Hello Jeffrey,
Welcome Home! I’m so glad you stopped by to see the
Disney Vacation Club Panelists here on planDisney. I am always happy to see questions from my fellow DVC Members.
The
Disney Park Pass System was implemented with the reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort to limit the number of Guests inside the theme parks. This makes social distancing possible, and increases safety for Cast Members and Guests. With things improving in the United States, Park Pass Reservations are booking several weeks to months in advance.
Sales of new Walt Disney World Annual Passes have been paused, and so you won’t be able to purchase them at this time. Disney Vacation Club Members with current Annual Passes must renew them by calling Member Services, as neither sales nor renewals with the Disney Vacation Club discount cannot be done online. If your family had Annual Passes that expired during the shutdown, or you canceled your Annual Passes at that time, you may be eligible to purchase new ones. You would need to begin by calling Disney Ticketing to submit a request to be reviewed, and you would be contacted with the decision on that application. This option takes time and it is possible by the time you were given a decision, the Park Pass Reservations for Annual Passholders could also be booked.
I see a few choices for you in this situation, Jeffrey. The first option is to plan a resort-only stay. There are so many things to do at the Walt Disney World Resort outside of the parks that Guests often miss. The
pool at Kidani Village is a great place to spend your day, but you can also consider a visit to
Disney Springs for shopping and dining, a round or two at
Fantasia Gardens and Fairways Miniature Golf (DVC discount!), or a visit to
Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park (DVC discount!).
If you opt for a resort-only stay, I would continue to watch the
Theme Park Availability Calendar daily, or multiple times daily to see if any additional reservations are added, where you could quickly purchase tickets and make Park Pass Reservations. Other Guests do change plans and cancel and sometimes luck favors those that stalk reservations.
Alternately, you could try to reschedule. I don’t know when your Vacation Points expire or how much time you have to use them. Usually, a cancellation within 30 days results in your Vacation Points going into a
Holding Account. I do believe that it never hurts to ask politely, and so perhaps you could explain to Member Services that you were unaware you couldn’t get into the theme parks and ask if there is any way you could avoid the points going into Holding?
I hope one of these ideas works for your family, Jeffrey. I do encourage calling Member Services to see if there are any other options available. Sending pixie dust for a happy solution.
Wishing you
Membership Magic!- Kate