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COVID policies and safety guidelines state that Guests who cannot prove they aren’t at risk for spreading COVID to other Guests “must not enter” the parks, but if you’re a no-show because of the virus, don’t expect any refunds.
At the opening of in California in July 1955, Walt Disney stood at a podium and spoke 9 words that have lived on for more than 50 years after his death:
“To all who come to this happy place, welcome.”
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And while it’s true that welcomes lovers of the Mouse of all ages, the fact remains that no one wants Guests in the parks who have COVID or COVID-like symptoms.
According to the website, when a Guest enters the park, he or she is attesting to the fact that every member of his or her traveling party is free of any COVID symptoms as identified by the Centers for Disease Control, which include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle aches, body aches, headache, a new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Further, he or she is also attesting to the fact that no one in the traveling party has a need to quarantine because of recent contact with someone who has COVID or who is suspected of having COVID, and that no one in the group is under isolation orders. If a Guest is unable to confirm all of these items, he or she “must not enter .”
Despite the facts that travel is becoming more recognizable as it journeys back toward “normal” and that mask mandates have been lifted in almost every location in the country, the pandemic is not over, and COVID has run rampant long enough to become well-versed in ruining Disney vacation plans.
Credit: Disney Parks
As COVID made its way across the United States in the early stages of the global coronavirus pandemic, resorts like , Disneyland, , and others made announcements about their plans for closure. No one knew how long the closures would last. But for four months at the , not a creature was stirring, not even a Mouse.
Credit: @bioreconstruct
Disneyland Park and at in California remained closed for 13 months, and in other countries experienced a succession of closures, openings, and repeat closures and reopenings.
Credit: KTLA
Back then, the Parks were much more lenient about disrupted travel plans, largely because so many Guests were experiencing them. But things are very different now, as resorts like aren’t quite as flexible as they were two years ago.
Today, if you have a Park Pass Reservation and a at , but you’re unable to make your trip, you will not get a , per Disney’s policies about non-refundable tickets.
According to USA Today, are non-refundable, meaning you won’t get any money back for the purchase of that you weren’t able to use because you or a family member became ill and couldn’t keep your travel plans.
Credit: Becky Burkett/Disney Dining
You ultimately have only two choices if you have a trip planned, but you become ill and cannot visit the parks, whether due to COVID or another unforeseen event.
You can transfer your tickets to another person.
offers Guests the option of transferring their to someone else. Disney calls this “reassigning” your .
But according to the website, there’s a catch.
“If the has not yet been used, you can reassign a to another person on your Family & Friends list. To do so, visit the My Reservations section of My , locate the you wish to reassign and select the ‘Reassign ‘ link to the right of the .”
Per the site, theme can only be reassigned until their first usage, meaning that even if a Guest has purchased a 10-day and only uses one day, the ability to reassign that is forfeited.
You can change the start date of your tickets.
When Guests purchase tickets, they must first choose the date of their first visit to the parks. Depending on the number of days purchased, Disney allows so many days for those tickets to be completely used. For example, if a Guest purchases a 5-day and his first day in the parks is April 5, your tickets will be valid from April 5 through April 12. All days on your tickets must be used by April 12, or they are lost.
If you have purchased tickets and are unable to visit the parks, Disney offers the option of choosing a new start date for the tickets, meaning those tickets that would have been valid from April 5 to April 12 can have a different start date so you can visit when you’re feeling well.
As with the previous option, there’s a catch–or two.
“Guests may also change the start date for unused, unexpired tickets, pending park availability. requires park reservations in addition to tickets, so Guests should make sure the parks they want to visit are available on their new dates.
Because prices vary by date, Guests must pay the difference if the new dates’ prices are higher. Customers may contact Guest Relations with questions about their individual situations.”
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Disneyland Tickets don’t expire for 2 years
Per the USA Today post, Disneyland tickets are a little different from tickets.
“Tickets are nonrefundable but don’t expire for 2 years,” the post reads. “Dates can be changed to any date within the 2-year window. Some earlier promotional tickets had extended expiration windows because of the parks’ pandemic closure.”
Credit: Delish
As at , Guests must pay the difference in prices if they choose new dates for use.
Also, Guests who make Park Pass Reservations but don’t visit the parks on those days for any reason face a penalty at Disneyland. After 3 no-shows in a 90-day period at Disneyland, Guests will be prohibited from making any Park Pass Reservations for a 30-day period, meaning they will be unable to visit Disneyland during that 30-day window.
