My husband is in the same boat. They haven't bid yet for vacation. I have a very flexible job but the downside would be that I don't make very much. Last year I took off 6 weeks during the summer. I booked 3 weeks of family vacations knowing my husband would only make one and he picked the one he liked best and aimed for that one. I have 2 exchanges for this year but also I have several rentals of my own that I will use if not rented. I have an OBX beach week that he is aiming for that I decided not to even put up for rent this year.
Same with my husband. But he told me to go ahead and book the flight. I am not sure why he did, because last year it was near March until they did the approvals. He did ask the two guys he works with if the dates looked ok. Our week in Colorado overlapped with 2 days of one of theirs'. Every year I go through this where my husband gets annoyed with me nagging him about it! LOL! I am hoping he didn't jump the gun with the airfare trip because it would be a big problem.
He has never had any issues with his time off in all the 20 years there.
But- our 3 timeshare weeks are set in stone and I tell him that I will have to go without him if he can't do it.At least I can drive to them.
Meanwhile, at my job I put in or my time off in a new system they have and have not heard anything. I usually just send an email to the bosses when I will be off as I do not have a job that anyone has to fill in for me and it is a "non-critical" job (no patient care). I sent them an email this time as well as put it in the computer system they now have.
This is the year as per another thread I had posted last summer that I find out if he will deny my two week back to back summer vacation (which I have been taking for the past two years). Will be interesting. Been there 11 years and never had any issues.