Hey Howdy Hey Stacy and welcome to planDisney!
I am so excited to hear you are planning a trip to come to visit us here in the Most Magical Place on Earth really soon! As you, and as many like you, start to plan your trip to visit Walt Disney World Resort, many do so months or even years in advance. There is a lot that can happen between the time you book your visit and the time you arrive for your trip and that part can be concerning for some. It sounds like this concern may apply to you in your situation with your father. Not to worry Stacy, you've got a friend in me to walk you through the cancelation policy so you can be put at ease when booking your trip. Let's get into it.
Let's first cover booking a
vacation package, which includes accommodations at a
Disney Resorts Collection hotel and theme park tickets. When you book a vacation package with Disney, you are required to put a $200.00 deposit down for your reservation. Your final payment is due 30 days from your date of arrival. Changes that are made before 30 days can do so without penalty. If you cancel a trip from 2-29 days from your date of arrival, you will be charged a $200.00 cancelation fee. Cancelations made in less than 2 days will forfeit the entire cost with no refund. If you simply make a change to your vacation package within 30 days of your date of travel, you will be charged a $50.00 change fee.
If you are thinking of booking things separately, a
room-only reservation works a little differently. When you make your reservation, you will have to put down a deposit equal to the first night's stay plus tax. The full amount would be due on the date of arrival. You can cancel your trip with a full refund 5 days or more from your date of arrival. Changes can be made at any time as long as there is availability for the dates you wanted to change to. With changes, you are also subject to any difference in pricing if you change to a date that is more expensive than what you booked.
If you book your theme park tickets separately these tickets do come with an expiration date that will be listed on them. You can change the date of your ticket at any time but will be subject to cover the difference if you change to a date more expensive than the one you originally booked.
Travel insurance is always something that I would recommend to help cover any unexpected turn of events.
Disney does have a policy that is offered you can look into, just make sure to specifically read the wording when it comes to cancelations due to family illness and such as there will be specific things they may or may not cover.
I hope you will be able to make it to Walt Disney World as the spring is such a great time to visit for so many reasons. One of my absolute favorite things to do in Disney World during the spring is taking plenty of time to experience EPCOT. During the spring, you can find
EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival which is a super fun way to welcome in the warmer weather. Stop by seasonal food stands throughout the park and marvel at all of the spectacular flower and garden displays throughout the whole park!
I wish for the best outcome for your father and your family and I hope you can make it over to visit us in the Vacation Kingdom of the World really soon. Please stop back and let us know if you have any further questions.
Have a Magical Day,
Nick