Holiday - to rebook or let them go?

[HealthConcerns24]

As a family we have had a “dream holiday” booked for around a year that took 3 years to save for. We are due to go in 3 weeks and it’s for a 3 week holiday. It’s me, my husband and our 2 children in early to late teens.

This past weekend I ended up in hospital with a pretty serious health event, think cardio, and I cannot travel for this holiday, still in hospital and not sure how long I’ll be here for.

Just today my husband said we needed to discus the holiday. I thought he was going to discuss moving it to another time in which I can come but no, he seems to think is acceptable that the 3 of them go and I stay home and recover, alone, and just don’t go at all.

AIBU to think we should just rebook the whole thing until I’m well enough to go or am I selfish to even consider asking them to stay home and rebook?

im off my head on pain meds and can’t even think about this logically right now.

You know nothing about Disney then?

mine is 18 and there is zero chance he would ever miss a trip at any point. There is never an end to the magic, even when you go every year like I do.

Well that was a stupid lie he told you regarding booking the flights! And for what purpose it's hard to see!

Bloody hell. He's a shit.

My husband had to have a stent put in when he was 63 and open-heart surgery when he was 71. (Two different arteries - the stented artery was fine.)

Having someone just popping in is not going to be good enough. I hate to say it, but I'd be reconsidering my marriage in your place.

You're going to need a bit of care. You have to let the hospital know that your husband intends to abandon you.

Why would they even consider going given the serious nature of your condition? Being on the road to recovery is irrelevant. You'd think they'd want to stay close to you right now. Instead of buggering off abroad. On a 'dream holiday' that you're unfit for.

*edited after reading your update. 😡

They can't go. Period. You're going to need caregivers when you get out of hospital. Your husband is a horribly selfish tosspot.

The most expensive periods for Florida are: Christmas, Easter, July/August…when it’s holidays…you genuinely know nothing and claim to have lived near there. You also lived an hour away, that’s like people from Manchester claiming to know everything about York FFS

The cheapest times to go to Disney are February (cold and no holidays), September-November (no school holidays here or in America - with small exceptions for bank holidays).

And the 20 year old is going to love Disney and Universal…bonkers to think they wouldn’t like theme parks

Sure, I know nothing about Disney World despite having lived within a 1hr drive for four years with DC that started aged 8/10/12. I’ve been to every Disney Park and Water Park, Universal Studios, Sea World, Discovery Cove, Legoland, all of Cape Canaveral, up and down the Emerald Coast as far as Miami multiple times at different months of the year. Even did a pirate ship cruise with the kids at one point.

I’ve got more photos of my kids with Disney characters than average I’d say.

We have been to Walt Disneyland, California, Disney Paris and Disney Hong Kong.

But yeah, I know nothing. Disney is the least of OP’s worries and beating about the bush on rebook, try to claim insurance is just a way to avoid discussing the heart of the problem.

Disney World Florida in August is about as low on the magic scale of Disney as you can go except for perhaps Disney Paris in February.

Yes I lived and worked at Kennedy Space Center.
One hour is nothing to drive by US standards.
The prices you are quoting are what UK travel companies charge due to demand to travel from UK to Orlando, not due to the entry prices at Disney itself.
The schools in Florida start back in early to mid August, so you’re wrong about there not being school there.
Yep just checked, my kids old school in Brevard county has teacher days August 3-7 and first day of 2026/27 year is 10th of August.

OP, my husband was a good bit older than me and he died 5 years ago.

I had a bit of dental surgery on Friday - had a badly impacted wisdom tooth. The hospital made a point of checking my 'domestic circumstances' before telling me that I'd be getting done under local anaesthetic.

Given the positioning of the tooth, had there been someone at home the preference would have been for a GA.

A couple of years ago, I needed a shoulder op and the surgeon insisted on the GA. The hospital wouldn't let me home on my own. At least it wasn't my dominant arm and I managed but - honestly - I know what my darling was like when he had his open heart surgery and there's no way he'd have managed at home on his own. If I hadn't been here, he'd have been in respite care for the recovery period.

I'm sorry, but your husband is a little shit.

Ok dear.

You have spouted complete nonsense about the time of year that is busiest, that a young adult wouldn’t enjoy it, and like I said, you live an hour away…

I’ve spend a total of 2 years within 5 miles of Disney, going to parks almost every single one of those days, spread out over a couple of decades. I’ve spent more time there than you will have AND you live an hour away, so like I said, it’s like someone from Manchester pretending to know everything about York even though they’re ridiculously far apart.

You also spout nonsense about travel insurance. The OP will barely have to claim on hers because most of the things she has booked will allow her to rearrange, I’ve done it myself a bunch of times over the years and it is just a case of emailing the people you’ve booked with to have them move it, if they won’t move it you provide the evidence of this to the travel insurance company and they refund you minus the excess.

AND you go on about booking DIY like it is a bad thing, why would anyone do it with a travel agent who package it up at a huge markup. Booking villas, hotels, or direct with Disney is far more cost effective. Booking separate flights gives access to better choice of dates, airports, and allows you to use discounts like air miles. Booking tickets separately allows you to get the best prices, as does car hire.

The OP has bigger issues than the holiday, yes, but that doesn’t mean she should just give up on moving the holiday…she can do that and deal with her issues with her husband, it isn’t one or the other.

Stop being awful and acting like you are stating facts when you are spouting nonsense

I bet anything this man presents to others as a "would do anything for anyone" kind of guy

Honestly, why would you even want to go anywhere with him if this is how he behaves and how little he cares about you? The man, as others have said, is monstrous. I'm not suggesting they go without you, just pointing out that your marriage should be over after this.

Lived an hour away. I don’t live there anymore.
Nothing I wrote is nonsense.
It’s nothing like the Manchester to York malarkey you’re comparing it to because Orlando is linked by the Space Coast highway (528) to KSC. It’s a straight shot. And where else is there to go? There’s no other large city closer to Cape Canaveral.

It’s an easy family day out especially with the annual passes.

DIY isn’t a bad thing, I stated it’s harder to get insurance claims approved.
That’s simple fact.

If they are booked using an Air Miles award, you can normally cancel and rebook so no need to submit an insurance claim for the air fare portion.

I think what you’ll find is that I am considering both American and uk holidays as that is what determines pricing for people in the uk.

Youll also see from my previous post that I recommend the last 2 weeks of August BECAUSE the American schools go back by then.

An hours drive is an hours drive, irrespective of the country…an hour is a measure of time not distance. And like I said, I’ve spent more time there than you have (and I have visited in every month except December).

If you look at the pricing for hotels in the area or at Disney yourself you’ll see that I’m right about the times that are more and less expensive. You’ve also forgotten to factor in that whilst the American schools may go back in the middle of August, MNSSHP and HHN both start at the back end and bring in bigger crowds so higher hotel prices, especially the universal ones.

You cannot possibly be the best judge of hotel prices when by your own admission you lives ‘close’ to Disney, so you weren’t booking hotels were you??? Because you were driving your shorter American hour 🤦‍♀️

You are talking complete garbage.

editing to add, dynamic pricing on tickets will make almost no difference to the cost of the holiday from the UK, and depending on the ticket types they may not even be impacted at all. You wouldn’t know this as you would have had a significantly reduced Florida residents pass

My husband wouldn’t ever consider going without me. It would be all of us or none of us. I don’t think he’d be able to enjoy himself or the kids knowing I was at home alone. If you can move dates then you definitely should. If not can you “sell” on the holiday to somebody else and recoup at least some of the money back.

I’ve explained what was nonsense and where you were wrong. But ok 👌

Well I’m not wrong.

As a Florida resident you should know that it’s 35% off Disney stays from 30 July to 3 October. That a 4 day summer pass (26 May to 30 July) is $258 and an annual pass is only $489.

Disney tickets are highest from May to July if you are buying direct as a local.

The fact UK travel companies charge more in August is due to demand from the UK, not higher prices at Disney.

BUT SHE ISNT A FLORIDA RESIDENT!!!!! So she can’t benefit.

And the discounts are added every couple of months as they roll around. In a couple of months they will have them over winter, then 3 months later over spring…it is a cycle that continues and has continued for the last decade.

But the OP has not said she booked to stay onsite, and you are talking about onsite prices not hotel prices outside of the bubble, not villa prices, so it is completely irrelevant.

What are you failing to understand.

No I’m not failing to understand she isn’t a Florida resident, what you are failing to understand is that August is not the best month to have the most fun, magical time at Disney because of the heat, the thunderstorms, and the hurricane risks. It’s not a nice time of year there. Which is why the actual ticket prices charged by Disney are highest May-July.

Yes, the costs to travel to Disney from the UK are highest then, but that doesn’t correlate to the best time to be at Disney. if you want a better time at Disney it’s better not to go in August.

Well if you want to talk prices off Disney that’s fine but a bit of a derail.
Perhaps it’s time to step away and stop acting like you’re the only person on the thread that has ever lived in the local area?

The OP will barely have to claim on hers because most of the things she has booked will allow her to rearrange,

@Boreded you missed the fact that OP’s DH has done all the booking and she is currently deathly ill in hospital awaiting urgent surgery. It won’t be dead easy for her to rebook or file claims on arrangements her husband made and also lied about from a hospital bed.

Wow, he doesn’t care for you much does he?

An hours drive is an hours drive, irrespective of the country…an hour is a measure of time not distance.

Culturally, Americans are more willing to drive further and longer than are British people. The view on what is a long drive vs a short drive varies massively between the countries. That’s not at all contentious.

I’m not a Florida resident, read properly rather than taking what you want from what I said.

I said I have spent a total of 2 years in the parks across a span of 2 decades.

I dislike the personal attack and name calling, but if that is how you have to get your point across you do you.

You first told me I was wrong when I said that July/August was expensive because of school holidays, and decided that because schools go back in August it means it is cheapest. Part of August is peak season, part of it is mid-low season.

I referenced the fact that the offers are rolling offers - I know this to be factual because we always check the offers when we book, and for every person who I help book. And you sent evidence of offers now? But I can’t give you evidence of the spring offers because they aren’t on yet, neither are the summer or winter ones, but you know as well as I do that they bring them year on year.

What you don’t consider is that whilst Disney have offers on, this doesn’t mean anyone else does…because remember that when people from the UK say they’re going to Disney they don’t mean a hotel
onsite, they mean they’re going to Orlando so they can visit the Disney parks.

What about the other nonsense you spouted, where you decided the OP couldn’t make a travel claim? Where the magic was lost for a 20 year old…have you even visited with someone of that age?

What about when you said that the magic was at its lowest in August…this is not true. More ride closures occur in the months between Spring and Summer break, so there is a time with ‘less magic’. The most magical times I have had have been in August…Food and Wine festival anyone??? Eat to the Beat Concert Series??? MNSSHP and all the new decorations.

You might not be a fan of Disney, your kids may not have liked it after the age of 12…but THIS family have been looking forward to their trip, probably planned it to within an inch of its life, and made sure that every person on the holiday will get their own magic. But you don’t need to piss on their parade.