Oh no! We may have to reschedule our trip! HELP

[CallMeKel77]

My husband's father just died this morning after being in ICU for going on 3 weeks now , and we are/were planning our trip for the 13-20th. DH told me to look into cancelling/rescheduling. Of course I understand him not wanting to go....but it still is a total bummer since we have been looking forward to this trip for forever.
Has anoyone ever done had to cancel/reschedule last minute? Is is hard to do?
Guess I'll have a ton of dining reservations to give up as well.

 

[kevschickee]

Oh no I am so sorry is he sure he wants to cancel it may be good for him to go away and have a little fun. It is only the 4th so that would give 8 days for the wake and funeral. Please don't think I am a heartless wench we just lost my grandparent (they lived with us and died in our house) and distractions were great. Maybe even just move it to the next week? Good luck and be strong for him *hugs*

 

[doxxie]

Oh no. I'm sure it happens though and there must be a way to reschedule. They just brought out some deals for early 2010 too so maybe that will help and you won't lose any rate you had.

However, do you think your DH will change his mind in couple of days and want the trip as a distraction to what's going on at home? Luckily, I don't have any first hand knowledge but I know that I've read stories about families who lost a spouse and went on their trip despite it all and ended up having a great time and feeling like it's what they needed. It's just a horrible thought and I hate that anybody has to go through that. I know there may be things he has to tend to but it's only the 4th so he may want a break from the reality of it all by the 13th.

Good luck. Again, I'm sure, like any hotel, Disney has had to deal with this kind of thing and I'm sure they must let people reschedule. Not sure about price changes and such but...

 

[CallMeKel77]

Oh no I am so sorry is he sure he wants to cancel it may be good for him to go away and have a little fun. It is only the 4th so that would give 8 days for the wake and funeral. Please don't think I am a heartless wench we just lost my grandparent (they lived with us and died in our house) and distractions were great. Maybe even just move it to the next week? Good luck and be strong for him *hugs*

Thanks for the kind words.
I, too, am hopeful he will still want to go...and I agree it would be a good distraction.

 

[Nancyg56]

I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my Mom on January 3rd and we had a WDW trip planned for the 19th. My family left it up to me and I decided we would still go. For me, the distractions were good but I barely remember that trip. I think I was more numb than I thought. My DH would never have been able to go if it was his Dad, I would have canceled.

Perhaps look into the cancellation but let it go until the last minute if you can. Your DH may be change his mind. Don't cancel the ADR's until you know for sure what you are going to do.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Do you have trip insurance? If not, I would call Disney and explain the situation. They may be willing to waive cancellation fees, etc., due to your circumstances. Then put the vacation money aside until your DH is ready for a trip.

People grieve in different ways, if DH doesn't want to go, please don't try to talk him into it. You have to follow his lead. Disney will be there next year or whenever, and hopefully under much happier circumstances. One thing I'll tell you about losing a parent, you remember who was there for you, and who wasn't. Your only priority right now is helping your husband.

That said, it's okay to be bummed about cancelling the trip and the ADRs that you probably planned for months and all. Feel free to vent to us, and save your smile and good humor for your family in this difficult time. And just think--if you reschedule, you can re-plan all those ADRs and stuff, right?

 

[Britgirlus]

I think maybe your dh will reconsider and still go to Disney - - it would do you all a world of good. Having said that, if he feels he can't go, I have heard that Disney are very good at rescheduling due to situations such as this. My dad (in England) died this past May, while I was on vacation with my family at Disney world. We knew he was terminal, and he had told me on many occasions that I was not to "spoil" my vacation because of him - and my mum made sure I didn't; she arranged his funeral for after our vacation, so I would have time to get flights over there. It was very strange being there, but at the same time, I was able to celebrate his life in the most magical place on earth

 

[ogreenlee]

We're going to Disney this December on the first anniversary of my mother's death. She died 12/15. My husband's dad died 12/30 the year before. Needless to say that the holidays will never be the same. We're going to try and change up our tradition and leave town around that time to get us away from home and monotony.

My suggestion is to not make Disney part of a bad memory for him. You never know how he'll associate the trip with his father's death. It could be good, but it could be bad.

Disney will be hard for us, but my mom took me many times when I was little. WDW and I were born the same year. She loved it, and we thankfully got to go together with my little girl before she ever got sick. So I have good memories of my mom and Disney... which is why I really want to go for the holidays.

Good luck in your choice. I know it's heartbreaking, but maybe if you could just postpone it a couple of months? I did plan a trip two months after my mom died to Colorado for a ski trip. It was a nice break from sorrow.

 

[tigger51276]

Hopefully your DH will change his mind as PP's have said. I just lost my job and my grandmother all in the same week (she had been in and out of ICU for 2 months) a couple weeks ago and while I miss her terribly, she loved Disney and Florida as much as I and would not want me to cancel my girls trip to Disney as she knows how much my oldest has been looking forward to it.
Very sorry for your loss and hopefully everything will work itself out.

 

[CallMeKel77]

We have decided to push it back a month. I am in the process of rescheduling everything to mid-November right now.

 

[thebeesknees]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I agree that you should wait to cancel your ADRs until the last minute. In the mean time, maybe you could call Disney and explain the situation to see what they can do as far as changing your dates of stay. Don't change anything just yet, but see what your options are. That way, you will have the information at hand for whatever your husband decides. Hugs to you, and know you can come here and vent any time.

 

[kevschickee]

A month isn't too bad. How is your husband doing? I am glad you are still going. Just think they will prob have the thanksgiving decorations up

 

[DVC Sadie]

The above poster probably posted this on the wrong thread.

I am so sorry for your families loss and hope that all of you can go on your trip next month.

 

[Disneygal4life]

I think you're right in rescheduling. The last time we went to Disney my husband's father had just had major heart surgery unexpectadly and then was still recovering in the hospital when we left. It was really stressful on him and we honestly didn't have as good a time because of it. You're probably better off letting some time pass like you're doing so that things can calm down and hopefully your entire family can enjoy the trip.

 

[CallMeKel77]

I think we're gonna go Nov. 11th thru 19th!

 

[frtchr]

I'm so sorry for your loss.
I'm glad you were able to reschedule. I know that grief tends to hit me the hardest once things have slowed down a little, like after funerals, etc. I hope that the trip will be a nice distraction for your DH. Maybe you could find a way to honor your FIL on your trip? Write his name on a balloon and let it go or write his name in the sand on one of the resort beaches and take a family picture by it. After re-reading that, I hope it doesn't sound stupid. I just thought it might be a nice way to remember him and help DH deal with his loss.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I hope your rescheduled trip goes great!

Please remember that it will likely take your DH a long time to grieve, and grief comes out in weird ways. I know I thought I was doing fine through some hard things, but then something would set me off, and next thing I knew, I'd be blubbering in the produce aisle of the supermarket, or something equally strange. So, just give your DH all the support you can, and keep your expectations low for the trip. Hopefully, you'll be pleasantly surprised.