BIG disappointment....what should we do?

[realpatt]

My husband was layed off in July and so we changed our plans to go in August instead of wating for our December trip as he may not have vacation at that time if he's found a job. We usually give our kids $5.00 a day spending money but told them we wouldn't be doing that this time. Insead of paying $2.00 a soda at resterants we ordered water. We cut out all those extra snacks and between meal treats and brought our own from home. We had a great time and I'm glad we were able to follow through. We are DVC members and got very lucky to be able to change reservations and we have season passes so our main cost was food and souviners. I agree with the idea that we only have our children for a short time, and memories and family time are very improtant. Since you have already paid for your trip you have been fincalilly respopnsible in your planning. Your husband may not have much time off later on, Disney may not have the great hotel deals they currently have. PS. We did bring our laptop and my DH did surf the internet (monster.com) a little each day when we went back to our rooms for afternoon naps, so he was still able to get out his resume. You husband will qualify for unemployment.

 

[jgates]

Your children are by far the most important thing. If it is all paid for, go and enjoy the trip. Have your husband start job hunting immediately but be up front about this trip in his interviews. If he is as great of a guy as I'm sure he is, they would want him regardless. PB&J sandwiches are not the greatest but they haven't killed anybody yet and they are cheap!

Another option if he doesn't find something right away is to maybe take a job temporarily yourself. I ended up taking a second job when my dh was laid off 17 years ago as a waitress on the weekend. I was working 70 hours per week but if I didn't, we didn't eat. He ended up at a yucky job for a few years so the temporary extra lasted longer than planned! With holidays coming up, I would think there might be seasonal jobs available. That would give him some more personal time with the kids too and he'll appreciate all you have to do all the more when he goes back to work!

Good luck to all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[jctwizzer]

Assuming you can get refunds on the airplane tickets, you might consider driving instead of flying--that would get part of your funds back in the bank.

 

[manwithdaplan]

First let me say I'm sorry about your DH's job. Been there, done that, several times over. I have to say that as heart breaking as it would be, I'd postpone the trip. I know it will be tough, but trust me, you and DH will not have a good time knowing that you have no money coming in when you get home. You'll be watching EVERY dime you spend. How fun is that?

How about this? Why not postpone the trip and then when you can go, do the 7-day land and sea with DCL to make it up to the kids? I bet if they knew they were going on the Disney cruise as well as to WDW, they'd be okay with waiting. Probably still disappointed, naturally, but it's better for our children to know that sometimes things come up and we need to be flexable.

But, good things come to those who wait!

 

[KathiWithAnI]

We were in almost the exact same situation this year. We had a 2 week trip planned for our 10 yr anniversary and Hubby got laid off about 5 weeks ( he was ladi off for 8 weeks total) before our trip. We weren't flying though so that wasn't a problem. We did shorten our trip to 9 days instead of 16 and as others have said we cut back on souvies and ate a lot of meals in tha house we rented. We had a blast and it was a big spirit booster for my husband! In fact he rec'd the job offer for his now current job while we were there. ( We had added our cell phone number to our answering machine at home so that we didn't miss a call!)

Best of luck to you
Kathi

 

[apagano]

Similar predicament for me, although my wife and I don't have any children to care for. We booked our September trip in April, and my employer went belly-up in May. I'm still out of work and collecting unemployment. I crunched all the numbers and determined that as long as we don't go on a colossal spending spree at disney, we should be OK financially. I think the most important thing for you is to take a long, hard look at your personal finances. If going on this trip puts you in serious danger of losing your home, then cancel. Otherwise, go and have a great time. I have come to learn that the worst part of being unemployed is sitting on my duff all day with nothing to do. And to think that when I was working I would have killed to have all this time on my hands! In my case, I realized that my options were to go to Disney and enjoy myself or spend yet another week on the couch feeling miserable. I choose Disney.

 

[Belle5]

Another thought; one thing you might want to consider is that if your DH gets a new job, how will he feel about asking the new employer to give hime time off for a vacation anytime soon? We planned and paid for much of our trip (for September) back in January. DH lost his job in March. When he landed a job in June, he did not feel right about asking the new company for nine days off in September. Instead he asked for four days and will be leaving the kids and I mid-trip to get back to work. If you have the time off now you might want to go because it will take a for those vacation days to add up.

 

[Sandy Fisher]

We had to make changes in our trip, after finding out the plane tix were non-refundable, non-transferable, and the two persons who chose not to go now will have to "lose" $75 per ticket and they have to use them within a year of purchase date. Also, we were in time to cancel them from the trip, so didn't lose the park tickets, but apparently you would. I was not aware of that until I read the other posts. Also, we had trip insurance, which wasn't refunded. It's a real hassle to cancel, not to mention the cost. The economy around our area is bad too, lots of layoffs. Some of the temporary layoffs turned out to be permanent. At our age, with retirement close, it would be even tougher to find work. My instinct would be to go since it is already paid for. You can cut back on sit down meals, PS, etc. and of course on shopping for goodies to take home. Most people can tighten their belts and make out during a layoff. The insurance would be my biggest worry and probably have to use some savings to keep that going. Sure hope it works out for you!!!

 

[B3LM]

I'm so sorry to hear about your DH being laid off! I am facing the same situation myself with my job. We've already been told that there will be layoffs in October. I'm a part-time employee, so I'm really nervous that I will get the boot! We have a trip planned for November.

I wish I had a lot of advice to offer you - I really don't know what I'd do in your situation. If your trip is already paid for, I'd probably try to go anyway (especially if you have non-refundable plane tickets). I'd skip doing any fancy meals, maybe pick up a few groceries and eat breakfast in your room each day (that can really save some money). If your DH finds a new job, chances are that he won't have any vacation time off anyway to go later.

 

[Bob NC]

I honestly cannot believe the answers I'm reading to this post. It's one thing for diehard WDW folks to tell people they should stay at a deluxe...or stay concierge. But, to tell someone with 2 kids and no job to take a huge WDW vacation just blows me away. If I were in this situation there wouldn't be a choice to make, the vacation would have to be put on hold/delayed without a second thought. How would all you people who advise going on this vacation like to read a post in 3 months that these people lost their car, their house, or that their children are hungry because they decided to go on a vacation? I really don't believe this.

 

[2TxAgs]

Bob, I think the driving force behind many of the replies (mine included), is that the money has already been spent, and much of it would be lost/forfeited if they cancelled. I agree with you, if they can get most of it back, that may be their best option. We don't know their situation re: savings, etc. However, if they can't get refunds on what they've paid for, and almost all of the trip HAS been paid for, then it seems like they should go and eat on the cheap.

None of us wishes them to have a grand ole time at the expense of future mortage payments or meals....

 

[Kay1]

Such a sad thread - so many lay offs and the economy is showing no signs of improving. I guess it depends on your personality and your savings account. If you have lots of money and can't get refunds, then it's a matter of whether you could enjoy yourself at such a happy, carefree place knowing what you had to come home to. Clearly, I wouldn't go because I'm the type who has to have all her ducks in order at home before I even leave it. ( Clean house, stocked kitchen, meals in the freezer, and I come home with the clothes all laundered. ) You may have a totally different personality. I'm afraid I would be counting down the days to homecoming getting gloomier by the moment.

You live so close to Disney. Maybe you could arrange for a shorter, cheaper trip and drive down after your husband gets settled in a new job. The kids would be disappointed but maybe you could think of some less expensive treat you could give them in the meantime. If things don't go the way you hope, and you spend what you have at Disney, it could be a tough Christmas for them. Whatever you decide, bless your heart and I wish you the best.

 

[sherry7]

I'm sorry this happened to you and your family. My husband works highway construction, so he is laid off during the bad winter months but at least we know in advance and are able to prepare for it. Personally, I would have a hard time going, but you will have to make a decision based on your financial situation right now. I mean, is the money you are able to get back going to make a huge difference?

I'm not sure of how this works in your state, but when my DH is laid off during the winter, he has to report to the unemployment office once per week. If your DH tells them he is on vacation, that basically means that they will consider him unavailable for work and he would not receive unemployment benefits for that week. Of course, he could simply say he forgot to come in, but who knows how that would turn out.

I know you are probably worried about your children being disappointed if you don't go. However, if you sit your children down and explain that Daddy has lost his job and explain the situation to them I think that most children would understand. I mean, they are still going to be sad, but it isn't going to cause permanent psychological damage either.

Whatever you decide, I wish you and your family the best of luck and hope your DH has a speedy return to work.

 

[realpatt]

In terms of unemployment benefits, a lot of offices allow you to call in each week rather than go in person. They are apparently a little overwhelmed with the increase in unemployment right now, at least in our area (North Carolina).

 

[momofmikey]

Sorry to hear about your news - I agree with other posters that I would shorten the trip but still go. If it wasn't already paid for, maybe I'd have a different opinion. Also, there are ways to cut back when you're down there, i.e. counter food vs. sit down, breakfast in room, etc. A trip away with the family may be the best thing for all of you right now - take your mind off your troubles at least for a few days. You don't know what the future holds, and life is just too short not to enjoy time with family.

 

[RAMWDWFAN]

As much as I would like to say go and worry about your problems later, I would suggest you and your DH do a little research first and see how quickly those in his field are finding new employment. If it is taking a while to get a new job, maybe the money for the trip can be better used elsewhere.
I had my heart broken last year when I had to cancel my trip to OKW. I cried for a whole week, but afterwards I knew that it was the best decision. I know that the sooner I pay off my credit card debt, the sooner I will be able to buy into DVC and plan on going on at least two trips per year.
Trust God to help your DH find a new job soon.

 

[sablair]

Im so sorry that this has happened to you and your family MHO is that you know in your heart what is best for your family. If your hubby can draw unemployment, if you are him are likely to get a job sooner rather than later, then I would say go for it.. especially if the plans you have already made are not refundable. If you have funds in the bank to get your family through for a couple of months, then I say go for it in that situation too. Its true.. after a new job there probably wont be time off work for awhile.

But.. if you have checked and he cant get unemployement, if you are very low on savings, if jobs are hard to come by in the area where you live, MO would be to wait and not spend another dime towards a vacation. I definately wouldnt put the rest of the vacation expenses on a charge card. It's one thing to have to tighten your belt for awhile and another to come out of this crisis deep in debt.

Hang in there When my oldest was a toddler DH and myself were unemployed for six months. What I remember about that time was eating a lot of vegetable soup (I hate it now!) and spending hours with the two of them reading and taking long walks. It was a hard time... but also a special time that brought us closer.

Good luck!! Hope you can make that trip

Sheila

 

[Musky]

I know just where you're coming from. We are planning our first (and probably last) trip to WDW for October of this year. My husband's company has laid off about 150 people and they've said there will be more. We're praying that DH is not one of them, but he says if he is, we're going to WDW anyway. For us, it has taken years to save enough money for this one trip, and if we don't go now, we will probably never have enough money to go again. I see that you have already been there, so if you don't go, at least you shouldn't feel that you've deprived your kids of their one and only chance to see WDW/the ocean/a palm tree, etc. I don't have any answers for you, but two things you may want to think about: It is true that in some states (like here in PA) if you are collecting unemployment, you only have to call in, not appear in person. But it is also true here that you can NOT go on vacation if you are collecting unemployment. You are not allowed to leave the state unless you are looking for work. And you will not lose unemployment benefits just for the week you were on vacation, you will lose them entirely. So this is something you had better check out. I would also think you might be eligible for food stamps, energy assistance, school lunches, etc. Have you checked any of this out? Secondly, please do not put the rest of the expenses for your trip on a credit card. We have been married for 18 years and DH has been laid off, if you add it all up, for about 4 of those years. During those times, we turned to credit cards. And I'm not talking about charging trips, I'm talking about "luxuries" like bread, milk, mortgage payments and electricity. We now owe $13,000.00 on credit cards! So, if you can possibly avoid it, do not start down that road. Whatever you decide, make up your mind that you are doing the best thing for the entire family, and refuse to second-guess yourself. And I wish you the best of luck, whatever your decision.

Musky (aka Becky)

 

[Dizzy-Disney4]

I'm not sure if we would go or not...that's such a hard thing for you guys. PLEASE double check about the unemployment. I know the laws must vary some from state to state, but there has to be something for him that will help since he did not quit or was not fired. I drive a school bus in Massachusetts...I can collect unemployment during school vacations even if they are only a week long and I know I have a job the following Monday and this past year, with all of the snow we had, we had one week where we only worked for 2 days. I was able to call unemployment the FOLLOWING week and claim a low wage week and get unemployment for those other three days. If your DH's employer told him he would not be able to collect, remember that they are the ones who actually pay the unemployment insurance to the state (or at least they do here in MA), so they may not be telling the whole truth. Good luck, and I'm sure you'll do what you think is best.

 

[dmfuru]

Do you have enough available money to survive for 6 months or so, without using credit? If not, I'd jettison the vacation. You might end up spending years trying to pay off credit debt, and I don't think that 10 days at WDW is worth that.
Would you have enough money in case of an emergency (ie. illness, car trouble, etc)? If you have a 'safety net', then I think you'd be OK.
I just shudder at the thought of someone without income OR available assets in this day and age--the world can be a cruel place.

Best wishes to you with your decision, and I hope things look up soon.