Kind of worried my husband lost his job yesterday.

[dAnconia]

Just please do not utilize any form of public assistance after your trip if you cannot find jobs.

 

[ssatterly]

Pretty but I don't feel so bad now that it's clear the OP has abandoned the thread!

We absolutely spend more on a Disney trip than a month's expenses at home...we can do "life essentials" (rent, 2 car payments, insurance, utilities, private school tuition for DS, groceries, gas & incidentals) for around $4,000. Airfare alone to Orlando or LA can run $600 bucks each.

Our most recent trip to DL for 4 (off-site hotel w/rental car, 2-day park hoppers, 1 day at USH with FLP) was right around $5,000 all in and that was for 4 NIGHTS

I have not abandoned the tread. I have been at my job sorry I can't be on here 24/7

 

[Aliceacc]

I have not abandoned the tread. I have been at my job sorry I can't be on here 24/7

From what others have said, it sounds as though you're planning to go through with the vacation. I'm glad for you-- it sounds as though you've looked at the finances and are making the decision that's best for you.

I just wanted to mention that I'm no longer discussing YOU in particular, but the situation in general, and that I imagine that's true of many of the people still on the thread.

I didn't want you to think you were getting beaten up online for your decision. But at this point, I think the discussion has evolved to the general circumstances, not yours in particular.

 

[siskaren]

Just please do not utilize any form of public assistance after your trip if you cannot find jobs.

Why not?

 

[ssatterly]

From what others have said, it sounds as though you're planning to go through with the vacation. I'm glad for you-- it sounds as though you've looked at the finances and are making the decision that's best for you.

I just wanted to mention that I'm no longer discussing YOU in particular, but the situation in general, and that I imagine that's true of many of the people still on the thread.

I didn't want you to think you were getting beaten up online for your decision. But at this point, I think the discussion has evolved to the general circumstances, not yours in particular.

We have yet to make a final design 100% but if I have a question while it is still booked I am going to ask it. We have never been to Disney this is our very 1st family trip if we do end up going. We are playing it by ear at this point.

 

[Aliceacc]

We have yet to make a final design 100% but if I have a question while it is still booked I am going to ask it. We have never been to Disney this is our very 1st family trip if we do end up going. We are playing it by ear at this point.

You still have lots of time, right? That 45 day deadline isn't for a while?

So keep your options open and see how things develop.

You're in our thoughts, even as we do continue to argue generalities.

 

[Nancyg56]

We have yet to make a final design 100% but if I have a question while it is still booked I am going to ask it. We have never been to Disney this is our very 1st family trip if we do end up going. We are playing it by ear at this point.

Absolutely ask! Your opening post just gave us an excuse to chat, so don't worry about this being personal. It is not. It is too darn hot to be doing much, so I am DIS'in.

Also, the bottom line os that you are the only ones who get to make this decision, so don't worry if there a general debate going on. It really is nto about you, but just a conversation.

 

[ssatterly]

You still have lots of time, right? That 45 day deadline isn't for a while?

So keep your options open and see how things develop.

You're in our thoughts, even as we do continue to argue generalities.

Yes we are at the 97 day mark give or take a day or two.

 

[ILUVALASKA]

Sorry, OP, but no way would I take a trip if money was tight. I would get a refund. You never know what emergencies will crop up or how long the job search would take.

 

[laura428]

It's really not about attitude. My company starts out paying 50k to college graduates, we are one of the few that still offers pensions, we match dollar for dollar up to 6%, my employees have Unlimited sick days and we are consistently voted one of the top companies to work for by working moms magazine. So yeah, I'd be worried about someone who would give up an EXCELLENT job because they wanted to play. Only on the dis would this happen.

I don't mean to be snarly but as a hiring person I've heard so many excuses from applicants.
Why not simply wait until after the vacation to job hunt?

I am a hiring manager with a Fortune 500, also consistently ranked as one of the top companies by Working Mom mag. And I'd never overlook an excellent candidate because of a prior family obligation. Excluding someone because they'll start a week later than planned? Sorry, but that's a little short-sighted, IMHO.

 

[GeneralTso]

I think this thread got REAL personal, against the OP.

Not a lot of "generalities" going on. Telling her to not go on public assistance? Wow.

 

[darkwing818]

You still have lots of time, right? That 45 day deadline isn't for a while?

So keep your options open and see how things develop.

You're in our thoughts, even as we do continue to argue generalities.

Sounds like good advise, just wait it out a bit. If DH doesn't get a job (by your cutoff date) then you cancel & get a refund. Good Luck & Best Wishes

 

[ConvenientTruth]

We have yet to make a final design 100% but if I have a question while it is still booked I am going to ask it. We have never been to Disney this is our very 1st family trip if we do end up going. We are playing it by ear at this point.

You are in a situation where you have 40+ days to make this decision....a lot can happen in that time. All in all I believe most wish you the best and your husband is able to find new employment rather quickly and you are able to go on the trip. If the money is not a need right now and the amount you would get back would not change during that time then wait until then.

Good luck to you and your husband.

 

[AliceIn]

For all the people who say you can't go to Disney when unemployed, how do you account for airfare? Lets assume the Disney trip can be refunded fully. You are still left with airfare that for 99% of the people won't be refundable.

You can use non-refundable tickets towards another flight within one year. Non-refundable means they will not return any money, not that the tickets become worthless. If she has non-refundable tickets, she can save them and use them toward a flight for a vacation after her husband has work again.

 

[AliceIn]

RUN.

I have only worked for large companies including a Fortune 100. I would not work for anyone who said this. It is a sign of what is to come. I had a boss like this once. I quit without a job once due to this attitude of "you are so lucky to work for me I can treat you like dirt".

I have hired lots of folks with vacations, weddinga, etc... Never had a problem with it.

I think it's very different between salaried workers and hourly workers. I work for a fortune 100 company and we've got great family friendly benefits. The PTO policies, however, are very different for exempt and non-exempt employees.

Our hourly folks (the customer service reps, like OPs husband) have required training their first 90 days or so. They start out with quite a few paid days off their first year, but they cannot take them until they accrue the time. The first 90 days there is no time off at all. After that, it's pretty generous. They accrue 1.6 days of vacation time per month. It would take 3 months of work to accrue a full week's vacation time.

Exempt employees do not have to accrue time before taking it, so they are allowed to take PTO right from the beginning. They also have the opportunity to negotiate salary, start dates, etc., where an hourly worker is dependent upon training dates.

I'd hate to see someone give up the opportunity to work for a great company because they could not postpone a vacation.

 

[Magpie]

Just please do not utilize any form of public assistance after your trip if you cannot find jobs.

Why not?

So, we've wandered off topic here, being as the OP is herself employed and I doubt they'll be using the social safety net, but...

Are you seriously asking why people shouldn't use public assistance (designed to keep food on the table and a roof over your children's heads while you look for gainful employment) to go on a Disney vacation?

The way my mother brought me up, unemployment insurance exists to tide you over until you find a new job. It's not a paid vacation. And, beyond unemployment insurance, you should be using your own money to cover as many of your costs as you can before you turn to social assistance. Once on social assistance, you do everything in your power to get off and become a contributing member of society. Then, when you're financially secure enough, you pay it forward, in some way or the other, by doing some good for your town or country.

It's a social safety net, not a social feather bed.

 

[Son of Gadsden]

I'm in a similar situation to you. I've got a good job, and normally pay the full vacations, but DW hasn't ever made much money (teacher). However, she just got a job as a 911 dispatcher. She makes enough money to contribute now, so we've contemplated stepping up our disney trips to two a year. But, there is a 90 day mark where all new employees undergo evaluation, where they decide if they keep you or not. We decided that once the 90 day mark goes by (in a few days), if she keeps the job, we'll book. If not, we're not booking.

Though it seems I'm in the minority in saying you should cancel if your husband does not have a job by the 45 day mark. How many mortgage payments could this vacation cover as a safety blanket to buy you some time? If I went on a Disney trip knowing I was in financial stress, I don't know that it would calm me down. It would wind me tighter, seeing every dollar go by and knowing there is no income to replace it. You can always go to Disney later when your husband gets a job again.

However, as far as the "if he gets a job before the 45 day mark" argument, I'm an HR manager for a construction company. You could say that most of our positions are expendable. 70% of our workers could be very easily replaced. It's not exactly rocket science. However, if someone comes in and impresses me in an interview, I really couldn't care less that he/she has to be off for a week in a month or whatever. I'm not going to offer them a paid vacation, but I think most companies are accepting of the fact that you have a life, especially if you tell them the situation.

 

[Traveliz]

Actually unemployment insurance is insurance that the employers pay for to insure they are hiring correctly and keeping people on jobs. You can be a millionaire and lose your job through layoff or downsizing and still be eligible for it. It is not something taxpayers are paying. Honestly my husband lost his job and was found to eligible for unemployment based on the basis of losing his job and not how much we had in savings, checking, etc. I think that is something people forget. You can also vacation in that time period as you just declare it that week and you don't collect.

You also don't have to take anything that comes along job wise. A person who was making 70k a year does not have to accept employment at a retail outlet for minimum wage.

Liz

 

[ArwenMarie]

You can't worry about what other people are doing when it comes to money. I know someone who went to WDW at Christmas on her credit cards and then declared bankruptcy in January. You just can't think about stuff like that or you will drive yourself crazy!

(this is not related to the OPs situation at all, just a general comment!)

 

[luvthemouse71]

I would steer clear of any employer that behaved like this. Work is important but life comes first. People need downtime and a life outside of work.

To the op if you can drop your troubles and enjoy the break I'd say go for it . If you are the kids of people who would let your worried invade your trip then if cancel.

I agree about the employer. It can be scary to be unemployed, but taking a job because you are desperate rarely works out well. This is why it's smart to have savings. I wouldn't necessarily feel badly about the unemployment money either. I have been working since I was 18. I know unemployment is paid for by the company, but I have paid more than my share of taxes, and if my company lays me off, that's on them. I feel the same way about TDI( temporary disability insurance) in my state. It gives you a certain percentage of your pay each week while you are out of work. They take money out of all workers pay(as a tax) to fund it. Being that I pay into it, I feel that I can spend that money as I see fit.
Now welfare, that's another story...