Need help cancelling - loss of job

[xbonnie38]

Im sorry call me irresponsible,,,trip is paid in full and you have had enough bad news yeah you will get some money back,,,, go on vacation and enjoy it,,,might be the last one for awhile and then you can sit around and think ...what if we went,,,and what if we didnt,,,, money can be made life only comes around once!.....shoot me for thinking this way but I would be irresponsible and enjoy my family and Disney!

 

[srgibbs]

We went through a similar circumstance last year with DH and me being a SAHM with 2 children in Christian School. Husband's job was on the line (banking) from about last Oct. thru this Past Sept. and we had a trip booked for mid December back in the summer. We toyed with cancelling on and off even though it was paid in full and we had plenty of money in savings. We are very conservative and have paid off our house, cars, ect. and only have aCC we pay off monthly, normal utility bills, and Christian school. At the end of the day we decided we just needed to get away. We are responsible and realized as well our kids are only little for a short time and refused to live in fear and all the what if's of life. None of us know for sure if we will be here tomorrow. You are the best judge of your finances and how marketable your husband is in his field. I might add it was our best vacation ever and the kids still talk about it and love looking at pictures. Although 2009 was very stressful my husband kept his job even after the bank failed and got bought. Looking back we are so glad we went. You know what is best for your family and ONLY you can decide that. God bless you during this time.

 

[Bill and Jen]

Just a tip if you end up going.

Have your DH set up an interview while you are there for a new job, after doing this part of his portion of the trip will become a tax deduction to offset unemployment later on.

 

[TillyMarigold]

I would like to offer another perspective. Last year my DH lost his job on day 44 before our trip, after we had paid in full.

Because it was paid in full, and because we knew that we couldn't count on when we might be able to take another vacation after that, and because we knew we'd be okay financially for awhile if we were frugal even without his income, we decided to go.

It was absolutely the right decision. We really needed the time away from the stress. I wouldn't advise it if you don't have savings and/or your income isn't enough for the family to live on, but taking the trip was definitely the right call for us.

By the way, he ended up getting a temp job the week we left that took him on permanently when we got back.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Given the fact you have the 6-9 months of savings and there will be some severence, I would go. You are clearly responsible with your money, so if you go, its not like you are spending the mortgage money and going back to a foreclosure notice in the mail. The time spent as a family, having fun is worth quite a bit. And with a new job, it could be quite some time before you can take a vacation.

Whatever you do will be well thought out and the right thing for your family.

And I'll say a prayer it all works out and I wish you well with all things you have in the upcoming weeks and months!

 

[JPN4265]

We booked a trip (air, AKL, park tickets, meal plan, trip insurance) through Disneyworld.com and we were supposed to leave in two weeks. My husband lost his job today. Even though the trip has been paid in full, we're thinking we'd better do the responsible thing and cancel and at least get some money back. Haven't totally decided, but I need to know what our options are. Has anybody been through this? What do I need to do?

Call Disney Reservation as soon as possible. We all have our ideas and opinions, but you need the correct information, not, this is what I think, or this is what happened when I had to cancel. Good luck with your husband's new job search. More times then not, he will find a better job. Also, based on what you have told us, I would strongly consider taking this vacation. Sounds like you can afford it, and it would probably help the home environment.

 

[Sienna]

This is crazy. Now it sounds like they might transition him out over the next several weeks, which means he wouldn't be available to go on the trip. He thought that the kids and I should still go - I don't know how I feel about that, but maybe I'd bring grandma along or something. I started a new thread about changing a name on a reservation, I'm not even sure that's possible (we'd have to just buy a new plane ticket, but I'm talking about the resort reservation).

 

[kymom99]

You can change the name on a reservation, as long as it isn't the person booking the reservation.

Last fall my husband lost his job. I kept wishing I had a crystal ball so I could know how long it would take him to find a new one. That way we could have enjoyed the time he had off with our family more. We didn't have a vacation planned, but we did take a small trip to Mammoth Cave while my son was on fall break. I was planning to take him myself, but my husband was able to go with us. He ended up being out of work for 2 months total. His new job pays less but is closer to home.

I had received a pin shortly after the bad news about the job loss. I was so upset. When he found a job I decided to book a trip for me and my son as a celebration because we went through a lot of stress during those 2 months. My husband is not a big Disney fan, so he was cool with it and told me to go ahead and enjoy it. Now it turns out that he could have enough vacation to join us by then. He said he may even just come down and relax at the resort. We are doing GAD so he would have a one day ticket. If he doesn't go, we will donate it.

Good luck with your vacation decision and, most importantly, the job situation. Hopefully he will be back to work soon!

 

[Sienna]

Just stopping by for a quick update. We are still in limbo. Hubby has been going in to work and nobody's talked to him yet about termination/transition/transfer, so we have no idea what's going on. We have totally been on edge for days (can't sleep, can barely eat, etc). I think if they terminate him and his last day is before the trip (in 9 days), and he gets a decent severance (still TBD), we will probably proceed with the trip. If they want to transition him out more slowly, and it's going to take a few weeks, or if by some wild chance they're going to keep him, then HE may be unable to make the trip, which means I have to decide if I'm going to take the kids or maybe have my mom go with us.

I called Disney and they said I could change the name on the air reservation if my mom decided to go with us, but the airlines charge a $150 fee to do that - totally doable.

I called the trip insurance, and they told me that, unfortunately, the termination has to happen BEFORE the trip in order for us to be reimbursed for the trip.

This just stinks because we have been planning a 'big' family trip for years for our anniversary, saving for it, and it sucks that it's all going down this way. Even if we do end up going, I haven't been able to adequately plan at all. My mind has totally been preoccupied.

 

[Sienna]

Okay, folks, I have an update. We are going on the trip and we leave on Friday! Hubby had his last day, and we got a decent severance package, so we are comfortable going on the trip. We are really looking forward to a change of scenery and some fun family time. Haven't been able to plan much up til now, so we're kindof scrambling to get things ready, but it's all good.

 

[AJKMOM]

With all the *#@* you've been through, I just wanted to wish you a happy trip. I hope you have a good time, you deserve it.

 

[Jsmply]

I hope you have the time of your life! Try to relax and enjoy it! You got enough savings, severence money, and your husband will find more work when he gets back. Enjoy the stress free time and the already paid for trip and live it up together!

I'll pray everything goes great, sounds like you deserve it!

 

[julirina]

I'm really glad you're managing to all go together. I hope hubby has a great time and comes home to find a new job quickly. Thanks for letting us know how it all worked out!

 

[Bearybear]

I am so sorry for all the stress you've gone through with your husband's job. I hope you have a magical time at Disney. Enjoy the time together.

 

[sandymandr]

I feel awful for all the stress you have been through and hope you have a very magical trip! Promise us that you will relax and enjoy your family time, I hope there are good things waiting for you when you get home!

 

[NOLA_Tink]

I feel terrible for you! The same thing happened to my best friend's DH last year before their WDW trip. They ended up downgrading to a value, but they decided to simply go anyway. Throughout the trip, and afterwards, she kept saying that she was incredibly happy they didn't cancel. They really needed a break from "life" & ended up having an absolute blast. I hope your trip is very magical!!!

 

[jayally]

I had a trip scheduled for Nov 2009 but was laid off for a couple of months in March and in a panic I canceled and should have kept it as all was ok in the end. I felt so bad when the trip time came around and we were not going and have regretted it every since. It would be a different story if you still needed to pay for it all or desperately needed the money. I hope you have a great time! Vacations are great times to re-group and prepare yourself for the next chapter in your life.

 

[Sienna]

I should have updated this AGES ago. Anyway, we went on the trip and had a great time overall. We had a few 'weird' moments, sortof like an out-of-body experience where it just seemed bizarre to be on this fabulous vacation, knowing that hubby lost his job. For the most part, though, we tried not to let it get us down.

That said, he quickly found a new job and has been back to work for a couple of months now!

 

[rcraw45425]

I should have updated this AGES ago. Anyway, we went on the trip and had a great time overall. We had a few 'weird' moments, sortof like an out-of-body experience where it just seemed bizarre to be on this fabulous vacation, knowing that hubby lost his job. For the most part, though, we tried not to let it get us down.

That said, he quickly found a new job and has been back to work for a couple of months now!

 

[foreUT]

Congratulations on a great trip and the new job!