Disneyland Paris Closure & Reopening – FAQs, Refunds, and Updates

As you may have heard by now, Disneyland Paris has closed once again due to governmental restrictions.

The park reopened on July 15, 2020, after being closed for some months due to the worldwide situation currently going on, but is currently closed once again. Hopefully, we can give you some clarity into the situation for you so you know exactly what is going on and how to plan your next trip.

(Updated 4/3/21) – Disney has announced that the Disneyland Paris Resort will remain closed indefinitely due to the continued national lockdown as the health emergency in France continues to surge. This closure has been extended from the original target date of April 2, 2021.

Read on for more about these stories in the NEWS section of this post.

In this post, we are going to explain to you everything you need to know about the Disneyland Paris closure and reopening, and what it means for your next visit to the resort. We will have all the latest updates around the situation so you have the very latest info as it comes out.

As of this writing, the Disneyland Paris Resort closed once again on October 30, 2021, and will remain that way indefinitely.

It was closed in the Spring and early Summer for 4 months until reopening July 15, 2020.

It was operating under the new normal for theme parks and overall it had been successful so far. We didn’t have the chance to visit Disneyland Paris since the opening, but from all reports, things were running very smoothly.

There have been a TON of changes to the resort since reopening, including similar safety procedures that are also present at other Disney Parks worldwide. The biggest difference here are the vast number of hotels that are still closed, many of which won’t be open until later in 2021.

You obviously have a ton of questions, and we are going to answer them the best we can at this point. Keep in mind this whole situation is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before and the more time goes by, the more we will know how Disney will continue to handle it.

Think of this post as “Disneyland Paris Reopening 101.” We are going to tell you which parts of the resort are currently open including parks, attractions, hotels, etc, and which ones are still closed. We will also show you how to get a refund or cancel a trip or how to reschedule it for a later date.

Lastly, we’re going to talk about the impact the Disneyland Paris closure will have on the future of the resort including the delays to the future projects that are currently being built and potential budget cuts to the parks’ entertainment.

If you are looking for information on the U.S. domestic parks, read our Walt Disney World Reopening Guide.

If you are looking for refund information, then our Disney World Closure guide and our Disneyland Closure guide share more info about how to get refunds, how to reschedule your vacation and any other FAQs you might have.

With an unsure situation, there are many questions. If you aren’t able to find what you are looking for now, try to be patient as more news continues to come out in the coming weeks and months. We’ll be sharing that with you as it does.

To make it easier to get the updates, don’t forget to sign up for our FREE Weekly E-Mail Newsletter. There we will bring you the latest info on the Disneyland Paris closure and anything you need to know about it. You can sign up here: Join our E-Mail Newsletter!

Latest Disneyland Paris News

This has been an interesting year to say the least which has lead to a situation, unlike anything that has ever happened to the Disney parks before. We never thought we’d ever see a time when all 12 Disney parks are closed at the same time.

Some of the Disney parks around the world have slowly started to reopen, while some remain closed, including the Disneyland Paris Resort.

Stories about all the Disney parks including Disneyland Paris have been coming out extremely quickly, and therefore require close attention. Any new stories we’ll insert here…

(NEWS 4/3/21) Disneyland Paris Closure Extended Indefinitely

While we had hoped we would not enter into this territory ever again, here we are. Disney has recently announced that the Disneyland Paris Resort will be extending its closure indefinitely with no reopening date available due to the national lockdown in France.

This means Disneyland Paris will NOT be reopening on April 1, 2021, as originally planned.

It also means Disneyland Paris will likely remain closed for the rest of the Spring and into sometime during Summer 2021.

Disneyland Paris was supposed to reopen during the holiday period, then in February, then in April. So far it hasn’t had a chance to reopen during any of those dates.

As the current health crisis continues in France, all of these plans have fallen through due to prolonged lockdown regulations.

Here is the latest statement from Disneyland Paris:

The statement from Disneyland Paris reads: “Due to prevailing conditions and travel restrictions across Europe, Disneyland Paris will not reopen on April 2 as initially planned. We are optimistic we will be able to reopen soon, and we will share updates when possible. Please check back on the website for regular updates.”

These safety measures enforced by the French government mean keeping closed most non-necessary businesses. This includes bars, restaurants, gyms, theaters, and in Disney’s case, theme parks.

In his statement, French President Emmanuel Macron said that restrictions were needed because France is in a sensitive situation and the entire country out be overwhelmed.

A new wave has been spreading across Europe, and Germany has also announced similar restrictions, so as to avoid getting overwhelmed this current wave.

This means if you had any plans to go to Disneyland Paris, you can forget them for a while. Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios Park, and the hotels are all remaining closed because of this announcement.

So at the very earliest, we are looking at Disneyland Paris not reopening fully until May 2021 or beyond. Of course, this is a very loose situation and that could be extended depending on how things develop over the next months.

If you had an upcoming trip to Disneyland Paris scheduled during this new closure period, refunds will be given automatically for dated tickets. Vacations can be rescheduled for dates through March 30, 2022.

Please visit DisneylandParis.com for the latest info on refunds and rescheduling.

We’ll keep you updated and let you know when you can expect Disneyland Paris to reopen as soon as we have some more info.

Disneyland Paris Reopening & Closure

By now you know about the global crisis currently happening in the world and the fact that Disney was forced to close all its parks worldwide. That unfortunately included the Disneyland Paris Resort.

Right now Disneyland Paris is CLOSED indefinitely as it does not have a reopening date at this time.

This is the second complete closure of the Disneyland Paris Resort. The first time it closed on March 14, 2020, and reopened on July 15, 2020.

Right now the following areas of Disneyland Paris are closed:

• Disneyland Park
• Walt Disney Studios Park
• Disneyland Paris Hotels
• Disney Village

Honestly, we didn’t think it would get to this. Even though every Disney park in the world had already closed once, we never dreamed that some of them would have to close down again. It has turned into a truly unprecedented situation.

During the first reopening period, Disneyland Paris Cast Members did an excellent job of installing extra safety for guests and it was a safe environment with no cases of breakouts at the resort.

Disney closed down certain areas of the resort including any entertainment venues, parades, or attractions that put guests at risk.

That, however, wasn’t enough and government mandates eventually forced Disneyland Paris to close once again.

We’re definitely hoping that the situation will improve enough to reopen in February and that they never has to take that dramatic action again.

What’s Open Right Now?

What exactly is open and closed in Disneyland Paris? The original closure affected the Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios Park, the Disneyland Hotels, and the Disney Villiage shopping center.

All of those ares are once again affected during the current closure.

Let’s break it all down…

Theme Parks

Current reopening status of Disneyland Paris Resort Parks:

• Disneyland Park – CLOSED Oct 29
• Walt Disney Studios Park – CLOSED Oct 29

The Disneyland Paris Resort has two theme parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park and both theme parks are closed as of October 29, 2020.

They both reopened July 15, 2020 and were accepting guests, but were forced to shut down once again due to government restrictions.

Even when they were open, the parks had reduced capacity. Until things get under control, they have to keep the theme parks to a certain number of people to reduce crowds of people gathering together and standing in lines for hours.

Hotels

*The Disneyland Paris Resort is closed as of October 29, 2020, including hotels.

During the original closure period, all the hotels at Disneyland Paris closed, some however started reopening again during the Summer.

Not all Disneyland Paris Resort Hotels were ready to open though. This is because of a much lower demand for rooms than usual due to very few tourists visiting at this time. Obviously it also doesn’t make sense financially to keep the hotels open if there are no guests so there was no choice in shutting them down.

Here is the current list and status of the Disneyland Paris Resort Hotels with opening dates:

• Disney’s Newport Bay Club – CLOSED and Reopening TBD
• Hotel Santa Fe – CLOSED and Reopening TBD
• Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne – CLOSED and Reopening TBD
• Disneyland Hotel – CLOSED and Reopening TBD
• Disney’s Sequoia Lodge – Reopening May 1, 2021
• Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch – CLOSED and Reopening July 1, 2021
• Disney’s New York Hotel – The Art of Marvel – TBD

Disney recently announced that the opening for Disney’s New York Hotel – The Art of Marvel is being delayed once again since the Disneyland Paris closure has been extended.

There is no opening date for this hotel at this time.

Disney Villiage & Restaurants

All Disneyland Paris restaurants and the Disney Villiage shopping area closed on October 29, 2020.

We recommended going on the official Disneyland Paris website for further information on what is closed in Disneyland Paris and for how long.

Disneyland Paris Reopening Overview

Here is an overview of all the changes so far and what to expect when Disneyland reopens once again. This is based on the previous Summer reopening period.

Just like in all the other Disney Parks worldwide that are opening, Disney has been working hard on a plan to reopen Disneyland Paris and they have been able to modify the guest experience allowing guests to once again visit the parks while at the same time staying safe.

Disneyland Paris has a bunch of new health restrictions and guidelines to follow for anyone visiting that you need to be aware of. These safety measures will help protect the health of Cast Members and guests alike.

Disneyland Paris has learned many lessons from the reopening of Walt Disney World, Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland.

Limited Attendance – The parks, resorts, and restaurants in Disneyland Paris have limited attendance during this initial phase. Keeping crowds down to levels lower than normal is key in limiting the spread of germs. They haven’t announced how many people are allowed in the park, but it is in the 20-30% range.

Physical Distancing – Like in the other parks, ground markers have been installed showing guests where to stand in the queues. This way they are able to keep a distance from other guests while waiting in line for a ride or for food.

Park Reservations – Since attendance is limited, guests require a park reservation in order to gain entry to the parks. The Park Reservation system for Disneyland Paris is similar to the one in Disney World and give guests reservations according to availability on specific dates.

Right now, guests can reserve their date of entry to the parks from now through March 30, 2022.

Temperature Screening – Before entering the parks, guests will have to undergo temperature screening. Any guests or Cast Members with a high temperature will not be given entrance.

Face Masks – Just like in other Disney Parks, face masks are required to wear by both Cast Members and guests. They are required in all public spaces including on rides. The only place you aren’t required to wear a face mask is when eating.

Sanitization and Cleaning – There has been an increase in the frequency of sanitization and disinfection in high-guest contact areas. More hand washing and hand sanitizing stations are now located throughout the park.

Restaurants – Guests dining in Disneyland Paris can eat at tables distanced further from each other than normal. This means the overall capacity of restaurants will be reduced for the time being.

Attractions – The seating in ride vehicles has been modified to allow for more space between guests on attractions.

Characters – There won’t be any Disney character meets during the reopening phase. Characters will, however, be present in the park, greeting guests from afar. They might even take a ride on Dumbo so be on the lookout!

Many of the new safety guidelines are the same as what has been implemented in Walt Disney World. If you want more info about how they will work, read our post on All the New Disney World Safety Guidelines and Changes.

We’re all excited to finally return to Disneyland Paris and even though it will be a totally different experience, we hope it is still full of those magical moments that make us happy to be in a Disney theme park.

Guests will need to have patience during this phased reopening as some experiences and attractions will not be immediately available. The experience may change during this period and the goal is that as the situation improves, the missing entertainment will slowly return.

More information on the enhanced health and safety measures and a current look at what is open can be found on www.disneylandparis.com. 

We’ll keep you updated with the latest on the Disneyland Paris reopening as soon as we have more so stay tuned.

Read on for how to modify your stay or get a refund in the instructions further down in this article.

Refunds and Canceling Reservations

Disneyland Paris has made significant changes to its cancellation policy and rebooking options for guests traveling in these uncertain times.

Even if you have a Disneyland Paris vacation booked, Disney is giving guests the option to rebook using the full value of their payments that have already been made. That or rescheduling your trip to a future date for the same price.

You have 2 options:

1. Get a full refund for your trip
2. Reschedule your trip for the same price using a voucher for a future stay valid for 18 months.

Previous Bookings:

If you have a previously scheduled Disneyland Paris vacation between October 30, 2020, and April 1, 2021, you are eligible for a refund or to reschedule your trip.

If the Hotel You Booked is NOT Open on the Dates You Booked It:

• Maintain your arrival date and move your booking into an alternate hotel,
• Cancel your booking without fees and receive full a refund.

If You Want to Reschedule in 2021 or 2022

• You can choose to cancel your booking without fees up to 7 days before your arrival date and make a new booking for arrival between through March 30, 2022, at the current available rate. Bookings can be made from now through March 30, 2022. If the price is lower, you will be refunded the difference.

Getting a Full Refund

• You also have the option to change or cancel your booking with full refund up to 7 days before your arrival date.

New Bookings

• For new bookings, you have the options for free modification and cancellation for all Hotel + Ticket package bookings up to 7 days before your arrival.

How You Can Cancel Disneyland Paris Reservations and or Rebook:

Here are the 3 ways you can do it:

1. Fill in the electronic form in the following link to process your request  contact.disneylandparis.com.
2. Call +33 1 60 30 60 53 and speak with a Disneyland Paris operator.
3. Contact your travel agent who booked your Disneyland Paris vacation.

Just remember there could be an extremely high number of people calling in to cancel their vacation and get a refund that Disney might be slow to answer your request or you might have to wait on hold until they are able to handle your call.

Again, we recommend using patience in these cases and try to understand the unprecedented pressure cast members are under to complete your request.

Vacation Package and Hotel Room Refunds

Guests who have a Disneyland Paris vacation package or a hotel room only during the closure period can now modify their original reservation and change it to another date, or get a full refund for their trip.

This applies to guests who have booked your trip through Disneyland Paris directly or a travel agent and have booked for stays during the closure period.

For guests with arrival dates AFTER April 1, 2021, your reservations are still valid. However, if you still want a refund or want to reschedule your trip now, you can do so with no penalties or cancelation fees to you.

Again, either fill in the electronic form in the following link to process your request  contact.disneylandparis.com, Call +33 1 60 30 60 53 to speak with Disneyland Paris or contact your travel agent.

Ticket Refunds & Extensions

1-Day & Multi-Day Park Tickets – Unused dated tickets to the Disneyland Paris theme parks during the closure period (Now through unannounced reopening date) can be refunded at this time.

If you hold a non-dated ticket, it will remain valid with the same conditions and calendar depending on the ticket type, when the park reopens.

Partially-used Multi-Day Tickets – If you have a multi-day ticket for 2 Days or more, with days not used during the Parks closure, you will be given replacement tickets or a partial refund for the unused days. Contact Disneyland Paris at dlp.guestcomm.uk@disneylandparis.com for more help.

Group Tickets – Any dated group tickets booked by group operators for visits during the closure will either be refunded or available to rebooked at the same price for a new date. Contact your group operator.

Either fill in the electronic form in the following link to process your request  contact.disneylandparis.com, Call +33 1 60 30 60 53 to speak with Disneyland Paris or contact your travel agent.

FastPass

Disneyland Paris has a paid version of FastPass which you can get a refund for if you’ve purchased it for the dates of the closure. Contact Disneyland Paris for more directions.

Dining, Special Events & Other Experiences

Besides tickets and vacation packages, you are probably wondering about what will happen to other Disneyland Paris experiences you have booked like dining reservations and other special events and experiences. Here is what we know…

Buffalo Bill Wild West Show – If you purchased tickets to the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show during the closure dates, you are entitled to a full refund with no penalties or fees.

• If your booking for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show is part of your vacation package, follow the instructions above on getting a refund for a vacation package.
• If you purchased tickets for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show without a hotel package, your tickets will be automatically canceled with no fees.
• If you purchased your tickets at the ticket booth, send your original tickets to the following address with your IBAN, BIC and the name of your bank.
  
  Disneyland Paris
  Communication Visiteurs Support
  BP 100 77777 Marne la Vallée Cedex 4 France

Other Experiences – Guests will be fully refunded for all other special events and experiences with dates during the closure.

Disneyland Paris Express 

Tickets for the Disneyland Paris Express shuttle service to from/to Paris will be automatically canceled and refunded, with no cancellation fees.

Changing Your Flight

• Contact your airline you booked your ticket with to find out about their refund policy
• If you booked your airfare through a travel agent you should contact them to help you cancel or change your flight.

Annual Passes

If you have a Disneyland Paris Annual Pass, your expiration date has been extended out by the number of days the parks were closed for. Since Disneyland Paris was closed for 123 days total, your annual pass will get an additional 123 days added on to it.

On top of that, Disney is giving Annual Passholders an additional 30 days added on to their passes. That means you have an extra 153 days added to your annual pass.

There is no need to do anything, the system will automatically update the expiration date of your annual pass. The date on your physical card will not change but it will change in the system.

If your Annual Pass expires during the Parks closure, your pass can be renewed up to 2 months after the reopening, at the Annual Pass Ticket windows.

Temporary Annual Pass – If you have a temporary annual pass which expires during the closure period, it will be automatically extended until a future date. If you bought your temporary Annual Pass on Disneyland Paris website, you must download it before its initial expiry date.

Remember: Annual Passholders also have to use the Park Reservation system for the dates they want to go to the park. See this page on DisneylandParis.com for more info.

Cast Members

During the closure of Disneyland Paris, the non-essential Cast Members had to be furloughed for some time. Disney paid them for the first month, but after figuring out this was not going to be a quick problem, they were forced to furlough them for the time being.

We are unsure of the impact at this time on the Cast Members during this next closure.

After the first reopening, many Cast Members in Disneyland Paris were able to return to work, but some remain furloughed still. Unfortunately, it will be this way until park attendance picks up, which we don’t anticipate happening for a long time.

We know people are struggling to survive right now, and hopefully, the parks will be able to bring them back soon so they can have a paycheck coming in.

Other Paris Attraction Closures

Visiting Disneyland Paris is only half the fun when you are in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Right now, however, not only is Disneyland closed but all major tourist attractions in Paris are closed as well.

When is Disneyland Paris Reopening?

For months, the biggest question we were wondering was: “When is Disneyland Paris reopening? When is it reopening??” This is understandable as it’s almost impossible to plan your vacation if you don’t know when it will be open again.

Officially, the Disneyland Paris Resort will be closed from October 30, 2020 – TBD.

They were hoping to have the resort reopen during the holidays, then February, and then April, but all those dates fell through.

At this time, there is NO official Disneyland Paris reopening date and it is close indefinitely.

Like before, when Disneyland Paris does reopen, it will be a phased opening with a limited number of guests allowed back into the parks and without all the attractions, entertainment, and resort options available at first.

If that goes well, things will be evaluated and the rest of the resorts will open back up.

When Should I Plan My Trip to Disneyland Paris?

Disneyland Paris is currently open, but if I were planning a vacation there in the near future I would be cautious and conservative in my planning.

If you are coming from overseas, you have to weigh if you are comfortable scheduling a vacation at this time. If you are coming from the United States, you have to figure out when airlines will resume normal operations and take any possible cancellations into consideration.

The earliest I would really be thinking about going would be Summer 2021, but even that might be pushing it. It all depends when they decide to reopen, which we know nothing about at this time.

Just like at all the Disney theme parks, there are more extreme safety measures in place to keep guests safe, which means that it’s possible not all shows or attractions will be open right away (in Disneyland but even in the city).

You don’t want to go all the way to Paris and not be able to do everything on your list.

My recommendation is to look further out into Fall 2021 or beyond. If you don’t have to bring kids, then you are more free to decide when is the best time to go.

Kids in Europe will be back in school again in the Fall, and the crowds will be lower than normal with the economy hurting and people not traveling as much as before. This could be an ideal time to visit.

Disneyland Paris Deals & Advantages

One of the only good things about the situation that guests will eventually benefit from is potential deals and offers on vacation packages and hotel rooms once the Disneyland Paris parks open back up.

As has happened with Disney World reopening, we think there are going to be some great vacation offers for Disneyland Paris. Many people are going to be wary of traveling immediately after things reopen across the world.

Yes, there might be some desire to get back to life-as-usual but we don’t anticipate many overseas guests making Disneyland Paris their first choice for a get-away.

The European economy is getting destroyed right now and many families from other countries would have normally made the trip to Disneyland Paris are going to have reduced budgets, at least in the near-term.

Disneyland Paris, of course, can’t afford to keep its parks empty, so they will have to do something to attract guests to visit. That’s why we think there are going to be some great offers and discounts to be had over the next few months.

Disney doesn’t like to offer discounts, but when a greatly reduced number of people are coming to the parks, there is really no other option. This is what happened after 9/11 in the U.S. when there were some incredible deals to be had.

For guests coming from overseas in the U.S. or elsewhere, there will also likely be deep discounts on airfare and Paris hotels, which you will want if you are staying in Paris or nearby.

This is another reason to use a Disney-certified Travel Agent as they will be on the lookout for you if there are any discounts that can be applied to your vacation package. This can be invaluable and save you hundreds of dollars.

Another advantage that you will definitely get visiting Disneyland Paris during this reopening phase is reduced crowds. In the weeks after reopening there was a short-term spike in crowds, mostly French people who are sick of staying inside and want to do something fun.

There are probably going to be very low crowds again when it reopens, which is a plus for anyone who goes. There is nothing better than going to a theme park when the lines are shorter than normal and you can do all the major attractions without waiting all day.

You’re likely to see a scenario like this play out in Disneyland Paris.

We don’t know to what extent and how big these discounts will be, and how low the crowds will get, but we’ll keep an eye on them for you so you will know when more information comes out.

Future Impact on Disneyland Paris

Disney parks across the globe are suffering huge financial losses first from closing the parks and now from the greatly reduced attendance, and Disneyland Paris is no exception. Disney is losing billions of dollars ever quarter, and there is no telling how long this will last.

Recently Disney announced multiple debt offerings in the billions of dollars which it needs to pay part of their current debt. Financially Disney still looks good in the long-term, but it’s not an ideal situation in the short-term.

What do these financial losses mean and what kind of future impact with this have on the Disneyland Paris Resort as a whole?

Whenever Disney has gone through financial troubles in the past, that inevitably means budget cuts somewhere in the company. Specifically speaking about Disneyland Paris that means some of the upcoming projects scheduled for the resort could be on the chopping block.

We know that right now Disney has agreed to invest $2+ billion into the resort including 3 new themed lands coming to Walt Disney Studios Park: Avengers Campus, a version of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and a Frozen-themed land. All three were expected to be completed by 2023.

While none of them will probably get completely canceled, they will all most likely be delayed to some degree.

Disney is also under contract to build a 3rd park at the Disneyland Paris Resort, which probably will still happen since the deadline for that is still 10 years away.

Inevitably there are bound to be some cuts because of the current economic downturn and just how much depends on how much longer the closure continues on for.

We’ll keep an eye on these projects and let you know all the ramifications of the current Disneyland Paris closure as soon as we have more info.

Summary

This is certainly a unique time in the history of Disneyland Paris and The Walt Disney Company in general. We’ve never seen a time when all the theme parks have been closed before and even though some things have turned around since the original closure, it’s sad to see the resort shut down again.

We think Disney has been pretty cautious overall, obviously putting the health of the guests and Cast Members should be the priority above everything else.

As the parks reopen, we just hope they will find a way to keep the magic alive and not ruin the guest experience with whatever new safety measures are taken.

We will continue to keep the situation in Disneyland Paris under a close eye and let you know of any changes to the reopening, policy changes and any other news as soon as we have more. Stay tuned…

Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about the Disneyland Paris reopening…

• Are you excited about the Disneyland Paris reopening?
• When are you planning to go?

Let us know in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this article, as always I appreciate it if you’d share it with others via social media.  I work hard at making this website into a useful resource for you and your family to plan your visit to the Disney Parks and I hope it can help you! Thanks 🙂