Hello Steve,
Thanks for stopping by
planDisney with your question. It sounds like you are wisely considering all scenarios so you can make the most of your magical vacation.
While guests do need to have a
valid park admission AND a
theme park reservation for each day they want to visit a park, Disney knows that often the unexpected or unavoidable can happen. Although it's always a good idea to cancel your reservations as soon as your plans change out of consideration for other guests who may be waiting for a spot to become available, if sudden unavoidable events keep you from entering your park on the day of your planned visit, you won't be penalized for canceled plans. However, you will have to wait until the day of your original reservation has passed before making reservations to a new park.
When it comes to
dining reservations, you'll want to
cancel those 24 hours in advance to avoid any cancellation charges. Again, if you are canceling because of a sudden illness, you should contact a cast member at (407) 824-1391 as soon as you realize you won't be able to keep the reservation.
Hope this helps. If you have any other questions planning your trip to
Walt Disney World, my fellow panelists and I are happy to assist.
Diane