Made a huge mistake
 

I am feeling so stressed out right now. My boyfriend and I are leaving on a trip to Europe soon, and we had everything set. Our hotels, flights, etc have been booked for months. He called tonight to confirm our hotel reservations, and it turns out we booked a hotel in Dublin for FEBRUARY instead of JUNE. It was right there on the paper too.. the numbers were right but the month was wrong and we overlooked it so many times. Oh my gosh. We are out hundreds of dollars. I won't sleep tonight, I'm just crying and we feel so defeated. We're scrambling to find a new place to stay now. Ugh. How could we mess that up?! I just feel sick over it and need to let it out. I can't believe it.

Oh No ! They should have called in Feb when you didn't show up. Isn't that why they take your number ?

Were the month and day switched? I know a lot of other countries do day first, then month. Sorry, stuff happens, look on the bright side, at least you are going to Europe! :D

The hotels cannot re-book your trip for the dates you want?

I'm so sorry this happened, and I'm sure it's horribly stressful trying to book things at the last minute. At the same time though, it's just money. :) I think you will have a wonderful trip, and hopefully this last minute scramble will become a funny detail in the "Greatest Trip, Ever" story you tell.

Yeah that's what I thought. We booked through Priceline, so maybe they just didn't care because they aren't getting paid their full rate anyway, but we were requierd to give a daytime and evening phone number :mad: But either way, there's no turning back after they get your credit card charged because it's through Priceline and not just through the hotel.

Nope, we were just idiots :( We tried to book one night and didn't get anything we liked, had to wait 24 hours and try again... We booked in February and I guess were too excited we forgot to change the month on the second night we tried. I'm just so frustrated!

We are still going to Europe, but with a lot less funds than we thought :( We were strapped for cash to begin with because we thought it would be easy to sell our two motorcycles, but nobody is interested. So we're doing it without selling them! Ugh. I'm just kind of mad at the world right now, but most of all ourselves. I don't know how we could have messed up that badly!

Seriously, this kind of stuff happens to everyone every so often. Don't beat yourself up.

Some time when you come back from your awesome Europe trip, remind me to tell you about all the capital D, Dumb travel mistakes I've made.

Then maybe backpacking? Youth hostel? LOL I dunno. I've never been to Ireland before so I have no advice. Now if it were Australia (my dad went, not me) they have showers and stuff at gas stations and rest areas, nice ones!

The only thing I can think of to say is again, at least you're going to europe!

They possibly could... but we'd be paying quadruple what we paid to begin with!!! I know I can't be too choosy now, but I just really don't want to stay in an 8-bed room in a hostel. We were planning on staying in this gorgeous 4 star hotel. I don't feel comfortable sleeping in a room with who knows how many other men, and I don't want to go to a girls only room and be away from my boyfriend for the nights we're there. I know that might be too picky but it's just my comfort level I guess. We got our room for less than what we'd pay at a hostel and I told everyone about how awesome it was!

We tried Priceline again tonight and my first option gave me a counter offer of almost double what we paid to begin with. I said no and tried other options, but didn't get anything. Now I have to wait another 24 hours, and hope somebody else doesn't snatch up that room before I do! I will bite the bullet and pay double.. it's still a lot less than full price, so I can't complain about that. I guess I'm just more upset at ourselves than anything. We're so careful about these things, and Scott has reread the booking over and over since we booked it and still didn't catch that. Neither did I.

Yeah I've made a few also. :thumbdown:mad: One involved take off and no barf bag in sight.

It's a deal, I'll be sure to ask you! Lol

We did check out a lot of hostels tonight too, just in case. There were no private rooms left, and even though I don't want a multiple room, Scott checked anyway but most only had one bed left per room.

Honestly, my standards aren't really that high! I feel like I might be coming off as high maintenance. I can stay in crappy places but I just really would like a private room if I were to stay in a crappy place lol.

I know I am going to Europe, I need to just remind myself that we'll see so much this won't even matter. I've dreamed of this trip my whole life! I just wish it were going a little more smoothly.

I totally get it. I stayed in hostels when I was a college kid. Now that I'm a spinster, I want nice hotels, dagnabbit!

I am almost positive I booked a non-refundable flight to Hawaii for the wrong date a few years back. It worked out fine. HOW it worked out is a muddle of horror, but I definitely was in Hawaii a few weeks later, so something got resolved.

It's so stressful once you actually commit to putting money down, taking time off, and there are so many details to attend to. My specialty is going to the wrong airport on the return flights. You will find a way to make this work.

have you tried a bed and breakfast options rather then a hotel some of these places are really nice

Oh no, what a bummer. Is your whole trip in Dublin, or is that only part of the stay?

Hope something works out.

Oh Linz, that does really really stink!!!

I know it's such a bummer and I would be upset too. I'm sure you'll find a new hotel no doubt and although losing hundreds of $$ really does stink cuz it's SUCH a waste of money, BUT in the long run it won't ruin you financially. Enjoy your trip girl! You REALLY deserve this!!! :)

How horrible for you guys, I'm so sorry! Maybe your credit card company would fight for you on this? It's worth a shot!

I would call the booking agent again and tell them you want them to correct the mistake. If they say no, tell them that you will not only write a review of their company and blast it all over the internet but that you will take up a dispute with your credit card. When you call, insist that you speak to a manager right off the bat. I can't imagine that people do not make mistakes entering dates all the time. Maybe they will issue a credit, even though you might have to go back to finding a hotel on your own at the last minute.

In the end, if you're not able to make any headway with the agent, just remember that you'll be on vacay with your BF and you'll have a great time. You'll barely be in your room anyway. Since your room is now at issue, I have to mention that you should check the places you stay for bedbugs. You do not want to bring those things home!
Worried about bed bugs in your hotel room? - Travel - Travel Tips - msnbc.com

Look at the B&B's.

This one doesn't look too bad:

Baggot Court Townhouse bed and breakfast - DUBLIN 2, Ireland. DUBLIN 2 Bed and Breakfast Inns.

Here is a list:

Dublin bed and breakfast & inns. Find the perfect Dublin B&B lodging on BedandBreakfast.com.

Thanks for all the support everyone!

MauiGirl, our Dublin part of the trip is just the last 3 nights. Scott thought about just scrapping the whole thing, but we already have day trips booked from there, and flights booked to and from, with no cancellation insurance.

Ttwlcd, we did look at B&B's but they are also expensive! We do want to be in city centre, walking distance to things we want to see. I know the public transportation is good, but I think it would stress me out more trying to figure out where to go. We can't be late for our day trips, and one of them starts I think around 6:30 a.m. It would be easier I think to walk!

Celstu1, you're right, it won't ruin us. It just sucks! Lol. I had planned to go to Europe on my own and have saved for a couple of years, so it is a lot easier financially to have Scott coming with me now. I can cover the cost of another room, although it will take away from the shopping in Italy and France! :rolleyes:

LunasMomma and 107barney, I just told Scott maybe it's worth a shot, but I don't know if much can come from it. We agreed to the terms and conditions on Priceline, and I think that's pretty binding. As soon as we book the hotel, the card is charged and the hotel has the money. It's not just like a normal booking through the hotel. I think if we were to change dates, we'd have to pay full price (over $250 per night... we originally paid just $85 per night)

Thanks for the link! I'll check out our other hotels :( It's too late to do much though! Most of our trip is on a bus tour, and we have no say over those hotels. Maybe I don't want to know!

Thanks! The first one is not available on the dates we're there. I'll check out your other list. I ran into this a lot last night too... it just happens we're there over a weekend, and that means there's a lot of stuff already all booked up.

I agree with Cathy... but you can also try to appeal to them, be honest and tell them the mistake and how hurt you are and how much it would mean if they help you .. and the great review you would give them on trip advisor web site...or not

I have traveled a few times with family and friends and it is alway so stressfull right before the trip... then the joy and wonder of visiting a new country takes over and I forget the stress (hmmm kind of like forgetting labor pains.. oh a different story;))

Can't wait to see the pictures!!

Thank you! The booking was under Scott's name so I think he's going to try calling today. I hope he gets a break from work to try. I told him this morning I just want to be on the plane already. At that point, there's no point in worrying anymore because we can't change much!

Hostels don't have to be shared, when the bf and I went to London for 2 weeks we got a private room with bathroom for a fraction of the cost of a hotel. It wasn't anything fancy but it was in the right price range. Just look for hostels that have a "private room" option.
Dublin Hostel: Book Dublin Hostels with HostelBookers.com
Good luck, I've done that one before :(

Thanks! All the hostels we've looked at are totally booked for private rooms, and the only available beds left are in shared rooms. I guess that's what happens when we make that realization a month before we'll be there.

And during peak tourist season :( that really sucks. I hope you find something for the right price.

Yeah, exactly. That's why we booked our other rooms way back in February when there was still some choice! The cheap places are pretty much booked up so it looks like we'll just have to try to bid on a more expensive place.. we could still get a good deal, even though we'll be paying a little more. I did get that one counter offer last night on Priceline that we can afford, so I hope it's still available tonight. Please everyone cross your fingers that some rich high-roller hasn't booked the last room in that hotel too lol. I can try bidding again tonight around 11:00!

So Dublin is only 3 days of your trip, and the rest of the stay is for the correct dates? How long is your whole trip?

It is upsetting to have this drama, but I know you are going to have a fabulous unforgettable trip anyway. Stay focused on the big picture :D

We will be gone for 4 weeks total. The first 20 days is on a bus tour, so everything was taken care of there. At the end of that, we're staying a night in a bed and breakfast in a little town in England where my ancestors came from, and then a few nights in Edinburgh and a few nights in Dublin. Dublin is the only thing that was wrong!

Wow, 4 weeks, that is awesome! Thank goodness the botched part is very small.

Who is taking care of Layla while you are away?

Layla will be staying with my parents, on her own little vacation lol! She'll get to hang out at the lake, go golfing, and generally be spoiled :rolleyes:

I think I am most anxious about leaving her. I've never been away from her for more than 1 week before, and by the end of 1 week I usually miss her so much it hurts :( Since she became paralyzed we\'re together all the time and it\'s even harder to leave! Last summer we left her with my parents for 5 days, and I cried when we got in the car, and I couldn\'t wait to get home. I know she\'s in great hands with my parents and I really hope I can keep my mind occupied and enjoy the trip! I think I will need to take a little framed picture of her to put on the night stand in every hotel room!