You’ve planned this Disney World trip for months, maybe even years, but at the last second…something happens that ruins your plans!

This could especially be true during the holiday season when travel complications due to weather and other problems can arise. Whether you encounter a flight cancelation, a last-minute illness, or other problem that will force you to adjust your Disney World trip plans, you’ll need to know about Disney World’s cancelation policies, and we’ve got all the details here.

Recent Cancelations

Just as a quick recap, the holiday season in 2022 brought tremendous delays and cancelations in terms of flights across the U.S. According to CNBC, airlines had canceled more than 17,000 U.S. flights since the Wednesday before Christmas 2022.

An arctic blast brought heavy winter storms to some places and freezing cold temperatures all the way down to Florida. The weather caused many flights to be impacted and even affected airline equipment in some places.

On top of that, some airlines are still dealing with pilot and staffing shortages, which only further complicated the issue. But, while other airlines began recovering from delays and cancelations on December 26th, Southwest Airlines continued to struggle.

Southwest Airlines canceled a staggering amount of flights (over 60% on December 26th ALONE) during the holidays, leaving THOUSANDS of customers stranded at airports and cities throughout the U.S.

As of the morning of December 27th, FlightAware showed that 62% of Southwest Flights were canceled for the day, so it seems the problems are continuing.

In fact, your Southwest Airlines flight could be canceled until December 31st — click here to see why

So what should you do if Southwest (or another airline) cancels your flight to the Most Magical Place on Earth?

Well, we’ve shared a FULL look at some of the steps you can take here

But, for now, we’ll focus specifically on Disney World’s cancelation policies so you know how long you have to cancel before you’ll lose some of your deposit.

Park Tickets

Disney World park tickets are nontransferable and nonrefundable. So you cannot cancel or get a refund for a park ticket, but you might (in some cases) be able to use unexpired theme park tickets for future trips.

You can usually modify your Disney World theme park tickets if travel plans change. Specifically, you can change the dates on your tickets IF you modify them before the original ticket start date.

To modify the dates for your ticket, go to the My Disney Experience app. You can then select “Tickets and Passes” and hit “Change Ticket.” You should then be able to look at a calendar and select a new date. Just keep in mind that if your new date has a higher cost per day, you’ll need to pay the difference.

If you need to change the date but aren’t sure when you’ll be able to go again, Disney does note that the actual tickets will expire but the “value of your unused tickets will be valid indefinitely.” To use that credit, you’ll want to call the Ticket Services Team at (407) 939-5277.

Here are some key things to keep in mind:

• Unless you bought a “No Expiration Option,” theme park tickets bought after 2004 expire 14 days after their first use
• The “No Expiration Option” is no longer available to purchase now, but if you got a ticket before with that “No Expiration Option,” your ticket will be honored
• There is a hurricane exception that applies if a hurricane warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center for the Orlando area (or for where you live) within 7 days of the scheduled arrival date. If that happens, you can reschedule or cancel your ticket or vacation package

If you have more questions about your tickets, you can stop by Guest Relations in the theme parks or call (407) 939-1289.

Hotel-Only Reservation

What if you made a hotel-only reservation? Generally, you won’t have to pay any cancelation fees as long as you cancel 5 days or more before your arrival.

To cancel or modify your hotel-only reservation, you can call (407) 939-7429 or cancel/make changes online at DisneyWorld.com/MyTrip. If you’re trying to modify or cancel online, look for a link that says “Cancel or Modify Reservation” next to your trip information. You can tap that to start the process.

If you don’t see the link online, you can call Disney at the number listed above.

In terms of changes, just note that everything is subject to availability, so the exact same room you had booked before may not be available for your new travel dates. If there is any increase in price due to the changes being made, you’ll need to pay that difference.

Vacation Package

What about a vacation package? These are the types of reservations that include a hotel reservation AND theme park tickets. For these, if you cancel the package 30 days or more prior to arrival, Disney will refund all amounts paid, minus cancelation fees assessed by third-party hotels or other suppliers, non-refundable runDisney race registrations, non-refundable travel protection plan costs, and other amounts owed.

If you cancel 2 days to 29 days prior to your scheduled arrival, then Disney will refund all amounts paid, minus a cancellation fee of $200 per package, cancellation fees assessed by third-party hotels or other suppliers, non-refundable runDisney race registrations, non-refundable travel protection plan costs, and other amounts owed.

What if you really cancel at the last minute? If you cancel 1 day or less before arrival or you simply are a no-show, the full price of your package will NOT be refundable.

Here are some other things to keep in mind:

• There are no refunds available if you cancel any personalized products or experiences
• Disney also notes, “No refunds will be made for early departure from hotel and for unused or partially used admission tickets, options or features, including meals.”

If you are entitled to a refund after your arrival for anything, Disney notes that “any refunds allowed by Disney in its sole discretion after arrival must be requested in writing within 90 days after departure and may be assessed a $25 processing fee.”

What if you just need to make a change to your package reservation — a change in travel dates, the length of your stay, the size of your party, or something like that? Well, changes are subject to availability. And if there’s any increase in price due to the change, you’ll be responsible for paying that.

Plus, there are some change fees that may be assessed. If a change to the reservation is made 30 days or less before your arrival, it’ll be subject to a change fee of $50 per package (plus any change fees charged by third-party hotels or other suppliers).

Dining Reservations

What about dining reservations — you can’t forget to cancel those! Disney used to require guests to cancel dining reservations the day before the reservation, but that has since been updated. Reservations now simply must be canceled at least 2 hours before the reservation time to avoid cancelation fees.

If you cancel within 2 hours of the reservation you’ll generally be charged a fee of $10 per person, though that can vary.

Note that different restaurants can have different cancelation policies, so while this is the general rule, be sure to check and see exactly what the cancelation policy is for the restaurant you’ll be visiting. You’ll see this noted at the time of booking, or you can call (407) 824-1391 for more help.

Other Reservations

When thinking about canceling your trip, don’t forget about other reservations too like tickets for special events, tours, or other “Enchanting Extras” you may have booked. These can each have unique cancelation policies, so be sure to check each one for details.

Don’t want to deal with the stress and hassle of these complications on your own? You don’t have to! If you book your Disney World trip with Small World Vacations, their fantastic staff will be able to help you plan the trip of your dreams AND help you when any complications arise. Plus, their services are totally free, so you won’t have to pay anything extra.

We’ll continue to look for more updates and share tips to help you with your upcoming travels. Stay tuned for more news.

Have you ever had to cancel a Disney World trip at the last minute? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

The post Full Look at Hotel, Ticket, and Dining Cancelation Policies in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.