Can anyone now cancel and get a refund?

[RufusCat]

I'm due to spend two weeks with my elderly (75 yo) mother at WDW in mid Sept. She loves Florida and Disney and this was my treat to her. The holiday was booked last autumn.

There is now no way I want her to travel internationally during the next year, potentially exposing her to the new virus. There will not be a vaccine before September and I am trying to keep her exposure to other people to a minimum by doing her shopping etc and I wear a face mask with her. Although not frail she does have underlying health conditions and after losing my Dad last year I fear for her and do not want her mixing with thousands of other people in the airport, on the plane and in the parks. Staying at home she will meet far fewer people and the environment is far more controlled.

As the USA has placed an indefinite ban on anyone from the UK visiting the USA could any of us with a holiday booking to the States demand a full refund from the travel company? The USA will lift the ban at some point but the travel companies don't know when and can't tell us when. I have booked with the Walt Disney World Travel co. and their current policy is you can change dates without penalty if your holiday is before the end of June. Like others I don't want to travel to the USA in 2020 and would much prefer to leave it 18-24 months when there is likely a vaccine and it will be safer to travel.

Has anyone had luck cancelling their booking later in the year and receiving a refund or at least deferring their break to next year? Do any of us have a leg to stand on asking for a full refund for any future travel to the USA with this indefinite ban in place?

 

[pinklotusflower]

Not sure of the company you have booked with, but you can usually pay a fee to change the date & you will need to pay the difference in price. You maybe able to speak to her GP and get a medical certificate saying she is not able to travel & then you could claim off your travel insurance.

 

[alanandline]

Until closures become a lot further into the year Disney is unlikely to extend the current June rules.

Did you book a flights and onsite Disney package? I’d guess at this point you, if this is the case, have paid the airfare and the £200 Disney deposit? Disney will likely say the flight is up to whatever the airline policy is. Then you would just be left with the Disney deposit.

at the end of the day every business is going to have to make some seriously difficult decisions both in terms of trying not to look like they are trying to make money out of a bad situations, but more importantly to still be in business whenever we come out the other side of this horrid situation we find ourselves in.

as for comments about travel insurance. I think this is unlikely to help. Unless there is advisory advice not to travel for either all or at risk people then they are likely to have to go by their policy rules.

i do understand your concerns.

Personally I’m set to go in Aug with my wife and 2 kids. I’m currently out for nearly £4.5k and can see I may have to lose the money.

 

[Rienchen]

We booked reward seat flights for May 2020. When being given the T&C over the phone I didn't really listen as we weren't going to cancel of course...I know they said we could get our miles back, but does anyone know what happens to taxes/fees? It was just over £800 for the 4 of us.

 

[1nfrequent]

RufusCat:
As the USA has placed an indefinite ban on anyone from the UK visiting the USA could any of us with a holiday booking to the States demand a full refund from the travel company?

I'm not aware of the US having placed an indefinite ban on UK visitors - I thought it was just a 30 day ban from Monday. Has something changed?

1F

 

[Spanish Buzz]

Until closures become a lot further into the year Disney is unlikely to extend the current June rules.

Did you book a flights and onsite Disney package? I’d guess at this point you, if this is the case, have paid the airfare and the £200 Disney deposit? Disney will likely say the flight is up to whatever the airline policy is. Then you would just be left with the Disney deposit.

at the end of the day every business is going to have to make some seriously difficult decisions both in terms of trying not to look like they are trying to make money out of a bad situations, but more importantly to still be in business whenever we come out the other side of this horrid situation we find ourselves in.

as for comments about travel insurance. I think this is unlikely to help. Unless there is advisory advice not to travel for either all or at risk people then they are likely to have to go by their policy rules.

i do understand your concerns.

Personally I’m set to go in Aug with my wife and 2 kids. I’m currently out for nearly £4.5k and can see I may have to lose the money.

Hi Alanandline, we are due to stay at POFQ just a few weeks before you. I’m interested to know why you think you will be down 4.5k. If the worst happens and we are unable to go then I can see us been oop for the flights but I thought I had read that if WDW resort is closed then Disney will refund out hotel. I am also thinking that if the travel ban into the US continues then virgin won’t fly so our flights will refunded. Am I been way too optimistic?!

 

[alanandline]

Hi Alanandline, we are due to stay at POFQ just a few weeks before you. I’m interested to know why you think you will be down 4.5k. If the worst happens and we are unable to go then I can see us been oop for the flights but I thought I had read that if WDW resort is closed then Disney will refund out hotel. I am also thinking that if the travel ban into the US continues then virgin won’t fly so our flights will refunded. Am I been way too optimistic?!

For me as it stands:
Flights £3k with Lufthansa. Currently they have been trying to get people to rebook. But now that their flights are not operating it should be a refund. But what happens if flights have come back but it is not certain that the virus has completely got rid of? It would then be our choice, but I and my daughter are worriers, she suffers from anxiety.
Universal tickets about £1k - if parks closed will they refund or just say you can use them later in the year? I think they are refunding some now, it who knows
Cirque tickets a out £300, this could still be operational
Disney deposit £200 - then make decision in by 18th June
Hard a Rock hotel - in cash £75, but rest of £600 covered by Tesco Clubcard

so could actually argue £5k.

You are right I am here looking on the worst side and you could equally be right on the other. I think more likely is either travel or somewhere between mine and yours.

 

[Spanish Buzz]

That makes perfect sense. Thank you for taking the time to explain. It truly is a worrying situation. No one has any idea how this will all play out. Two weeks ago we were in absolute bliss watching vlogs, making plans, buying clothes etc. Now we are in complete limbo. The situation in the uk is changing on a daily basis - a truly worrying time. Sending you lots of magical wishes that everything works out.

 

[alanandline]

That makes perfect sense. Thank you for taking the time to explain. It truly is a worrying situation. No one has any idea how this will all play out. Two weeks ago we were in absolute bliss watching vlogs, making plans, buying clothes etc. Now we are in complete limbo. The situation in the uk is changing on a daily basis - a truly worrying time. Sending you lots of magical wishes that everything works out.

Indeed.

First and foremost I wish everybody well. The holiday is not the end of the world.

stay safe and hope for a magical future

 

[meryll83]

I'm not aware of the US having placed an indefinite ban on UK visitors - I thought it was just a 30 day ban from Monday. Has something changed?

This is what I thought (sort of - I actually thought we'd just been tagged on to the European 30 day ban which had already started, so we'd actually be less than 30 days).

But when I go and look at the FCO website I don't actually see any reference to an end-date, and there's this section in Trump's proclamation from a couple of days ago (the one where the ban extended to the UK)...
"Sec. 4. Termination. This proclamation shall remain in effect until terminated by the President."

So now I'm trying to interpret the information that's out there, and feel like it's that the UK can't fly to the US until further notice, rather than the 30 day ban?
But I'm struggling to validate my assumption for certain!

Virgin Atlantic (who we're due to fly with next month, after the 30 day window), currently still just says "We are aware of reports that a travel advisory is expected to be issued by the US government stating that from 17th March they will deny entry to UK nationals. We are currently evaluating what this means for our customers and flying programme. At present, our schedule remains as published on our website."

So trying to find out if we're eligible now for a refund (which previously Virgin Atlantic have only been offering on cancelled flights), as the option to change the date doesn't really work for us.

 

[Hobbes]

This is what I thought (sort of - I actually thought we'd just been tagged on to the European 30 day ban which had already started, so we'd actually be less than 30 days).

But when I go and look at the FCO website I don't actually see any reference to an end-date, and there's this section in Trump's proclamation from a couple of days ago (the one where the ban extended to the UK)...
"Sec. 4. Termination. This proclamation shall remain in effect until terminated by the President."

So now I'm trying to interpret the information that's out there, and feel like it's that the UK can't fly to the US until further notice, rather than the 30 day ban?
But I'm struggling to validate my assumption for certain!

Virgin Atlantic (who we're due to fly with next month, after the 30 day window), currently still just says "We are aware of reports that a travel advisory is expected to be issued by the US government stating that from 17th March they will deny entry to UK nationals. We are currently evaluating what this means for our customers and flying programme. At present, our schedule remains as published on our website."

So trying to find out if we're eligible now for a refund (which previously Virgin Atlantic have only been offering on cancelled flights), as the option to change the date doesn't really work for us.

This was on the BBC at lunchtime-we are in the same position that we may not be able to get the holiday we want in the time frame allocated by Virgin:
Mass cancellations of flights in an unprecedented situation may leave passengers unsure of their rights.
For those yet to fly out, it is relatively straightforward - you should be given a refund or, in some cases, the option to rebook for another date.
If this is part of a package holiday, then the entire cost of the holiday will be refunded. A separate hotel booking will require a call to the hotel, asking for leeway, or perhaps a travel insurance claim if the policy covers you.

 

[Hobbes]

I think I need to remove my Ticker before I start crying...

 

[Ms.Minnie]

Hi all, just got an e-mail from DVC saying all the WDW hotels and DVC resorts will be closed effective 3/20/20 through the end of the month. I'm guessing depending on how things go this could or could not be extended.

	Dear Members, As we continue to make timely decisions based on guidance of health agencies and our medical teams, and adjust our precautionary measures at Disney Vacation Club for the safety of our Members, Guests and Cast Members, I want to provide you with an important update. In alignment with this guidance, Disney is temporarily closing its resort hotels at Walt Disney World Resort, including all Disney Vacation Club properties. The closure also includes Disney’s Vero Beach Resort. The closures become effective at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 20, and will extend through the end of the month. This will give Members and Guests the ability to make necessary travel arrangements or book alternative accommodations. At this time, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, and Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort will remain open. We know that you have questions about your membership during these uncertain times. Please know that our teams at Disney Vacation Club are committed to assisting you and providing you with as much flexibility as possible with your future vacation plans. Disney Vacation Club Member Services will continue to assist you with reservation changes during their regular operating hours. As we anticipate high call volume in the days ahead, we encourage you to visit disneyvacationclub.com for general information and ask that you contact Member Services only if you need assistance with an existing reservation. Regarding your reservations, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify a few important points in order to make the change process as smooth as possible. As we have shared, Disney Vacation Club has lifted the close-in reservation cancellation restrictions and will return any of your points back as vacation points or reservation points without placing them into holding. In the meantime, all points banking rules remain in place. While we understand the banking policy might create some frustration, please realize that this is in place to ensure that the membership as a whole avoids future inventory constraints. Clearly COVID-19 is impacting us all in numerous ways – and I want to thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time. Our team at Disney Vacation Club is focused on serving you, our Member community, as we plan ahead for a return to normal operations.
	With appreciation,
	Terri Schultz Senior Vice President Disney Vacation Club, Guided Adventures & Expeditions and Golden Oak Terri Schultz Senior Vice President Disney Vacation Club, Guided Adventures & Expeditions and Golden Oak