We all anticipated it and it finally happened on Thursday, March 12. Walt Disney World is temporarily closing due to concerns over COVID-19, also known as coronavirus.
According to the official park statement, WDW and also Disneyland Paris Resort will officially close starting at the close of business this Sunday, March 15 through the end of the month due to "an abundance of caution and in the best interest of our guests and employees."
Hotels at both WDW and Disneyland Paris will remain open until further notice. The same can be said with shops and dining at Disney Springs in WDW and Disney Village in Disneyland Paris. The Walt Disney World Company will also continue to pay its cast members during the closure period.
In addition to WDW and Disneyland Paris, Disney Cruise Line is also suspending all new departures beginning Saturday, March 14 through the end of the month.
The same can be said with Disneyland Resort, which will temporarily close beginning March 14 through the end of the month. Disneyland Resort hotels will remain open until Monday, March 16 to give guests the chance to make necessary travel arrangements. Downtown Disney will remain open as well.
This means that every Disney park across the globe will be closed at the same time. Shanghai Disney, Tokyo Disney, and Hong Kong Disneyland have all been temporarily closed for awhile now also due to COVID-19.
Disneyland will be working closely with guests who want to change or cancel their visits, along with providing refunds to those who have hotel bookings during this closure period. For questions and cancellations, you should call The Walt Disney Travel Company at 714-520-5050.
As for WDW, they are currently working on providing guests with information regarding existing and future reservations, along with refunds. Here's the latest updates as of March 13, 2020:
Ticket Refunds:
- Unexpired multi-day theme park tickets with unused days, or date-specific theme park tickets with a start date on or before March 31, 2020 will automatically be extended to use any date through December 15, 2020.
- If you are unable to visit by December 15, 2020, you may apply the value of a wholly unused ticket toward the purchase of a ticket for a future date.
- Florida Resident Discover Disney Tickets may be used through July 31, 2020.
- Guests who have purchased tickets for Disney After Hours, Disney Villains After Hours and Disney Early Morning Magic from March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020 will be automatically refunded.
Annual Passes:
- Annual Passes will be extended by the number of days the parks are closed, March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020.
- Passes with renewal windows ending during the closure will also receive an extension of time to renew.
- Those using the Annual Pass Monthly Payment program, monthly payments will continue as scheduled. Once the payments are completed, you will still have the extra days as mentioned earlier.
- Over the coming weeks, Annual Pass details in My Disney Experience will be updated to reflect the new pass usage information.
- Pass blockout and and admission calendars will not be updated during the closure period.
Resorts:
Regarding future WDW stays:
- Guests who have not checked in for stays between March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020 may modify or cancel their Disney Resort room reservation or Walt Disney Travel Company package up to their original check-in date.
- If no action is taken, Disney will automatically process a refund to the original form of payment within seven days of the original check-in date. If you did not book through Disney directly, be sure to contact your travel professional.
What to do if you want to cancel after the parks reopen:
- They will waive all Disney imposed change and cancellation fees up to the date of check-in through June 30, 2020.
Dining & Other Experiences:
If you have a pre-paid dining reservation or experience reservation like Droid Depot during the time when the parks are closed:
- All pre-paid dining and experience reservations will be automatically refunded if scheduled between March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020.
Regarding dining reservations that required a credit card at the time of booking:
- Reservations made at locations impacted by the closure will not be charged a cancellation or no-show fee.
Tables in Wonderland:
- All active Tables in Wonderland members will be extended by the number of park days the parks are closed
Other Experiences:
- Experiences near the parks, like firework cruises, will not happen. These experiences will automatically be canceled and fully refunded.
Transportation:
Transportation will continue to operate in select areas at WDW during the closures. Buses will operate between hotels and Disney Springs and between select resort hotels as needed.
FastPass+ Reservations:
- All FastPass+ reservations during the closure time will automatically be canceled.
You can continue visit the official WDW website for future updates.
If you booked a vacation through Perfect Story Travel during these closure dates, agents will be in contact with you directly to handle all of the important details moving forward.
If you have future Disney trips planned and are concerned about whether or not parks will remained closed longer than the current designated time, be sure to read our guide that goes over WDW cancellation policies and so much more.
We will, of course, keep you updated with any and all new information.
