Hey Howdy Hey Diane and welcome to planDisney!
Starting the initial planning for a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort is such an exciting experience. Many people begin planning their trips far in advance for many reasons. While we all get super excited about our trips, sometimes plans change and vacation reservations may need modifications that we did not foresee when we first made them. Diane, you've got a friend in me to navigate you through the details of possibly needing to rebook your trip. Let's review!
Most vacations to Walt Disney World are usually booked as vacation packages, including stays at a
Disney Resorts Collection hotel and theme park tickets. To secure your reservation, a down payment is required at the time of booking but final payments are not due until 30 days before your arrival as per the current
terms and conditions. You can make changes to your reservation anytime before you pay your final payment without penalty or a charge. You can even cancel your reservation and get a full refund on any amount you paid before that 30-day mark. Cancelations made between 2 and 29 days from your date of arrival are subject to the current $200 processing fee and any cancelation made less than 2 days loses the full amount paid. Any Change made to a reservation 29 days or less will be subject to the current $50 change fee.
The big story is that 30 days before your date of arrival is key if you need to change or cancel your reservation to protect any money you did put down or pay towards your vacation. As a father of 3 and a big-time planner, the other thing that I am super familiar with is how often things change that I did not plan for or consider when it comes to kids. If and when you do book your vacation, you might also want to consider travel insurance. Disney has a
plan available that you can add to your vacation to protect you from any unforeseen events which might help recover costs partially or fully. I would make sure you read the policy as well as shop around to see what exactly is covered and at what cost.
I wish you and your family the best of luck moving forward as it sounds like you have a lot of exciting things happening this year! Feel free to stop back with any other questions you may have, we are always happy to help.
Happy planning,
Nick