What if!!! What if a trip is interupted by a family death at home?

So, daughter and I are scheduled to leave for WDW on Sunday morning.

My step mom is not well, and hasn't been for a long, long time. We've been on watchful duty for like 4 or 5 weeks now. She will not likely be getting better, and honestly it'll be a blessing when her time finally comes.

However, in spite of the uncertainty, or because of it, we've decided we're going ahead as planned This could end in a matter of hours, or could stretch on for days, weeks, months.

So, here's my question. What if our trip is cut short by the need to return home for a family death. Or for that matter, the start could be delayed. How does Disney handle this? Everything is paid for 8 nights at CSR, 8 park hoppers w/o the non-expiring option, ADRs for free dining. Do they allow any credit for the paid for, but left unused portion. Or, should the start of vacation be delayed, do they allow the unused days to perhaps be tacked on to the end assuming resort availability.

Then there's the issue of airfare. We're flying down on Southwest, and returning on AirTran.

Just trying to get a handle on what I may expect should circumstances dictate.

Thanks.

Have also thought of this. It's a good idea to get vacation insurance. Not exactly sure how it works or what it covers though.

Just to update, we did in fact get to complete our trip. We had a wonderful time.

However, after arriving home at about 10:30 pm Monday evening, about an hour later at 11:30 we got the word that my stepmom had just passed away. Guess she waited til we got back.

While obviously sad, it is also very much a relief for us all, including my dad. She's been in a bad way for a long time, and is now in a much better place.

Happy to read that you and your daughter were able to complete your trip and have a good time! My condolences on the loss of your Stepmom. It sounds like she really did hold on until you guys got home...

We learned about travel insurance the hard way: after my husband had an appendicitis attack and had to have emergency surgery during our WDW vacation. We had to stay a week longer than planned, paying out-of-pocket all the way. Disney offers insurance with their vacation packages, which is the easiest way to purchase. It's affordable and it's a pretty good policy, that is to say it's a fairly comprehensive policy. When they first began offering insurance it was only for things like delays and lost bags. If you are not buying a Disney package or want more coverages there are travel insurance providers that can be found online. For more detailed information on travel insurance read the article "Travel Insurance - spend a little save a lot" on The Practical Mom's Disney Vacation Companion website. Sorry, I would post the link but I'm not being allowed to here.

We had to deal with this issue a few years back and went to Guest Relations in the Magic Kingdom to find out about adding the No Expiration Feature onto our remaining days. We had the most wonderful CM I've ever dealt with tell us that while he could not add the No Expiration Feature to our remaining days, he could do us one better. He then issued each me and my husband 3 one day park hopper passes...for a total of 6 passes. He put an expiration year of 2045 on them we later noticed. :) Since then, we've been able to share these passes with friends and family. The kindest CM gesture I've ever experienced! The point, never hesitate to ask for help if in a bind!