Pre-Covid holiday booked… WWYD?

[TheRussianDoll]

Am I being unreasonable? My sister myself and my niece paid for a 5 night holiday in Bologna, Italy for May 2020. We book it with no refund and booked flights. Then, 2 months before, COVID19 struck. We were NOT going. The hotel said we could have a credit note (good of them; we’d booked with no refund for cancellation). Then, 2021… niece pregnant and subsequent miscarriage and then moor travel bans/lockdowns so, we didn’t go. Again. Now, the hotel have said we need to “use the credit not or lose it”. Fine but… now, niece is pregnant again and due to give birth one month before we travel. So, I’ve suggested she sit this one out and my DH, me and sister go. This has gone down like a lead balloon. AIBU to say that a new born baby is not appropriate for this type of holiday? Niece is a first time mum, she’s had a dreadful pregnancy and sadly, has suffered mental I’ll health throughout through stress. The hotel is small, exclusive and not really the place for a new born. We have to use the credit note facility. This is the hotel.

www.hco.it/en/4-stars-hotel-citycentre-bologna/hotel

It was originally booked for me, sister and niece to take my mums ashes to Italy (she died Oct 2019) so, we went “posh”. I don’t want to fall out about it; we either use the credit/lose the money/or go with a 6 weeks old baby. We had a room with double and separate single but when I mentioned a cot, the hotel said it wasn’t feasible in any of their suites.

Help, please.

Look you've got the flights now and the hotel is booked. I'd leave it and see how it goes, I suspect DNeice won't go and Dsis might be thinking more sensibly about it once baby arrives.

No flights booked as yet because we don’t know about baby status 🤷🏻‍♀️

I doubt the baby would be able to go. I recently had a baby and booked the appointment to register the baby the day I gave birth, the soonest appointment I could get was 6 weeks away as most registry offices are behind due to covid. You can't get a passport without the birth certificate so probably not possible in time.

@WorriedGiraffe

The chances of a passport coming in time must be quite slim, especially as she has to register the baby before applying for the passport, surely that will be a sticking point? I can see why your sister doesn’t want to go with you and your DH though, not the same as taking your daughter is it.

This. I just did a child passport and it took around a month

We went away when DD was 8 weeks old; this was pre Covid tho, she was 3 weeks early so really should have been very young when we went ! 4 hour flight and she was a dream.
We managed to get an apt at registry within a day or so, passport photos the next day and passport arrived within a week or two.

Covid world things are slower, but it’s still worth a shot.

We also booked flights, babies are free, she was just booked as baby surname….. and then we changed it free of charge once she arrived

If you want to take them away young you have to get a registration appointment ASAP and then we went to the passport office.

It's coming across that you really don't want the niece to come, and in your head have unilaterally decided that your DH will go in her place. You have already said you'll need another bedroom if DH goes. So just book another room and book flights for you and your husband. Niece and your DS can sort themselves out.
But I think you would cause a massive upset and potentially cause irreparable damage to your relationship with your sister if you say niece can't go.
Just out of interest why do you feel you get to call the shots?

@jusdevache. Wasn’t going to dignify your nastiness with a reply but we have until 12 noon tomorrow to book. We don’t have time for “what if”. By 1pm on Saturday, we lose just under 3k. So, there’s no time to sit tight and see what happens in terms of passports/birth/registration. We don’t have that luxury.

As my mum would’ve said “if you don’t have anything nice to say, help to offer, just keep your opinion to yourself”.

We’ve decided. We book two rooms. Four adults. Me, DH, sister niece and baby. If baby passport doesn’t happen in time, it’s three adults.

Sounds like the best solution OP.
I have doubts that your niece will end up coming, because of paperwork delays. But at least she's got the option. Hope it works out for you all and that you manage to scatter the ashes.

Not sure if you’ve answered this OP but can you not go before the baby arrives?

Honestly, here’s what I would do, book for month after baby is due for you, Sis, and niece.

What will probably happen is niece figures out at the last minute that she can’t go, your sis will either choose to go or pull out at the last minute. If Sis goes… done deal. If she doesn’t, You have $ set aside for a last minute plane ticket for your husband.

Then you work out with Sis and Niece an alternative trip some time in the future.

The tricky part will be paying for the future trip… in reality Sis/Niece would have forfeited the paid trip by not going. But I could see where they wouldn’t be happy about that. So if possible I’d try to set aside the portion that would cover your husband to put toward their share and obviously cover your share yourself.

I think this will resolve itself op, there’s no way she’ll want/be able to go (baby passport, traveling with newborn so soon after c section etc) so don’t worry

@Sharrowgirl… no. It’s been a difficult pregnancy. Having scans now each week as baby has a lot of fluid and may need caesarean. No way could she fly. Due date 10th April if she goes that far. Has had high BP throughout and problems +++

@Forensicpsych… I agree. When my child was a month old, I was scared to take him in the car, never mind a plane! 😂

So she’s due a week before Easter. Even if she delivers early, it just makes registering the birth and getting a passport in time even more difficult.

There will be a couple of bank holidays, offices may open for limited hours during the Easter week… delays in the post... It’s highly likely she won’t have a travel document for the baby in time.

Have found out today that to enter Italy in May, travellers must have had 2x vax plus booster within 6 months of arrival. I’m 2 weeks out, had mine in Nov 21 and dh is 3 weeks out, had his booster the week before me 🙄

Good grief it never ends!

@TheRussianDoll

Have found out today that to enter Italy in May, travellers must have had 2x vax plus booster within 6 months of arrival. I’m 2 weeks out, had mine in Nov 21 and dh is 3 weeks out, had his booster the week before me 🙄

Good grief it never ends!

Pretty sure it doesn’t work quite like that. If you’ve only had 2 jabs, the second must be within 6 months of travel. If you’re boosted, there’s no time limit. Otherwise it would rule out most over 30’s for holidays this summer.

@TheRussianDoll Check again re boosters I’m sure I heard a discussion on the radio this week that confirmed that there would be no time limit on boosters for now and as pp said it’s just on second jabs so hopefully you should be absolutely fine to travel.

The latest legislation for Italy is:
No time limit on 3rd dose for Italian citizens
BUT to obtain a Super Green Pass (currently needed for almost everything- restaurants inside and out, bars, public buildings and public transport etc) your vaccination needs to be less than 180 days old.

On Wednesday the govt announced that tourists whose final vaccination in the cycle was more than 180 days old would have to test to obtain a SGP.

This has led to loads of confusion- the English language press and various unofficial travel publications have written simply "no expiry for boosters, you're good to go" which is NOT what the govt announced, or what the Italian press is reporting. The actual legislation will be published in writing next week, so will hopefully be clarified- esp as the English language sources talk about "boosters" specifically but the govt press release said "completion of vaccination cycle"

Just seem mention of a Green Pass in today's Times travel section.

Thanks for that. Will read up on it 😊

Think you've gone with the best option and the rest will sort itself OP.