I can completely relate to this and would feel the same. There’s always future trips!
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We currently have a trip planned for September - it was going to be our first trip as DVC members, staying at Beach Club and I was so looking forward to the pool and being close to Epcot for Food and Wine (first time staying in this area at all). We haven’t cancelled yet, but also haven’t booked flights and I’m not at all confident that we’ll be going at all. We are also lucky that we’ve been three times in the past three years, but we were so looking forward to this trip.
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I know you already decided but I think cancelling was the right decision for you. For me, I would definitely go in October because it’s a 3 hour direct flight and a relatively easy travel experience. But for an international flight? Absolutely not. Too uncertain, too difficult, too much of a commitment.
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Cancelling or not is mostly a matter of in which bank account some money will be, yours seems like the obvious answer.
If WDW is open, not requiring masks, flights are available and no quarantine is being required for international visitors in October, you will still be able to rebook your trip last minute and enjoy it about the same as the trip you cancelled now.
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I had a trip planned for September. I just called Disney and pushed it back a year. It was a room only. I had not yet purchased park or plane tickets.
I am happy in a sad sort of way. But it was the right choice for dh and myself.
As for you I am glad you are happy with your choice and it gives you more time with Calvin. At least I thinks that is your furry friends name.
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I was a little late to the party and you’d already cancelled, but as soon as I saw you saying your income was unstable that was when I was going to say cancel the trip. You wouldn’t have enjoyed yourself anyway, and trips can always be rescheduled, for Oct or another time. I was actually able to rebook my group cruise (originally this June) b/c the organizer rescheduled for June 2021, which was a big surprise. No idea if I’ll go, but I don’t mind committing $100 to hold a cabin until next spring when I have to decide.
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I cancelled our January 2021 trip for many of the same reasons. We had a large family trip planned and then a week at Disney just the four of us. The family trip was cancelled, but we could have kept the smaller trip. I hate uncertainty and would rather plan it when I know with more certainty that the parks will be open (without capacity issues or too many of the proposed restrictions). I also think it would be less magical with some of the restrictions, even if they are wise decisions on Disney’s part. I plan to monitor things for the next few months and evaluate future trip options at that time once more is known about the parks, the virus, school, travel restrictions etc.
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I agree…it seems like the right call to postpone.
Planning anything longer than a week or two out right now is pure chaos. Everything is in limbo and moves with the wind right now. Too much uncertainty. My emotions would be on a roller coaster if I was constantly booking and re-booking for later dates.
I would make no commitments to Disney until you feel comfortable.
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Here’s an update.
My immediate feelings after cancelling were of relief. But then something unrelated happened at home, which put me on a downer and my focus was directed elsewhere. (The issue has resolved itself now.)
The next day I felt particularly down and I think it was because I realised that I now had nothing at all in my calendar to look forward to.
But then some thoughts occurred to me . . .
I think I mentioned I had applied for Virgin Atlantic to convert my tickets to open tickets. On re-reading the small print, I’m not actually sure I qualify. Which means I may be stuck with flights to Orlando in October, whether I want them or not.
So I then had a sneaky look at the pricing of the hotels at UOR. The budget hotels are considerably cheaper than the ones at WDW. Well, let me be clear. The only budget hotels at WDW that are acceptable to me are ASMo and Pop, because they are both fully refurbished. Neither seems to have availability during the dates of my trip. All there is are ASMu and ASSp, and I’m not staying at those.
UOR has just built a new budget resort called Endless Summer. The rates for my dates in October are low and the resort looks perfectly acceptable to me. There’s even a Starbucks right there in the hotel!
Additionally, UOR’s booking terms are considerably better than WDW’s. You pay one night in advance, which is fully refundable if you cancel before five days before arrival, and the balance is paid in the resort. WDW charges a non-refundable deposit, additionally charges you every time you make a change, and requires the balance to be paid about seven weeks before you arrive.
This opened up a whole new world of thought. Why not make it a UOR-centred trip? I have an AP for UOR, so visiting the parks won’t cost anything. I have a ticket for MNSSHP at WDW, and I additionally have a 14 day park-hopper. So all I’d have to spend beyond the accommodations are food and Ubers.
For reasons that aren’t clear to me, thinking of the trip as being a UOR-based one made me rethink the WDW aspects.
First, make no ADRs at all: just eat at QS places — makes the planning less stressful, the trip more flexible and the costs much lower. There are great QS options — Satu’li, for example.
Second, completely change my perspective on FPPs. Obviously I’d only be entitled to 30 days, which rules out all the headliners. So be it. This would not be my last trip ever. (I hope!) Besides, I’ve done every ride I want to do at WDW except MMRR.
I’ve been saying for ages that I want a stop-and-smell-the-roses trip. This would be it. There are some headliners I want to ride via the SB line anyway because I want to experience the line properly, e.g. FOP, which I’d ride at park close. And I get as much of a thrill visiting GF and WL as I do on most of the rides.
Finally, cut out all up-charge. I’d already cancelled the three dessert parties I booked (and had the money back already). Forget them. As a solo traveller, I can surely find a spot. Or take advantage of the shorter lines for rides. (Always assuming the big set-piece events are still taking place.)
This new vision is substantially cheaper than the trip I cancelled. It’s just food and on-site transportation. Everything else is already paid for and is non-refundable (or usable on another occasion, but it cannot be turned into cash). I change my focus from food and up-charge to, well, just being there. That’s still a vacation.
The one thing that gives me pause is . . . masks. If masks are compulsory that raises two issues. First, I really don’t want to wear one. Second, it suggests the overall park experience is going to be very different from what I’m used to. (Also: will people have to wear masks on flights? And what will arrival at MCO look like? Right now, arrival back in the UK would require 14 days quarantine.)
So nothing is certain. But I’ve given myself a glimmer of hope. A new-style trip could be possible at well under half the cost of the trip I originally envisaged. It might actually be a much more enjoyable one, being much more relaxed and spontaneous.
No need to decide anything now. I haven’t yet booked the UOR hotel, but I’m very tempted. The (refundable) deposit would be much less than that what I’m getting back from WDW for my CSR reservation.
So I’m feeling fairly positive about things right now.
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Kind of reminds me of us right now. Seems we go between optimism to pessimism every other day about our trip.
We’ve resigned ourselves to the masks, so now we’re trying to figure out the best mask we feel we can tolerate. I also think planning shorter days in the parks each day will help. Being in and done by 4 pm (if not sooner) means we can get back to an area we don’t need masks.
Fortunately, you are looking at October…of course, it is Florida, where it is always hot…but it shouldn’t be like it is when we go in August. 
I think if you can come to terms with the masks, you will be able to look forward to and enjoy the trip. If you keep looking at the trip thinking, “Well…maybe we won’t have to wear masks by then,” you set yourself up for disappointment.
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I think it’s going to come down to the specifics. Will I have to wear one in the GF lobby if I just want to chill out there, for example.
I will be very interested to see how things work out in practice once the parks are actually re-opened. Feedback from early returners will be fascinating and instructive.
October seems simultaneously soon and a long time in the future. Much may have changed by then . . .
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Another idea would be to save your WDW tickets for another trip, and make the fall trip even more UOR-centric. We did a week just there, and thought that was great. Although your trip is probably longer
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I did think about that. The MNSSHP ticket gets me into MK at 4pm, I think. And you can book FPPs with it. And I’d be there till gone midnight.
But that would be it. No other WDW action. Well, except free stuff like Skyliner rides and hotels.
I could buy a one-day ticket or a two-day?
But I do actually have two 14-day park hopper tickets and they have to be used up by December 2021, so it’s not so wasteful to use one in October.
Nope. Just six nights.
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Random speculation. (Really? Liners? Speculate wildly?!?)
If I had to guess, you will need to wear a mask in the parks and any inside public areas of the hotels. Hotel corridors are too narrow for social distance passing. I would guess not in outdoor areas outside the parks. Probably required on skyliner and any other transportation as well.
I think they will be required on flights except for eating. The quarantine issue is probably the stickiest wildcard, assuming travel is even allowed at that point. October is the start of flu season.
We still have quarantine requirements in Texas for people coming from certain other states, let alone overseas.
All that being said, a UOR focused trip with a couple quick jaunts into the bubble sounds pretty amazing at the moment, even with a mask!
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Sounds like a great plan!
I spent one night at Endless Summer during my last trip, it is a great hotel! I liked the room better there than at Royal Pacific.
Although there aren’t many perks for staying there (transportation is not that good, I would probably Uber to the parks anyway).
Have you considered staying fully offsite? Booking.com has filters for free cancelation and no prepayment needed, so the only commitment to a fully offsite stay is remembering to cancel before check in.
You can book FPPs for slots between 4PM and the published start time for MNSSNP (typically 7PM) … for more information search for posts by AuntB_luvsDisney.
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Seems unlikely given reports of people not wearing masks today when DS opened, but maybe things will change by then.
So why haven’t you booked the hotel, yet? If it’s fully refundable, what’s the hold up? What if prices go up tomorrow?
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Is it possible for you to sell the Disney tickets to someone? i.e. are they tied to you in particular or someone that can prove they are from outside the US?
I have seen max of 10-day Disney tickets.
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If your original sticking point was that you didn’t want a different, pared-down Disney World, but you don’t have the same concern about Universal, this may be the way to go. However, if you don’t want a pared-down Universal and the masks are still a sticking point, I don’t know that this is a better solution. I think you’re going to end up having the same feelings you were concerned about before.
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