Can you get a refund on theme park tickets? What to know ahead for holiday travel
Eve ChenWhen the weather outside is frightful, theme park visits are far from delightful.
Fortunately, most parks allow guests to reschedule visits and even get refunds in some cases.
"While we can guarantee a memorable experience, we unfortunately cannot control the weather or certain circumstances beyond our control," LEGOLAND Florida says on its website. The park and its sister parks in New York and California allow guests with standard tickets to return at a later date if a significant portion of attractions are closed because of inclement weather during their visit.
Here are the ticketing policies for some of America’s most popular theme parks, for guests who purchased tickets directly from the parks, not third parties.
Walt Disney World
Typically, Walt Disney World tickets are nonrefundable. However, ticket values never expire, and guests may change the dates for wholly unused tickets. They'd just have to cover any difference in ticket prices.
One exception is if a hurricane warning is issued for the Orlando area or guests’ place of residence within seven days of their scheduled arrival. In that case, both rescheduling and refunds would be allowed. Hurricane season runs through the end of November.
Disneyland Resort
Disneyland tickets are nonrefundable. Single-day tickets purchased through Disneyland's website or app are valid through Dec. 30, 2027. Multiday tickets are valid through Jan. 12, 2028, or 13 days of first use, whichever comes first. Guests who need to reschedule visits within those timeframes are responsible for any difference in prices.
They would also need to make new theme park reservations, which are required at Disneyland, but not Disney World.
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando tickets are typically nonrefundable, but the Florida resort makes exceptions for hurricanes, tropical storms and states of emergency impacting the Orlando area or guests' place of residence within seven days of their scheduled arrival.
In such cases, guests may reschedule or cancel their trips without cancellation or change fees through the Guest Contact Center.
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood tickets are only valid on the date for which they were purchased, but guests may contact the Southern California park for help if they need to reschedule their visit.
Tickets are usually nonrefundable, but there are exceptions for natural disasters or state of emergency declarations in the Hollywood/Los Angeles area and guests’ place of residence.
Busch Gardens, SeaWorld and Sesame Place parks
The following United Parks & Resorts theme parks have a zero change-fee policy for guests wanting to reschedule park visits. Guests would just be responsible for any difference in pricing. Tickets are typically nonrefundable.
These parks also have a Weather-or-Not Assurance policy or Sunny Day Guarantee, allowing guests to return for free if severe weather impacts their in-park experience.
- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
- Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- SeaWorld Orlando
- SeaWorld San Antonio
- SeaWorld San Diego
- Sesame Place Philadelphia
- Sesame Place San Diego
LEGOLAND California, Florida and New York
LEGOLAND theme park tickets are typically nonrefundable and nontransferable, unless guests purchased the Flexible Cancellation policy for LEGOLAND California.
All three parks allow guests to reschedule general admission ticket dates within 12 months of purchase. They also offer inclement weather policies allowing guests to return for free within a year of their visit if a portion of rides or experiences are closed for extended periods because of weather.
Hersheypark
Hersheypark tickets are nonrefundable but they are not dated. Any Day tickets can be used on a date within the same operating year. This year's Any Day tickets are valid through Jan. 4, 2026.
Tickets for seasonal events like Christmas Candyland (or Hersheypark Halloween) are valid through the end of their respective seasonal celebrations.
Additionally, the Pennsylvania park’s website says, “In the event the inclement weather conditions cause the majority of major rides and attractions to close for a continuous 60 minutes on a public operating day, a Return Visit Voucher may be issued for a return visit for the current operating season."