Temporary Closures at Walt Disney World Resort Leave a comment

Note: For questions or help on specific reservations, please call the Walt Disney World® or Disneyland® Resort call center. We’re unable to assist via the commenting feature on Disney Travel News.

UPDATE – March 27, 2020: While there is still much uncertainty with respect to the impacts of COVID-19, the safety and well-being of our guests and employees remain our top priority.

In line with guidance and direction provided by health experts and government officials, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort are currently closed. A reopening date has not yet been scheduled.

We appreciate your patience during this time.

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UPDATE – March 20, 2020: In an abundance of caution, all Disney owned-and-operated locations at Disney Springs are currently temporarily closed. As of March 21, all other retail and restaurant locations at Disney Springs will also be temporarily closed. Please continue to check the Disney Springs website and websites of locations you wish to visit for information on when locations at Disney Springs will reopen.

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UPDATE – March 17, 2020: Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort will also close at 5 p.m. Friday, March 20 through the end of the month. This will give Guests the ability to make necessary travel arrangements or book alternative accommodations.

Due to the Resort hotel closures, and in keeping with our focus on the wellbeing of our Guests and Cast Members, Disney Floral & Gifts is temporarily suspending operations on Wednesday, March 18 close of business through the end of the month. The Disney Floral & Gifts website will be adjusted so that no orders will process for delivery from March 20-April 4 at Walt Disney World Resort.

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UPDATE – March 15, 2020: With circumstances continuing to change rapidly around the globe, we are making critical and timely decisions based on guidance from local, national and international health agencies. As we have shared before, we are basing our decisions on the safety and well-being of our Cast Members and our Guests, since there is nothing more important than that.

Based on that, at Disney Springs in Florida, we will be closing all of the Disney owned and operated locations, including shops and restaurants, beginning Tuesday, March 17, through the end of the month. Select restaurants and retail locations at Disney Springs may remain open and your Clients should call the location they wish to visit for operating hours.

In addition, Disney owned and operated hotels at Walt Disney World Resort and Disney’s Vero Beach Resort will close at 5 p.m. Friday, March 20 through the end of the month. This will give Guests the ability to make necessary travel arrangements or book alternative accommodations.

Like the rest of our Cast Members, those who work in the Disney owned areas will continue to be paid through the end of the month.

We will continue to monitor the situation and maintain regular contact with the appropriate officials and health experts.

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UPDATE – March 13, 2020: Your Clients with Walt Disney World Resort hotel stays during the previously announced closure will be receiving an email communication providing them with options to change their plans. The message is here below for reference.

Even more important to us than our Guests’ happiness is your health and safety. So in keeping with our focus on the wellbeing of our Guests and Cast Members, we are proceeding with the closure of our Walt Disney World Theme Parks from March 16 through the end of the month.

While we appreciate you booking a Disney Resort hotel stay during this timeframe, you have the following options available if you widh to change your plans:

• Many reservations can be canceled and rebooked online. This includes room-only reservations as well as package plans.
• If you have a package that includes flights, car rental or a travel protection plan, please call the Disney Reservation Center at (407) 939-5277.
• If you take no action and do not check in as scheduled, your reservation will automatically be canceled and we will process a refund credited to your original form of payment within seven days of your original check-in date.
• If you did not book through Disney directly, please contact your Travel Professional.

We thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.

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Original Post – In keeping with our focus on the wellbeing of our Guests, Cast Members and your Clients, we are proceeding with the closure of our theme parks at Walt Disney World® Resort, beginning March 16, through the end of the month.

The Walt Disney Company will pay its Cast Members during that closure period.

We will continue to stay in close contact with appropriate officials and health experts.

Effective March 15, 2020, until further notice, we’re making a temporary adjustment to our final payment policy for Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort packages booked through Walt Disney Travel Company. For existing bookings, final payment to WDTC will now be due 7 days prior to Guest arrival. Payment may be made online or by phone. For new package reservations made through DTA, with arrival in less than 30 days, payments will be due in full. Please note that our call centers can take partial payments.

Certain Walt Disney World Resort reservations are eligible to be cancelled online. Walt Disney Travel Company packages may be cancelled online if the package was originally booked online and if there are no third-party components in the package. To check if a package is eligible for online cancellation, please visit the Disney Travel Agents website and pull up your Client’s reservation. If you are able to cancel online, the option to do so will be shown on the page. If not, please call the Walt Disney World call center.

We are working as quickly as possible to provide you and your Clients with information on impacts to existing and future reservations during this time period.  We appreciate your patience and understanding.

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March 11, 2020 – Walt Disney Travel Company is making a temporary adjustment to its policy on change fees for Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort vacations. The following applies only to leisure package bookings made through Walt Disney Travel Company.

• Until further notice, Disney will waive the Disney-imposed $50 change fee for Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort packages.
• Guests may move their reservation to a future date in 2020.
• Changes are subject to availability, and the guest is responsible for paying any increase in price resulting from the change. In addition, any change fees assessed by third-party hotels or other suppliers must be paid, and some products or services may be non-refundable. If air transportation has been ticketed, the guest will be responsible for any increase in airfare as well as any change fee assessed by the airline.
• For clients who purchased travel insurance, there is an updated policy in effect until further notice: Up to 24 hours prior to arrival, Guests may modify their arrival dates and maintain coverage under the protection policy as long as there is not a claim on the original travel dates.
• Some events and dining experiences may not be offered on the new dates and may be non-refundable.
• This temporary policy does not apply to changes made for groups, meetings, and other room block bookings.
• If a vacation is cancelled, all applicable cancellation fees continue to apply.