Lost job- Disney in 3 weeks

Marsheliz

DIS Veteran
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
2,081
Yikes!!! Ok- lost my job... We leave on the 18th.. We thought about canceling but at this point- we would lose $200.00. Trip is paid for.. Meals paid for... Just have to get there.. And have some spending money for extra snacks, maybe buy boys 2 things a piece & was going to stay in a hotel the first night.. ( driving halfway) ... What is a reasonable & realistic amount of money to bring? obviously we will have to cut down this trip- unless a miracle in the form of a job happens before!

My youngest's birthday is Tuesday and mine is 13th and we have asked for Disney gift cards. Maybe that will help!

My mom died in April, lost my job this month and lots of stuff in between... I was so looking forward to this trip....
 
So sorry about your job loss. Only you know if the money spent on the trip is critical for your family to get by until you get another job.

As far as the $200 deposit, if you call and explain your situation, thay may allow you to just move the vacation 6-12 months and not lose your deposit.

Good luck
 
Oh crap that sucks :(

Start looking for job now. This will make you feel little better.

Maybe this will turn out to be a great thing, forced career changes, often turn into people chasing their dream careers.

Chin up you will make it.
 
Clarify please...how long a visit will this be? I'd imagine snacks, drinks and souvenirs would run about $100/day at least. When you say the trip is paid for do you mean accommodations and park tickets? Would that only leave gas money and your mid-point hotel stop? Would you also be stopping overnight on the way home? Too hard to make suggestions without this information.

Also, from your ticker it looks like you were just there this month already. Are you going back again on October 18?
 

If you cancel, you will lose $200 but how much will you get back? How important is that money to you? How big is your emergency savings fund? Can it float your family for the next 6-12 months while you look for a new job?

I would consider the $200 a sunk cost. No matter what you choose that money is gone so don't make decisions based on that. Make a decision based on what you will get back if you cancel and what you can do with that money (pay your mortgage, buy food, etc.)

Unless you have a really hefty emergency fund that can cover you until you get a new job, I would absolutely cancel.
 
Do the smart thing. Cancel the trip and get your money back. Do the 'have to do' not the want to do.

You're now in survival mode. It will cost money for the necessities of life and you are going to have little money coming in.

Yes the kids will be disappointed, but that is part of life they have to learn and that will be an important learning lesson for them.
 
It is a tough and stressful decision. I think you would spend more than $200 extra, so I would suggest taking the $200 loss and not go. This removes the stress of how to pay for the extras. You need to focus on looking for a new job. Sorry. This is my opinion but you know what is best for your family. Christmas is just around the corner, you may want to change your birthday request to be visa gift cards that can be used anywhere before your friends/family make the purchase.
 
Only you can decide if this is a doable trip. So sorry about the job loss, but, hopefully, it will not be long. I would use Priceline for that stopover night. Research the sites that give you an idea on how low to bid. I would leave early and, perhaps, drive straight back to avoid that cost on the return. Wait until your departure day to buy the souvenirs; that way if the money is not there, you are not regretting the purchases. I know that children are not good w the whole "delayed gratification" idea, but you need to go w "budget" your goal. Bring some snacks/breakfast items/drinks to avoid the high Disney convenience costs.

Best of luck and I will be wishing you the best in your job search.
 
Again, only you know if you can afford a vacation right now. I can tell you that not once, but TWICE, something similar happened to us. Right before vacation, we had come into a large expenditure where the cost of vacation would have been better spent paying off the bill. We canceled the vacation both times. YES, the kids were disappointed, heck, I think "I" was more disappointed than the kids, but we just postponed the trip and Disney did just let us move our deposit forward, and we did not lose the $200.00. AND, we did make it back, both times......

Good Luck with your job search.
 
Skip the hotel. We drove straight through from nj when money was tight.

Your guys are young. When mine were that age I bought the little group of mickey lollipops. They came in a small bundle(I think there were 6 in there) kept them happy. Bring snacks, especially if you driving. Dollar tree has a bunch of Disney snacks like gummies.

I am of the go if you can variety. You need a pick me up. And you can job hunt away from home too just with an Internet connection. Fingers crossed that you find a job before you leave!
 
Why is everyone assuming OP can't afford this trip? She's just trying to budget. For all we know they can live entirely off her DHs salary and has a 5 year emergency fund.

Now, OP, if this is putting you in a tight place financially, then yes, you should cancel and not swear a $200 loss- or as PP suggested, see if they will let you postpone.
 
So sorry about you job!

If everything is paid for, I say go!! Did I see that you are in SC? Definitely drive thru. We are in Mass. and have friends who drive straight thru!

Between now and then, try to save on your grocery budget...eat out of your pantry and bring any money saved from that with you.

If your kids are little, take them to Walmart when you are there. The one on 535 has TONS of Disney stuff where they can pick out souvenirs. Kids don't care where it came from, and can save you a ton.

Life is short! If it is all paid...go...enjoy...and a job will be found down the road.

Have a blast!
 
Why is everyone assuming OP can't afford this trip? She's just trying to budget. For all we know they can live entirely off her DHs salary and has a 5 year emergency fund.

Now, OP, if this is putting you in a tight place financially, then yes, you should cancel and not swear a $200 loss- or as PP suggested, see if they will let you postpone.

My thought as well. If you have two incomes, and this is the secondary income - and you can make the secondary income work for a few months without jeopardizing paying the bills - go and have a good time - use the next few weeks to polish up your resume and start looking when you get back.

With everything paid for, bring $100 a day - you probably won't spend it, but since you are going during F&W, its easy to spend. If you are driving, bring water and snacks - that will save you $20 a day if you can stay away from the bottled water and Mickey bars.
 
Happened to us also, my wife lost a job about a month before a trip that was fully paid. We went anyway. It was tight, be took lunch meat/own drinks. Food at Disney was minimal. We even did a timeshare tour that paid $125 in cash.

My wife interviewed with a company while in the car while we were driving down. She received a call for a second interview the day we had scheduled a park visit. She did the interview and the job was offered on the spot. She landed a contract job via a phone interview last year, so Disney may be the lucky job spot for us. Don't tell potential employers that week is a no go, be available by phone and change park plans as needed.

As for your situation, only you know your financial situation. From SC, driving straight through would definitely save money. Do you have a store to buy a small Disney gift card to save money on fuel? As for gifts, use the $10 store at DT Disney or head to an outlet or Walmart for Disney goods, much cheaper than the parks.
 
Depends on so many factors. If you have an emergency fund, what kind of job you had, spouse's income, etc.
You may be able to postpone trip without loosing your deposit. Call and check. If you have the dining plan, you won't need $100 a day, we hardly buy any extras, just bring a case of water with you and snacks and limit the kids spending (give each a gift card) and you should be fine.
I got a new job the week before we left and had to tell them I couldn't start until I got back, I only work 2 days and we don't need my income but it did give me peace of mind. Like an OP said you can network a little with internet if you have some down time.
 
Why is everyone assuming OP can't afford this trip? She's just trying to budget. For all we know they can live entirely off her DHs salary and has a 5 year emergency fund.

Now, OP, if this is putting you in a tight place financially, then yes, you should cancel and not swear a $200 loss- or as PP suggested, see if they will let you postpone.

That's the question and nobody here can answer that for you.

If you have enough of a financial cushion that you are comfortable in your ability to pay your bills during the job search, then take the trip.

If not, cancel.
 
Thanks guys and thank you to the ones who didn't assume that I couldn't afford to go.... ;) our trip has been paid for. ( resort and park tix)

I used to serve court papers so I've been doing some papers a s helping out my old boss to make some extra cash just for trip and cleaned a few houses last week...

My Dh has a great job- we have just gotten use to two incomes and will have to cut back some. Also- we spend so much on child care/after school so that would be a cost we wouldn't have... I did have an interview last week and have submitted my resume to several places...

Our trip is four nights & we are doing Halloween party and we do have free dining plan.

Thanks for those of you that offered advice and encouragement!
 
Oh crap that sucks :(

Start looking for job now. This will make you feel little better.

Maybe this will turn out to be a great thing, forced career changes, often turn into people chasing their dream careers.

Chin up you will make it.

Thank you- this made me smile!
 
Thanks guys and thank you to the ones who didn't assume that I couldn't afford to go.... ;) our trip has been paid for. ( resort and park tix)

I used to serve court papers so I've been doing some papers a s helping out my old boss to make some extra cash just for trip and cleaned a few houses last week...

My Dh has a great job- we have just gotten use to two incomes and will have to cut back some. Also- we spend so much on child care/after school so that would be a cost we wouldn't have... I did have an interview last week and have submitted my resume to several places...

Our trip is four nights & we are doing Halloween party and we do have free dining plan.

Thanks for those of you that offered advice and encouragement!

Hope you have a wonderful, happy trip! :) Drive safe!
 
Yikes!!! Ok- lost my job... We leave on the 18th.. We thought about canceling but at this point- we would lose $200.00. Trip is paid for.. Meals paid for... Just have to get there.. And have some spending money for extra snacks, maybe buy boys 2 things a piece & was going to stay in a hotel the first night.. ( driving halfway) ... What is a reasonable & realistic amount of money to bring? obviously we will have to cut down this trip- unless a miracle in the form of a job happens before!

My youngest's birthday is Tuesday and mine is 13th and we have asked for Disney gift cards. Maybe that will help!

My mom died in April, lost my job this month and lots of stuff in between... I was so looking forward to this trip....

Sorry about all the bad luck. Is it possible to postpone your vacation? Maybe until next year and give you time to find a new job? I think if you call Disney and explain the situation, they may allow you to move your reservation without losing the deposit. I know that while I would be looking forward to the vacation time, I would be stressed thinking about it.

For $$, I would think a few souvenirs, special snacks and a few extra's may be only a few hundred dollars tops. I would say budget $300 and just set the expectations before you leave that you will only be able to have certain things while there. We usually set a budget of $500 for 4 of us, but we normally don't spend it all.

Last, Happy Birthday to you both. Prayers that you find a new job quickly and everything works out.
 












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