Had to stop my countdown ticker! Need to vent and want advice, too!

[DisneyStarWisher]

I'm so sad right now. We added on extra points last month at HHI just so we could book a trip there for summer 2011. We decided for June 5-9 since the points were lower. Everything was set, my countdown ticker was ticking down, I was so excited!!!

Well, DH came home yesterday from work and told me that he just found out about a business trip for June 8-9. He is a teacher, and summers are usually never a problem when it comes to traveling. Well, he took on a job as a coordinator for a grant which he has time during the school day to do, but he wasn't told how much traveling outside of school is involved in it. No wonder he's the third guy to do it in the last three years! (I can't complain though since I'm getting to go with him to his conference in Orlando in February!)

Well, he called his "boss," the district coordinator who also happens to be MY UNCLE, to see if there was a possibility of not having to go since we have a family vacation planned. He was told to cancel his family vacation because the business trip is mandatory. (Christmas is going to be interesting this year. Just kidding.)

So I called MS and started checking availability, but the problem is that it's SUMMER in HHI--almost impossible to get anything--AND my DH has other trips and meetings in the summer as well (3 in-town meetings with this grant, a 4-night trip to Nashville as a Beta sponsor, and a 4-night trip to San Francisco with this grant) and they are all spread out through the summer, so us finding 4 nights together to go to HHI is nearly impossible.

We were able to book June 3-6, but I'm worried about our school year going until June 3 (a Friday) if we have snow days. Plus we had to use so many extra points since we are now staying 2 weekend days that my hopes to go to WDW next Christmas have been dashed!

So now I'm thinking that we might go over our Fall Break, Oct. 1-4. I know a lot of people on here said October was a great time to go. I had just decided to go with June because off-shore fishing is better then, and my kids were so looking forward to an off-shore fishing excursion. If we go in October, we will still go to the Smoky Mts. on the way back home (which my kids wanted to do in the fall this year for better trout fishing), and we will save 23 points which will allow me to take my quick Christmas trip to WDW. My kids are just bummed about the off-shore fishing, but they know that we ultimately decide the trips since we pay for the points!

What should I do? Keep the ressie for June 3-6 or change it to Oct. 1-4?

 

[Simba's Mom]

Well. if it helps, we go to HHI regularly in the off-season and it's a great time to go.
However, as one who also just added points there-LOVE, LOVE HHI-I'd be so p@#$%d about this change. You're right-it should make for a very interesting family situation at Christmas.

 

[LIFERBABE]

June is hot and busy if it's any consolation.

 

[tecodis]

Stinks how the job gets in the way of vacations sometimes! There should be a law against employers requiring people to cancel a booked vacation!!


But, what do ya do?

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Thanks for the support! Usually this isn't a problem because both my DH and I are teachers, and we are usually fairly free in the summer. Sure, there is the occassional conference or meeting, and my DH coaches football which starts at the end of July. But for the most part, we can be pretty flexible with our vacations. NOT THIS SUMMER!

After talking as a family tonight, I think we have decided to just book Oct. 1-4 and then stop at the Smokies on the way back home. That way we still get to go next year, and it will save some points which I can use for my WDW Christmas trip (4 nights instead of 3!!!). Let's just hope my kids catch some amazing fish off the pier. And even though we've already done one, we will probably still do an in-shore fishing trip, which they say is better in October. I'll call MS tomorrow and hopefully get my countdown ticker ticking. I'm just not going to like that there will be another 120 days on it!!!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thanks for the support! Usually this isn't a problem because both my DH and I are teachers, and we are usually fairly free in the summer. Sure, there is the occassional conference or meeting, and my DH coaches football which starts at the end of July. But for the most part, we can be pretty flexible with our vacations. NOT THIS SUMMER!

After talking as a family tonight, I think we have decided to just book Oct. 1-4 and then stop at the Smokies on the way back home. That way we still get to go next year, and it will save some points which I can use for my WDW Christmas trip (4 nights instead of 3!!!). Let's just hope my kids catch some amazing fish off the pier. And even though we've already done one, we will probably still do an in-shore fishing trip, which they say is better in October. I'll call MS tomorrow and hopefully get my countdown ticker ticking. I'm just not going to like that there will be another 120 days on it!!!

I hope you got it today. It sounds like a great plan!

 

[katmittens]

We were at HH in Oct of this year and loved it. Very quiet. Great weather. I'm sure you will love it. We also went to the Smokey Mts. on the way home and loved it. Hope it all works out.

 

[Sammie]

I would go with October, that way you get two great trips.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I would go with October, that way you get two great trips.

Well, we were going to do two trips anyway--one to HHI in June and one to Smoky Mts. in Oct. By combining the two, it feels like I'm just getting one. But that's really not a big deal, since we have 4 other trips planned for next year.

What we did was book 4 nights at HHI at the beginning of October, then waitlisted for the second week of June (when my DH doesn't have any mandatory meetings or conferences) which also happens to be the week I turn 40 . What better way to celebrate than being at HHI. We will be ok though if our waitlist doesn't come through. BTW, I hope someone was happy to get their waitlist for the original nights I had to cancel in June.