Hello Chase,
I’m glad you’ve stopped by to see us at planDisney. I am so sorry that you have run into this situation, let me see what I can do to help you.
The
Disney Park Pass Reservation System was put in place when the parks reopened last summer and is designed to keep the number of Guests in the theme parks to safer levels for both Guests and Cast Members. Park Pass Reservations do book several weeks to months in advance. I know the official
Walt Disney World Ticketing Page is doing their very best to post the information and encourage Guests to check availability before purchasing tickets. I’m not sure that outside ticket vendors are communicating this as thoroughly, and I’m sorry you have found yourself in this situation.
Never fear, I have a few suggestions! First, know that other Guests can and do change their reservations and cancel. Additionally, as your trip approaches, Disney may add more availability, especially as CDC guidelines for safety change. I would recommend checking the availability daily, or even several times daily to see if more reservations open up.
You could consider adding the
Park Hopper Option to your Disney Theme Park Tickets. I know you have already invested in your tickets, so additional costs may not be appealing, but it would mean you would get to visit the other theme parks. With the Park Hopper Option, you would make a Park Pass Reservation for what was available, at this writing, it appears Epcot is available every day in June. You would then head to Epcot when it opens each day around 11 AM, and enter the theme park for a few hours of fun. After 2 PM, you would be able to enter another theme park. While I need to let you know that in theory, if the parks reached Park Hopping capacity, you might not be able to enter another park, to date, this has not happened, even during the busy spring break season.
The third option is to reschedule your visit. Wholly unused Disney Theme Park Tickets can be used toward the purchase of new tickets for other dates. If you wanted to reschedule to the end of July, or August, there is still plenty of Park Pass availability during those times. The cost you paid for your June tickets would be applied to the cost of tickets needed for your new dates, so you would not lose any value paid.
If I were in your shoes, Chase, I would start by reserving Park Pass Reservations for Epcot each day of my visit. I would check the
Theme Park Availability Calendar several times daily to try to snag a cancellation. I often find that luck favors those who stalk Disney reservations. If I were unsuccessful in getting the parks needed before my trip, I would then upgrade to the Park Hopper Pass. Canceling and rescheduling altogether is usually complicated, and I know my job wouldn’t have that much flexibility in rescheduling my days off. Additionally, travel in the United States is seeing a huge increase in demand and so you may not be able to rebook your off-site accommodations.
I hope you figure out the best solution for your family, Chase. Sending you pixie dust for good luck in snagging those important Park Pass Reservations!
- Kate