How Coronavirus Can Affect Your Travel Plans & Your Disney Vacation – What We Know

This post includes a timeline of announcements from Disney regarding the closures of its theme parks and Resorts.

• Walt Disney World theme parks, Resort hotels, and Disney Springs will remain temporarily closed until further notice.
• Disney’s Hilton Head Island and Vero Beach Resorts are both closed temporarily and until further notice.
• At Disneyland, both theme parks, Downtown Disney, and the hotels of Disneyland Resort are closed until further notice.
• Disney Cruise Line has suspended all new departures on the Disney Dream and Fantasy through May 17, 2020. Cruises on the Disney Magic have been cancelled through June 7, 2020. Additionally, Disney Wonder sailings to Alaska & Hawaii have been cancelled through the end of June.
• Adventures by Disney has suspended all new departures through the end of May. ABD along with AmaWaterways has also suspended June River Cruises and the associated Escape trips. ABD Mediterranean Cruise and Barcelona Escape packages through June 7th have been cancelled.
• Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, is closed until further notice.

IMPORTANT: What You Should Know About Disney’s Free Dining Promotion When Rebooking Your Canceled Vacation

---

UPDATE 4/1/20 – 2:00pm: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has just issued a statewide stay-at-home order for 30 days meaning residents can only be out and about for essential visits to grocery stores, gas stations, banks, pharmacies, and doctor’s office visits. The order goes into effect on Wednesday, April 2, 2020.

UPDATE 3/30/20 – 4:00pm: With no reopening date yet identified, Disney has confirmed that they are not taking any new April or May hotel reservations for the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, or Aulani Resort. Guests can currently book stays starting June 1, 2020.

UPDATE 3/30/20 – 11:30am: Disney Cruise Line has just announced that all sailings with departure dates through April 28, 2020 have been canceled. More info on affected sailings HERE.

UPDATE 3/29/20 – 8:00am: Walt Disney World has announced a special offer for guests to rebook vacations that were previously canceled due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

If you worked with a Dreams Unlimited Travel agent on your original booking, your agent will be in contact with you. If you did not book with Dreams Unlimited Travel originally but would like to rebook with us, please send an email to [email protected] with your previous reservation details, and a Dreams Unlimited Travel agent will contact you. Even if you didn’t originally book with us, Dreams Unlimited Travel will add a $50 gift card to your rebooked package as our way of saying thank you!!

We’d also like to note that Disney Vacation Club Members who had a reservation (made using Vacation Points) during the affected time period qualify for this special offer as well but they’d need to pay cash for the new reservation.

Eligible guests can take advantage of an exclusive vacation package offer that includes accommodations at a select Disney Resort hotel, park admission, and a Disney Dining Plan – valid for arrivals most nights June 1 through September 30, 2020 when they book through May 31, 2020.

Guests will receive the Quick-Service Dining Plan with stays at a select Value Resort or Moderate Resort – Dine at Quick-Service locations where you can simply order and find a seat; no reservations required. With this plan, everyone in your party ages 3 and over receives the following: Two (2) Quick-Service Meals (per night of stay) Two (2) Snacks / Non-alcoholic Drinks (per night of stay) One (1) Resort-Refillable Drink Mug

Guests will receive the Disney Dining Plan with stays at a select Deluxe Resort or select Deluxe Villa Resort – Delight in classic Table-Service dining options and plan your meals for the day. With this plan, everyone in your party ages 3 and over receives the following: One (1) Quick-Service Meal (per night of stay) One (1) Table-Service Meal (per night of stay) Two (2) Snacks / Non-alcoholic Drinks (per night of stay) One (1) Resort-Refillable Drink Mug

This offer is valid only for guests who booked a vacation package or room reservation to stay at a Disney Resort hotel from March 16 through May 31, 2020 (even if the park opens before then). Offer not valid for reservations canceled before March 1, 2020.

Important Details

• Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.
• Advance reservation required.
• Length of stay is 2 nights-14 nights
• Ticket requirements: 2-day minimum; all ticket types included (i.e., Base, Park Hopper, Water Park & Sports, Park Hopper Plus
• Offer excludes the following room types: campsites
• Children ages 3 to 9 must choose from the children’s menu, if available.
• Gratuities are not included.
• Theme park admission is required for some dining locations.

---

UPDATE 3/28/20 – 11:01am: Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, will remain closed until further notice.

UPDATE 3/27/20 – 3:30pm: The Walt Disney Company has just extended the closures at both Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Resort until further notice.

UPDATE 3/27/20 – 8:30am: The Tokyo Disneyland Resort has announced that they are extending their closure until April 20, 2020, at the earliest.

UPDATE 3/26/20 – 11:00am: Adventures by Disney has canceled most trips through the end of May. They are continuing to evaluate the 3-night Barcelona Escape (departing 5/20 and 5/27) and the 7-night Mediterranean Adventures by Disney Cruise Package (departing 5/23 and 5/30 respectively).

UPDATE 3/25/20 – 8:00pm: Osceola County has asked all residents to stay home and avoid all non-essential travel in order to slow the spread of the COVID-19. All non-essential retail and commercial businesses will close effective Thursday, March 26 at 11 p.m.

Much of the Walt Disney World Resort is in southwestern Orange County, with the remainder in adjacent Osceola County, but as of the time of this update, all official information states that the theme parks and Resorts are closed through March 31, 2020.

UPDATE 03/24/20 – 6:00pm: In Orange County, Florida, Mayor Jerry Demings has issued an order asking residents to shelter in place starting March 26th at 11:00pm and continuing until at at least April 9th at 11:00pm. The order excludes essential services such as health care and groceries.

A portion of Walt Disney World lies in Orange County, however Disney has yet to respond to the stay-at-home order.

UPDATE 3/21/20 – 3:30pm: Aulani Resort in Hawaii has announced that it will close March 24th at 5:00pm through March 31st. Disney is waiving change and cancellation fees for those dates as well as any other arrivals prior to June 30th.

UPDATE 03/21/20: While Disney owned-and-operated locations in Disney Springs were already closed, as of today all remaining retail and restaurants in Disney Springs have been temporarily closed as well.

UPDATE 3/20/20 – 12:30pm: While the resort is still open, Aulani has closed some offering starting today and continuing through at least March 31st.

The following locations are now closed:

• KA WA’A Lū’au
• Makahiki –The Bounty of the Islands
• ‘AMA‘AMA – Contemporary Island Cooking
• The ’Ōlelo Room
• Little ‘Opihi’s – Beachside Kiosk
• Aunty’s Beach House
• Laniwai – A Disney Spa
• Painted Sky: HI Style Studio
• Mikimiki Fitness Center

Aulani has also suspended ‘Ohana Disney Movie Nights, Aloha Fun, and the Shake-A-Shaka Pool Party.

Off the Hook and the Wailana Pool Bar will offer takeout service only from the pool menu. The Kālepa’s Store and Hale Manu boutique will begin limiting the amount of guests allowed inside at any one time. The Pau Hana Room – Community Hall remains open, but all programming has been suspended.

UPDATE 03/19/20: The U.S. State Department has announced delays and limitations in passport processing. The State Department itself and many other passport application facilities, including libraries, county clerks, and post offices have stopped accepting applications except for life-or-death emergency situations which require travel with 72 hours.

If you qualify for that exception, contact the National Passport Information Center (1-877-487-2778) for an appointment. You must be able to prove the emergency and your travel plans.

For other passport requests, contact a passport application facility directly to confirm that they are accepting applications. At this time, only routine service is available.

The State Department will honor any expedited service requests that were made previously, but warned that routine service could be delayed.

UPDATE 3/19/20 – 5:09pm: Walt Disney World has shared more information about MagicBand orders. For guests that ordered MagicBands and were notified that the MagicBands have shipped to their home, they should still receive their order. Any orders for upgraded MagicBands set to be delivered to resort hotels between March 20th and March 31st have been cancelled and refunds will be processed.

While hotels are closed, Walt Disney World will not be accepting any new MagicBand orders. Guests with arrival dates after March 31st should watch for additional updates.

UPDATE 3/19/20 – 2:41pm: Disney Cruise Line has posted the following addition to their final payment policy: Beginning March 18, 2020, an automatic final payment extension was added to select 2020 summer reservations. Final payments will now be extended out an additional 30 days. For example, a departure with a final payment due yesterday, March 18, 2020, is now extended to April 17th, 2020.

The impacted sailings are:

• Disney Dream: Sailing embarking on June 17th – sailings embarking on August 30th
• Disney Fantasy: Sailing embarking on July 18th – sailings embarking on August 31st
• Disney Wonder: Sailing embarking on July 20th – sailings embarking on August 31st
• Disney Magic: Sailing embarking on August 5th – sailings embarking on August 30th

The following policies apply:

• Guests will not be able to complete Online Check-In or book Cruise Activities/Port Adventures if they have not paid in full
• Disney Cruise LineAir will continue to follow existing policies
  • Payment will be due at time of final for Flexible Air
  • Restricted Air is non-refundable once paid
• The cancellation policy will shift by 30 days for all non-suite/non-concierge staterooms
  • There are no changes to the cancellation policy for Suites and Concierge Staterooms

UPDATE 3/17/20 – 3:45pm: Cirque du Soleil has announced a temporary delay in their preview performances of Drawn to Life at Disney Springs which was planned for March 20, 2020. Numerous Cirque du Soleil shows around the world have been postponed in consideration of the most current recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the escalation of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Customers who purchased tickets for an impacted performance will be contacted by their point of sale.

UPDATE 3/17/20 – 8am: As the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation continues to grow rapidly, Adventures by Disney has decided to suspend new departures through the end of April and some through the end of May and June.

• Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos departures through May
• Italy departures through May
• Italy and Amalfi Coast departures through May
• Japan departures through May
• China departures through June

Additionally, Disney Vacation Club has decided to temporarily close Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort in addition to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and all Walt Disney World Resort hotels.

This closure at Hilton Head will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20, and will extend through the end of the month giving folks the ability to make necessary travel arrangements or book alternative accommodations.

UPDATE 3/16/20 – 5:00pm: Orlando International Airport (MCO) has provided an update that includes changes to their international travel, with today being the last day for flights to and from the United Kingdom and Ireland as the extended travel ban to Europe goes into effect. Additionally, MCO has shared that they are NOT one of the 13 federally-approved airports through which U.S. citizens and legal residents can return to the United States. Concessionaires and ground transportation at MCO, aside from Disney Magical Express, continue to operate as normal.

UPDATE 3/16/20 – 8:00am: Beginning March 17 through the end of the month, Disney Springs in Florida and Downtown Disney in California will be closing all of the Disney owned and operated locations, including shops and restaurants. Additionally, Disney owned and operated hotels at Walt Disney World Resort and Disney’s Vero Beach Resort will close at 5 p.m. Friday, March 20 through the end of the month.

UPDATE 3/14/20 – 5:00pm: Disney Cruise Line has announced that they will suspend all new departures through and including April 12th.

Regarding Sailings Departing from Canada
On March 13th, the Canadian government stated that they would not allow a ship with more than 500 passengers to dock in a Canadian port from now until July 1st. The Disney Wonder has sailings that are scheduled to sail from or return to Vancouver beginning April 29th. DCL is currently evaluating various options and has not made changes to any itineraries. Once a decision is made, we will put word out.

UPDATE 3/14/20 – 1:00pm: President Trump has now extended the travel restrictions to include the United Kingdom and Ireland. The restrictions will go into effect at midnight on Monday, March 16th.

UPDATE 3/13/20 – 2:00pm: Adventures by Disney has announced that they’ve made the decision to suspend new departures through the end of March, excluding the Australia adventure, departing March 15 which will continue as scheduled. For more information including details on the specific Adventures affected, visit this story.

UPDATE 3/12/20 – 8:35pm:

UPDATE 3/12/20 – 4:30pm: The Disneyland Resort has announced that their theme parks will be closed beginning March 14th and their Resort hotels will close beginning March 16th. Both the Parks and Resorts will remain closed through the end of March.

UPDATE 3/11/20 – 9pm: President Donald Trump addressed the nation Wednesday evening regarding the response to the Coronavirus outbreak and stated that beginning Friday, “all travel” between the United States and Europe will be restricted for thirty days. He did state that the United Kingdom would be exempt from this limitation.

UPDATE 3/11/20 – 1pm: The World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has just declared the Coronavirus outbreak a pandemic as the global death toll has risen above 4,300 and the number of confirmed cases exceeded 121,000.

“We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear”, Tefros said at a news conference, adding that “all countries can still change the course of this pandemic.”

It’s important to note that the pandemic distinction refers to the spread of the virus, not the severity of it.

Source: USA Today

---

Original Story:

The news was shared Monday that Shanghai Disneyland is beginning to reopen its theme parks after closing back in January due to Coronavirus fears.

We want to share the most up-to-date information we have on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is saying and we’ll continue to update this post as new details come in.

On Sunday, the CDC as well as the US State Dept. issued some guidance advising all Americans to refrain from traveling by cruise ship and they’re advising higher risk folks to avoid non-essential air travel.

At this time, those who have reported illness have had symptoms ranging from none at all to very mild or even severe, with some illness resulting in death. Older people and people of all ages with serious chronic medical conditions — like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, for example — are at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness.

The President & CEO of Cruise Lines International Association, Kelly Craighead, had the following to say about the statement from the CDC and the US State Dept.:

We are surprised at the advisory, but are moving forward and remain focused on development of an aggressive, responsive plan as agreed to during the meeting with Vice President Pence that goes beyond the already significantly enhanced protocols that are in place. We look forward to submitting our plan to the Vice President imminently.

Our first priority is to protect our guests, our crew and the communities where we sail. This includes more stringent boarding procedures, adding additional onboard medical resources and temperature screenings at embarkation. We look forward to working with the Vice President and the federal agencies represented on the White House COVID-19 Task Force on a robust plan.

Current risk assessment:

The circulation is not widespread in most communities in the United States but that is changing (i.e. New Rochelle, NY) and we recommend that you listen to your local news station for any updates.

The CDC recommends that folks avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. Your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 will increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who are sick. Remember, some folks have no symptoms and may not realize that they have the virus.

What can travelers do to protect themselves and others?

If you do travel by cruise ship during the COVID-19 outbreak, below are the guidelines from the CDC:

• Older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease. This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships.
• Discuss cruise ship travel with your healthcare provider prior to travel.
• Avoid contact with sick people.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean your hands often by washing them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60%–95% alcohol. Soap and water should be used if hands are visibly dirty.
  • It is especially important to clean hands after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.
• Avoid traveling if you are sick.
• If you get sick with a fever or new or worsening cough or difficulty breathing during your cruise, stay in your cabin and notify the onboard medical center immediately.

If you were on a cruise in the past 14 days:

• Monitor your health and limit interactions with others for 14 days after returning to the United States.
  • If a case of COVID-19 was reported on your ship during the cruise, stay home during these 14 days and practice social distancing.
• Stay home if you feel sick with fever, cough, or have trouble breathing and call ahead before you seek medical care
• Seek medical advice. Call ahead before going to a doctor’s office or emergency room. Tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.
• Do not travel while sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Clean your hands often by washing them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60%–95% alcohol. Soap and water should be used if hands are visibly dirty.

On Monday, March 10, a state of emergency was declared in the state of Florida in response to the Coronavirus outbreak.

What has Disney’s Response been:

Disney Cruise Line changed its cancellation policies allowing for any person sailing before May 30, 2020, may cancel their cruise without penalty.

The Chief Medical Officer – Dr. Pamela Hymel – shared a statement on the Disney Parks Blog answering questions guests might have regarding their upcoming vacations and what the theme parks are doing during the Coronavirus outbreak. There is also a Frequently Asked Questions section with regards to Coronavirus in the Help Center of the official Walt Disney World website.

Feature Photo Source: Pixabay