Walt Disney World has had a rough ride with Conoronavirus, but it’s their Annual Passholders that seem to be paying the price.
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com.
If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today.
Coronavirus Shut Down the Parks
The coronavirus crisis made it impossible for Walt Disney parks across the world to stay open. Too many people coming in close contact with each other and touching common surfaces, there really was no way to safely keep the parks open for guests. To Disney’s credit, they recognized this early and shut down parks around the world before governments required them to do so.
It was a big decision for management to make, one in which a quarter of the company’s annual revenue is derived and a fair amount of profit too. The whole business has been affected by the virus. Disney decided to shelve the release of some major films until they can get back to Box Office numbers. ESPN/ABC Sports is obviously suffering as well.
Payments Mishandled
Some Florida Annual Passholders pay for their passes monthly over the course of the year. With the parks shut, Disney gave these passholders a pair of options.
- They could stop payments during the closure period, and restart once the parks re-opened.
- Payments could continue without ceasing during the closure period, however, membership would be extended cost-free for the number of months the parks were closed.
The parks re-opened last week and as such, payments resumed. However, for those who had suspended payments through the period, some were debited all of the payments that had been postponed at once. For a family of four, that might have been an unintended payment of $800 that was not agreed to.
An opportunistic attorney has filed a class-action suit against Disney for the costs and inconveniences posed with this error. Disney has reversed the holds (many never posted) and following the filing, Disney has also contacted affected parties offering to cover any costs associated with the error.
It seems like this was a genuine mistake or technical failure and that the company has made it right (even though the effort only came after the lawsuit was filed.)
Annual Passholders Mishandled
Perhaps the most egregious mishandling of Annual Passholders for Walt Disney World has been access to the park once it re-opened. Annual Passholders who could not attend a preview soft opening, have found there’s no availability in the near future. That would be understandable if it were due to restrictions on crowd size, however, single tickets show availability for days when Passholders should have the same access but don’t.
What’s more, in an effort to track and manage crowd sizes, Walt Disney World is not allowing members to park hop (visit more than one park in a day.) That’s a major benefit of being an annual passholder and strictly curtails and adjusts the economics and feasibility of any trip. Florida resident single park/single day passes are significantly discounted from general ticket prices, for non-Floridians. The costs can vary from $60 for the same single day, single park ticket to more than $200 for Park Hopper. To take away the benefit clearly devalues the annual passes and those passholders should be compensated accordingly. Disney has decided the compensation for this a one-month extension of their pass expiry or to cancel membership and receive a pro-rata refund.
It’s also disappointing that Annual Passholders (whether paying $2000 upfront for the year or in monthly installments) aren’t allowed entry, while those who may visit Disney once or twice in their lives can gain access to the park for as little as $108. It should demonstrate to Annual Passholders just where they stand on the Disney customer hierarchy.
Conclusion
This particular challenge is hard for Disney because unlike hoteliers who still welcome guests who may have to travel for work, to care for a family member or a friend – Walt Disney World is the definition of non-essential. Some of the moves they made were the right thing to do for the customer, even when they didn’t necessarily need to do them. However, mishandled payments could have put some people already in a surprisingly difficult position in a far worse one. And restricting Annual Passholders from entering because you already have their money while accepting new business is beneath the Disney standard.
What do you think? Did Disney mistreat Annual Passholders? Are they whining over nothing?
No guests are currently able to park hop. From Disney’s parks blog that shows passholder’s aren’t losing versus single day tickets
Please note, park reservations are limited in number and subject to availability. Availability can change until the reservation is finalized. At this time, guests will be able to select one park per day; visiting more than one park per day will be temporarily unavailable upon the reopening of the theme parks due to attendance limitations. Guests with existing tickets that include the Park Hopper Option or Park Hopper Plus Option have options available to them for ticket modifications and cancellations, and can visit DisneyWorld.com/Updates for more information. We hope to bring back the ability to visit more than one park per day soon and will continue to offer these add-ons for 2021 ticket purchases.
Since the ability to park hop is built into the cost of the annual pass, it certainly is losing. Not vs. single day tickets but the value of the pass is severely diminished between this perk being removed and half the parks being closed.
No response on shutting out annual Passholders while single ticket Passholders have availability to enter. What is worse is no migration of availability. On both the 11th and 12th hotel guests and single ticket guests had availability and as we know there is zero Availability in all July for Passholders. Those slots went unused instead of dynamically offering them to Passholders. Also we like to visit the parks later in their operating hours. Many Passholders locally just use a few hours here and there and if disney knows availability has opened up because guests have left then should release some for Passholders. This is how they handle peak crowd days such as July 4 and New Year’s Eve.
You didn’t mention that USA passholders are getting passes extended for the time closed, but Shanghai’s passholders are being extended for the time closed PLUS the time of the reservation system. If they did that for WDW passholders, I think we’d be satisfied. Adding 4 months to a pass isn’t enough compensation.
I wasn’t aware of that for the Shanghai Annual Passholders (though I think it costs $200/year for the equivalent to Platinum in the US which is 10x that price.) I considered getting an Annual Pass if I was going to be in Shanghai for a few days because why not at that price?
For several years, I had the WDW/DR premier passport – one of my favorite benefits was park hopping. I never stayed 4 days in FL so I would hit one park in the morning and another if the evening. Bouncing back and forth for meals and entertainment choices; Occasionally getting a FP for a attraction I truly wanted to enjoy – but not necessarily for each park or day During my stay.
At the DR there was never a time that I did not park hop – the DR is actually built to allow this! I lived in the area too.
If Disney sold me a pass that allows park-hopping and reneged on this contract, I would definitely ask for some type of compensation.
I Finally made it to Shanghai (October ‘19) and to my last worldwide Disney Resort. After accomplishing this feat, I decided to take a 5 year break from the Disney Resorts – not knowing at the time Disney would also take a break from me. I have no AP – no desire to get one. I do not need to navigate my way around their new reservation policies.
For those not on a 5 year Disney sabbatical, I wish you luck, and a LOT of patience.
USA passholders should be treated the same way Shanghai passholders are treated. In Shanghai, annual passes are extended for the number of days from the time of the park closing until the reservation system expires.
If they did that here in Florida, you’d have less complaining. A four month extension is not proper compensation. It’s insane to go into the parks now with the COVID-19 numbers in Florida. More than 250,000 Floridians have COVID-19. Another 500 dead reported today. AND…Disney is advising seniors not to come, well then, extend my annual pass until such time as I am able to safely visit the park.
Disney World, man… I just don’t get it.
Jerry,
We took our kids there, so they could get it out of their genetic material. Phew! That was 27 years ago. My favorite, the French Cafe.