Email Going Out to Disney World Annual Passholders With Policy Updates
As we previously reported here at MickeyBlog, it is a HUGE time of change at Walt Disney World as the theme park readies for re-opening. Disney announced on Wednesday of this week that plans are in place to begin reopening the parks on July 11th with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opening and then EPCOT and Hollywood Studios opening four days later July 15th.
As part of the plans to reopen Disney is revamping their reservation system, putting social distancing measures in place and restricting access in the early days so that social distancing protocols can be met.
All of this is naturally having a big impact on Disney World’s Annual Passholders. With that in mind, the following letter is going out to guests:
So the AWESOME takeaway from this email is that Disney is planning a special Passholder preview giving AP holders the chance to visit the parks before they open to the general public. Not a lot of specifics have been given regarding the preview at this time. However, Disney said they will be providing more details soon.
Explore some important updates for Annual Passholders at Walt Disney World Resort
Disney has recently made updates to their Annual Passholder pages with important information that AP holders will want to be aware of. Here are the big takeaways.
Park Capacities: Disney has announced that when the theme parks do reopen park capacity will be limited. If they follow a similar model to Shanghai Disney is the could be by as much as 20 – 30%. These restrictions may eventually be eased but at the onset, guests allowed into the park each day will be capped.
No Guaranteed Entry: As a result of the cap on attendance Annual Passholders are not guaranteed entry to the theme parks. Along with other guests, pass holders will be required to make a reservation to gain entry. Disney is expected to reveal more about this once the new reservation system is updated.
That being said, passholders will want to be aware of the following:
- Park Reservations may be hard to come by on certain dates. To help manage capacity the number of theme park reservations will be restricted. More details on this will be released in the coming weeks.
- Some pass benefits and features may be restricted as well. Along with this, park experiences and offerings will be modified, subject to availability or perhaps even closed.
- Blackout dates will still come into play. You should check your pass type for restrictions before making a park reservation.
Passholder Preview: As Disney prepares for the reopening of the parks a special preview opportunity for Annual Passholders is in the works.
Policy Updates and Refunds
Due to the closure of the Walt Disney World theme parks, some policies were modified to assist Passholders.
If you are an Annual Passholder who has paid in full:
All active Walt Disney World Resort theme park and water park Annual Passes will be extended for the number of days the parks are closed. The new expiration date will be reflected on the Annual Passholder’s account prior to the reopening of the parks.
As an alternative, and in lieu of an extension of their passes, Passholders who have paid in full may choose to receive a partial refund for the park closure period. To request this alternative option, we ask that you contact V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277. We do anticipate heavy call volume and appreciate your patience as we answer all inquiries.
If you are an Annual Passholder on the monthly payment plan:
On April 5, 2020, we automatically stopped and will waive monthly payments due while the theme parks are closed. We will also retroactively refund payments made between March 14 through April 4, 2020. Payments will resume on the Passholder’s regularly scheduled payment dates once the parks reopen. Please note, pass expiration dates will not be extended and passes will expire upon their originally scheduled expiration dates.
As an alternative, Guests who are paying for Walt Disney World Annual Passes using our monthly payment program may choose to have their monthly payments postponed starting with payments due April 5, 2020 through the park closure period, and then resumed on the Passholder’s regularly scheduled payment date once the parks reopen. Postponed payments will be collected in the months following the end of the Passholder’s currently scheduled payment term. The pass will be extended the number of days the parks are closed. The new expiration date will be reflected on the Annual Passholder’s account prior to the reopening of the theme parks. To request this alternative option, we ask that you contact V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277. We do anticipate heavy call volume and appreciate your patience as we answer all inquiries.
If you have any questions, please contact V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277.