Should we go or cancel

[Ears]

We have a trip booked for the beginning of Oct. and we just found out my DH will be losing his job around the end of the year. GM dealership. The money is already saved up and in a savings account waiting. The thing is we could cancel and get our deposit back but would lose all the $ on the airfare which is $900. What would you do?

 

[starrynyt]

Ears,

I am so sorry to hear about DHs job! I wish I had some advice but I don't. Can you cancel the tickets, for a fee, but be able to use them at another time? That way it only costs a fraction of the $900?

 

[Tabatha]

I think that it is a decison that only you can make. I would base my opinion on

• the job market in your area - how quickly will he be able to find something else?
• your personal finances - how long will you be able to survive without his income

good luck in whatever you decide

 

[danceintherain]

Have you called and talked to the airline?
They'll probably at least give you a credit for the unused tickets that you'll have to use within a year, which could be useful if you have to relocate. (you may have to pay a fee, and still pay the difference between the ticket cost)
Also, if he does find a new job relatively quickly, then you can rebook with Disney at another time.

I would definitely look at the cost between losing the $900 for the tickets and how much extra it will cost to go on the trip. You might find that you need the money to survive later on, and a trip to Disney would seem at that point.

 

[Ears]

I had thought of that also but if I'm not mistaken they still charge us for them now and to change the dates they will also charge us a change fee. Actually they are already paid for. I knew I should have waited. We just didn't think this whole GM thing would affect the dealerships and closings this much. We thought we were good after the dealership made it through the cuts a couple of weeks ago. I just keep thinking our kids are only young once and with a new job (hopefully) we won't be able to go for a long while. I'm tempted just to go. I just don't know.

 

[natmurr]

Is this a Disney trip? "Free" dining? Are you planning any other air travel within the next year i.e Thanksgiving, Christmas, family function? Do you have additional savings over and above the vacation money?

If you have an additional savings, if the trip is free dining and if you are not needing to fly anywhere in the next year I would do the trip. I wouldn't spend a dime on extras and stay in the cheapest accomodations but I'd still go.

If however you're planning on flying somewhere for a family function or somewhere where you HAVE to be then I would not take the trip and use the credits for a future flight.

 

[AndreaDM]

I would go to Orlando because I would hate to be out the airfare, but I'd scale back my plans from Disney to staying somewhere off property with a nice pool (check vrbo) and doing inexpensive things like the beach and maybe one day at Busch Gardens, etc. If you get a condo or house you could make your meals there. Still do an evening or so at Downtown Disney for dinner or something.

 

[stephie1012]

i say go..but stay in value (if not already) and try and cut back any extras..sorry to hear about your DH. My dh is a tech at a dealer (not GM) and im always worried.

 

[xmlguy]

I would go to Orlando because I would hate to be out the airfare, but I'd scale back my plans from Disney to staying somewhere off property with a nice pool (check vrbo) and doing inexpensive things like the beach and maybe one day at Busch Gardens, etc. If you get a condo or house you could make your meals there. Still do an evening or so at Downtown Disney for dinner or something.

+1

Go, but scale back the plans to budget-minded options. You can get good rooms as low as $30/night at Extended Stay America Universal, or do PriceLine Bidding for 3* hotels.

 

[Ears]

We are staying at POP with the free dining. Four the 4 of us with the airfare it's a total of about $2100 included in that is the airfare. I don't think staying off site we could do for that cheap. I had already planned on bringing breakfast foods for the one meal a day we don't get w/ the FD. Or doing a brunch and dinner.
We don't have any other places we would need the tickets for and we also have $ saved aside from the trip $ and will be getting a bit from a inheritance.
I will call the airline when I get home from work. If they will let us cancel w/o a huge fee. I think that will be the route we'll go. Then go when we are better situated. I'll let you all know.
Thank you everyone for your quick responses, the dis members are the best.

 

[AndreaDM]

I didn't mean stay offsite and go to Disney, I just meant not making this a Disney trip at all. Staying offsite and exploring all the other free/cheap things Florida has to offer. Just a suggestion, good luck! Free dining is hard to turn down though!

 

[DVCBELLE]

Since your husband will actually still be employed then - I would go ahead and take the trip. Hopefully he will find a new job by then.

I am not sure what the cancellation policy is at Disney but I would wait until the last minute to make my decision. If you get to the drop dead date to cancel and you aren't comfortable with going then cancel it.

Just remember - you don't want to be the lady on here who wasn't sure how she was going to feed her family but is in WDW right now....your airfare is sunk costs but the other $1300 is and could make the difference of an extra month of expenses.

 

[wall*e2008]

It would depend how much money I have saved without the $1200 from the vacation, what are the chances that your DH and you could get a job, how the housing market is in your area if you need to relocate and how long you can live in your home with your savings.

 

[TifffanyD]

Go - stay at POP, scale back your tickets to ONE park day. Use the rest of the days to visit other resorts, swim in the pool, and do "free" things. Take the monorail loop "inside" Epcot and such. The hotel is a little more but includes food for 4 people. Make all your ADR's at non-park restaurants. Since you have to pay tips, consider swapping to CS for some if it's an option.

 

[Darcy03231]

Go - stay at POP, scale back your tickets to ONE park day. Use the rest of the days to visit other resorts, swim in the pool, and do "free" things. Take the monorail loop "inside" Epcot and such. The hotel is a little more but includes food for 4 people. Make all your ADR's at non-park restaurants. Since you have to pay tips, consider swapping to CS for some if it's an option.

This is a really great idea. I know there was a thread about free/inexpensive things to do at WDW. One was a campfire/sing-a-long/movie at Fort Wilderness (I think).

 

[Mrs.Reese]

Given the ever-detoriating job market, I would cancel if I was in the slightest way worried about the finances. I remember reading that it's taking the average worker somewhere around 180 days to find a new job. many people that lost their jobs are taking positions paying far less than their old ones just to get some work. Disney will be there next year.

It's good that you know well in advance that he is losing his job. You get time to prepare. I would cut back on my expenses now. They may say that he'll have a job till October but what's to prevent them from coming in next week and saying, "Sorry but it will be August now." Maybe you can save up enough to be able to pay for Disney.

 

[Colleen27]

I'd go. Keep to a strict budget without a lot of extras that cost $$ and make sure your DH is on the ball about looking for work, but it sounds like you have some savings, you won't be completely tapped because of the trip, and he's got quite a bit of advance notice as far as finding new work. As you said, rescheduling for after he finds a new job might be very difficult (most of the jobs my DH has had don't allow employees to take vacation until they have at least a year in), so even if your airline is willing to let you have a credit for the tickets it is possible you won't be able to use it before it expires.

Personally, I'd economize like crazy, find every corner to cut in the budget, save every penny I find on the ground (well okay, I do all of that anyway), but I'd still take the trip.

 

[mdsouth]

Did you buy your tickets directly on your own or were they purchased by Disney as part of your package?

Did you buy the travel insurance through Disney?

If you got your airfare tickets through Disney and have the travel insurance, then you can cancel the trip without penalty or loss of the airfare since your DH is losing his job. So, you might be in luck.

 

[mskayjay]

GO!!!!!! If you need to change hotels and economize a bit then so be it but go go go go go!!!!!!!!

 

[rockundergirl]

i would find out the last possible date that i could cancel, and on that day cancel if you hubby has not secured a new job. ( or you found another source of income for the family) Maybe even use it as motivation in the search. I hate to tell you to cancel your trip, but in the current economy i see people losing their houses over job loses... better safe thn sorry, and Disney will be around for a long time...