Crushed - Have to cancel kids first trip

[Mailloux]

I am so crushed and have nowhere to direct it but here so I apologize in advance for the pitty party.

I have been planning my twin 3yr olds first trip anywhere to Disney with my dh and in-laws. It has been a really rough 3 yrs for us and dh and I especially need a vacation. We haven't had one in years.

So much so that we decided to stay at the Poly because it was such a once in a lifetime trip. Well I found out today that my dh may not be able to get away from his job and won't be able to go. I don't want to go without him for a lot of reasons, but most important, I want him to see the kids reaction to their first time at Disney. What makes this even worse is that if we cancel, we lose the full cost of the trip. We booked through a travel agent so it was a package deal. GRRRRRR. If anyone has any thoughts on how we can salvage this, I'd be grateful for any suggestions.:sad1:

[lisalonglash]

I am so crushed and have nowhere to direct it but here so I apologize in advance for the pitty party.

I have been planning my twin 3yr olds first trip anywhere to Disney with my dh and in-laws. It has been a really rough 3 yrs for us and dh and I especially need a vacation. We haven't had one in years.

So much so that we decided to stay at the Poly because it was such a once in a lifetime trip. Well I found out today that my dh may not be able to get away from his job and won't be able to go. I don't want to go without him for a lot of reasons, but most important, I want him to see the kids reaction to their first time at Disney. What makes this even worse is that if we cancel, we lose the full cost of the trip. We booked through a travel agent so it was a package deal. GRRRRRR. If anyone has any thoughts on how we can salvage this, I'd be grateful for any suggestions.:sad1:

You may be able to change the dates without losing all the money. Have you spoken to your travel agent about changing your trip dates so that your dh is able to go?

[Macduffy]

I'm soooo sorry! I understand not wanting to go without your DH. Isn't there anyway he can get away - work out of office while on vacation maybe? Leave without pay?
If not, ask if the trip is transferable so maybe you could sell it to recoup some costs or like PP said switching the dates! Good Luck and let us know what happens!

[Louiepipbgeeco]

Sooo sorry ....Can you change your dates?? Can your hubby beg and plead to get away from work??
Sending you tons of pixie dust:wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard:

[disneyfreak89]

We booked through a travel agent so it was a package deal. GRRRRRR. If anyone has any thoughts on how we can salvage this, I'd be grateful for any suggestions.:sad1:

If you booked through a travel agent, you would have been offered 'trip cancellation insurance', did you buy that? If so, then you should be able to get a full refund. Otherwise, I agree with the other posts, see if you can switch your dates. All resorts have internet access now, so perhaps he could take his 'work' with him if he had to. Don't give up hope yet!

[Csaks]

That sucks big time. I would imagine in this economy if the boss says stay you don't have much choice. Hopefully you can try to change the dates to work better with your DH's.

P.S. We said it was a once in a lifetime trip too, number five is on the radar for Oct 2010.:lmao:

[2forMe]

If you booked through a travel agent, you would have been offered 'trip cancellation insurance', did you buy that? If so, then you should be able to get a full refund. Otherwise, I agree with the other posts, see if you can switch your dates. All resorts have internet access now, so perhaps he could take his 'work' with him if he had to. Don't give up hope yet!
I thought that most trip cancellation insurance was usually for medical reasons.. not simply not being able to go due to work.

In any case, OP I would call your travel agent to see what they can do.. then, if it were me, I would go. I could not stomach loosing the money. Also what about the IL's will they still go or will they loose their trip too?

[SandraC]

I'm in BEG AND PLEAD at dh's work camp.

My dh started a new job and we already had a trip booked. He just went in and explained to his boss that the trip was already booked. His boss was understanding. Dh thought it would be a struggle. S :hippie:

[canadianjovigirl]

sorry to hear your bad news.....

[snickerboo]

1. Call your travel agent. Enquire about 'change fees' to change dates or credits if you cancel rather than losing all of your money. Travel agents are used to this kind of thing and should have suggestions. That's exactly why you have a travel agent, IMO.

2. Did he ask at his work and they declined his vacay request or does he just figure it's too busy a time? I think it would take a pretty inhuman boss to decline a dad's 'already paid for' trip to Disney with his 3-yr-old twins. My dh works in a very lean manufacturing environment right now and they'd never deny that. Don't know what your dh does for a living but my dh takes conference calls and works from a blackberry and laptop while we're at Disney so that he's still available for anything major. With 3-yr-old twins, you will definitely be taking resort break times and, being right at the Poly, he could easily take the monorail back to the resort to deal with a work issue. It's not ideal but it's better than cancelling.

3. If it were me, since you will have enough adults to help with the kids, I would go without him if all of the above failed. But check with your TA that the rest of you can go if one person in your party doesn't check in. They're wonky about that. To me, better to lose a little of the money than all. It will stink for him to miss it but the twins are only three and I find it's most magical when they're just a little older.

Good luck!!!!!! I hope, somehow, you can work out for him to go. Update us as to how things work out. :grouphug:

[boundfordisney]

Maybe an option would be if you cant change your dates I would still go and just plan on doing things like the water parks, relaxing at the resort. maybe some time at downtown disney you could do sea world anything that would save the main idea of keeping your next trip with the hubby for the magic kingdom etc, that way he won t miss the real first of disney with them. At least you wouldnt loose out so much! There are lots of things that Im sure you will find to do without having to do the parks. I would at least consider it.:thumbsup2

[Nickey_Mouse]

Hi..

I'm pretty new to this stuff and I'm not sure about rules. But if your husband can not get the time - no matter what - could you still go with the in-laws and down grade the trip to a Value resort. And then save the Once in a Lifetime trip for when the whole family could be there?

Also, my understanding was that if you book thru a TA (which I did) the same rules apply to the resort/dining/tickets in that you can still cancel at any time. Maybe with the package deal you would lose out on the airfare - but at least it's not the whole trip?? It may be worth checking into.

Good luck!

[Nickey_Mouse]

2. Did he ask at his work and they declined his vacay request or does he just figure it's too busy a time? I think it would take a pretty inhuman boss to decline a dad's 'already paid for' trip to Disney with his 3-yr-old twins. My dh works in a very lean manufacturing environment right now and they'd never deny that. Don't know what your dh does for a living but my dh takes conference calls and works from a blackberry and laptop while we're at Disney so that he's still available for anything major. With 3-yr-old twins, you will definitely be taking resort break times and, being right at the Poly, he could easily take the monorail back to the resort to deal with a work issue. It's not ideal but it's better than cancelling.


I agree totally!!

[Nickey_Mouse]

Sorry...I obviously don't know how to "quote" someone else's reply. I was agreeing with "snickerboo's" reply!!

[MinnieMommy]

I am so crushed and have nowhere to direct it but here so I apologize in advance for the pitty party.

I have been planning my twin 3yr olds first trip anywhere to Disney with my dh and in-laws. It has been a really rough 3 yrs for us and dh and I especially need a vacation. We haven't had one in years.

So much so that we decided to stay at the Poly because it was such a once in a lifetime trip. Well I found out today that my dh may not be able to get away from his job and won't be able to go. I don't want to go without him for a lot of reasons, but most important, I want him to see the kids reaction to their first time at Disney. What makes this even worse is that if we cancel, we lose the full cost of the trip. We booked through a travel agent so it was a package deal. GRRRRRR. If anyone has any thoughts on how we can salvage this, I'd be grateful for any suggestions.:sad1:

:grouphug:
I agree with many others.... Call your TA!
If you cannot cancel, but are able to change.... why not switch to another resort. The money you would save from DH's park ticket as well as his airfare and the price difference in accomodations... you may very well have a very nice amount saved to cover any package changes as well as money leftover for you and DH to sneak away for a nice weekend alone. :goodvibes

[CDNCA]

If begging and pleading does not work...
I would suggest you switch to a value resort. Use the money saved to convert the tickets to non expiring. Arrange with the airline to receive a credit to be used at a later date for DH. Go with the kids and enjoy resort/pool time. Tour Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk and look at other resorts. Younger kids would have a great time touring the play structures at the resorts and seeing the theming at the various resorts. Ride the monorail and boats between resorts. Check out the campfire movie at Fort Wilderness. Watch fireworks from the Polly beach or Boardwalk. Have supper at the Rain Forest Cafe and T Rex. Eat at various resort food courts.

Now for your next trip, all your tickets are paid for and you can take advantage of room only deals. Also you have a credit with the airline to pay for one ticket.

[Mailloux]

Thank you all for your support and very wise and creative suggestions. I knew you guys would be a great help.

My dh is an independent consultant. When we booked the trip, his current contract was to expire before our trip. The type of work he does involves designing television stations. So basically, he has to be there until they launch and the launch is now delayed, thus, the requirement for him to extend his contract and stay on. If something technical doesn't work, its not something he can really troubleshoot from a distance. I guess he could theoretically walk away and say sorry, my contract is up, but that's not him and it would jeopardize any further work from this company. It is his primary client so I don't think that is an option.

I've left a message with my travel agent and I am really hoping she can help us reschedule. The kicker is I will lose my vacation time if I don't use it by the end of September.

[coastgirl]

Good luck with the rescheduling, I hope the ta can help.

At the very least, get your park tickets...they don't expire until you activate them, and if you don't activate them til next year or whatever...you've still got that.

Good luck!

[snickerboo]

Ouch, no, that's not something he can do from WDW or walk away from. Try the downgraded trip route or see if you can change the dates and pay only a minor change fee. Sounds like you won't know til very close to your dates if he can go or can't.

[minnie56]

I would go and take another person with me rather than lose the money. You can video the children's delight as they see it all for the very first time!!!

Depends who your TA booked it through..if the WDTC you can rebook it and lose $50 to make the change or cancel up to a certain time frame prior and lose $100.Other suppliers can vary..

Good Luck, that's really lousy but having a self employed husband that does similar work, I understand.:confused3

[fan1080]

Thank you all for your support and very wise and creative suggestions. I knew you guys would be a great help.

My dh is an independent consultant. When we booked the trip, his current contract was to expire before our trip. The type of work he does involves designing television stations. So basically, he has to be there until they launch and the launch is now delayed, thus, the requirement for him to extend his contract and stay on. If something technical doesn't work, its not something he can really troubleshoot from a distance. I guess he could theoretically walk away and say sorry, my contract is up, but that's not him and it would jeopardize any further work from this company. It is his primary client so I don't think that is an option.

I've left a message with my travel agent and I am really hoping she can help us reschedule. The kicker is I will lose my vacation time if I don't use it by the end of September.

A number of things seem odd with your situation.

1. Dinsey is typically very good about cancellations, especially if you rebook for another date. I would question your TA about it and see what he/she can do.

2. Contract or not, your husband's client needs to realize that these things happen. Arrangements can be made. I also work in an office environment where we hire many contractors who work on site (design engineers). They take vacation when they want, with advance notice to us.

3. Unless you work under contract or your Province has some really strange labor laws, you can not lose vacation time per se. You may have to use the time before a certain date, but any unused vacation time has to be paid out if not used. Therefore you are not really losing anything, other than paid time off.

Your best bet is to have your TA call Disney and rebook. Our TA has always had good success cancelling Disney vacations. Disney wants you to experience Disney.

[SandraC]

Would your dh be open to shortening the trip and take just a few days off? Something like Thrusday to Monday, so you get 5 days in WDW but he only misses three days of work.

My life lesson experience: My dad had open-heart surgery at 57 years old. We was a workaholic [not saying your dh is, I'm saying my dad was]. After the surgery, he completely changed and started to ENJOY life. He was also a consultant and just told his clients, "See ya'! If you need me I'll be in Italy, or Greece or cruising..." Post-surgery, my dad's favourite quote was, "On your death bed you never say, 'I wish I spent more time at the office." He died when he was 61 years old.

Can you tell I'm a ENJOY YOUR LIFE type of gal?

S :hippie:

[c&m]

Would your dh be open to shortening the trip and take just a few days off? Something like Thrusday to Monday, so you get 5 days in WDW but he only misses three days of work.

My life lesson experience: My dad had open-heart surgery at 57 years old. We was a workaholic [not saying your dh is, I'm saying my dad was]. After the surgery, he completely changed and started to ENJOY life. He was also a consultant and just told his clients, "See ya'! If you need me I'll be in Italy, or Greece or cruising..." Post-surgery, my dad's favourite quote was, "On your death bed you never say, 'I wish I spent more time at the office." He died when he was 61 years old.

Can you tell I'm a ENJOY YOUR LIFE type of gal?

S :hippie:

That is so true. I live by those beliefs too. I run my own business as a consultant in the software industry, and we are really deadline driven. But I stand firm to when my vacation dates are and we all work around them. Difficult sometimes, but things always work out in the end.

I think everyone is so right-on with their advice to the OP. Her DH doesn't need to miss out on everything. He can join her for a weekend and take just one or two days off. They don't need to do everything and all the parks on this trip -- simply upgrade to non-expiry tickets so you can all go again! (Nothing bad about that!) What is so great about WDW is that not going to the parks is OK too, because hanging out at the resorts and playing in the pool are just as much fun.

Hopefully you and your DH can find the happy medium where everyone, including your DH's business client can get what they want.

[minnie56]

Very often the same has happened for our trips..sometimes I just go ahead and DH joins us when he can..a few days is better than no days! And the one on one with my daughters (who are now much older than yours) is always very nice too...

[laura001]

A number of things seem odd with your situation.

1. Dinsey is typically very good about cancellations, especially if you rebook for another date. I would question your TA about it and see what he/she can do.

.

This is true, but if the TA booked it through a supplier, that is a totally different story. At that point the cancellation/change policy of that particular supplier comes into effect and most of the time is quite different from Disney's.

[MSB123]

Gee that sucks. I'm sorry. But if I were you, I wouldn't cancel the trip if you have to pay for it.

Did DH request the days off in advance? If so and they changed plans I'd appeal to the boss... tell them the trip was paid for and you thought it was settled.

If he just asked for them and they said no, there's really nothing you can do, it's harder to appeal that way.



If he can't get off, just go. Take lots of pics. Have the kids call him and send him messages.

If it were me who stuck working, I'd tell my family to go anyway.



Maybe he can take a later flight and catch up with you, squeeze in a day or two at least?

[libell25]

Thank you all for your support and very wise and creative suggestions. I knew you guys would be a great help.

My dh is an independent consultant. When we booked the trip, his current contract was to expire before our trip. The type of work he does involves designing television stations. So basically, he has to be there until they launch and the launch is now delayed, thus, the requirement for him to extend his contract and stay on. If something technical doesn't work, its not something he can really troubleshoot from a distance. I guess he could theoretically walk away and say sorry, my contract is up, but that's not him and it would jeopardize any further work from this company. It is his primary client so I don't think that is an option.

I've left a message with my travel agent and I am really hoping she can help us reschedule. The kicker is I will lose my vacation time if I don't use it by the end of September.

That is really crappy.

If you can't get it switch I agree with some of the other posts - Although it would really suck to go without hubbby I think it would suck more to loose all that money.

I have 3 daughters and my older was 3 the first time we went. She obviously loved every minute and if you ask her she says she remembers it but I think she only remembers because of the pictures and video. Buy a video camera and take hours of video so your hubby can experience it when you get home.

Also, save certain special things for another trip. ie. the opening of Magic Kingdom - something you should all see together, certain rides, character meals, etc. Disney is sooooo big you'll never get it all done and every trip you experience different things. We've been 2 times with our girls and every time we find/experience something different.

Try your hardest to change the dates but if you can't go - bring the camera - have the kids call from certain rides so he can experience it - send him postcards from every park from the kids saying what they did that day - e-mail pictures everynight.

Bring a big picture of DH and take pictures of the kids with the picture so they can say daddy went on the ride with me, etc.

There are ways to make it work (although not the same) to avoid loosing the money flat out.

Good Luck

[brighteyes]

What happened? Did you make a decision? Did you hear from your TA or did your DH get the time off work???

The anticipation is killing me, I hope you are able to all go together! :goodvibes:surfweb:

[Mailloux]

Thanks again for all of your support and suggestions...so here is what happened.

My dh met with his boss who confirmed that they need us to cancel the vacation BUT they will pay whatever needed to be paid for us to go at a later date. So we got the travel agent to look into it and she could get us rebooked for the end of September. We gave his boss the new dates and the change in cost (penalties and fare changes) and they are going to pay it and they confirmed that he will be able to go!!!!! I am so relieved. Now on to the next challenge - trying to book ADRs. :yay:

[brighteyes]

Thanks again for all of your support and suggestions...so here is what happened.

My dh met with his boss who confirmed that they need us to cancel the vacation BUT they will pay whatever needed to be paid for us to go at a later date. So we got the travel agent to look into it and she could get us rebooked for the end of September. We gave his boss the new dates and the change in cost (penalties and fare changes) and they are going to pay it and they confirmed that he will be able to go!!!!! I am so relieved. Now on to the next challenge - trying to book ADRs. :yay:

:banana::banana::banana::banana: :dance3::dance3::dance3::cheer2::cheer2::cool1::co ol1::cool1::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::woohoo::woohoo::b anana::banana::banana::banana: Whoooohooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is GREAT!!! I am soo happy for you. :banana::banana: Now you have to let us know how it went when you get back. See Disney is magical, it even rubs off on the bosses (sometimes) :banana:

[candizfan]

That is wonderful that you will still be able to go. It never hurts to ask and it sounds like it will work out fine.

Have a great time and enjoy the trip. :goodvibes