COVID Closed the Universal and Disney Parks – Now What??
How to Cope With Covid-19 Closures at Universal and Disney Theme Parks
On March 12, 2020, Disney and Universal announced the indefinite closure of all US theme parks due to coronavirus precautions. So what does this mean if you have a trip coming up, or are looking to visit the parks this year? Here are my tips to help you cope while the Universal and Disney parks are closed.
Hey guys, this post was written in April 2020. While I think there’s still a lot of useful info here, you should also check out these posts: 10 Things To Know About Universal Orlando During COVID-19 and Tips for Disney World During COVID-19.
Listen on The Disney Hack Podcast
You can hear my discussion about the coronavirus Disney park closures on The Disney Hack Podcast episode 31. Click the Play button to listen to the episode for lots more detail about this topic. Or search for The Disney Hack podcast on your favorite podcast player.
What to Do if you have a Universal or Disney Trip Already Booked
Lenient Cancellation Policies
Disney and Universal are being very lenient with their cancellation policies. Even if you have a package booked for dates into June you can most likely cancel with absolutely no penalty.
Airlines are also waiving most or all change/cancel fees and penalties. If you booked your air on your own outside of a package, check your airline’s website for details.
Your Travel Agent is On Top of This
If you are fortunate to have booked through a travel agent (not a call center), your agent should be totally on top of this. They can make all the phone calls for you to take care of whatever changes you need to make. And give them a big pat on the back – they have probably been spending the past several weeks on-hold dealing with all manner of travel challenges.
Be patient if you don’t hear back from your agent immediately. There are so many trips affected that a certain amount of triage is going on. Those who have trips in progress or happening in the next few weeks will get first priority.
What if Your Trip is Later This Summer?
If your trip is a few months out, both Disney and Universal are allowing guests to delay making final payment, and are waiving most cancellation penalties. As things continue to play out, these policies will likely be fluid. Watch the Disney and Universal websites for the most up-to-date info.
Your Disney Vacation Got Cancelled – Now What?
Consider Modifying Your Original Plans
Is there a festival or seasonal party you really would like to see? Maybe you want to choose a totally different time of year than you had originally planned.
Do you think you want to try a different hotel? Stay a different number of days? Maybe combine Disney and Universal?
Maybe your original vacation was at an off-site resort. Were you regretting this decision? Staying on-site at Disney and Universal have some pretty great perks. This is your chance to build the trip based on all your new knowledge.
Use Your Newly-Acquired Park Knowledge
Maybe you were going to Disneyland but now that you think about it, Disney World really looks great. Your plans are already changing – there’s nothing to stop you from planning the replacement trip for a completely different destination.
When you book your new trip, you’ll get another chance to land those FastPasses and dining reservations. You’re a pro now right? This second time around will be easier than the first.
Ask for Help and Safeguard Your Trip
Do you wish you’d had help when everything went sideways? Find yourself a good travel agent. It won’t cost you anything extra to book your next trip, and a good agent may even be able to save you money. Plus they have your back when you need help. Ask around for a referral.
Seriously consider purchasing a cancel-for-any-reason travel insurance policy when you book your new trip. As we’ve seen, you never know when something might pop up to prevent you from traveling. Travel insurance can give you peace of mind knowing you’ll be protected if you have to cancel.
What To Do While the Parks are Closed
Take a virtual trip to the parks. You’ll find audio tours of all the Universal Orlando and Disney World parks in the Go Informed podcast archives. Just search for the show on your favorite podcast app and scroll back through the episodes.
Watch the movies! The Disney and Universal theme parks are loaded with references to classic movies. Spring for a Disney+ subscription and you can watch loads of Disney movies, Mickey Mouse cartoons, and even a great documentary series about how the parks were built. And here’s my post all about the movies that inspired the rides at Universal Orlando.
Start planning that do-over trip, even if you don’t have the dates in mind. Even just a rough plan will give you something to look forward to as we wait for things to get back to normal.
Make sure you’re following Go Informed on social (@goinformednet pretty much everywhere) and subscribed to my newsletter for updates as they happen.
Use this time to get more informed about what to expect on your vacation. Order some guide books, listen to theme park podcasts, and check out my tips here on GoInformed.net:
55 Things To Know Before You Visit Disney World
33 Things to Know Before You Visit Universal Orlando
Adding a Visit to Universal to Your Disney World Trip
The Go Informed Podcast
Find all the episodes in the series 10 Days to a Better Disney World Vacation here.
Find all the episodes in the series 7 Days to a Better Universal Orlando Vacation here.
Join me on social media
Top Guide Books
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland
The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando
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