Lost job, how can we still go?

[lovesmurfs]

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.

Wow. I'm not sure I'd ever plan a trip to Vegas again.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

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.

But is he willing to fly home for an interview. He would be better off not applying for the week rather than having to incur the cost to fly home. I am sure that the chances of him being reported for a no-show for an appt. or trying to change it are extremely small, but the OP should be aware that if it does happen, he will be denied his U/E insurance in full...

So it needs to be considered. Do you have the funds to change your flight for DH if for some reason a company who he applied to insists that he interview on a specific day? Change in flights are expensive and he is not guaranteed the job. At which point OP is on vacation without DH?

Another situation the OP may want to consider is if DH gets a job quickly. It would be stupid to not take the job because of a trip to WDW and not many companies in this economy would allow the new employee to take off time immediately.

As I stated in my first post in this thread it took 3 years for DH to get a job after his lay-off. I would have gladly forfeited all Disney trips for him to work sooner. I think the final piece of the puzzle for the OP is to do a true (and no kidding herself) budget of how many months they can live comfortably with all bills being paid before she makes this decision.

Disney is expensive. Her reward money will be gone sooner than all of you are admitting, and ultimitely, she WILL have to use part of her savings for this trip. That is the reality.

 

[Kay1]

I think you'll need to do what people with limited time do: prioritize. Figure out which parks you really want to see. How important is eating out to you? Could you be happy with meals from the condo and then something like a Mickey Bar in the parks? Would photos be souvenirs enough?

Best of luck to you.

 

[Colleen27]

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.

Which airlines do this? I've only looked into changing our plans after airfare was booked once, but what I found was that they'd give us a credit for the amount of the airfare minus a $150 per person change fee. Since our airfare was less than $200 per person total, the tickets may as well have been non-refundable; we would have had something like $80 in airline credit left to use.

 

[Praying Colonel]

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.

^This.

 

[Rosiekins]

GO! Because your husband has to be pretty bummed right now and if he is feeling bad about taking away his families planned for vacation he might feel even worse. I know that you or your children are not holding it against him because it is not his fault, but when you are sad or depressed sometimes you feel irrational. He might feel better having things go on as planned. Go have fun, get away and relax.

You are mostly paid for and you can do the rest budget. You can get an economy car for about $200-$220 (I just checked). As another poster said you are going to eat anyway right? Do most of your meals at the condo, and maybe a counter service or 2 in parks. Get the that Orlando Magic card or what ever it is and use it. Spend a couple of days hanging out swimming at the condo, go to the beach, drive around and see some things you never have. Get 4 or 5 day base tickets and skip the park hopping the extra days are only a few dollars each so it is cheaper to have a few more park days then to hop to see all the parks. It will be a different trip then you planned but you will still enjoy it and come back feeling better. IMOH

 

[DVCBELLE]

Op - I just thought of this but what airline did you book on? If it is Airtran and they have changed your flight times - AT ALL then call and tell them the times don't work for you and you would like a refund.

Other airlines might give you a refund if there was a large change in flight times. It might be something worth checking.

 

[heatherleigh]

Sorry you are in that unfortunate situation. I know how that goes. My husband was out of work for 2 years, and it was a struggle. I would continue on with the trip since it is pretty much paid for. You would be out too much $ anyway, if you did decide to cancel.

Your husband can continue to search for employment via the internet while you are away. Just make sure he has his resume uploaded on Monster or one of those types of places so it is saved.

 

[dawnball]

. Can anyone help me figure out what to do at this point?
How many days should we do? How cheaply can we eat at the park? Should souvenir be completely out of the question?

What else is REALLY cheap that we can do while we are there?

Trip is May 26th - June 3rd

This trip was going to be a dream and now it feels like a nightmare. I would appreciate any help, anyone can give.

Thank you so much in advance

A rental car, gas in Orlando, baggage fees and parking at your home airport are probably going to run you $300-$325 out of pocket. The airline tickets are probably a sunk cost, and its hard to spend $1100 on necessities at the Disney store unless your kids are young. Given all of your current circumstances - would you pay $300-$325 for a vacation right now?

If the real answer is "Yes, we have $350, plus enough for emergencies, plus what we think it will take to get us through until the next job" and you're all on board with that answer - then go for it.

As for what you can do - what do you want to do?

You could get 7 day non-hopping theme park tickets, and have $75 left after parking to spend on food/souveniers, etc. That's 3-4 in-park snacks a day to share around maybe. You'd have to pull the money for condo food (which always costs more than food at home IME) out of your food budget, but it might not be too outrageous if you're careful.

You could get water parks annual passes, spend nothing on parking and have $715 left to spend on souveniers/food/activities. That would let you have a leisurely morning in your condo (because the water parks open at 10), go into the water parks at 10, eat an in-park lunch when it suited you and split one of those massive sundaes or some mini-donuts for a mid-afternoon treat.

That would leave you $56/day for dinners, souveniers and extras. Like...

Go out to Fort Wilderness, get a large pizza or a fried chicken meal and some drinks and take them with you to the campfire sing along and movie. You'll have plenty of money left to roast some marshmallows and/or buy a spinning light-up toy.

Head to the Boardwalk, watch the roving entertainment, maybe rent a surrey bike or a boat. Munch your way along, sharing a pastry from the boardwalk bakery, a couple of slices of pizza or some sandwiches. If you weren't ready for a garbage pail sundae at the waterpark - split a kitchen sink four ways and call it dinner. Pop into the resorts ask ask for their hidden mickey lists to hunt for.

You could probably fit in one character meal or resort table service if you wanted - something like Boma and then watching the savanna with night vision goggles and listening to the stories at the firepit.

Watch the fireworks on the Poly Beach? Upgrade your waterparks AP to include Disney Quest? Take a carriage ride at Fort Wilderness? Cane fishing? Mini Golf? Explore all the resorts? Take a DVC tour? Do one of those timeshare for ticket deals?

Or skip the theme and water parks entirely. Hang out in the pool at the condo/house, and have more extras.

It's all about identifying the parts of your trip that are most important to you. What makes it feel most like a vacation - what makes it feel special? And then you do those things, and leave the rest.

 

[Pigeon]

I agree with those who say it would hinge on the airfare. If I could get my money refunded or get credit for a future trip, I'd cancel the trip. If that money is gone, then I'd take the trip because your out of pocket costs are fairly small.

I'd skip souveniers altogether. I hate them anyway. They are overpriced junk that just turns into clutter when you get home.

I'd eat breakfast and dinner in the condo and buy counterservice for lunch or try to pack a lunch.

 

[SaveTheSeaTurtles]

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.

I don't want this thread to be hijacked with an in-depth discussion of unemployment benefits requirements (we don't even know that he has planned to draw unemployment during that time) - but I want to clarify that, although the OP's home state may be different (although I would be surprised), at least here in Florida where I live, you are considered not available for work if you leave to go on vacation, even if you were willing to "fly back" (many people could not afford the cost of a last minute ticket like that anyway to go back for an interview) .
You cannot draw the benefits during vacation. Now, many people might consider that they are available if they are looking for work via internet and that they are entitled to take vacation & draw benefits, I am only stating the facts as I know them to be in my state. The state disagrees with that theory.
Many people do go on vacation while on unemployment and choose not to notify the state of that when they update their weekly claims - I am sure that sometimes they are not caught for doing so but in many documented cases they are caught - sometimes up to 2 years later or longer - and must pay back the money. I know someone that this happened to.
I am not trying to be harsh or argumentative - just stating the facts. As I mentioned, it may be different in the OP's state -

If she can afford to go to Disney, they should go and enjoy themselves. I was only offering my opinion on a viewpoint she may not have thought about if money is tight.

Thanks!

 

[Kellydelly]

I don't want this thread to be hijacked with an in-depth discussion of unemployment benefits requirements (we don't even know that he has planned to draw unemployment during that time) - but I want to clarify that, although the OP's home state may be different (although I would be surprised), at least here in Florida where I live, you are considered not available for work if you leave to go on vacation, even if you were willing to "fly back" (many people could not afford the cost of a last minute ticket like that anyway to go back for an interview) .
You cannot draw the benefits during vacation. Now, many people might consider that they are available if they are looking for work via internet and that they are entitled to take vacation & draw benefits, I am only stating the facts as I know them to be in my state. The state disagrees with that theory.
Many people do go on vacation while on unemployment and choose not to notify the state of that when they update their weekly claims - I am sure that sometimes they are not caught for doing so but in many documented cases they are caught - sometimes up to 2 years later or longer - and must pay back the money. I know someone that this happened to.
I am not trying to be harsh or argumentative - just stating the facts. As I mentioned, it may be different in the OP's state -

If she can afford to go to Disney, they should go and enjoy themselves. I was only offering my opinion on a viewpoint she may not have thought about if money is tight.

Thanks!

You know, when someone loses their job they suddenly find themselves on vacation, an unplanned one! I think it is silly to not claim unemployment benefits if you actually have the opportunity to go somewhere during your unfortunate "vacation" that your employer sends you on. I don't know anyone who would actually do what you are suggesting, nor anyone that was penalized for not doing it.

 

[tinker&belle]

ETA: Questions about finances were for OP's reflection...not asking for the answer...


There are very few cases of lost job and going to Disney that I can get on board with...but this might be one of the few.

To me it kind of depends on other factors not shared in the OP (that you don't have to share...but they would sway my decision.)

How are your finances otherwise? Do you have some savings? Were you both working? Can you get by on 'bare bones' budget on your income with his unemployment or if you weren't working can you go get a 'get by' job while he gets unemployement (Mcds, subbing at schools, delivering or tossing pizzas, giving samples at Sam's club, etc)

I would be inclined if you have some savings and can get by with unemployment for a while to go. I WOULD cut everyday expenses (cable, landline or cell plan or go to a tracphone) BUT I think I would take the trip.

I know years ago AAA had free parking passes if you were a member...not sure if this is still the case but it wouldn't hurt to check it out. I WOULD eat breakfast in the condo, tour, come home for lunch/break/dinner and go back to the park and have a snack as a treat (they're the best part of the park food anyway!) Take bottle water in your backpacks. The water is pretty gross in the park, but you can bring some of the crystal light or gatorade flavorings and that helps with the yucky taste. You can also get free ice water that tastes okay anytime you buy a meal or snack.

Also portions are HUGE at disney...you could buy two meals at a restaurant and bring some fruits or veggies and stretch it for all of you.

Also for your kids, check the Dollar Tree and Target's dollar spot for Disney toys to leave from "Mickey" every night. That way you can skip souvies or let them pick out one or two things at the very end after they have seen everything.

Oh...skip the park hoppers (that will save you almost 200). I WOULD pay for Tour guide Mike (I think about $20) if you aren't getting hoppers because then you won't end up at a super crowded park....that's all I can think of for now.

Not neccesarily how you might have pictured the trip, but it would be better than losing the plane fare and with your Disney dollars the more I think about it, the more I think you should do it (unless you are up to your ears in debt of course.) It will be all about attitude. Make it fun, let the kids have some treats, and as long as you are positive, you guys will all have a blast!

 

[Acklander]

You know, when someone loses their job they suddenly find themselves on vacation, an unplanned one! I think it is silly to not claim unemployment benefits if you actually have the opportunity to go somewhere during your unfortunate "vacation" that your employer sends you on. I don't know anyone who would actually do what you are suggesting, nor anyone that was penalized for not doing it.

Heck, if it was me, I'd go and apply for a few jobs in the Orlando area while on vacation. Wouldn't that cover the unemployment requirements???

It's not going to be much more out of pocket, you can do the meals in the condo/pack a lunch. And knowing that when he starts a new job it's probably going to be a year before he has any type of vacation time saved up, I say grab the opportunity to do it now.

 

[Halbleib1]

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.

Even if he could fly home he would not be considered readily available. My husband has gotten calls for jobs where he had to report that same day for an interview. If he were not in the area he would not have been able to make the interview and therefore not available for work.

The OP has to look at her finances and decide if they can really afford to go or not. No one else can tell her what to do in this situation. She needs to sit down and figure out exactly how much the trip will cost oop before booking it and see if it fits in with their finances.

I just wanted to let her know that it can be a tricky situation with unemployment.

 

[Pastamom]

The same thing happened to us in October..After a lot of talk we decided to go but watched our budget very carefully. When we got back, we were so glad we did. If we hadn't we would have been doubly depressed..

You should sit down with DH and decide how long you can manage without a job and what your monthly budget will be. If you can survive more than 9 months and what the penalties would be for trying to change airfare etc. Also depending on your DH's new job, it may be a while before you can goon vacation again.

On our trip we did not buy souveniers, brought snacks and shared water. Our DS's understood completely and were just happy to be there.

If you do go - just forget about everything and have fun.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

You already have everything "paid for" except your meals. So I say GO AND ENJOY IT. You have to eat no matter if you are at home or in WDW...eat counter service meals or eat in the condo. Most of the counter service meals are enough food for 2 people. DD and I went to WDW for a week with a total food/souvenir budget of $400 and had money left over - we ate 1 meal a day in the parks and the rest in the room and we had a great time. Best of luck!!

 

[mistysue]

My decision depends completely on how stable your finances are living in a world where he has no job. Imagine he is still unemployed a year from now... how are things? Would you regret spending that last bunch of money?

As for the unemployment/vacation thing... He shouldn't claim unemployment while he is out of town. It is wrong, and the company has to pay into a state fund when he collects it.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Only you can figure out whether or not you should go. You need to make a realistic list of which items you would still need to pay for on the trip. Also make a list of your monthly expenses and determine how far the severance and unemployment payments will take you. If you have savings or another source of income that will allow you to comfortably cover the trip, then it's probably fine. If taking the trip will result in financial burden for your family, then you'll probably need to put it off.

I also wouldn't look at whether you'll be paying fees by not using your airline tickets right away. That airfare money has already been spent. You might lose $100 per ticket for making changes to the travel dates, but you'll be paying a lot more than that if you decide to take the trip. I think you need to sketch it all out on paper so you'll know exactly whether it makes sense for your family or not.

 

[Taja]

The previous posters have provided a lot of good answers and discussions, so...

If you go and if you have a laptop or netbook, take it. Or borrow one, if possible. Your DH can apply for jobs online early in the morning and/or late in the evening and check email, and have calls directed to his cell phone. He doesn't have to keep it on, just with him so he can check messages a couple of times daily. Most employers take their good old time these days to respond to resume/application submissions (other than a confirmation), so he may not hear anything at all if you are out of town for a few days.

If you go, be sure everyone is on the same page about the budget. And enjoy yourselves--it doesn't require a lot of money to have a lot of family fun!

And if you don't go, do something special with your family at home. Some of my best childhood memories are family times at home!

You and your DH will make the best decision for your family.