AP Holders: Should Disney "Stop the Clock" on passes until there is a Vaccine for COVID-19 ?

[Welsh_Dragon]

I have just seen this from Tom Bricker...
‘April 18, 2020 Update: It turns out our guesses above were wrong. Perhaps naively, we assumed that a refund would be given for the remaining dates, effectively canceling your Annual Pass. Per reports from multiple commenters on our Facebook page, the refund will be given based for the closure period, with the Annual Pass still valid thereafter. This means the refund will be neither immediate nor calculable until the closure ends. This might work out better for some people (and certainly Disney), but is a disappointing development…that we probably should’ve seen coming.’

I think this means that if WDW is closed for 40 days, you either accept a refund for 40 days, but your end/renewal date remains the same or receive a 40 day extension.

That is a very different story.

 

[midaroco]

So what if you are a DVC member and can only get accommodations at 11 months out... all of a sudden offering me access to the parks in September doesnt work with the other part of your system that I have paid to be a part of. If my DVC res was for April, I cant just go change it.

You do have the option to get the refund, or you can book a resort room In September! Great news, though...I just checked and there is a lot of DVC availability in September!

 

[Aurora0427]

I have just seen this from Tom Bricker...
‘April 18, 2020 Update: It turns out our guesses above were wrong. Perhaps naively, we assumed that a refund would be given for the remaining dates, effectively canceling your Annual Pass. Per reports from multiple commenters on our Facebook page, the refund will be given based for the closure period, with the Annual Pass still valid thereafter. This means the refund will be neither immediate nor calculable until the closure ends. This might work out better for some people (and certainly Disney), but is a disappointing development…that we probably should’ve seen coming.’

I think this means that if WDW is closed for 40 days, you either accept a refund for 40 days, but your end/renewal date remains the same or receive a 40 day extension.

That is a very different story.

Yeah..... this is disappointing. People like my parents really get screwed with this..... they’re both high risk and have no business going to Disney until there’s a vaccine or a treatment. This is why a freeze is such a great option. It gives people like my parents a chance to actually get to use their pass when it’s safer. And they just bought their passes in January, so they haven’t even broken even yet. At least we’ve been a gazillion times this year and have definitely gotten our money’s worth.

 

[yulilin3]

I have just seen this from Tom Bricker...
‘April 18, 2020 Update: It turns out our guesses above were wrong. Perhaps naively, we assumed that a refund would be given for the remaining dates, effectively canceling your Annual Pass. Per reports from multiple commenters on our Facebook page, the refund will be given based for the closure period, with the Annual Pass still valid thereafter. This means the refund will be neither immediate nor calculable until the closure ends. This might work out better for some people (and certainly Disney), but is a disappointing development…that we probably should’ve seen coming.’

I think this means that if WDW is closed for 40 days, you either accept a refund for 40 days, but your end/renewal date remains the same or receive a 40 day extension.

That is a very different story.

Yeah this was reported and posted days ago. We've been discussing this on the TPAS forum. You get a refund only for the days the parks
are closed or get no refund and add the days to your expiration date

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

Does anyone know if DVC member services can help with DVC annual pass refunds/extensions or is it only the pass-holder line?

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Yeah this was reported and posted days ago. We've been discussing this on the TPAS forum. You get a refund only for the days the parks are closed or get no refund and add the days to your expiration date

Sorry, I didn’t see that. What does TPAS stand for?

 

[Disney Bobby]

Giving some extra flexibility in scheduling makeup times could actually benefit Disney.

Here's a third option. Offer annual pass holder the option of getting maybe 14 days of park hopper tickets that would expire in a year. Could even be required to be combined with a resort stay.

#1 Many annual pass holders would appreciate the flexibility
#2 They would get some revenue from resorts, restaurants, and merchandise
#3 It would allow some people who were laid off some time to recover financially

People need to remember. There are going to be lasting financial impacts to this crisis. It's not just the Disney side of the equation that has been financially impacted. There are going to be some people that can't afford to come back in the extension.

I don't see how some flexibility is costing Disney money.

 

[yulilin3]

Sorry, I didn’t see that. What does TPAS stand for?

Theme parks and strategy forum

 

[midaroco]

What do you work for Disney or have stock in Disney??? People buy these passes based on how many days they figure they will be in the park in a given year. There are calculations for this, there own reps recommend doing this. We just want to get what we paid for, based on the schedule we booked our vacations on.

I don’t work for Disney, or own their stock. I have an AP, and had a trip scheduled for 10 days in May that obviously isn’t happening. So I, myself, am impacted by this as well. I just think the overwhelming sense of entitlement and expectation is egregious. I’m not saying there are not some valid points, however they are the minority given that Disney has made a fair accommodation for what is transpiring. We have to also be accountable, as consumers, for the purchases we make and honor those purchases if we expect business to do the same. For the folks bragging that they spend $30,000 a year at WDW, then complaining they want a refund of $800 for their AP - it makes absolutely no sense. The majority of folks on here seem to have purchased an annual pass not for the intent of it, rather specifically to use within a one to two month period. You can’t purchase something that is intended for annual use, then expect to be compensated by the company you purchased it from because you have personal factors that limit your use of the product.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Giving some extra flexibility in scheduling makeup times could actually benefit Disney.

Here's a third option. Offer annual pass holder the option of getting maybe 14 days of park hopper tickets that would expire in a year. Could even be required to be combined with a resort stay.

#1 Many annual pass holders would appreciate the flexibility
#2 They would get some revenue from resorts, restaurants, and merchandise
#3 It would allow some people who were laid off some time to recover financially

People need to remember. There are going to be lasting financial impacts to this crisis. It's not just the Disney side of the equation that has been financially impacted. There are going to be some people that can't afford to come back in the extension. I don't see how some flexibility is costing Disney money.

If they do not allow my husband and I to do anything beyond their current options, they are out the little bit they will be paying us for the refund period but they would be losing (or delaying until we can travel again) thousands of dollars in potential revenue between our almost 2 weeks of accommodations for a large party, 10 or so TS meals (again for a large party), even more QS meals, snacks, souvenirs, etc. The small bit of flexibility on their end means we can take a very expensive trip sooner than later. Lots of flexibility on their end could even mean an extra trip snuck in that we would not even consider if we didn’t hold active passes.

As a customer I am a drop in the bucket to Disney, but that little bit of flexibility that costs them next to nothing gets them a whole lot more back.

 

[New Mouse]

That's like saying if FoP was down for a whole day, folks going to AK would get a refund.

So if the restrooms in the park are open, Disney is covered? Theres a reasonable expectation to provide service. What you have advertised to sell your product is very important here. Precedent...Disney can and has given alternatives in situations like you mentioned. They do it daily.

 

[New Mouse]

I don’t work for Disney, or own their stock. I have an AP, and had a trip scheduled for 10 days in May that obviously isn’t happening. So I, myself, am impacted by this as well. I just think the overwhelming sense of entitlement and expectation is egregious. I’m not saying there are not some valid points, however they are the minority given that Disney has made a fair accommodation for what is transpiring. We have to also be accountable, as consumers, for the purchases we make and honor those purchases if we expect business to do the same. For the folks bragging that they spend $30,000 a year at WDW, then complaining they want a refund of $800 for their AP - it makes absolutely no sense. The majority of folks on here seem to have purchased an annual pass not for the intent of it, rather specifically to use within a one to two month period. You can’t purchase something that is intended for annual use, then expect to be compensated by the company you purchased it from because you have personal factors that limit your use of the product.

So then why have in state and out of state prices? I dont think you really get it. Disney literally sells a level of pass to people who are out of state and prices it accordingly...they do not expect families with this past to come more than one or two times a year.

 

[Disney Bobby]

If they do not allow my husband and I to do anything beyond their current options, they are out the little bit they will be paying us for the refund period but they would be losing (or delaying until we can travel again) thousands of dollars in potential revenue between our almost 2 weeks of accommodations for a large party, 10 or so TS meals (again for a large party), even more QS meals, snacks, souvenirs, etc. The small bit of flexibility on their end means we can take a very expensive trip sooner than later. Lots of flexibility on their end could even mean an extra trip snuck in that we would not even consider if we didn’t hold active passes.

As a customer I am a drop in the bucket to Disney, but that little bit of flexibility that costs them next to nothing gets them a whole lot more back.

Same here. I'm another drop in the bucket, but drops add up. I don;t see the negatives to added flexibility. Combine the virus fears with the economic impacts on visitors, and I don't think people are going to be rushing back to the parks like they were for a while.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

So then why have in state and out of state prices? I dont think you really get it. Disney literally sells a level of pass to people who are out of state and prices it accordingly...they do not expect families with this past to come more than one or two times a year.

Oh, now that is an interesting argument.

But.... don’t out of state/overseas AP holders pay more, not less? How does that fit your argument?

 

[midaroco]

Offer annual pass holder the option of getting maybe 14 days of park hopper tickets that would expire in a year.

You already had this option, yet you chose to purchase an AP. If what you wanted was 14 day park hopper tickets, perhaps you should have purchased those instead.

You can use the refund of approx. $3.50 a day to apply toward these park hopper tickets!

 

[rpb718]

So if the restrooms in the park are open, Disney is covered? Theres a reasonable expectation to provide service. What you have advertised to sell your product is very important here. Precedent...Disney can and has given alternatives in situations like you mentioned. They do it daily.

Yes they do it daily. They can give you an anytime FP.

 

[midaroco]

So then why have in state and out of state prices? I dont think you really get it. Disney literally sells a level of pass to people who are out of state and prices it accordingly...they do not expect families with this past to come more than one or two times a year.

I don’t think you get it. while I do agree that Disney doesn’t expect families out of state to go more than one to two times a year - their data shows them this - the Florida and DVC annual pass pricing is meant as a means to provide a discount to some of their most frequent, loyal, consumers.

 

[Disney Bobby]

I don’t work for Disney, or own their stock. I have an AP, and had a trip scheduled for 10 days in May that obviously isn’t happening. So I, myself, am impacted by this as well. I just think the overwhelming sense of entitlement and expectation is egregious. I’m not saying there are not some valid points, however they are the minority given that Disney has made a fair accommodation for what is transpiring. We have to also be accountable, as consumers, for the purchases we make and honor those purchases if we expect business to do the same. For the folks bragging that they spend $30,000 a year at WDW, then complaining they want a refund of $800 for their AP - it makes absolutely no sense. The majority of folks on here seem to have purchased an annual pass not for the intent of it, rather specifically to use within a one to two month period. You can’t purchase something that is intended for annual use, then expect to be compensated by the company you purchased it from because you have personal factors that limit your use of the product.

I never said I wanted a refund. I want to get some flexibility. And it absolutely makes sense to anybody that plans vacations.

That's not "entitlement" or "egregious". It's common for a company with good customer service to do in extraordinary situations. They should be bending over backwards for annual pass holders. No way should they hid behind fine print like you suggest.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I don’t work for Disney, or own their stock. I have an AP, and had a trip scheduled for 10 days in May that obviously isn’t happening. So I, myself, am impacted by this as well. I just think the overwhelming sense of entitlement and expectation is egregious. I’m not saying there are not some valid points, however they are the minority given that Disney has made a fair accommodation for what is transpiring. We have to also be accountable, as consumers, for the purchases we make and honor those purchases if we expect business to do the same. For the folks bragging that they spend $30,000 a year at WDW, then complaining they want a refund of $800 for their AP - it makes absolutely no sense. The majority of folks on here seem to have purchased an annual pass not for the intent of it, rather specifically to use within a one to two month period. You can’t purchase something that is intended for annual use, then expect to be compensated by the company you purchased it from because you have personal factors that limit your use of the product.

It is pretty common practice and encouraged to buy APs for 2+ planned trips even if you cannot travel to WDW frequently throughout the years. In many cases it makes financial sense to do so. Denying that is silly, IMO.

These are unprecedented times that nobody would have predicted. Hindsight is 20/20. I would love to see what the conversation would have looked like in December if someone had suggested Disney will be closing for 3+ months, then limiting APs to 1-3 parks, and that they advised people APs are not for people who can’t go year round.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

I think the

Here's a third option. Offer annual pass holder the option of getting maybe 14 days of park hopper tickets that would expire in a year. Could even be required to be combined with a resort stay.

I think the problem with this option is it is basically extending a majority of peoples annual passes an entire year. I would guess the majority of non-local AP holders go 14 days or less during their 365 day pass. So people like me who have used the pass 12 days and expires in early November, 14 days would basically be giving me another annual pass. In a normal time I could see Disney doing this for specific people as "pixie dust". But I just don't see them basically giving all AP holder a free year.....especially when park attendance could be limited in the next 12-18 months . While they realize AP holders are a constant steam of cash, short term they need to balance rewarding that loyalty while also bringing new money in.

The only way I could see a ticket like this working is if it expired 14 days from first use. I'm not sure if you envision this ticket being good for any 14 days throughout the year or just as a 1 time trip, good up to 14 days from first use.

Either way, I don't expect to see Disney do much more than what they've already offered. It will be awesome if they do, but I'm not holding my breath.

*EDIT Has anyone who has trips affected reached out to their credit card to see if trip insurance would cover this? I could see you making a case that annual passes are non refundable expenses and trying to get a refund via that route.