Welcome, Margaret. It's so great that you found us here on our informative and magical little corner of the internet!
Currently, if you book a
vacation package (
Disney Resorts Collection Hotel room reservation
and theme park tickets together) on the
Walt Disney World Resort website, you can cancel up to 30 days before your check-in date for a full refund. If you cancel between 2-29 days before, you are entitled to a full refund minus the cancelation fee, which is currently $200 (subject to change). If you cancel 1 day or less or don't show at all, you will not receive a refund. The non-refundable amount, which varies based on when you cancel, is not eligible to be used toward a future booking. Please note that these policies do not apply to any third-party fees that you may choose to add on during the booking process. You can
refer to the full Terms & Conditions for more specifics and the most current policies.
In contrast, if you purchase theme park tickets on their own, while they are nonrefundable and nontransferable, you can typically apply the amount you paid for a wholly unused ticket to a new ticket purchase. However, if the new tickets are more expensive, you will be responsible for the difference at the time of purchase, and if they are less expensive, you will not receive a refund for the difference (nor can this amount be applied to a future purchase). Check out the
Terms & Conditions for more details!
If you are booking a hotel room on its own, you are typically able to
cancel for a full refund up to 5 days before your check-in date for 2024 stays and 8 days before your check-in date for a 2025 stay. After these deadlines, you are typically charged a cancelation fee, which is usually equal to the cost of a one-night stay. You would not be able to apply this nonrefundable amount toward a future stay.
Margaret, as you can see, you do have options if something should come up. So, take a look at the policies, and take a tip from me: set a reminder on your phone a little before these deadlines approach to reevaluate your situation. If your reminder comes up and it looks like you won't be making that trip, take action so you aren't charged any fees. If it looks like you will,
keep that countdown going and enjoy the trip! Trust me, in all areas of my life, I would not be able to survive without the reminders on my phone.
If you have any other questions,
I've got you covered.
I laugh in the face of danger,
Matt