Mickey is still smiling…I was going to call this piece Cast Members 2, Automated System 0…
A few days ago I told you that Disney had released new information for Annual Passholders about payments and the closures. That information has been updated, so here’s what you need to know.
If you are an Annual Passholder who has paid in full, you have two options. You can add the missed days onto your pass, which will change your renewal date. If that won’t work for you, you can choose to be refunded the amount for the number of days that the parks are closed. The default option is extending your pass. If you would like a refund, call 407-939-7277.
Florida Residents can purchase their Annual Passes on a monthly payment plan. Once again, there are two options. The first option is to let Disney refund the amount that has already been taken out of your account during the closure, and keep the same renewal date. The second option is to have them suspend payments right now, then pick them up again once the parks reopen. Payments are put on pause, so to speak. The first option, keeping the same renewal date, is the default option. If you want to pause payments and then pick them up again, you need to call Disney. Again, the number is 407-939-7277.
My family and I have three Annual Passes on my account, and all three are on the payment plan. I thought long and hard about which option I wanted. I liked the idea of keeping my same expiration date, and quite honestly I hate talking on the phone. On the other hand, last year there was a major increase in the prices of Annual Passes, and I didn’t want to risk another huge hike in price. I decided to bite the bullet and call for option two.
Disney warns that there will be long waits when you call. Disney was right. It took me five minutes with the automated system before I was finally put on hold to wait for a Cast Member. Twenty minutes later someone picked up. We discovered right away that the automated system had sent me to the wrong department. He was apologetic, and put me back on hold. This time I waited for 25 minutes. Disney’s hold music is great, but they need to drop the audio right now. I didn’t want to hear all of the reasons why “2020 is the year to visit Walt Disney World!” But I digress.
The second Cast Member that I spoke with was wonderful! She knew exactly what I was calling about, and she was able to take care of it for me. She made sure that all three passes were included. She also thanked me for being a Passholder. I then thanked her for all of her hard work. She really seemed to appreciate that. It sounded like something that she wasn’t hearing too often.
I wasn’t going to take the survey at the end, but the Cast Member was so wonderful that I wanted to give her a glowing review. I know that Disney takes feedback seriously. In total I was on the phone for a little over 48 minutes.
If you call, remember that there are certain times of day when the call volume might be a bit heavier. I called at about 9:30am, which I do think affected my wait. Also, since Passholders are just now starting to find out what they need to do, the wait is probably longer. While I was waiting I just put my phone on speaker and did what I needed to do. It would be nice if we could take care of this online, but that isn’t possible right now. If you are a Passholder and don’t want the default option, I recommend taking care of it sooner rather than later. A deadline has not been given, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t one. And please, be nice to the Cast Member. This is not an easy time to work the phone lines…