and I'm trying to decide whether to book a room only reservation or book a package with resort + tickets. I'm not interested in the dining plan, so that's not an issue. But I have questions about cancelling and rescheduling a trip. What happens if someone ends up getting sick right before the trip? Would we be able to reschedule for another time? We've had two vacations (to other places) ruined by a positive Covid test the day before leaving, so I feel a little anxious booking travel now.

Is it better to have a room-only or a package in this type of situation? I've read that the cancellation policies are different, but is Disney more able to reschedule a trip for someone if they have a package versus a room only reservation?

We just had to cancel our scheduled trip a few weeks ago 2 days beforehand. We had the trip insurance and Disney was able to cancel the package, then apply what we already paid to a new package with new dates. We did lose the money we paid for the insurance itself and had to repurchase it for the new booking. It was very easy though! Definitely purchase the trip insurance!!

 

[lanejudy]

Is it better to have a room-only or a package in this type of situation? I've read that the cancellation policies are different, but is Disney more able to reschedule a trip for someone if they have a package versus a room only reservation?

A package reservation will have a $200 penalty within 30 days of arrival. That might get waived if you push the trip out, but no guarantee.

A room-only has a penalty of 1 night's fee but only within 7 (5?) days of arrival. So that penalty will depend on the resort and could be higher or lower than the package penalty. Again it might get waived but expect the penalty.

Either one can be rebooked to a later date depending on availability. Any special offer you booked with will not carry forward unless that offer is still available for your new dates. Tickets purchased separately with a room-only booking would need to be adjusted separately, with any additional cost if the new dates are more expensive tickets (and usually no refund for less expensive tickets).

 

[Marthasor]

They have very different cancellation policies so whichever is a personal preference based on your risk level comfort. Rescheduling is really irrelevant to either. You don't just reschedule, you cancel and then possibly rebook. If you do it outside of the cancellation window, no problem. Within specified time frames, there are financial costs.

If you're concerned about losing money, I highly recommend trip insurance. But even that has restrictions and limitations.

This simply isn't true. You can modify a room-only or package reservation at any time prior to physically checking in to the resort - it's more difficult to do it day-of, but it can be done (ask me how I know! we can thank covid for that one). The key to not losing your deposit is to not CANCEL the reservation. You need to call (or have your TA call) and ask to "modify" the reservation (in other words, reschedule). With room-only reservations, there is no financial penalty for modifying, though you will be charged prevailing rates for whichever resort/room category/dates you've chosen to modify to. For packages, there is technically a $50 change fee, but as long as the new package is equal or more than the original package, the fee is typically waived.

We just had to cancel our scheduled trip a few weeks ago 2 days beforehand. We had the trip insurance and Disney was able to cancel the package, then apply what we already paid to a new package with new dates. We did lose the money we paid for the insurance itself and had to repurchase it for the new booking. It was very easy though! Definitely purchase the trip insurance!!

Disney didn't cancel your package, they modified it. Anyone can do this and it had nothing to do with having the trip insurance. You lost that insurance money because it was attached to your original dates. If they had truly canceled your trip, you would have lost your $200 deposit and would have had to file an insurance claim to try to get it back.

All of these policies are noted when you book a room-only or package reservation with WDTC.

 

[missingdisneymore]

This simply isn't true. You can modify a room-only or package reservation at any time prior to physically checking in to the resort - it's more difficult to do it day-of, but it can be done (ask me how I know! we can thank covid for that one). The key to not losing your deposit is to not CANCEL the reservation. You need to call (or have your TA call) and ask to "modify" the reservation (in other words, reschedule). With room-only reservations, there is no financial penalty for modifying, though you will be charged prevailing rates for whichever resort/room category/dates you've chosen to modify to. For packages, there is technically a $50 change fee, but as long as the new package is equal or more than the original package, the fee is typically waived.



Disney didn't cancel your package, they modified it. Anyone can do this and it had nothing to do with having the trip insurance. You lost that insurance money because it was attached to your original dates. If they had truly canceled your trip, you would have lost your $200 deposit and would have had to file an insurance claim to try to get it back.

All of these policies are noted when you book a room-only or package reservation with WDTC.

Different provisions were put in place for Covid cancellations. I have experience with this as well and the reservation in fact had to be canceled. And then rebooked. It was not able to be modified for different dates.

The deposit did not need to be refunded because it was simply credited onto the new reservation by supervisor.

 

[Marthasor]

Different provisions were put in place for Covid cancellations. I have experience with this as well and the reservation in fact had to be canceled. And then rebooked. It was not able to be modified for different dates.

The deposit did not need to be refunded because it was simply credited onto the new reservation by supervisor.

The Covid cancellation policies are no longer in place and were not in place when I made my day-of modification - I was able to modify and not lose any money because I did not cancel and I modified before physically checking in to the resort. I have stayed on-property 4 to 5 times a year for over a decade - I'm pretty familiar with how this works. It sounds like Guest Services did you a favor by not taking your deposit when you cancelled - that was nice. Perhaps you outright canceled because you wanted the money back and not sitting on another reservation for a prolonged period of time?

OP - here are the current Package and Room-Only Cancellation and Change terms and conditions straight from Disney. Again, the KEY to not losing any money, if you are within a cancellation penalty window is to MODIFY your reservation - do not cancel and do not cancel then rebook - just modify! Notice with "Changes to Reservation" on packages, it notes "prior to guest arrival", meaning before you physically check-in to the resort. This applies to room-only reservations as well.

Package:
Cancellation and Refunds

• For cancellations made 30 days or more prior to guest arrival, amounts paid, minus cancellation fees assessed by third party hotels or other suppliers, non-refundable runDisney race registrations, non-refundable travel protection plan costs, and other amounts owed, will be refunded.
• For cancellations made 2 days to 29 days prior to guest arrival, amounts paid, minus a cancellation fee of $200.00 per package and minus any cancellation fees assessed by third party hotels or other suppliers, non-refundable runDisney race registrations, non-refundable travel protection plan costs and other amounts owed, will be refunded.
• For cancellations made 1 day or less prior to guest arrival or for no-shows, the full price of the package is non-refundable.
• No refunds are given for cancellation of any personalized products or experiences.
• No refunds will be made for early departure from hotel and for unused or partially used admission tickets, options or features, including meals.
• Any refunds allowed by Disney in its sole discretion after arrival must be requested in writing within 90 days after departure and may be assessed a $25 processing fee.
• Disney reserves the right to make refunds in accordance with the method that payment was received. All appropriate refunds will be made through the guest’s travel agent if payment was made by the travel agent. Disney is not responsible for the receipt of refunded monies by guests from their travel agents.

Change Fees and Changes to Reservations Made Prior to Guest Arrival

• Changes to Reservation – Changes to reservation, including but not limited to change in travel dates, length of stay, party size or hotel accommodations, are subject to availability and the prices applicable at the time the change is requested and guest is responsible for paying any increase in price resulting from the change. In addition, changes made 30 days or less prior to guest arrival are also subject to a change fee of $50 per package plus any change fees assessed by third party hotels or other suppliers.
• If changes are made to the package including, but not limited to, changes to travel dates, package is subject to the Terms and Conditions applicable to packages at the time the change to the reservation is made and, in the case of changes to travel dates, pricing applicable to the new travel dates.
• Hotels and/or suppliers do not permit changes in certain situations.
• Disney reserves the right to restrict changes to any reservation.

Room-Only Cancellation and Change Policies:

CANCELLATION POLICY: In order to receive a refund of your deposit, notification of cancellation must be received at least 5 days prior to your arrival date.

CHANGES TO RESERVATIONS:
Changes to reservation, including but not limited to change in travel dates, length of stay or hotel accommodations, are subject to availability and the rates applicable at the time the change is made and guest is responsible for paying any increase in price resulting from the change.

 

[Starclassic]

This simply isn't true. You can modify a room-only or package reservation at any time prior to physically checking in to the resort - it's more difficult to do it day-of, but it can be done (ask me how I know! we can thank covid for that one). The key to not losing your deposit is to not CANCEL the reservation. You need to call (or have your TA call) and ask to "modify" the reservation (in other words, reschedule). With room-only reservations, there is no financial penalty for modifying, though you will be charged prevailing rates for whichever resort/room category/dates you've chosen to modify to. For packages, there is technically a $50 change fee, but as long as the new package is equal or more than the original package, the fee is typically waived.



Disney didn't cancel your package, they modified it. Anyone can do this and it had nothing to do with having the trip insurance. You lost that insurance money because it was attached to your original dates. If they had truly canceled your trip, you would have lost your $200 deposit and would have had to file an insurance claim to try to get it back.

All of these policies are noted when you book a room-only or package reservation with WDTC.

Okay, maybe I misunderstood what they did then but I have a new reservation number? In the past any time I’ve modified, the reservation number stays the same.

 

[missingdisneymore]

Okay, maybe I misunderstood what they did then but I have a new reservation number? In the past any time I’ve modified, the reservation number stays the same.

Same here. I was not able to modify. It was a new reservation with a new confirmation number.

 

[Starclassic]

Same here. I was not able to modify. It was a new reservation with a new confirmation number.

I wasn’t able to make the call myself. I typically handle all of the planning but I had a severe eye injury so my husband had to figure it all out. He told me they told him we couldn’t modify, it had to be canceled, but everything we paid was applied to our new reservation minus the insurance cost. The emails I received reflect this as well. We did get more luggage tags in the mail so I was happy for that. LOL

 

[missingdisneymore]

I wasn’t able to make the call myself. I typically handle all of the planning but I had a severe eye injury so my husband had to figure it all out. He told me they told him we couldn’t modify, it had to be canceled, but everything we paid was applied to our new reservation minus the insurance cost. The emails I received reflect this as well. We did get more luggage tags in the mail so I was happy for that. LOL

Yes! This is same that happened to us.
I'm sorry that happened to you. And I hope your eye is better!

 

[missingdisneymore]

The Covid cancellation policies are no longer in place and were not in place when I made my day-of modification - I was able to modify and not lose any money because I did not cancel and I modified before physically checking in to the resort. I have stayed on-property 4 to 5 times a year for over a decade - I'm pretty familiar with how this works. It sounds like Guest Services did you a favor by not taking your deposit when you cancelled - that was nice. Perhaps you outright canceled because you wanted the money back and not sitting on another reservation for a prolonged period of time?

OP - here are the current Package and Room-Only Cancellation and Change terms and conditions straight from Disney. Again, the KEY to not losing any money, if you are within a cancellation penalty window is to MODIFY your reservation - do not cancel and do not cancel then rebook - just modify! Notice with "Changes to Reservation" on packages, it notes "prior to guest arrival", meaning before you physically check-in to the resort. This applies to room-only reservations as well.

Package:
Cancellation and Refunds

• For cancellations made 30 days or more prior to guest arrival, amounts paid, minus cancellation fees assessed by third party hotels or other suppliers, non-refundable runDisney race registrations, non-refundable travel protection plan costs, and other amounts owed, will be refunded.
• For cancellations made 2 days to 29 days prior to guest arrival, amounts paid, minus a cancellation fee of $200.00 per package and minus any cancellation fees assessed by third party hotels or other suppliers, non-refundable runDisney race registrations, non-refundable travel protection plan costs and other amounts owed, will be refunded.
• For cancellations made 1 day or less prior to guest arrival or for no-shows, the full price of the package is non-refundable.
• No refunds are given for cancellation of any personalized products or experiences.
• No refunds will be made for early departure from hotel and for unused or partially used admission tickets, options or features, including meals.
• Any refunds allowed by Disney in its sole discretion after arrival must be requested in writing within 90 days after departure and may be assessed a $25 processing fee.
• Disney reserves the right to make refunds in accordance with the method that payment was received. All appropriate refunds will be made through the guest’s travel agent if payment was made by the travel agent. Disney is not responsible for the receipt of refunded monies by guests from their travel agents.

Change Fees and Changes to Reservations Made Prior to Guest Arrival

• Changes to Reservation – Changes to reservation, including but not limited to change in travel dates, length of stay, party size or hotel accommodations, are subject to availability and the prices applicable at the time the change is requested and guest is responsible for paying any increase in price resulting from the change. In addition, changes made 30 days or less prior to guest arrival are also subject to a change fee of $50 per package plus any change fees assessed by third party hotels or other suppliers.
• If changes are made to the package including, but not limited to, changes to travel dates, package is subject to the Terms and Conditions applicable to packages at the time the change to the reservation is made and, in the case of changes to travel dates, pricing applicable to the new travel dates.
• Hotels and/or suppliers do not permit changes in certain situations.
• Disney reserves the right to restrict changes to any reservation.

Room-Only Cancellation and Change Policies:

CANCELLATION POLICY: In order to receive a refund of your deposit, notification of cancellation must be received at least 5 days prior to your arrival date.

CHANGES TO RESERVATIONS:
Changes to reservation, including but not limited to change in travel dates, length of stay or hotel accommodations, are subject to availability and the rates applicable at the time the change is made and guest is responsible for paying any increase in price resulting from the change.

No, I'm good, thanks. I've been visiting for over three decades, several times a year as well and usually, but not always, stay onsite.

They didn't refund the money because that's not the process if they're rebooking you immediately. I didn't ask to cancel, they required it to be cancelled. They get supervisor approval to move the $$ to the next reservation. Just like they did for the other guest. I don't need to worry about a few hundred dollars deposit tying up my bank account. Lol

 

[SkyGuy]

I came down with the stomach flu in February the morning we were to fly to Disney. I called, fully expecting to modify to a future date. I told the agent I was sick and there was no way I could make it and said I’d like to modify. The agency said no problem; would I like to modify or cancel? I said I didn’t think I could cancel without a penalty but that would be preferable. Done - fully refunded, no penalty, no questions asked, AND they had to call the hotel to pull my reservation because it had already been sent for check-in. Probably not the norm, and definitely not the policy.

 

[Marthasor]

I came down with the stomach flu in February the morning we were to fly to Disney. I called, fully expecting to modify to a future date. I told the agent I was sick and there was no way I could make it and said I’d like to modify. The agency said no problem; would I like to modify or cancel? I said I didn’t think I could cancel without a penalty but that would be preferable. Done - fully refunded, no penalty, no questions asked, AND they had to call the hotel to pull my reservation because it had already been sent for check-in. Probably not the norm, and definitely not the policy.

Yes, same thing happened to me - I had also been "soft checked-in" at my resort, but guest services worked it out - I had a split stay, so they refunded one of them and modified the other so I wouldn't lose any money. I have found, since the re-opening in July 2020, even as the policies have come back to the pre-covid norms, Disney has been super helpful with modifications - I have made a few package modifications within 30 days of check-in and have never been charged a mod fee and they were super helpful when I got sick, day-of.