Current cancellation experiences/booking California trips

[Raya]

We remain devoted to the idea of a trip to California including the backstage magic trip to Disneyland. We're just don't know when we'll be able to go or when to book with ABD. Does it make to book for May or June now or should we wait until we're positive the park will be open?

My biggest concern is cancellation fees or not being able to recieve a refund. So if we book now and have to rebook the rebooked vacation would not be a new trip and thus not subject to any discounts. Honestly if I could just get a plain refund or credit I'd book immediately but the current situation seems to be changing all the time. Can anyone help me make sense of things? I read the cancellation thread and it seems like cancellations happened rlate and were handled badly.

 

[sayhello]

We remain devoted to the idea of a trip to California including the backstage magic trip to Disneyland. We're just don't know when we'll be able to go or when to book with ABD. Does it make to book for May or June now or should we wait until we're positive the park will be open?

My biggest concern is cancellation fees or not being able to recieve a refund. So if we book now and have to rebook the rebooked vacation would not be a new trip and thus not subject to any discounts. Honestly if I could just get a plain refund or credit I'd book immediately but the current situation seems to be changing all the time. Can anyone help me make sense of things? I read the cancellation thread and it seems like cancellations happened rlate and were handled badly.

As you've noted, the situation is ever-changing.
Here's the current policy on the ABD website:

For New Bookings:

CANCELLATION & FINAL PAYMENT POLICY UPDATES

New bookings made through March 31, 2021 for travel through March 31, 2022 are eligible for fully refundable deposits up until the final payment date, which has been temporarily modified to 90 days prior to departure.

The California trips are all cancelled through April now, so trips occurring in May/June is a crapshoot at the moment. Disney is constrained by California's policies, and things are not good in California right now. So if you book now, you have until February/March to decide if you want to go or not, and still get a refund. Maybe they'll know better by then.

A lot of the cancellations previously were handled badly because ABD had been waiting until the last minute to cancel, and folks had to chose whether to Pay in Full and wait to see if it got cancelled to get a full refund, or take a loss on their deposit. Now the deposit thing is not an issue, for stuff being booked now. And ABD appears to be cancelling much farther in advance now.

Sayhello

 

[Mathmagicland]

We remain devoted to the idea of a trip to California including the backstage magic trip to Disneyland. We're just don't know when we'll be able to go or when to book with ABD. Does it make to book for May or June now or should we wait until we're positive the park will be open?

Living in So California where the virus is the worst in the state, I would not book any of the SoCal AbDs until Disneyland is actually open. We are currently in lockdown, shelter at home. Our governor has very strict requirements which must be met before amusement parks can reopen - the virus has to be virtually gone in the area where the park is located. We are SO far from that point, and we’re not even close where we were before we ended up back into shelter at home. Latest word is he is expected to extend the shelter at home at the end of December because things are so bad and expected to be worse before they start getting better.

No way to know if the vaccines will change those requirements, but I’d not bet on it at this stage. If you are concerned about cancellations and refunds, it is better to wait and then look to book something.

 

[AquaDame]

A lot of the cancellations previously were handled badly because ABD had been waiting until the last minute to cancel, and folks had to chose whether to Pay in Full and wait to see if it got cancelled to get a full refund, or take a loss on their deposit. Now the deposit thing is not an issue, for stuff being booked now. And ABD appears to be cancelling much farther in advance now.

Sayhello

Still not 90 days out though... most people are still having to gamble and pay in full if they want a full refund. Eventually someone is going to lose.

 

[Spencer Wright]

I saved up for several years for the Backstage Magic (BSM) and had a May and rescheduled November trip which was canceled. I received full refunds in about a week with absolutely no problem.

Going with my father, I am so desperate to go on this trip I wanted to reschedule when it was canceled a second time in September. I was thinking December (what on earth was I thinking?!?), but luckily my father was able to pretty much just say we’re not rescheduling until the state is actually open. Especially since there clearly in no hurry. I live right outside of Philadelphia in a pretty hard hit area so I understand.

In my own opinion there is no way California is reopening in any meaningful way until vaccinations are available on a wide scale; so in my own mind I will consider myself lucky if an August trip is viable.

Sorry to be a bit of a negative nancy but I held out hope as long as I could.

 

[Mathmagicland]

In my own opinion there is no way California is reopening in any meaningful way until vaccinations are available on a wide scale; so in my own mind I will consider myself lucky if an August trip is viable.

Sorry to be a bit of a negative nancy but I held out hope as long as I could.

Not negative at all - a smart and realistic approach.

 

[Kit Jackson]

We remain devoted to the idea of a trip to California including the backstage magic trip to Disneyland. We're just don't know when we'll be able to go or when to book with ABD. Does it make to book for May or June now or should we wait until we're positive the park will be open?

I am planning on doing this trip with a friend, although we have not yet figured out when. My advice would be to wait if you can. No one knows when things are going to reopen, especially with the numbers in California being so high. Call me a pessimist, an alarmist, or tin foil hat level crazy, but I would wait until 2022 for the trip.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Lifelong CA resident here: CA is a mess right now. Hospitals are at the "ration and/or deny care" breaking point. And we haven't hit the post X-mas surge yet.

I'm about 6-7 hours away by car from Disneyland and things are so bad where I am that my uncle who died Dec. 21st of non-covid related issues is not getting a funeral until like, 3-4 weeks later, because the mortuaires are literally too busy.

No way Disney opens until mid year, earliest, but probably not till 2022.

It's bad. Stay safe.