Lost job, how can we still go?

[TinkerBess_SnowTori]

thank you so much for all your replies, we are still thinking on it

So much wonderful advice not to mention hugs and good wishes.

And it is nice to know that we are not alone

 

[Halbleib1]

On a slightly different point (as I work in HR), for 13 years service he should have received 12 weeks of paid notice (or more) along with redundancy pay (depends on age but for the middle age band would be another 13 weeks at up to £380). If you want to make sure he was paid enough redundancy, feel free to PM me.

Not sure where the OP is from but if she is from the US they do not have to give you any severance pay unless you have a contract saying otherwise. Most of the time when you take a job it says in the paperwork that they can let you go at any time they choose. Severance pay is usually more of a courtesy and not mandatory.

Be aware that if you are from the US unemployment is not covered for the time that you are gone as your DH will not be available for work.

 

[lorac4disney]

With the airline tickets paid for, the reward dollars saved up, and the friend's condo to stay in, I vote go for it. With that said, I would plan ways to make the trip as cost efficient as possible while still making it fun. I don't think I would skip souvenirs as much as I would get inexpensive souvenirs. Get a low cost trinket or t-shirt from Wal-Mart or Target.

Eating and drinking in the parks is usually what runs up our cost. I always freeze bottles of water the night before and use them in the parks the next day. The hotter it is, the faster they melt (and the hotter you will be to want to drink them). It gives you icy cold water to enjoy so that you aren't tempted by thirst to blow money on drinks for everyone. That gets very pricey very quickly.

I also bring snacks with us. Beef jerky and boxed goldfish crackers have always been popular with my kids (plus they hold up well inside of a backpack with the frozen water). I'd eat the rest of my meals at the condo if at all possible. If not, I'd split counter service meals with the kids.

I would also make the most of your days inside the parks by splitting it up with days outside of the parks. It gives you a nice break to rest up so that you have the energy to enjoy yourselves while you are there. Bring a board game or some movies and make it an event in itself. The great thing about being at Disney is I try to incorporate that Disney magic in whatever we do.

 

[twinsplusone]

We were in a similar situation. We had a Florida trip planned and had all sorts of things planned that cost money. Since our flight, rental hosue, and rental car were already paid for we went. Instead we got GAD Disney tickets, went to DTD, we got free Busch Garden tickets from a friend of mil's, did a few beach days (we were staying in Bradenton) and had a great time. Since we booked so far in advance, changing our dates wouldn't have helped. We would have extended our window of opportunity two months. It was a wonderful trip. Our trip was in Feb and he was laid off in August.

So if you have everything prepaid, I'd say go.

 

[3boymthr]

Okay, from my perspective - Go.

Your lodging is paid for.

Your transport there is paid for.

You have enough rewards for your tickets and your parking.

So you need to save up enough money to pay for food and a rental car.

For the week you are going a car can be had for less than $250/week if you go for the cheap economy model - it's only for a week so it definitely doesn't have to be fancy.

For food, I'd recommend eating most of your meals - breakfast & dinner at least in your rooms and going for QS at the parks. A very generous budget is $10 per person for QS and that's with dessert and soda at every QS meal. Figure $3.50 for a treat or dessert and $2.00 for a fountain soda, $2.50 for a bottled drink. So you can save a lot of money by drinking water that you bring in refillable bottles.

 

[wdwfan16]

with the huge new mortgage and the other house mortgage plus only enough money for the tickets I would put off the trip. You can rebook the air later. When do your rewards expired? It if it soon, then use them to buy tickets and put them away for the next trip.

 

[SaveTheSeaTurtles]

Please note that if your husband is drawing unemployment, then he will NOT be able to claim that time period & receive his check. He will be considered unavailable for work if he goes on vacation, so would lose the meager amounts unemployment pays per week.

If you can afford to go , I would vote "yes, go" - you really would need to look at the costs.

If it will cause you and/or him stress while you are there, thinking of the costs, I wouldn't do it. On the other hand, I would consider it a nice way to clear your minds and get ready to tackle what could be a very long job search.

 

[Colleen27]

For me, it would hinge on what airline you're flying and what their policy is on canceling/rescheduling. If I were flying an airline that allows you to make changes for a minimal loss I'd postpone; if I were going to be out the full $1000+ that it costs our family to fly to Orlando, I'd go but economize as much as possible.

 

[Colleen27]

On a slightly different point (as I work in HR), for 13 years service he should have received 12 weeks of paid notice (or more) along with redundancy pay (depends on age but for the middle age band would be another 13 weeks at up to £380). If you want to make sure he was paid enough redundancy, feel free to PM me.

Wow, is that really how it works over there? In the states, you're lucky to get anything at all. I know people who were let go from jobs after 20+ years without so much as a head's up that it was coming, never mind any sort of severance package. Just a pink slip in their Friday paycheck, and no job to come to on Monday.

 

[mjkacmom]

Since the fees to change your flights will probably equal the cost of a rental car, I'd go, use rewards for the tickets, and bring meals into the parks. I wouldn't spend a dime in them.

 

[Happy vacationer]

We have been there, did that. 6 years ago my husband was laid off 1 week before we were to leave for Las Vegas. We went and things worked out. We decided to go back to Vegas 2 years ago because we were doing well and guess what happened - my husband found out his plant would be closing just 3 weeks before we were leaving for Vegas. Again we went because everything was paid for and it turned out well again. Just getting away from the pressures at home helped my husband emotionally and physically. He needed to step away from the stresses that come along with losing a job even if it was for a short period of time. Every family is different and you need to do what is best for yours but believe me we questioned over and over if we should go and we never regreted deciding to go.

 

[DVCBELLE]

Please note that if your husband is drawing unemployment, then he will NOT be able to claim that time period & receive his check. He will be considered unavailable for work if he goes on vacation, so would lose the meager amounts unemployment pays per week.

If you can afford to go , I would vote "yes, go" - you really would need to look at the costs.

If it will cause you and/or him stress while you are there, thinking of the costs, I wouldn't do it. On the other hand, I would consider it a nice way to clear your minds and get ready to tackle what could be a very long job search.

I believe to get unemployment benefits you have to be actively looking for a job and available to work.

If he is willing to fly home for a job or not go on vacation that week if he gets one - then he can still claim benefits.

 

[buckler]

You can bring food and drinks into the park so there is no reason you have to buy lunch while there. We pack a backpack cooler with sandwiches and things like baby carrots, grapes, apples, juice boxes etc. for lunch plus snacks. Also, any counter service area will give you free cups of water if you ask and they don't make you feel weird about it. Yes, the backpack is a bit heavy but my husband doesn't mind carrying it since we save money and time (by not having to wait in lines at restaurants).

If you get to the park at rope drop, by late afternoon your kids will probably be worn out and ready to head back to the condo for a swim or nap. You can eat dinner at the condo.

We do not buy souvenirs for our children. They understand that they are more expensive in the parks and don't even ask. And no, I'm not a mean mommy. They know if we don't waste money on things like souvenirs that means they get to go to WDW more often.

Your rewards money would cover the cost of tickets and can also be used for parking ($14 per day).

The areas where you will run into expenses you haven't already covered are the rental car, tolls and possibly checked baggage fees.

One thought though is if you don't go, you could convert the Disney rewards into Disney gift cards and sell them to someone that is going to Disney. This would give you $1,000 cash for your mortgage at a time when you could really use it.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm not sure staying home is the right answer for OP (can't believe I said that)
but the plane tix are bought, to get a credit/change-would mean losing 100's of $$$- not to mention you'd need to plan another trip to use what's left next year-
plus you have 1100.00 in rewards- so stay for free at the condo- use the rewards $ for park tix- but spend NO MORE than the rewards at Disney itself- buy groceries at local walmart for breakfast,lunch and dinner( pack a picnic for the parks daily)
Perhaps use the 40-50 left from your disney rewards to buy ONE t shirt per peron if you must- so far that wouldn't be money from your pocket- just points you couldn;t use elswhere anyway-
the Walmart groceries are your regular groceries anyway-
if you wanted to eat out at all, stick to cheap buffets in town,but try to cook your own food the whole time-
rent a car with priceline or something,get something small and cheap just to get you around,4 people can fit in a VERY small car-
If it were me,I'd hate to lose the money I already sunk into this trip- not to mention the $$$$$$ you spent accruing points rewards to use on the trip.....

 

[grandmadebby]

I don't think I would go. It will be about $12.00+ a day to park at Disney which will about eat up what Disney Dollars you have left after buying park tickets. The airline will give you a credit that has to be booked in most cases within a year, surely your husband will find a job by then. And I am the type, that even at Disney, if I didn't have things in order at home I would not enjoy myself.

The Disney Dollars you don't spend on the trip may be what you need to buy school clothes, book bags, etc. with next fall at the Disney Store. And if you don't use them for that save them for another trip. For this year I would take a few trips to more local places that could be driven to and from in one day or maybe one nights motel.

 

[hockeyprincess]

Didn't read all the posts, but wanted to point out you'd have to be eating anyway, whether at home or Disney. So eat! I would take that out of the "pricing" equation, because if you do a Priceline deal for a Rental car, you can drive to Target and/or Walmart, Winn Dixie, Publix to get groceries and eat as you normally would. If eating at Disney, I would absolutely eat Counter Service, as most TS restaurats will require reservations anyway, and at this point it would be hit or miss if you can get a ressie or not.

Use the DDRD for tickets. Get a cheap rental car, eat in, and do a quick garage sale or sell some items on CraigsList for some quick cash. Also with the rental car you would also be able to get to the Outlet Malls, I've never visited them but heard you can get some great deals on Disney souviners.

Good luck on your decision, but at this point if it were me, I would go. You've got most of your bases covered, with the exception of eating, and like I said, you have to eat anyway, at home or in Florida! Have fun.

 

[DawnM]

We bought this two years ago:

http://www.expotv.com/IGLOO-Maxcold-Max-Pack-Cooler/29-S5a

We never go into the parks without it anymore. It holds a full lunch and snacks and 7 water bottles. We put a can of pringles on the side pocket.

Technically, if we squished a bit, we could fit enough sandwiches for dinner too and if we didn't carry so many water bottles there would be plenty of room for more side items/snacks.

Normally we carry:

7 sandwiches
carrot sticks
cut apples
raisins/dried fruit/nuts
single serving bags of crackers and cookies
7 or 8 water bottles (at least one fully frozen for our ice pack and let it melt)
pringles in the side pocket

and there is left over room for rain ponchos!

We call it our Disney cooler as we primarily use it for Disney. It was the best $27 we have spent. This may be blasphemous to say on this board, but we are not highly impressed with Disney food. There are a few items we like, and we do eat at Disney one or two times per visit, but it is typically when we have eaten through our food and decide to stay longer.

Use your Disney dollars for park tickets, eat your own food, and really, the trip won't cost you that much (you can forgo souvies this trip! We often do!) and have just as much fun.

Dawn

 

[MichiganKris]

As someone who was in this position a couple of years ago, I would say go. You will all need to get away and not worry about it for the time of your vacation. There is a lot of stress involved with the whole situtation and leaving on a vacation helped me be better prepared for the job search when I returned home. Good Luck and enjoy Florida!

 

[buckler]

Assuming you go, you also have to budget for airport parking unless you can get someone to drop you off. Plus, plan on packing food with you for the flight so you don't have to buy anything in the airport.

 

[BrettS]

6 years ago my husband was laid off 1 week before we were to leave for Las Vegas.

...

We decided to go back to Vegas 2 years ago because we were doing well and guess what happened - my husband found out his plant would be closing just 3 weeks before we were leaving for Vegas.

I just wanted to post and say... whatever you do, you must never return to Vegas