Cancelling a Dvc reservaton

[disneytraveler]

I might have to cancel my reservation for Oct 20th. Due to this darn shutdown .I work for the govt and during a shutdown I cant travel. I am really worried that this will go into my Disney vacation. I already heard from my other dvc friends that there is no availability for first week of December.That would be the only other week of vacation coming up. I don't know what to do.

 

[DizBub]

So sorry to hear you may have to cancel and sadly you probably aren't the only one.

Exactly this time last year we had to cancel a stay at BLT and there was absolutely no availability because of Food & Wine and Halloween. A few weeks later we were able to snag a 1 bedroom at OKW probably because of someone else having to cancel.

Good luck and hopefully this shutdown will end sooner rather than later.

 

[MAO]

Maybe, as soon as you decide you *have* to cancel, you try to rent the reservation? That might give you the cash to stay onsite somewhere in December.

 

[DenLo]

I would not cancel until right before the 30 day mark. Your points are going into holding anyway. Depending on when holding points expire, maybe you could get your vacation for after January 1st.

Is your vacation time Use or Lose? That could be a factor too. And it would really affect any advice we could give you. Being a retired Fed I feel for you. Good luck.

Here are the rules regarding Holding Points.

4. Holding Account Vacation Points. If a confirmed reservation is canceled thirty (30) days or less before the arrival date, the Home Resort Vacation Points used to make that reservation are placed into a Holding Account. "Holding Account Vacation Points" are subject to the following restrictions:

1) Holding Account Vacation Points can only be used to book reservations within sixty (60) days of check in.

2) Holding Account Vacation Points must be used for reservations during their Use Year. Any Holding Account Vacation Points remaining in the Holding Account at the end of the Use Year will expire.

3) Holding Account Vacation Points cannot be Banked.

4) Holding Account Vacation Points used to reserve and stay during the last 60 days of a Use Year may be used for reservations at any DVC Resort.

 

[DebbieB]

I wouldn't be surprised if DVC gave you an exception. They make case by case exceptions for things like hurricanes, serious family illness or deaths, they may just make an exception for the government shutdown. Especially because there are probably many people on waitlists for those dates.

 

[chrisaman]

Call your congressman and complain.

 

[Disney Dreams]

I'm sorry to hear about your situation.

I am curious, if you don't mind, why are you not allowed to travel during the shutdown? If you could share the rational, I would really enjoy hearing it. It would seem to me like the perfect time to take an unplanned (albeit unpaid) vacation. I am interested in the "why" behind such a policy.

Thanks, if you choose to share,
Dreams

 

[disneytraveler]

I would not cancel until right before the 30 day mark. Your points are going into holding anyway. Depending on when holding points expire, maybe you could get your vacation for after January 1st.

Is your vacation time Use or Lose? That could be a factor too. And it would really affect any advice we could give you. Being a retired Fed I feel for you. Good luck.

Here are the rules regarding Holding Points.

Its use/loose vacation.

 

[mjmyers10]

There is availability at Saratoga the first week of December. We just had to shuffle our dates for work reasons too.

 

[LSchrow]

I'm sorry to hear about your situation.

I am curious, if you don't mind, why are you not allowed to travel during the shutdown? If you could share the rational, I would really enjoy hearing it. It would seem to me like the perfect time to take an unplanned (albeit unpaid) vacation. I am interested in the "why" behind such a policy.

Thanks, if you choose to share,
Dreams

DH works for a fed contractor (trains ATCs), so he's out also.
BUT we're forging ahead with our vacation, leaving for WDW tomorrow morning, & making lemonade out of lemons
i assume you were using vacation days for the planned get-away, & it appears gov't employees will get back pay, so keeping your vacation makes sense.

we're not as fortunate, however: it's extremely unlikely contractors will see any back pay....we see it as "stuff" happens, things could be a lot worse

hope you get to have a wonderful vacation!!

 

[deltapilotwife]

Its use/loose vacation.

I work for the govn't also and unlike 17 years ago, I don't think we're going to get paid for this time off. They made us take 10 furlough days, so I can't see them paying us for this time off.

If you have the money, I would plan on taking your trip. If we open up before you leave, you use the use/loose. if we're still closed you have a good trip. you can always do a staycation in December once this mess is sorted out to use the leave.

 

[DenLo]

disneytraveler, are you considered an essential employee? It sounds like you would be AWOL if you went ahead with your vacation during the shutdown.

Regarding use or lose vacation hours, unless the law or even your employer changes the cut off date, you will need to use your vacation by first pay period in January.

I think it will also matter for your UY. As holding points will expire with the last day of your UY.

For those that had questions as to why the OP can't take vacation, the information below might answer some of your questions.

From the Washington Post:

The OPM publication states that employees cannot substitute paid leave for furlough time and that even previously scheduled paid time off must be canceled “because the requirement to furlough supersedes leave and other paid time off rights.”

But even those who are kept on the job must stay there to retain their favored expectation of retroactive pay. They too cannot take previously scheduled time off, nor can they be granted a new request for paid time off during a shutdown.

The OPM guide puts it this way: “When an excepted employee is not working or not performing excepted activities in compliance with the Antideficiency Act, he or she cannot be in a pay status. Excepted employees must be either performing excepted activities or furloughed during any absence from work,” it says.

And these exempted workers will not get paid during the furlough. Here's more from the same article:

The OPM publication states that employees cannot substitute paid leave for furlough time and that even previously scheduled paid time off must be canceled “because the requirement to furlough supersedes leave and other paid time off rights.”

But even those who are kept on the job must stay there to retain their favored expectation of retroactive pay. They too cannot take previously scheduled time off, nor can they be granted a new request for paid time off during a shutdown.
The OPM guide puts it this way: “When an excepted employee is not working or not performing excepted activities in compliance with the Antideficiency Act, he or she cannot be in a pay status. Excepted employees must be either performing excepted activities or furloughed during any absence from work,” it says.

What’s more, “If an excepted employee refuses to report for work after being ordered to do so, he or she will be considered to be absent without leave (AWOL) and will be subject to any consequences that may follow from being AWOL.”

I always hated that if you were excepted from the furlough, you had to work and not be paid until congress passes a budget. Hey, you'll get paid, but we don't know when. The furlough people will only get paid if congress approves it. And it's not looking good for furloughed Federal employees.

And it sounds risky for even a furloughed employee to take a vacation. As they might be ordered the night before to return to work the next day--they would be AWOL if they didn't report to work when everyone else does.

 

[JimMIA]

I wouldn't do anything rash. I'd wait until the day before your scheduled arrival to cancel. There is no advantage to canceling now; the points will already go into holding account. As long as you have some time left in your use year, you should be able to use or rent them.

I think the shutdown will be over with by Oct 20 anyway.

Also, your agency has the ability to extend the expiration date of your use or lose leave time, probably even at your local office level.

 

[disneytraveler]

disneytraveler, are you considered an essential employee? It sounds like you would be AWOL if you went ahead with your vacation during the shutdown.

Regarding use or lose vacation hours, unless the law or even your employer changes the cut off date, you will need to use your vacation by first pay period in January.

I think it will also matter for your UY. As holding points will expire with the last day of your UY.

For those that had questions as to why the OP can't take vacation, the information below might answer some of your questions.

From the Washington Post[/URL



And these exempted workers will not get paid during the furlough. Here's more from the same article:



I always hated that if you were excepted from the furlough, you had to work and not be paid until congress passes a budget. Hey, you'll get paid, but we don't know when. The furlough people will only get paid if congress approves it. And it's not looking good for furloughed Federal employees.

And it sounds risky for even a furloughed employee to take a vacation. As they might be ordered the night before to return to work the next day--they would be AWOL if they didn't report to work when everyone else does.

I am not an essential employee but don't want to run the risk of going then the budget passes. Right now just playing it by day and by day

 

[JimMIA]

Just for an update, both sides have agreed that all furloughed US government employees will receive full pay for the time they were not at work due to the shutdown. My colleagues are partying on South Beach tonight, hoping the shutdown lasts a month!

 

[kimj88]

Where did you hear this?

 

[JimMIA]

Where did you hear this?

There was a story on Reuters saying that the House was considering a "Pay for Furloughed Federal Employees 'Fairness'" bill and the White House issued a statement saying they "strongly supported" that action.

I looked for the story again and can't find the link, but I think everyone agrees that innocent employees shouldn't pay a price for this.

 

[kimj88]

I completely agree, being a federal employee myself

 

[disneytraveler]

Just for an update, both sides have agreed that all furloughed US government employees will receive full pay for the time they were not at work due to the shutdown. My colleagues are partying on South Beach tonight, hoping the shutdown lasts a month!

That is great to see

 

[disneytraveler]

Still no end in sight and I am still worried about my vacation dates