Best travel insurance for a Disney World vacation
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“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.
BLUEPRINT
Updated 11:46 a.m. UTC Nov. 29, 2023
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© Garret Roberts / USA TODAY NETWORK
Key points
- Disney offers a comprehensive Travel Protection Plan for trips to Disney World, Disneyland and Aulani.
- Disney travel insurance includes trip interruption and cancellation, lost baggage and emergency medical protection, among other coverages.
- You can also purchase third-party travel insurance for more comprehensive coverage — sometimes at lower rates.
Disney World is the most magical place on earth; it’s hard to imagine anything going wrong there. But bad things can — and do — happen, even on a Disney vacation.
If you’ve sunk what feels like your life savings into an upcoming Disney trip, it may be a good idea to protect your investment with Disney travel insurance. You can purchase official Disney World travel insurance through the mouse himself, or you can work with third-party travel insurance companies.
What is Disney’s insurance package?
The official Disney trip insurance plan is called the Travel Protection Plan. You can purchase this plan when booking a trip yourself or through an authorized Travel Agent Specializing in Disney Destinations (that’s Disney’s overly complex name for its travel agents).
The plan offers refunds for canceled or interrupted trips for any covered reasons. It also provides travel medical insurance and covers certain losses while traveling, such as baggage and personal effects.
The official Disney World trip insurance policy is only available to U.S. residents. Plans are underwritten by Arch Insurance Company and administered by Aon Affinity.
What Disney travel insurance covers
Here’s everything you’ll get when you purchase the official Travel Protection Plan for your Disney World vacation.
Trip cancellation/trip interruption
If your trip is canceled or ends early for a covered reason such as illness, injury, job loss or military service, you’ll be reimbursed up to 100% of your prepaid travel costs.
Trip delay
Similarly, if your trip is delayed for six or more hours due to a covered reason, such as a road closure, you’ll be reimbursed for related expenses — up to $200 per day ($600 maximum).
Baggage loss and delay
If your luggage or personal effects are lost, stolen or damaged, this coverage can reimburse up to $2,000. Reimbursement will be for the actual cash value, which accounts for depreciation, or the cost to replace or repair the item, whichever is less. There is a limit of $500 per item.
If you arrive in Orlando but your bags don’t make it for another 12 or more hours, you can also get up to $500 reimbursed for buying a few necessary personal items. Be sure to save your receipts — you’ll need them to file a claim.
Emergency medical protection and evacuations
Disney’s Travel Protection Plan includes $25,000 of coverage should you become ill or get injured during your Disney travel. If you need emergency medical transportation, up to $100,000 is covered.
Travel accident
The policy also includes $25,000 in coverage for accidental death or dismemberment.
Rental car damage
If you rent a car for your Disney vacation, you’ll be covered for up to $25,000 in repair costs following a collision, theft, damage or vandalism.
Keep in mind: You may also have rental car coverage through your credit card and/or your current car insurance company.
Worldwide emergency travel assistance
In addition, when you purchase the official Disney World travel insurance plan, you’ll get 24/7 emergency travel assistance provided by CareFree Travel Assistance.
Is Disney World travel insurance worth it?
In some cases, purchasing Disney insurance makes a lot of sense. In others, it might not be worth the cost.
To understand how to navigate the decision, we spoke with Kat Wolfe, an authorized agent and owner of Get Down to Disness, a company that offers coaching and business development resources for Travel Agents Specializing in Disney Destinations.
“Whenever a guest is unsure if they want to protect their vacation with insurance and ask for advice on making the decision, I ask them to consider whether or not they can afford to lose the amount they spent,” Wolfe says.
“For instance, if a client is taking a three-night solo trip, staying at a Value Resort, is an Annual Passholder and books a Basic Package (so no tickets are being purchased), it’s fairly low cost and it may not make financial sense to purchase insurance as the deposit is equal to one night’s stay and the balance is due upon check-in. On the other hand, a family staying five nights, with park tickets and a dining plan where the balance is due 30 days in advance of arrival, should seriously consider investing in insurance with so much more to lose.”
Disney travel can be confusing and stressful. If you don’t understand all the nuances, consult with a Disney travel agent about your travel plans. Booking through a Disney agent incurs no extra cost.
How to get Disney World travel insurance
You can add on the official Travel Protection Plan while booking a Disney World vacation online or through a travel agent — just select “Add Travel Protection” when prompted.
You can also add travel protection to existing plans before final payment. Log in to the Disney World website, navigate to “My Plans” and choose “Change Reservation” to start the process.
Alternatively, you can call (407) 939-5277 to add trip insurance to your Disney vacation. However, Disney gets a notoriously high volume of calls. You could wait quite a while if you go this route.
When to get Disney World travel insurance
Already booked a Disney World vacation? You may still be able to purchase official Disney trip insurance. As long as you haven’t paid for your trip in full, you’re eligible to add it to your booking.
In general, it’s best to buy travel insurance as soon as you’ve made your first trip deposit as it covers you for all the days leading up to your trip. If you need to cancel for a covered reason, the Disney Travel Protection Plan will refund your prepaid, nonrefundable travel package, including airfare (as long as it’s scheduled for travel within seven days of the travel package).
How much is Disney travel insurance?
The Travel Protection Plan through Disney costs $95 per adult for Walt Disney World vacations. Children 17 and under are included in the per-adult price.
Coverage for Disneyland trips is slightly more affordable at $85 per adult. Coverage for vacations to Aulani, Disney’s Hawaiian resort, costs $99 per adult.
Top reasons to buy Disney World travel insurance
Any seasoned traveler will tell you the peace of mind alone is reason enough to purchase travel insurance, but a Disney World trip in particular is a strong candidate for carrying a policy. Here are a few reasons why.
Disney World trips are expensive
Taking your family to Walt Disney World isn’t cheap. Families can often spend a week at an all-inclusive resort or travel to Europe for the same cost — or for less than the cost — of a Disney vacation.
According to WDW Magazine, the average Disney World vacation cost $7,245.70 during peak season in 2023. That’s for a family of four with tickets, lodging and airfare for a weeklong trip — and it doesn’t even include food, transportation to and from the airport, souvenirs or any trip add-ons, like Genie+ (Disney’s paid skip-the-line service).
Hurricanes can wreck your trip
Disney World is located in central Florida, far enough from the coast. However, strong tropical storms and hurricanes during the summer and fall can still ruin vacations to Disney World.
In some extreme cases, the parks shut down. Even if the parks stay open, rides often close down and the scheduled parades and fireworks may not happen.
And that assumes you make it to Orlando. Hurricanes can lead to delayed and canceled flights that can stop your Disney World vacation before it even starts.
If your planned Disney vacation is during Atlantic hurricane season — June to November — it’s a good idea to compare Disney travel insurance to third-party travel insurance plans. The latter often have more robust hurricane coverage.
Flights are still unreliable
Flight cancellations and delays have been so bad in recent years that the federal government launched a formal investigation into the problem. And industry experts say the problem may worsen over the next decade before we see improvements.
If your flight arrives a day late — or even half a day late — you could miss some of the magic at Disney World. And without the proper travel insurance, you’ll have nothing to show for it.
Alternatives to Disney travel insurance
Purchasing travel insurance through Disney while booking your trip is easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s the most affordable or comprehensive option. Here are some alternatives to booking Disney World travel insurance directly through Disney.
Other companies providing travel insurance for Disney World
The best travel insurance companies offer policies that cover Disney World vacations. You can easily compare travel insurance quotes on sites like Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip. You might be able to find policies with more extensive coverage for a lower price.
Combining existing coverages
If you already carry certain insurance policies, portions of your trip may already be covered. If you’re a U.S. resident:
- Health insurance should cover medical costs if you need to visit a doctor, go to the hospital or purchase a prescription while in Orlando.
- Car insurance may cover you even when you’re behind the wheel of a rental.
- Homeowners insurance or renters insurance will typically cover your personal items even in transit, meaning you may be able to file a claim for lost or stolen belongings.
Read your policies closely to understand what is and isn’t covered — but remember that these policies won’t cover things like hotel and airline costs if you have to cancel your trip or leave early.
Traveling without coverage
Insurance is always a gamble. Most of the time, you won’t need it. If you’re trying to save some money on your Disney World vacation, you could choose to skip travel insurance altogether. Even Wolfe says this may make sense for lower-cost trips.
You don’t have to purchase a Disney travel insurance plan for your Disney World vacation. You have the option to purchase travel insurance through a third party, and you may have certain coverages through other policies, including car and homeowners insurance.
The Disney Travel Protection Plan costs $95 per adult at Walt Disney World, $85 per adult at Disneyland and $99 per adult at Aulani. This flat rate includes children 17 and under.
The official Disney Travel Protection Plan includes the following:
- Trip cancellation insurance.
- Trip interruption coverage.
- Trip delay coverage.
- Baggage loss coverage.
- Bag delay coverage.
- Travel medical insurance.
- Emergency evacuation/repatriation.
- Accidental death and dismemberment.
- Rental car damage coverage.
- Worldwide emergency assistance.
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