ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — Some Disneyland annual passholders should expect a refund coming soon if they had asked for one.
A Disneyland Resort official told Spectrum News 1 that refunds have been taking place for some eligible annual passholders.
The official did not give specifics on which passholders are eligible for a refund, citing the variety of annual passes Disney offers and each passholders situation.
The official had no further comment and directed passholders to Disney's guest services for more information at 714-781-4565.
The refunds come as Disneyland Resort's two theme parks, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, remain closed under California health orders to limit the coronavirus's spread.
Disneyland, along with other theme parks across the state, has been closed since March, when the pandemic began. Walt Disney World in Florida reopened in the summer.
In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom and health officials issued stricter guidelines that theme parks must follow before reopening. Theme park operators have to wait for their home county to reach the yellow tier – the least restrictive tier - that monitors coronavirus risk spread under the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy plan.
Local health officials don't expect Orange County, the home of Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, to reach that tier until mid-next year.
The closure of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure has been a big blow to Disney and the local economy. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure attracted more than 18.7 million and 9.9 million visitors, respectively, last year, according to the Themed Entertainment Association.
Of those visitors, more than one million are reportedly annual passholders. With no reopening date in sight, Disney has to deal with how to refund its annual passholder base this year. According to CBS, in October, after the state released its more stringent guidelines and no hope for reopening in sight, Disney was inundated with requests for refunds.
Disneyland Resort offers several different annual passes ranging from $420 for limited visits on select days and no parking to $1,450 to visit both theme parks with parking every day. A Disney Premier Passport, which allows a passholder to visit Disney theme parks in California and Walt Disney World in Florida, go for $2,200 a year. Annual passholders are able to frequent the park depending on their pass and receive other special privileges, including invitations to exclusive events and merchandise and food discounts.
Passholders have the option to pay in full, or if they are a Southern California resident, they could pay certain annual passes monthly.
It is still unclear how the refund process and calculations at Disneyland works.
In Florida, Disney gave its annual passholders a few options. Annual passholders who paid in full could cancel and be refunded the remaining days of their annual pass from July 11 through their pass expiration date.
Passholders on the monthly payment plan that requested cancelation had their payments stopped in August. Disney refunded any payments made from July 11 and August 11.
Although both Disney theme parks in Anaheim remain closed, the company is still honoring annual passholders privileges. Disneyland passholders that let their passes lapsed from March 14 to today could still take advantage of discounts at select stores, restaurants, and special events at Downtown Disney. Its Buena Vista Street extension is now open.
It is unclear how many refunds Disney has issued. Some passholders requested Disney to stop their monthly payment and resume it once the parks reopen. Others have asked for a full refund. At least one passholder last month reported receiving a refund for the premier pass.
Kevin Scanlan, a Disneyland annual passholder from North Hollywood, said he is still waiting for a refund. He purchased an annual pass in February, a month before the shutdown.
"It sucks that Disney is still closed because of the state's orders but I understand what's going on," he said, adding that he is going to call guest services for the status of his refund. "I still hope they can reopen again soon."