Does Disney ever extend/discount Annual Passes if user was ill?

[JudyS]

If the answer to this question is "No," that is fine. I am just asking.

I have lots of health problems, and visiting WDW is one of the few outdoor activities I can still do. However, this past year was an especially bad one. DH and I bought Annual Passes in spring of 2018, and were able to use them maybe three times during our first visit. The rest of the year was a bust, however -- one trip where I was too sick to get to the parks at all, one trip canceled last minute, and one trip where I was able to do maybe two days in the parks. I can document my illnesses and was staying onsite for two of the trips.

As I was too sick for DH and I to make much use of the annual passes, is there any chance Disney might extend the time on the passes or give us a discount on our next set of passes? I am hoping to be well enough to go to the parks this upcoming year, and I'm more interested in a discount on a future pass than a partial refund on the ones from last year.

If Disney might do this, who should I contact?

Thanks for any information!

Judy

 

[Meglen]

Hope things go better but, no they won't help. If they did this kinda thing people would abuse it.

 

[DavidNYC]

It never hurts to write to guest relations and explain your situations. I have to disagree with the poster above as Disney has done things for me on several occasions over the years that officially Disney "doesn't" do. I would by no means expect them to do anything for you, but depending on the specific facts, they might make an accommodation. You have nothing to lose by asking.

(As an FYI - I had major app and FP issues a few trips ago that really impacted the trip. I had written to complain thinking maybe they'd give me a couple extra FP to use on the following trip and they offered to extend our APs by 3 months! It probably would have been far cheaper for me if they did nothing since we made an extra trip there that we wouldn't have otherwise made . . .)

 

[Robo]

It never hurts to write to guest relations and explain your situations. I have to disagree with the poster above as Disney has done things for me on several occasions over the years that officially Disney "doesn't" do.

Agreed.

 

[Kingoglow]

I had written to complain thinking maybe they'd give me a couple extra FP

... these types of expectations always make me cringe.

 

[MommaBerd]

... these types of expectations always make me cringe.

Why would that make you cringe? FPs cost Disney nothing. If the issues the PP had impacted the FPs they had scheduled, why would that be an unreasonable expectation?

 

[madjohn]

On a trip in 2016 my daughter became ill and she was hospitalized. None of this was Disney's fault, however, making a long story short, I was not particularly happy with how some Disney cast members reacted with my situation. In other words, they could have made the situation easier for my family and me and they did not. I will point out we were staying at Fort Wilderness. I wrote guest services, not so much with a complaint but explained my situation and how it was handled. I did say I expected better treatment for Disney given their high standards. In my letter I explained I was not looking for any compensation but I thought it was a chance for them to improve the situation. I was contacted and was graciously given the balance of the days we missed on our tickets for Disneyland and was given a two night stay in Disneyland. (we are from California).

So in answering your question, I think Disney will do what is right under the circumstances. Don't know if that means they will discount your ticket but you could write to them and explain your situation. I would also be prepared to provide whatever documentation is requested.

John

 

[StacyStrong]

... these types of expectations always make me cringe.

It wasn't even an expectation. They thought they would "maybe" offer it. They didn't expect it to happen.

 

[gap2368]

I agree with the other I would let Disney know what happened and just see if they could help you out. The worst they say is no the best is yes and maybe something in between

 

[Farro]

Email guest services.

I bought an annual pass earlier this year to planning to activate next May. Ends up we won't be using it next May (and then won't be back for another 3 years) and some other personal things happened where the $900 plus would have been helpful.

Figured it couldn't hurt to ask, emailed Disney asking if it could be refunded due to no activation yet and extenuating circumstances (didn't really go into detail) and they gave me a full refund as a courtesy.

I was so pleased as I was expecting them to say no.

Never hurts to ask if you know you will be okay with whatever outcome.

 

[joviroxx]

The answer is always no if you don't ask.

 

[Kingoglow]

Why would that make you cringe? FPs cost Disney nothing. If the issues the PP had impacted the FPs they had scheduled, why would that be an unreasonable expectation?

People on the internet telling other people on the internet to ask for everything and to make them the exception. It makes me cringe.

 

[DavidNYC]

It wasn't even an expectation. They thought they would "maybe" offer it. They didn't expect it to happen.

Exactly - I make sure to compliment Disney and individuals there when they go above and beyond and I let them know when they fall short. I'm always polite and provide constructive criticism. If they offer me something to make up for a problem, great. If not, that's fine too. I think I've had issues on maybe 3 or 4 out of 30 trips. The most I actually saw them do was for a friend of mine whose plane got cancelled due to hurricane and they had to shift their trip forward a week. They didn't know Disney like I did so I called on their behalf and Disney was amazing at helping them re-set up their fastpasses and throwing them a couple extra anytime for each day ones since they were now booking them one week in advance as opposed to 60 days (the anytime ones they threw in without being asked - all I did was ask them to help recreate what they would have had the prior week as much as they could). My general experience is that Disney will bend over backwards for people who have legitimate issues and aren't trying to abuse the system.

 

[DavidNYC]

People on the internet telling other people on the internet to ask for everything and to make them the exception. It makes me cringe.

That's really out of line. Never did anyone say anything about "asking for everything" and nowhere was anyone asking for an "exception". You spend a lot of money and time planning a Disney trip and when major issues arise due to problems caused by Disney - you have every right to complain. That's called customer service and you're going out of your way to really mischaracterize what people are discussing in the entire thread.

 

[cakebaker]

People on the internet telling other people on the internet to ask for everything and to make them the exception. It makes me cringe.

I've never understood why people object when others write Disney, explain special circumstances or tell them where they fell short and Disney does what few companies do- tries to make their guests happy when they can. It's one of the reasons they get so much of my money.

I had a wonderful trip just last week, but the resort made a huge mistake. It was a deluxe at club level and for the money that costs I expected better. They did compensate me, but I wrote when I got home anyway. I don't want the issue I had stopped at resort level. I expect nothing more from them, didn't write hoping I'd get anything. That said, if they do, I'm certainly not turning it down. I also told them the good and mentioned the CM's who were exceptional.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I doubt it but the only thing you can do is call them, or write them, and ask. So long as you understand that what you are requesting is a favor - an exception for you based on your special circumstances, and realize that all the time they get communications from persons asking for a favor due to special circumstances, and they are not going to be able to grant all of them.

If you're going to explain in writing special circumstances by which you would like to ask a favor of Disney, don't write something long and involved, the reader will probably just tune out, and the person with the power to grant your favor will not be the first person to read your communication.

 

[Farro]

People on the internet telling other people on the internet to ask for everything and to make them the exception. It makes me cringe.

I asked and they refunded my annual pass, full price. What's to cringe about? They did it as a courtesy.
Of course I'm going to share my experience that it doesn't hurt to ask as long as you are okay with being told no.

And also because of this, my opinion of Disney (which had soured as of late) did go up a few notches and I will speak highly of their customer service.

 

[SillySallySews]

As others have said, all you can do is write to them and explain your circumstances. I wouldn’t say there’s any guarantee, but based on so many positive stories I’ve heard both on and off these boards I wouldn’t say it’s a hard no either. I hope you are feeling better and that this next year will be easier.

 

[Lehuaann]

If the answer to this question is "No," that is fine. I am just asking.

I have lots of health problems, and visiting WDW is one of the few outdoor activities I can still do. However, this past year was an especially bad one. DH and I bought Annual Passes in spring of 2018, and were able to use them maybe three times during our first visit. The rest of the year was a bust, however -- one trip where I was too sick to get to the parks at all, one trip canceled last minute, and one trip where I was able to do maybe two days in the parks. I can document my illnesses and was staying onsite for two of the trips.

As I was too sick for DH and I to make much use of the annual passes, is there any chance Disney might extend the time on the passes or give us a discount on our next set of passes? I am hoping to be well enough to go to the parks this upcoming year, and I'm more interested in a discount on a future pass than a partial refund on the ones from last year.

If Disney might do this, who should I contact?

Thanks for any information!

Judy

guest.services@disneyworld.com
It never hurts to ask. I hope it works out for you.

That's really out of line. Never did anyone say anything about "asking for everything" and nowhere was anyone asking for an "exception". You spend a lot of money and time planning a Disney trip and when major issues arise due to problems caused by Disney - you have every right to complain. That's called customer service and you're going out of your way to really mischaracterize what people are discussing in the entire thread.

Unfortunately, posters do it all the time...lots of opinions and misrepresentation, yet offer zero help.

 

[bellevueloungers]

my mother-in-law passed away just under a year ago after a long illness. we have been AP holders for several years and had already renewed by the time she had passed, and we were unable to use our APs at all. i wrote an email to one of the higher-ups (can't remember who now) asking for help, and someone called me back within an hour. she was absolutely wonderful and changed our APs to make them new vouchers instead of a renewal, so that there was no expiration and we were able to activate them whenever we could. maybe it was different in our situation since we had not technically used them yet during the year that i had paid for. but it was worth a shot. the CM who helped me was so loving and compassionate, we even cried together on the phone. it was a really nice experience during a terrible time. it never hurts to ask.