
Visiting the Disney World theme parks is expensive. There’s no other way to slice and dice it — you are going to spend a good chunk of change visiting the most magical place on earth.
One of the most costly portions of any Disney World trip are the theme park tickets. In fact, some Disney ticket prices have increased over 90 percent when compared to 10 years ago! So if you’re shelling out all that dough, you may be wondering: are Disney tickets refundable? Surely, there’s got to be a way to cancel them without being out hundreds or thousands of dollars?
Let’s take a closer look at the official Disney World ticket cancellation policy and break down all of the exceptions so you’re prepared before you book. We’ll also offer some alternative ticket-buying options and provide tips on how to hold onto your money if you do need to cancel your trip.
Disney Ticket Refund Policy: What to Know Before You Book
Disney World theme park tickets are not refundable, according to the official Disney World ticket terms and conditions.
That means that guests who purchase their theme park tickets directly from the Disney website or by calling Disney to book tickets will not receive any money back if they need to cancel their travel dates or leave their vacation early.
While you cannot get a monetary refund for an unused Disney World theme park ticket, you can likely change the date of the ticket to use during a future trip.
If you change the date, ticket holders will need to pay any date-based price differences associated with a new trip. However if your new travel dates are less expensive than your old travel dates, you will not receive a refund or credit for the price difference. That’s Disney for you!
If you book a vacation package through Disney — which includes a Disney resort stay and park tickets — the cancellation and refund policy is different. We’ll explain more about that below.
Can You Transfer Disney Tickets?
If you can’t use your Disney World tickets, it’s reasonable to wonder whether you can transfer those tickets to your family or friends to use instead. The answer to this depends on whether or not you have used your ticket in a park.
If you have used any portion of a single-day or multi-day park ticket, that ticket becomes nontransferable. You will not be able to transfer the remaining ticket days to anyone else.
But if your Disney Park ticket is unused, you can transfer that ticket to someone on your Friends & Family list in the My Disney Experience App. In order to do this, your accounts must be linked in the app. You can also reassign the ticket via the app by using a person’s email address as long as the email is linked to that person’s My Disney Experience App.
Disney World Ticket Refund Exceptions: Money-Back Situations
As stated above, most people will not receive a refund if they want to cancel their Disney World park tickets. But there are a few exceptions to Disney’s ticket refund policy. We’ll go over each of them here:
Exception #1: You Booked a Disney Vacation Package
If you book a Disney vacation package you will be able to cancel your booking for a full refund up to 30 days before you travel. A vacation package combines a Disney World resort stay and theme park tickets and is traditionally booked through the Disney website or by calling the reservation line. If there are any non-refundable third-party travel fees associated with your booking, you may not get refunded for those.
If you need to cancel your Disney vacation package 2-29 days before your planned arrival, you will forfeit the $200 deposit you paid to make the booking and any other non-refundable travel fees.
If cancellation of the package happens the day before or the day of your planned trip, the package is non-refundable and you will not receive any money back for the canceled hotel stay or park tickets.
Disney Vacation Package Refund Timeline
Timeframe of Cancellation | Refund Amount |
Up to 30 days before travel | Full refund (minus any non-refundable third-party fees) |
2-29 days before travel | Package price – $200 deposit (& any non-refundable third-party fees) |
0-1 day before travel | No refund |
Exception #2: Disney Cancels Your Tickets
Although it’s a rare occurrence — and we’ve never personally heard about it happening — Disney does reserve the right to cancel tickets or to cancel features of tickets. If Disney is the one who initiates the cancellation, you are entitled to a full refund.
However if Disney cancels a park ticket due to guest misconduct, refunds will not be given.
Exception #3: Hurricanes and Other Natural Disasters
Disney World is in Florida and that means that hurricanes are not uncommon. Because of this, Disney World does have a hurricane cancellation policy that allows for refunds in certain situations.
If the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane warning for the Orlando area within 7 days of your arrival, you can reschedule or cancel any tickets or reservations that were purchased directly from Disney and receive a refund.
If your tickets were booked through another company, you will need to contact the company directly if you need to cancel due to a hurricane warning.
Refundable Disney Ticket Buying Options
While there are a lot of benefits to booking your theme park tickets directly through Disney, it’s not the only way to buy them. And some third-party ticket distributors have better cancellation and refund policies, giving guests more flexibility.
Here are a couple options to consider:
AAA Disney World Park Tickets
If you are an AAA member, you can purchase discount Disney World park tickets through your regional branch. They also offer tickets to Disney special events like After Hours, Jollywood Nights, and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
According to one AAA website, these ticket purchases are eligible for a refund if they are unused and not expired. This can be done up to 90 days after you purchase them (not 90 days before the travel date).
However, the refund policy on AAA Disney tickets becomes void if you make any changes or modifications of the tickets through Disney or through the My Disney Experience App. Make sure to read the ticket and refund policies before booking.
If you do plan to book Disney tickets through AAA, make sure to verify the refund policy with your local branch and confirm they are eligible for a refund prior to purchasing. Different branches may have different policies.
Undercover Tourist Disney World Park Tickets
Undercover Tourist is probably the preferred alternative source of discount Disney World park tickets. They are an authorized ticket reseller with a very good reputation and an even better refund policy.
Basically, any Disney Park tickets purchased through Undercover Tourist are eligible for a refund for 365 days following your purchase. Yep, that’s a full year. Customers will be charged 5% of the total purchase price to cover the delivery, handling and the processing fees associated with the original order. But the rest of the money goes right back into your pocket.
Tickets cannot be expired, modified, or used in the parks to be eligible for a refund. While the Undercover Tourist Disney ticket refund policy is one of the best around, it’s important to read over the fine print when booking your tickets to ensure they qualify for the above refunds.
Tips to Avoid Costly Disney Cancellation Mistakes
Nobody wants to lose out on thousands of dollars if they have to cancel non-refundable Disney tickets. So, before you book, consider these tips to help you choose the right tickets and avoid cancellation nightmares.
Research the types of Disney tickets available. Disney World has different types of park types available. These range from single-day and multi-day tickets to Park Hopper tickets and special event tickets. Make sure you research what is included in each ticket type and decide on which is best for your family and fits best with the plan of your vacation. This can save you the headache of losing money on a Park Hopper ticket if you realize you don’t need a Park Hopper ticket.
Check the event calendar and park hours for your planned dates. Before booking your park tickets, make sure to double check park hours and events that may be happening in the parks during the time you plan on visiting. Sometimes parks close early or large events like Run Disney or sports competitions can lead to crowding that may make you want to change your travel dates.
Consider a Disney vacation package. If you know that you want to stay at a Disney World resort hotel, it may be worth booking your park tickets and hotel as part of a vacation package through Disney. This will give you the ability to get a full refund up to 30 days before your trip or just lose your deposit if you cancel between 2-29 days before your trip. That peace of mind may be worth it.
Buy travel insurance. You can always look into adding third-party travel insurance to your vacation plans that covers the cost of park tickets should a cancellation happen. These policies vary from provider to provider and will all have different costs and cover different reasons for cancellation. But travel insurance may be a good option if your family needs extra flexibility.