There are a couple of factors when canceling DVC reservations, and whomever you bought them from may or may not offer you a refund even if they are able to cancel with no penalty.
The reservation can be canceled by the member with no penalty until 30 days out. If they cancel within 30 days then the points used go into “holding”, which means they cannot be banked for the next year and must be used that in membership year or they will expire.
If the cancellation is after their banking date (4 months before the membership year ends) or if the points were already banked from the previous year then it’s a moot point, because they’d be expiring anyhow.
I have zero concerned about the virus, but paying full price and not having parades, fireworks, and character meets wouldn’t work for my family. With only teens, maybe these won’t matter to you. If you feel like the return on your investment is still there, it may be a great time to go with lower crowds.
I just cancelled our trip for late October, which was rescheduled from May. I don’t want to take my kids out of school for a week during a pandemic. We are in NY and numbers are good here so many elementary school age kids at least are going back full time in person classes. I don’t want to risk bringing the virus back home and exposing other kids at school. Although, I would feel safe in Disney, it seems their safety precautions are top notch, its just the whole idea of getting on a plane and traveling there that has me uncomfortable. Not to mention no park hopping or fireworks is a pretty big deal for us. If I were a Florida local however I would be there in a heart beat!
We are going in mid-October! After waffling back and forth for months we made our decision this week to go because (and bear with me as I’m at work and just banging out thoughts quickly before I have to go do any work : )
other WDW fanatics have been going for a month and no crazy outbreak stories
we have an amazing DVC rental and I don’t want to lose that or that money of course
if anyone it taking care of covid concerns appropriately, it’s Disney (unlike my local USPS:unamused: I feel like I will honestly feel safer in Florida after the airport of course, but we have a 90 min direct flight)
I believe FL numbers will come down briefly before rising again later in the late fall/winter and I think our trip will thread that needle
the lack of crowds - this is big for me personally as my anxiety in large groups is high and I was worried about ruining it for my kids by not being able to chill with that many people around. Even with covid concerns I know I will be more relaxed going now than next year when more people likely re-book for
the lack of FP - I am a planner and have been making up my perfect trip for all scenarios for a year, which was stupid-expensive and would have involved far more rigidity than I would want to admit. I read the FOMO post about the mom letting her kids ride the same ride 13 times in a row and while I know I can’t let go THAT much, I could see being waaaay less crazy about rushing to the next thing and I love that
we weren’t planning to park hop or watch fireworks more than once, and we don’t need 5 character meals like I thought - I think it will be much more relaxed (and maybe even more special?) to see the characters more randomly
without FP in play we will buy the memory maker and use it constantly and be able to stay off our phones and just ENJOY IT!
Above all, it’s my kids’ first trip. The stars aligned for my mom and sister and my family of 5 to get to go together in October and stay in a 2 bedroom villa. We were stoked. We did all the planning. Then covid happened. My husband has worked from home since March. I never stopped working. And my kids have been AMAZING and adapted to change and change and disappointments one after another. Now school isn’t opening as normal in our area of VA in the fall so they’ve adapted again to me teaching them after work and on the weekends. They know about Disney, they’ve asked, and I’ve told them not this year bc of the virus. I cannot wait to surprise them. I’m going to tell them we’re going on a home school field-trip
Forgive me for posting more charts, but I think you’re right. Cases have been coming down in Florida, and in Orange County in particular. If I had to guess I’d say this wave will have abated by early September and the next wave will start whenever we let our guard down (stop wearing masks), or when conditions change (cooler weather / more people inside?). Florida may be ok in cooler weather because people will actually spend more time outside (morning/evening chills not withstanding), the inverse of which is why places in the sunbelt have been hit so hard this summer.
This trip could spoil your kids for “regular” Disney. Altho ‘spoil’ and your kids don’t seem to belong in the same sentence.
This trip will introduce your kids to the rides and characters. (More similar to trips from 40 years ago.)
Subsequent trips might introduce fireworks and parades, maybe buffets. Or holiday decorations. We went so many times in December, when we finally did a non December trip, WDW looked empty.
I think, risk aside, now is a perfect time to introduce kids to the World, without overloading their senses.
Think you had better look at New York this last winter as your statement doesn’t hold water. Sorry by Florida is still way to high and the reasons are number one the beaches and number two the parties.
Huh I haven’t read that the beaches are causing spread. Where have you seen that? Parties makes sense to me though. That along with bars/clubs/gyms and lack of masks seem like they would be the biggest factors.
Its probably, and no stats here, but the beaches bring the partys and bar activity, and all of the more at risk activity. May not be the “beaches” but the crowds the beaches bring. Like a fly to honey, or better yet, a fly to manure.
Ok that makes more sense. In general I think it’s better to have more outdoor activities available to spread out crowds. But local standards have to be responsive to unique conditions.
Right. Everything i read and hear is outside isnt the issue. Its the inside, within a confined space with no sanitized ventilation against coronavirus and no 100% mask wear (id be cool with 95% but generally were not talking about mathmaticians that with count their minutes responsibly, lol). THAT situation is really causing the obnoxious spread. Its speaks to the true means of social distancing (distancing not only yourself but you immediate aerosol that could contain this crazy virus).
Where you been Jeff? It’s been on the news (CNN) plus others showing pictures of crowded beaches in Florida and California for weeks now. No social distancing there and beach parties all over the place.
In general I don’t watch the news cause I used to obsess over it and my life has been better since I abandoned it. I keep up on major events and policy issues through other means.
The news is so divisive and bias lately. Its so hard to find the “truth”. Its so sad that society its fueled by a headline or opinion read and its taken as fact! I love social media for what it is but man, its become a gateway to be the best BSer to have public opinion agree with your personal take on things, in the guise as factual. Its very worrisome, for young and old, blue collar, white collar, black, white and every color in between (WOsomeC here saying so).
After waffling back and forth for months we made our decision this week to go because (and bear with me as I’m at work and just banging out thoughts quickly before I have to go do any work 
: )
