Supposed to be Leaving on Wednesday for BWI, But May Have to Cancel! (Kind of Long)

[antmaril]

We are supposed to be flying out of Detroit on Wednesday morning for four nights at BWI and three nights at Portofino Bay at Universal. I have been planning this trip for months.

Unfortunately and sadly, my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer about five weeks ago. He was given about six months - more or less. He is not receiving any treatment for his cancer. We thought we would be able to get this trip in, but my husband is starting to get nervous about being gone for a week. My father-in-law is starting to have more bad days than decent days.

Obviously, there is a lot of money at stake. I am two days away from arriving at BWI, I have non-refundable airline tickets on Northwest Airlines, and I purchased almost $1,000 in theme park tickets. (They won't expire, so I'll just have to hang on to them for another time.)

We are going to make a decision by tomorrow. My husband is going to talk to his dad's doctor this afternoon.

Do you think Disney will let me pick another date for the reservations at this late date? I don't really know what dates to choose at this point, but I could pick something next year. Obviously, I won't get any deals at this point, but I might be able to add a code later.

Has anyone ever had a situation like this? Are they at all flexible under the circumstances. I made a $340 deposit for the BWI - hate to lose it.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[kdibattista]

I am so sorry for you and your family. Do you have traveler's insurance? I assume it should not be a problem to change if you do have the insurance... I am not sure what can be done if you don't.

 

[DebbieB]

Sorry to hear about your FIL. One thing to watch for - many of the airlines require you to reschedule non-refundable tickets before the departure date, otherwise they are worthless. It used to be you could exchange them for up to a year after. I don't know what Northwest's policy is, you will probably have to pay $100 per ticket change fee.

In 1996, my mom and I were scheduled to go to WDW, we had a package deal at the Poly. The day before, her doctor advised her not to go. I was able to get the deposit back.

 

[floridafam]

Sorry to hear about your father-in-law.

Yes, we have been in a similar situation.

My brother had colon cancer that had spread to his liver and lungs. We had our wedding planned in Florida and did not know what to do. Well, he died 6 days before our wedding-2 days before we were due to leave for Florida.

Your FIL was recently diagnosed. 6 months is not an exact figure. If you make plans for a later date you may find yourself in the same situation as you are today. You just can't go by the timeline the doctors give you. There are always variables. So I would not reschedule for a later time. You can always plan something later if you feel like it.

So, do you cancel now? What are your FIL's wishes? I would be hesitant to go. When my brother was first diagnosed he felt very lonely-especially at night-even though he was married. Cancer patients often lie awake at night thinking about their diagnosis and have a hard time sleeping. This really bothered me about my brother's situation and we tried to have someone there near him at night if he just wanted to talk-he was in his living room in a hospital bed.

The $ factor-I have no doubt Disney will work with you on getting your deposit back. I informed them when we made reservations that time that we had a terminal illness in the family and may have to cancel at the last minute and they assured us that we would not lose any money. Please give them a call.

IMHO, I would either cancel and just go at another time. Can you change your airline tickets or do you lose $1000?

Has your FIL expressed any interest in going with you? Would this be a possibility?

I did talk to my brother while he was sick and he said he wanted us to go to Florida and be happy but we just felt bad. It is even difficult asking a sick loved one for their opinion because just asking is implying that they are going to pass on-I did not want to admit this even though my brother and all of us knew exactly what was going to happen.

Do what your heart tells you to do. There isn't a right and a wrong decision here. I'm sure you will figure out what to do.

Again, I'm sorry for your situation and I hope your FIL feels well.

Please keep us posted on your situation and what you decide to do.

 

[antmaril]

Thank you for your kind wishes.

I am aware that NW will ask us to rebook a trip in order to save some value on our tickets. I really don't know what to do about this, since I don't have a crystal ball. I am tempted to just book flights to Chicago from Detroit for sometime next year - at least I won't have to add any money to the tickets.

My father-in-law is at peace with his prognosis. He knows it's going to happen and is able to talk about it. He is not well enough to go with us.

I will see what the doctor has to say this afternoon and we will decide after that - either way, it's not going to be much fun.

My husband wants my son (16) and I to go without him, but I don't really want to do that.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[antmaril]

Floridafam - Meant to add my condolences on the loss of your brother. I'm sure that was very hard for all of you.

 

[vicb]

What a hard time for your whole family, so sorry . Northwest definitely will make you reschedule before your departure or you lose the value of your ticket completely. This is a tough one to call, if it were me... I would probably stay home and hope to get to Disney next year. Sounds like DH would'nt be able to enjoy this trip and I know I'd be like you and not want to go without him.

Best wishes.

 

[PoohBWV]

We were in the same situation last year with a cruise. We were planning on going on a cruise with another family. Our kids were going to share a cabin. We then found out that my dad was diagnosed with bone cancer. That was in October, our cruise was for March. I cancelled even then, because I knew I would lose a lot of money, and because we knew about his condition trip insurance would not cover it. Besides I just couldn't be away from him. He is still alive, but not doing very well. Cancer is such a terrible disease and my mom needs all the help she can get in caring for him. I know there will be trips in the future, but for right now we're staying put.

 

[BostonMouse]

Sorry to hear about your situation. I'm in a similar situation. my FIL was diagnosed with mesothelioma (terminal asbestos related lung cancer). He was given 6-9 months. That was 2.5 years ago. He's still moving along with his life, even though his bad days occur more frequently. We're leaving for WDW on 6/30. DW (44yo) needs the break, as she had a stroke in Feb. which I truly believe was due, in-part, to the stresses from FIL's illness.

It's almost easier for us to go than you because we've been at this for 2.5 years vs your 5 weeks. I'd have to say that it all depends on your FIL and DH. How do they feel about the trip? There hasn't been a lot of time to digest the situation so it's going to be a hard choice. I would not suggest going without DH.

Regardless of your decision, I wish you and your family the best.

BTW - some trip insurance does cover medical emergencies and pre-existing conditions if the insurance policy was purchased within 7 days of booking the trip. Don't know if that helps anyone.

 

[BarbaraMB]

My FIL has lung cancer and I didn't know whether or not I should cancel or not. I decided to take the chance. It is still hard getting all excited and then knowing in the back of your head you might have to cancel or worse, get the phone call that you have to come home.