After DW supposed to go to gulf coast. Cancel?

[mermaidwannabe]

Oh my gosh, I don't know what to do. We leave for DW in 18days afterwhich we were supposed to go to Clearwater for 5 days. We already paid for a condo through a private owner through gulfcoastrentals.com so not even sure how much we would lose, but should we cancel?? Should we eat the cost and try to find something on the east side of Flordia?

Any advice for me??

 

[ShannonMB]

I don't have any advice, but the whole thing just breaks my heart. Maybe wait and see how it shakes out if you won't have additional penalties.

 

[tlh0726]

What did I miss?

DUH moment - Oil spill

 

[mermaidwannabe]

I feel so bad about the whole thing (not just my vacation!!) I feel sick that it happened. I emailed the condo owner but may just have to eat my deposit and try to find a place on the Atlantic side. Hopefully, he'll rip up my check for the rest of it.
Thanks!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The house is still there. The beach is still there. Clearwater is still there.

The only problem is there may be oil in the water.

If I were the owner of the property, unless I were able to rent it to someone else (and it might be difficult on such short notice) you would be out the entire amount that you paid me. And even if you had trip insurance, more than likely this would not be a covered event.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

The house is still there. The beach is still there. Clearwater is still there.

The only problem is there may be oil in the water.

If I were the owner of the property, unless I were able to rent it to someone else (and it might be difficult on such short notice) you would be out the entire amount that you paid me. And even if you had trip insurance, more than likely this would not be a covered event.

I'll have to check with him if we decide to go that route. His agreement says $400 cancellation from the deposit, but he does have the other amount as well. We do the love the unit and it has a pool. We're just trying to wrap our heads around what would be best for the kids. Thanks for posting though because I hadn't even thought there might be a chance the condo owner would keep the whole amount.

 

[RumpleMom]

I would think that the owner would not give a refund.

I think you might be better off because your vacation is soon rather than later on in the summer. It isn't headed that direction yet.

I would still go, try to find out as much as you can about the water quality and enjoy the pool, if you have any doubts.

 

[Evi]

If you will have access to a pool I would still go. If you don't go think of how it will also affect the economy on that community. When we avoid going places it affects other people. The beach may not be fabulous but unless just being there is a hazard I would still go I would just try doing something different. It could be a great opportunity to educate your children about whats happening in the world and how it affects the environment. I'm sure there are museums and other fun things to do you may not have planned to go to but could be fun.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

I would think that the owner would not give a refund.

I think you might be better off because your vacation is soon rather than later on in the summer. It isn't headed that direction yet.

I would still go, try to find out as much as you can about the water quality and enjoy the pool, if you have any doubts.

Information is good, so I'm just assuming we wouldn't get any back. SO, I've been looking into Busch Gardens and its water park plus put-put golf places. I'm just coming to peace with it and hoping we could be outside without having air quality bad. Thanks for the input!

 

[polkadotminnie]

I am concerned that the Destin area is going to be hit right before we go. I am planning on going anyway unless it smells really bad.

 

[MarthaJr.]

We'll be at DW for 4 nights then we're heading to St. Pete Beach June 14th. I'm just going to keep an eye on things for now. I have read some blogs where people complained of smell in the air---but haven't seen any oil yet on the beaches.

We scrimp by all year to have our vacation in Florida each year. We absolutely love St. Pete Beach and have been going there for about 10 years now and hope to retire there someday. We told our DS15 about the oil spill and its possible affect on our vacation. At first we all thought the same thing--Yuck-that is really gonna mess up our vacation. And then we opened our minds and hearts and thought this is a special place for us and we want to support the businesses that have brought us so much joy over the years.

So...unless they say it is unsafe to go----we'll go and use it as a teachable moment--for all of us!

That being said...I think you should do what is best for your family and situation. Good luck!

 

[PittypatBR]

The only thing it will impact is playing in the gulf. You will still be able to sunbathe, swim in the pool, chase ghost crabs, or whatever. And it may not get there at all while you are there. Good luck, and I hope you have a great vacation wherever it is.

 

[sbsteel]

FWIW, we were just at the beach yesterday for dinner (we live in the area) and didn't notice any smell.

You still have pool access and all the shops, restaurants, activities, etc. are all still here...and there's still a chance it won't affect the beach while you're here.

If it were me, I'd go for it and make the best out of it. Besides, imagine how frustrating it would be to lose your deposit, find another condo on the east coast and pay for that - only to discover that St. Pete/Clearwater wasn't directly bothered (because that would be my luck, lol).

 

[PrincessV]

Please don't cancel! Clearwater is just fine and forecasts indicate that the spill will be channeled away from the area (sadly, to somewhere else still . ) Here's the latest from our Convention & Visitors Bureau:

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater We know you all love our gorgeous Gulf of Mexico as much as we do, so you may be concerned about the effects of the Louisiana oil spill in the northern Gulf. For now, the threat of landfall in Florida appears to cover a small stretch in the upper northwest corner of the state. The Sunshine State has more than 2,200 miles of coastline in all---including St Pete/Clearwater’s 35 miles of award-winning beaches---and like the vast majority of Florida destinations, all of our accommodations, restaurants and attractions remain 100% open for business. Of course, we’ll continue to watch the situation and keep you informed with updates on our Facebook page and on our update page (http://ow.ly/1GK2h) on VisitStPeteClearwater.com. Hope to see you soon!

 

[JB2K]

We leave for DW in 18days afterwhich we were supposed to go to Clearwater for 5 days. We already paid for a condo through a private owner through gulfcoastrentals.com so not even sure how much we would lose, but should we cancel?? Should we eat the cost and try to find something on the east side of Flordia?

You should be OK -- it is to my understanding that the stretch from coastal Louisiana to near Pensacola, Florida are the places that may be impacted by the oil spill.

Clearwater, on the other hand, is near Tampa, and should be OK.

 

[Golf4food]

You should be OK -- it is to my understanding that the stretch from coastal Louisiana to near Pensacola, Florida are the places that may be impacted by the oil spill.

Clearwater, on the other hand, is near Tampa, and should be OK.

That does not take into account the gulf loop current, which swirls around in a giant circle and funnels everything then towards the straights of Florida and into the Gulf stream and up Florida's east coast into the Atlantic.


Clearwater is more than just the beach, OP. You can swim in pools, go to museums, the Florida aquarium, there's a big water park by Busch Gardens, the Dali Museum in St. Pete, malls, shopping, etc.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Oh, thank you so much for your replies. They were very calming to me. We are definitely going to keep our plans. I've just come to understand it MAY not be how we thought it would be. I already warned my 3 girls that we may not get to swim in the gulf, which is pretty sad considering we live in Montana where it is 40 degrees right now! And we don't usually get to fly due to cost, but we've just tried to adjust our attitudes to doing some different things, and like I told my DH, we will be helping their economy by going!

I really do so appreciate everyone's replies. They've really helped me a lot.

 

[palmtreelover08]

I didn't notice the ages of your children, but my guess would be that should it hit the beaches, there are going to be lots of animals and rocks and things that need cleaning. It might be an amazing, educational, helpful and rewarding experience for the entire family. (This is, of course is provided it is ok. healthwise to be around the area).

I plan on hitting WDW from July 2nd-7th. If the Gulf needs my help, then I will be using my rental car to drive up and back daily to anywhere I can help, and still staying in my Disney All-Star Movie room. (This would not be DD's first trip to WDW by far, so I am not robbing her of anything, and my friend who I am rooming with, I know would want desperately to help as well). This entire oil thing makes me sick to my stomach, but knowing that I may be able to help out by putting in some elbow grease, makes my heart warm.