Bummer ... had to cancel longtime planned trip

[Hester]

Just want to vent a little here ...

I had to cancel my family's (and my 3 year old daughters first) trip to DL today. We had a 4 night, 5 day trip reserved and well planned many months ago. Unfortunately my wife was laid off last October and my business is slumping big time. We waited until the last moment, in the case something might change ... but alas, we had to cancel the trip.

I know it could be so much worse, but still I'm disappointed given that I planned this trip for so long. Though my daughter is still asking, "when is our Disneyland trip", she doesn't really have a concept of time yet, and I can delay her until we can pull off a trip ... hopefully later this year!

Oh well ... it'll make us enjoy and appreciate the trip even more so when we can finally pull it off! Frankly, we're lucky that we can even consider such a trip.

This last weekend I was in the grocery store and saw a family of 3 (with a 3 or 4 year old daughter) they were homeless ... as I also saw them pull up in a car they were clearly living in. To cut to the chase ... I witnessed the father stealing food for his family inside the store. While normally I would report this action, my heart just sank. I wish so badly that I could do something for them. It really put me in my place as far as feeling sorry for myself.

Let's all appreciate how well most of us have it. While hardships hit many of us, and in varying degrees ... let's all appreciate what we do have.

 

[QueenDoOver]

Amen! Hope you will get to take that trip soon, and congratulations on having your priorities in the right place.

 

[DiSNEY[MOMMA]]

Amen! Hope you will get to take that trip soon, and congratulations on having your priorities in the right place.

Couldn't have said it better. At least you know what your priorities are and like you said, you can delay your daughter a little longer being that she has no concept of time. It sucks when you have to feel that way. My mother has always, and to this day told me that no matter how bad you THINK you have it, someone has it way worse. With that being the family you seen in the grocery store. It's a sad sight to witness, knowing they are in the wrong but at that time it was the right thing for them to do. I just hate seeing children involved It really hits home when you have a child that age at home too.
Anyways, on a lighter note, when your trip does happen, it will be WELL worth the wait. We were originally supposed to go October of last year but my mom was a grand prize winner of a Nascar trip and flew to Atlanta the Friday we were supposed to leave. I was SO upset but I kept telling myself that it would give my son time to grow a little taller so he can enjoy the parks even more.
Good luck on the buisness and keep your head up

 

[Rescue Pooh]

Sorry to hear about the cancellation Hester. Hope you and your family will get to go sometime this year. We also were planning on going this past December, but had to postpone. Crossing our fingers for May. My wife has also been out of work since around August and there's not much overtime at my job. Times are definitely tough.

 

[hurleysweety]

I'm so sorry that you've had to cancel your trip. Hopefully things will get better for you soon and your wife will be able to find another job. In any case, I believe that with your heart being in the right place and realizing the blessings you do have, that it will all work together for good. Thank you for this post that has helped me realized all I have to be thankful for.

 

[Sherry E]

Just want to vent a little here ...

I had to cancel my family's (and my 3 year old daughters first) trip to DL today. We had a 4 night, 5 day trip reserved and well planned many months ago. Unfortunately my wife was laid off last October and my business is slumping big time. We waited until the last moment, in the case something might change ... but alas, we had to cancel the trip.

I know it could be so much worse, but still I'm disappointed given that I planned this trip for so long. Though my daughter is still asking, "when is our Disneyland trip", she doesn't really have a concept of time yet, and I can delay her until we can pull off a trip ... hopefully later this year!

Oh well ... it'll make us enjoy and appreciate the trip even more so when we can finally pull it off! Frankly, we're lucky that we can even consider such a trip.

This last weekend I was in the grocery store and saw a family of 3 (with a 3 or 4 year old daughter) they were homeless ... as I also saw them pull up in a car they were clearly living in. To cut to the chase ... I witnessed the father stealing food for his family inside the store. While normally I would report this action, my heart just sank. I wish so badly that I could do something for them. It really put me in my place as far as feeling sorry for myself.

Let's all appreciate how well most of us have it. While hardships hit many of us, and in varying degrees ... let's all appreciate what we do have.

Hester, I am so sorry to hear that you had to cancel because I remember very well that you were trying to keep up to date on the special AP8/AP9 rates so you could get the best deal on the hotel when the trip finally happened, and you had been wondering if you could get the discount without having activated the AP yet, etc. And I have to say that if I had been in your situation in the grocery store and witnessed the same thing - in this day and age - I may have looked the other way too. It makes me sad because that family you saw may not have any other relatives or friends who could help them in some way, even just by letting them sleep on a floor somewhere. And that father is risking leaving his family to fend for themselves if he gets caught shoplifting and is arrested. It is in tough times like these when having a good foundation of family and/or good friends really is a lifesaver financially and emotionally.

I hate to hear when people have to cancel their trips - and it is because I understand it ALL too well. Many folks here on DIS know that I had been working for 14 years at one job, then was laid off. I went almost immediately into a new kind of job, a temp-to-perm thing, and it was 180 degrees' difference from the 14-year job so I had all new procedures, tasks, computer programs and people to get used to, not to mention a whole different kind of business/industry that I was unfamiliar with, and an enormous office. I felt like a fish out of water. Anyway, just as I finally felt like I was getting comfortable and finding my way around, I got laid off from that job too!! And that was in February of 2008. I am still job-hunting today, doing freelance stuff in the meantime. Unfortunately, this is the worst possible period to get laid off because it will be hard to find something else for a long time. Anyway, because of these job losses, I had to cancel an existing DLR hotel reservation for this past December. Then, when I was able to reschedule it, I did, but later I had to switch from the GCH to the PPH just to save money and then I had to switch the dates of the trip to save more money. I almost had to cancel it altogether a few different times, but I was determined to make it happen because I had a few goals I wanted to accomplish (like getting holiday PhotoPass pictures taken, for example) before I retired from DLR for a few years. So now, I have no immediate plans to go back to DLR for a long time. Depending on how the year goes and IF I get a job, I may try to go back in the Fall or Winter, but I am not going to plan on it. I will play it by ear. I have too many other things that I am focusing on to worry about planning a trip to DLR at the moment. It will be sad if I can't go, but I didn't go to DLR at all between 2001 and 2007 for money reasons,too, so I have done it before. I can do it again if I have to!!! Of course, I don't have any kids that I have to answer to so I can't imagine being in your situation, where you have to tell your child that you guys can't go to DLR. As you said, hopefully you can stall the answer for a while until a trip is possible!

Anyway, good luck to your wife - just let her know she is not alone and that some of us are in the same boat!! And I hope you guys get to make a trip to DLR soon - hopefully to celebrate your wife finding a new job and your business suddenly booming!! And yes, I know first-hand that when you work to make a trip happen and you think that it WON'T happen so many times and that you will have to give up on the idea entirely, when you finally DO walk through those gates and look down Main Street or pull up to your DLR hotel and set foot onto DTD, it will be very well-worth it because you will realize how close it came to not happening at all, and you will appreciate everything on the trip so much more!

 

[Amy&Dan]

I am so sorry you had to cancel your trip. But I do agree with others, your priorities and heart are both in the right place. I would have looked the other way at the grocery store too, how awful for that poor dad to have to steal to feed his family. Scary times.

When you get to take this trip (and you will) it will be a wonderful experience. I hope things improve for your family very soon.

 

[pixiewings71]

I'm sorry you've had to cancel. I hope something changes for you soon and you are able to go. I'm sad for the family you saw as well, I really hope something changes for them quickly.

 

[Sherwin]

That's any DISers worst nightmare. Sometimes, I have terrible dreams of having to cancel my trips. I'm really sorry to hear that.

I REALLY truly hope you can reschedule your trip. Best of luck.

 

[kaceeb19]

Oh well ... it'll make us enjoy and appreciate the trip even more so when we can finally pull it off! Frankly, we're lucky that we can even consider such a trip.

This last weekend I was in the grocery store and saw a family of 3 (with a 3 or 4 year old daughter) they were homeless ... as I also saw them pull up in a car they were clearly living in. To cut to the chase ... I witnessed the father stealing food for his family inside the store. While normally I would report this action, my heart just sank. I wish so badly that I could do something for them. It really put me in my place as far as feeling sorry for myself.

Let's all appreciate how well most of us have it. While hardships hit many of us, and in varying degrees ... let's all appreciate what we do have.

I was just thinking today how lucky we are to even be able to take a trip right now. That's so sad about the family you saw and it really puts things into perspective. Good luck and I hope you are able to go soon!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Hester, I understand your sadness about cancelling the trip. We also had to cancel our first trip in 2006 because my DH was in the hospital. Fortunately he recovered, and we were able to make the trip later that year.

When you are able to reschedule, Disneyland will be there, full of magic for you and especially your little DD!

 

[mariezp]

Hester you are doing an excellent job of keeping a positive attitude through a disappointing situation. And, you have also given the rest of us an awesome reminder of just how much worse our own problems could be.

We have been fortunate to have traveled to DL for an annual trip for the past 8 years and had imagined that we would be going every year annually for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, we have also been hit by by a dramatic change in our finances so there is a very real possibility that we may not make it to DL this year. I'll be doing like you did and hold out until the last minute just hoping that things will work out. If they don't we have certainly had our share of wonderful memories.

I hope and pray that you and your family will get the opportunity to make that trip to the park sometime in the near future. May God bless you and your family!