Stuck in Florida - Pros and Cons?

[Pegasus928]

With all the recent events surrounding people being stuck in Florida I got to wondering what the pros and cons of that situation are.
Speaking from a personal point of view I see it like this:

Pros
Longer holiday.
The chance to do things that may have been left of the list due to limited time.
As I am not self employed my job would still be waiting when I get back.
Can you ever get too much of Florida

Cons
More money spent on accommodation, car hire, food (the list goes on)
Uncertainty of when we were to get home
Kids would be out of school longer than they need to be
Prospect of a 'journey from hell' to get home when we do get round to it.

I'm sure that more would become apparent as the days went on - but these are the ones that sprang to mind when I first thought about it.
What would you see as the pros and cons - and for the purposes of this thread please try to restrict it to how it would affect you rather than speculating how it affects others

 

[champagnegirl26]

For us:
Pros: We would have park tickets left and so could hit the parks with no further ticket costs and get more done
We have booked a package deal so hopefully virgin holidays would have to support us whilst stuck?
More sunshine
More time as a family

Cons: Im self employed and me not being at work would not only give us major trouble financially when we got home but would inconvinience dramatically 6 families back home as im their childminder!
We would have to live off credit cards whilst there
We would have to extend our car hire and move to a cheaper resort
We would owe the valet carparking at Gatwick lots of money on our return.
We would be unable to totally relax knowing how much this was getting us into debt with the uncertainty of when we would get home.

 

[disneyholic family]

i think the enjoyment of extra days in the sun is disturbed by constantly having to deal with the authorities - the airlines to find out when we're flying...the hotel to keep getting extensions at a reasonable rate...ditto for the car rental...etc etc.

it would be the opposite of a relaxing vacation...

 

[a jay]

We were stuck in Florida for an extra week in 2004 or 05 (can't quite remember) it was summer when the hurricanes kept comming and comming! We had been on holiday fot 3 weeks and were due to fly home on Sat morning. On the Friday a hurricane hit florida causing damage to the airports.
This paticular year we had DIY'd our holiday and had flown with BMI. We could of got a flight out within the next couple of days but only to our stop over airport (in this case Washington) because BMI only fly into Washington on certain days we would of been stuck for another few days and decided to stick it out in Orlando.
All the cons you have mentioned are sooooo true, but the biggy really is cost. We had to check into a hotel (we had been in a villa) but the hurricane had left many places without power and many of the pools were damaged and un-useable, as all of you have mentioned car hire, we also had our dogs in kennels and they were in for a total of 4 weeks (which was a cost of a holiday in itself). Many of our friends thougt were SAD when we arrived home and said we could'nt wait to get home. We love disney and next year holiday will be our 7th trip (so no, not even a hurricane can put you off) but i can honestly say that 4th week was not that relaxing: the constant phone calls to the airline, worrying about another hurricane brewing, and of course MONEY.My husband is self employed and 4 weeks off caused us to cancel a holiday planned for that christmas. School wise we were ok as it was summer holidays. What we learnt from the experience was too always take more money than you plan for or have your credit card with you and think about in direct flights. We have flown in direct since this but the thought of being stranded in an airport lounge is always in the back of my mind. If the price is good we tend to fly Virgin, but this year their price were sky high (hence no 2010 holiday to florida)

 

[UKDEB]

We had a group of DIS friends around yesterday and this cropped up as a topic of conversation. For me, although it might seem like a dream scenario, I'm not sure the reality would be quite as wonderful as the concept. One thing's certain, though, I'd rather be stuck in Orlando waiting to fly home than stuck in the UK waiting to fly out.

Pros

• Guilt-free extension to the holiday. If I can't get home, I don't have to worry about how it's inconveniencing anyone else.
• Spending more time in Orlando. I always want to go for longer than Matt, anyway, and we usually have to find a compromise. I hate flying for starters, so I want to feel I've got sufficient reward for the ordeal. And flights are increasingly expensive, so going for longer somehow seems to mitigate the cost. I know that the longer the holiday, the greater the overall outlay, but the cost per day is less, so I feel I'm getting better value.
• Delaying the dreadful reality of having to come home to the daily grind.

Cons

• Not being able to plan for the extra days and look forward to them. The anticipation is a huge part of the pleasure for me.
• Having to go through that dreadful "going home" feeling twice. Different if you find out near the start of the trip that it'll be extended, but to go through the psychological and practical wind down once and then find you're not going home at all would definitely make the extra days seem less like part of the holiday and more like a waiting game.
• Eating into annual holiday allowance with no control over the situation.

 

[dixonsontour]

We were stuck for an extra week in Dec 2007 - daughter started with chickenpox the evening before we were due to fly home.

Pros were extra time in florida. We were able to stay in our four bed villa with pool so hardly slumming it! Had internet so could email etc.

Cons were we had literally spent all our cash (had about $100 to our name). Luckily we had a CC with us and could withdraw from our Nationwide account but it still makes me shudder when I read of people going with no CC/working debit card.

Not sure how the current people stand but we had to fight our holiday insurance tooth and nail to get paid out (ombudsman involved). We ended up out of pocket for the wages, car hire, food, telephone calls, faxes.

Work were less than impressed - we both work in the same office. We had no more hols left so both had to take time off unpaid.

Very stressful, we were due out of the villa in a few hours and didn't know where we would go. Luckily management were fabulous and we could stay.

Hope everyone who is stuck over there is ok and making the best of it.

 

[sandshal]

Another "con" which I think has already been raised on one of the other threads is medication or lack of!

My husband's on an oil rig in the Norwiegan sector at the moment (1 and 1/2 hr flight from Aberdeen), only expected to do a 2 week trip and only took an extra 7 days blood pressure tablets just in case it dragged out longer .... shudder to think what's going to happen if he runs out ..... and no chemists for miles!

Impacts everyone ... dread to think how much this will cost industry alone

 

[wils]

Not quite Mr sandshal's problem (nightmare) but DH has already had to have one course of tablets whilst we were out here (the cellulitis he had at Christmas flaired up when we were at Gatwick!) that was $250 to see a Dr to get a prescription. They ran out yesterday and his asthma meds are low! Please send any spare prayers or pixie dust!

 

[Rosie]

Sadly unless you are able to fund everything and have your own accomodation there are no pros
For villa/condo owners it might be quite nice but for those of us who don't know from one day to the next whether we have somewhere to stay it isn't a holiday any more.
To make things even worse it has rained all day today. I am concerned about my DS as he has multiple health/special needs conditions and also for my pets. I am lucky that money is a bit lower down the list of worries but I don't think there is a positive side to this situation for most of us who can't get home.

 

[wils]

As I've said before if I have to be stuck it might as well be here! Not really a holiday anymore though - can't sleep again worrying about what we'll do if we can't fly Saturday as they'll be even more people to compete with to try and rebook.

If it was 11 days til next available seats from MCO on Saturday (and we were prob one of the first from our flight to rebook as we were on the phone with BA as they caancelled the flight) what will it be next time with another week's flights being rebooked


I know someone stuck in LA - they've been told they could be here to May.

 

[disney_princess_85]

As I don't have a credit card and I don't take emergency cash with me, I'd be in a rubbish position if I was stranded abroad right now. If this fiasco has taught me anything, it's to apply for a credit card to be used for emergencies only.

I know someone stuck in LA - they've been told they could be here to May.

What a nightmare.

 

[disneyholic family]

I know someone stuck in LA - they've been told they could be here to May.

i can't begin to imagine that..

regarding medicine - i'm always worried about that aspect of it...
I'm on medication that isn't sold in the US (it's sold everywhere else in the world, but not the US)..
so when i travel to the US, i take about 4 months with me....
sounds extreme (i've said i'm a worrier)...
but just in case, i take a whole lot with me...
i have to play all sorts of games to build up my 'stash' before i travel (it can only be purchased with a prescription), but i always take a huge amount with me....you never know...

 

[DCLMan]

Speaking from a personal point of view I see it like this:

Sadly unless you are able to fund everything and have your own accomodation there are no pros

I agree with Rosie. Unless you have an unlimited budget I cannot see any pro's.

I have a friend who went to Orlando with a family party of 12. They flew out of Orlando to Detroit and then were supposed to flying to Bristol on Thursday. Delta told them they had to go to Detroit and now they are stuck there, waiting. They are in a grotty hotel, they are running out of money and they are being told they may fly back next Monday at the earliest. That means 11 days in Detroit.

 

[UKDEB]

Simon Calder was talking on This Morning and I'm positive he said that if you've booked an ABTA bonded package, or a flight with a European airline, they're bound to provide accommodation and 3 meals a day until they can get you home.

 

[disneyholic family]

I heard someone on sky who said they only have to cover the first few days of hotel

 

[disneyholic family]

That means 11 days in Detroit.

terrible!!!
They must be in one of the hellholes near the airport!
And it's not even near anything interesting... You are totally in the miiddle of nowhere ...
How horrifying for them...
You can't even imagine what a horrible place it is...
I hope things improve for them

 

[a jay]

Did anyone else see/hear the "this morning" i'm sure Simon Calder said the same thing but now im doubting i heard it right?

This is a complete nightmare. Does anyone know what happens if you book with a registered european airline (abta reg) and this sort of thing happens? Are the airline supposed to take care of you? We do take credit cards with us on holiday and always have a contingency fund but i'll be honest even that would be running on empty by now!

What happens to fly drive packages? are the airline only responsible for your flight ? What happens to your car hire agreement? I presume you would have to sort out your own accomodation.

 

[Red-Snapper]

Got stuck for 5 extra days because of Hurricane Frances (they closed the airport the day we were due to fly home)

Whilst the extra time should have been great I remeber it wasnt really - due to stressing about work - who were very good about it but that still didnthelp you to relax.

Also one big con for me was that for the first time ever we literally had to go from the airport to work once we finally did get home - a long day that was !!

 

[katytrott]

I know someone stuck in LA - they've been told they could be here to May.

Awful, awful situation. Although I totaly appreciate just how worrying it must be for those stuck in Orlando, I can't help but think that is on of the best places in the world to be stuck at. I have two examples:

A good friend visited Taiwan over hols with her 6 year old and 10 month old (without her hubby). She found out yesterday she can't get a flight till 11th May. Two kids are totally homesick and not sleeping in the variety of different places they are staying. From her emails she is getting approx two hours sleep a night and is VERY depressed. Her older son has been bitten alive and bites have become infected. Her husband has told her to travel to Rome and travel across land to home (South Engalnd), but she just can't see how practical that is as she is on her own with two youngsters, four peices of luggage and a buggy! From what I saw on 1 o'clock news, I think she should stay put.

My sister in law and her DS6 and DS9 visited her dad in Bangkok over the hols. She also has been booked earliest 9th May to come home. At least she is with her dad though, but all these kids are missing at least 3 weeks of school, could be more.

 

[Lizzybear]

Honestly, I can't think of any pros for me personally. I do take credit cards on holiday but staying a week or more longer than planned would really stretch me financially, especially as i'm almost certain i'd have to take unpaid leave from work.