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WDW DLR AP HeaderUPDATE: Since the time of this article’s publication, Disney has made an announcement regarding Annual Passholder monthly charges. To learn more, visit the link below:
Annual Passholder Fees Refunded and Waived During Disney Parks Closure
Original article:
Having an annual pass to the happiest and/or most magical place on earth is truly a bragging right. Annual Passholders get to visit often and enjoy the magic throughout the year. However, during the current global health pandemic, and with the park closures, passholders are getting increasingly frustrated they are having to carry that bill; especially those whose income has been directly impacted by the global quarantine because they can’t go to work.
Passholders have taken to social media to call Disney out and ask for relief from the monthly payment which has become a burden due to the recent changes in all our circumstances.
Related: Can You Cancel Your Disney World Annual Pass If You Lose Your Job Due To The Coronavirus?
Twitter user @rawbirdd took to the social media platform to verbalize his frustrations recently while tagging multiple Disney twitter accounts in his effort to be heard. In his tweet, he shared:
@Disney @Disneyland @WaltDisneyCo @WaltDisneyWorl  Let me get this straight. You are expecting annual pass holders who are unemployed and looking for other source of income to put food on the table to keep paying? So food and shelter is not a priority?
@Disney @Disneyland @WaltDisneyCo @WaltDisneyWorld Let me get this straight. You are expecting annual pass holders who are unemployed and looking for other source of income to put food on the table to keep paying? So food and shelter is not a priority? https://t.co/XIOlCYdOPC
— robjmor (@rawbirdd) April 2, 2020
Likewise, Twitter user Tawny, @lilsiiku, a Disneyland Passholder followed suit with this message to Disney:
@Disney @Disneyland I love you but charging all annual passholders for a month (assuming more) when the park is forcibly closed isn’t right. Most of us live paycheck to paycheck. Please suspend all pass holder payments until the park opens again. Absolutely ridiculous.
@Disney @Disneyland I love you but charging all annual passholders for a month (assuming more) when the park is forcibly closed isn’t right. Most of us live paycheck to paycheck. Please suspend all pass holder payments until the park opens again. Absolutely ridiculous.
— tawny in all pawnee, indiana (@lilsiiku) April 2, 2020
More and more messages are emerging from Passholders who are already dealing with all the challenges of the current health crisis.
@WaltDisneyCo With everything going on right now, You should at least charge the annual pass when you open the theme park. I’m not happy that I have to pay the annual pass when i can’t go. Please @ABC7 help out in communicating this problem to disney
— Patty Cortéz (@Patty7Cortez) April 1, 2020
A few days ago, Universal Resort in Orlando announced they would postpone all monthly payments on annual passes. In an official statement, the company shared:
If you are signed up with FlexPay, we have postponed all monthly payments effective March 25, 2020. We will be in touch with further details on when payments will resume. If you need to make any changes to your credit card information, please contact Passholder Services at 1-888-5-FLEXPAY.
Disney’s last statement on this issue, seen below, has been that they will extend any days during the park closures for Annual Passholders.
Given the necessary closure, all Annual Passholders who have Passports that are valid during the closure period will have their Passport expiration date extended based on pass type and level of access due to the impacts of the closure. The extended date will be reflected on your Passport account prior to our reopening of the parks.
Annual Passholders on the monthly payment program will remain on the current payment schedule and continue to make their scheduled payments. These Annual Passholders will have their Passport expiration date extended based on pass type and level of access due to the impacts of the closure, and will not be required to make any payments during that extended period.
For Disney Flex Passholders, we will cancel reservations for the duration of the closure without penalty.
Currently, the theme parks are closed indefinitely. Simply adding these unused days to current passholders would make sense if the closures would have lasted the original 2-week time period. However, given the current state of uncertainty globally, not just for the theme parks, but more importantly for the affected passholder’s work and living situations, we hope Disney takes heed to the outcry of their most devoted fans and does the next right thing.
This is a developing story. Be sure to check back with us here at Inside the Magic as we continue to update you with the latest Disney news and information. See ya real soon!