We’ve been posting updates on the path of Hurricane Matthew, but for those people who have trips planned to the Central Florida theme parks in the next few days, how exactly does cancellation work?
Each of the theme parks have different policies allowing guests to cancel a vacation if there are serious threats like a hurricane. If a vacation is booked through the on-property resorts, Walt Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld will all allow guests to cancel or reschedule if there is a hurricane warning. Disney and Universal have always had this policy in place, but made it official in 2006.
If there is a hurricane warning in either Orlando or a guests’ hometown within seven days of check-in, Disney and Universal will not charge the fees normally associated with rescheduling or canceling a vacation. There is a similar policy in place at Disney’s Vero Beach and Hilton Head resort locations.
SeaWorld does not have their policy spelled out quite as specifically, at least online. Their website says “the company will allow cancellations or rescheduling if hurricanes approach Central Florida.”
The cancellation policies do not apply to special events and dining experiences at Disney. In addition, any applicable discounts may not be transferred to the rescheduled travel dates.
Tom Schroder, Universal Orlando spokesman, discussed the possibility of the theme parks closing their gates. “There’s a lot of factors that we use, including what local officials are recommending about travel and roads…how severe the storm appears to be, what’s happening in the park at any given moment and a lot of other variables. There’s no one set easy way to do this. We try to take everything into account.”
He said executives are already monitoring the situation and working on what steps need to be taken next.
The parks did close in 1999 for Hurricane Floyd, though the path of that storm ended up shifting away from the area. They closed again in 2004 for Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne. According to the Orlando Sentinel, “Frances closed many of the attractions for at least two days. Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios – then Disney MGM-Studios – closed for an unprecedented three days. Charley was a one-day hit on park attendance. Disney and Universal also closed briefly during Wilma in 2005.”
For guests flying into the area, some airlines may waive the fees if flights must be changed due to the hurricane.
- United Airlines will waive change fees and differences in fares for flights to five different airports from Wednesday through Friday.
- Delta Air Lines will waive change fees through Wednesday on flights in the Caribbean. Fees will also be waived through Thursday at eight airports in Florida. Differences in fares will still need to be paid by the customers.
- American Airlines will waive change fees through Thursday for flights in the Caribbean.
News source: Orlando Sentinel and WFTV
