Sad News

[pwwhitehead]

As a person who views this forum on a daily basis, with the occasional comment I need your advise.

i have a two week vacation at BWV statring on the 4th October. My Mother who is 80 years old is very ill. She has cancer of the throat and it does not look good. She lived a long way away on her own and is getting very weak, due to her not eating.

At the present time I am in a terrible state deciding what to do. Do I cancel now and recalim the point of wait until nearer the time. If she is well I could go hoping that she will be alright when I am away, or cancel in the last week putting the points in a holding account. I know my Mother would want me to go, but the thought of her passing away while i'm on holiday is a terrible thought. Do DVC make any concessions for cancellations covering these situation or are the rules applied.

 

[Miffy2003]

Oh my goodness, you poor thing.

I don't know what I would do to be perfectly honest. I suspect I would probably cancel now as personally I doubt I would enjoy myself if I was waiting for "that call". However your mum may make a short term recovery I guess in which case you could still go and therefore should not cancel?

I really don't know what the best thing is but is it worth giving Member Services a ring to see if they can give you any advice regarding your points and any options available to you in these exceptional circumstances.

My best wishes and thoughts to you at this very difficult time.

Karen

 

[Hilary]

What a sad situation to be in. These must be difficult times for you all.

Of course, you must do what ultimately feels right for you and your mother, and as an outside observer, I can only offer an opinion on your predicament.

From what you've said, I'm not sure that you'd be able to enjoy your trip knowing your mother was ill thousands of miles away. I understand that she wouldn't want you to change your arrangements on her account, but I'm sure she would also welcome you near her if she became very ill.

Is there any chance that you could speak to your mother's doctor to get an informed opinion of your mother's prognosis? I know it's always difficult with patient confidentiality, etc., but they may be prepared to say whether they think it's a good idea for you to go away in October.

As for Disney making exceptions to the cancellation rules, I've heard it's something they sometimes do, judging each case individually, but I don't think you could count on it.

Best wishes to you, your mother and all your family.

 

[pwwhitehead]

Thank you for all your thoughts. The trouble is that my Mother is waiting for the CT Scan. Untill that arrives I don't really know the situation. My Mother is just not eating at all and apppears to have given up. She is the last of many brothers and sisters. In her mine she just gives the impresstion that she wants to join them. I am going up next week so I may be able to fine out more then.

Again thanks for all your caring thoughts

 

[pwwhitehead]

Thank you for all your thoughts. The trouble is that my Mother is waiting for the CT Scan. Untill that arrives I don't really know the situation. My Mother is just not eating at all and apppears to have given up. She is the last of many brothers and sisters. In her mine she just gives the impresstion that she wants to join them. I am going up next week so I may be able to fine out more then.

Again thanks for all your caring thoughts

 

[Peebee]

What an awful situation to be faced with. My thoughts are with you and your mother at a time like this.

On the issue of your DVC booking i'm fairly sure that you might be able to invoke the 'secret once in a lifetime' banking option. There is nothing in the member guidebook about it, but i'm sure my guide mentioned it at the original sales presentation, and it's mentioned on a few US DVC threads such as this one .

Why don't you give member services a call to discuss the situation and ask about the possibility of using this one-off option if needed?

Paul

 

[Pootle]

I'm so sorry to hear of your awful dilemma.

In March we had a 2 week Florida holiday booked, taking in Vero Beach, some touring and the final week at OKW. Our 'Use Year' is April. My sister-in-law died whilst we were out there and we returned early, cancelling our OKW stay and losing some points.

I appreciate that your situation is different and I don't think you are really in a position to make a decision about your holiday just yet. My thoughts are with you at this difficult time.

 

[MickeyMcMouse]

Hope everything turns out ok, for Mother.

I am pretty sure, I have read on the US boards, that once you start your holiday, the whole of your points are committed. ie you could not cancel your second week and put the points into a holding account.

However a quick call to member services would confirm this.

David

 

[vernon]

Sorry to hear about your difficult situation.

It's a tough question, only you know how you feel about the situation. I wouldn't like to go away, feeling I may be called back at any moment ( and then have to deal with changing flights etc at an already stressful time).

There are a couple of ways you could deal with the DVC aspect of things though.
1) Cancel the DVC booking (but not the flights), working on the principal you'll get some sort of DVC rooms, but maybe not DVC, if you decide to go at the last minute ( after more medical advice) Your flights would be covered on insurance I'm sure.
2) You could make your DVC booking into two separate bookings ( maybe different resorts) so if you do get called back just a day or two into your holiday you wouldn't lose all of the points.

When I had to cancel a DVC booking at short notice (due to a slipped disc) member services were very helpful in dealing with the situation, so I would also suggest calling them and asking what's the best way for you to go, if you decide to go ahead with the booking.

I hope it turns out OK for you

 

[gilld]

First of all, I'm so sorry to hear about your Mum. Throat cancer is particularly nasty and I can understand at 80 that she has given up.

Since you can cancel up to a day before and have the points placed in a holding account, I think I'd wait for a while. You might find it easier to make a decision then. I know that I wouldn't be able to go, but things may be different in a few weeks and you might want to go.

I agree with the others that it might be worth contacting Member Services for advise. I hope you decide on the right thing for you...we're all different.

My thoughts are with you..

 

[pwwhitehead]

Thank you all. My Mother has now been admitted to hospital. She fell and could not get up. Thankfully my cousin assisted. She is very scared of being alone. They are carrying out the CT Scan toworrow, Friday, I am going up next week to see her. Very upset cannot wait to see her

 

[Hilary]

I hope the scan helps give you all a better idea of the situation, and maybe put your mother's mind at rest to an extent, as it's usually easier to know the full picture rather than let your imagination run riot.

I'm sure you can't wait to see your mother next week, and we'll be keeping you in our thoughts.