Fellow Traveler Issues (UGH!)- Will anyone else be in Negril in August?

[JnJLuv2Travel]

Not feeling very Irie at the moment.

Big trip planned in August for my 30th bday and now our fellow travelers are having a hard time coming up with the funds to buy their plane tickets. This is not from financial burdens but more like procrastination, believe me. It is like it is not real to them until the date is breathing down our necks. Then the scramble to get their ish together begins. (This is not our first time traveling together. It is becoming a broken record) That is the hard part... It is not my place to tell my friends how to spend their money but we have been planning this trip for months. Hubs and I have made sacrifices to save for this trip. Is it too much too ask for them to do the same?

I say this because we fell in love with a villa on the cliffs and Hubs called that day and paid for it so we would not lose it. We all agreed the price was reasonable and made plans together (they were to pay us back before the trip). Now we are facing possibly being stuck paying for the ENTIRE large villa by ourselves or cancelling (which I would HATE to do). The owner has been incredibly nice and helpful. The real problem with cancelling is the first few days of our trip is ATI weekend and there is nothing else available for the days we have planned.

Sorry I am venting and rambling and almost crying from frustration. I have put so much time into planning our trip and bending over backwards to try and make sure our friends needs are met. If we get stuck paying for the entire villa we will manage I guess. We would just like to have people to mingle with here and there also. We will enjoy the alone time don't get me wrong but we would also like to meet some nice people to party with.

Soooo back to my original question... Will anyone be in Negril for ATI or the dates of Aug 4-11???

[tfw73]

That is why I never pay for anything for somebody else unless I have the money upfront! Been burned too many times...
Can you tell the other couple that you need to have the money for the villa now?

[upsetter]

I will be in Negril in August, but arrive a couple of days after you leave.


Which villa? I really want to rent Villa Sur Mer some reach. I looked at next Christmas and rates are almost double the already high rate.

[irie always]

Keep watching those airfares there is still time for them to get a good deal. Still 3 months to go and they have not said "No" we are not going - so there is still hope yet!

[poolguywindsor]

Still lots of time to book flights. I usually go st ATI time ,but its too early for me to book flights.

[marley9808]

I know what you mean! The same thing happened to me on my 30th. We were planning a group trip for my birthday and we were going to rent the entire villa at Villas Sur Mer for all 8 of us, which back en was a pretty great deal (the villa is now the big house but that was all that was there back then). I was so excited. But everyone else was seriously dragging their feet, when the time finally came it ended up just being me and my boyfriend and we stayed at the Penthouse at Blue Cave Castle, which was still unbelievably awesome and special, but to this day I have still never stayed at Villas Sur Mer like I had wanted to and that is also when I learned I will no longer let my plans revolve around others doing or not doing something.....it usually just causes more frustration than necessary. If the owner is friendly, maybe he will work with you on something. Or maybe you could find others who are interested in staying wi you....I bet that would make the current group either get in gear or bail out. Or you could just tell them the current situation and let them know it's either now or never. I wish you the best of luck.....but just know this, no matter which way it goes, you will have a great birthday because you will be in Negril!

[BreanaAshlee]

I will be there for ATI..and then some, July 31st-August 15th

[JnJLuv2Travel]

tfw73- It sounds like they don't have ANY money saved yet. I think us paying for it up front allowed them to procrastinate. I should have known better.

Upsetter- We will be staying in Wild Grape at Sea Grape Villas.

Irie Always- I have been watching flights every day. One of the friends said he can't get his ticket until June BUT if he doesn't get a ticket on the same flight as us he won't fly alone. Plus, if he can't afford his ticket until June there is NO WAY he will have enough $$$ to pay us back in July and also have enough spending money by the first weekend in August. This happened last JA trip. I knew he wasn't saving and was going out 5x a week. We got there and guess what? His funds were gone too soon and the entire trip we had to hear about him needing to budget or not having enough $$ to do things. He also ran out of cigarettes and then couldn't/didn't purchase more. Guess who gave him $ and cigs? *sigh* As I type this I feel like a fool.

Booger- When will you suggest buying? Hubs and I have not bought our tix either because we were waiting to all get them together. Now that we know they may not even go we were going to buy now. Should we wait as well?

marley9808- I am glad someone understands where I am coming from. After waking up and remembering about my PPP (Pity Party Post)... yeah there were a few glasses of wine in there... I was nervous to see the responses. This trip means a lot to me. I never traveled until I met my husband. Now, we are always going and doing it seems. We have a 10 yr old son and we want another but not sure if we are ready to stop traveling at this time. So that, along with me being in school and soon will be starting a program where I will have absolutely NO VACATION TIME it means this may be the last trip for quite some time. This trip has been planned basically since our last trip in September. We just didn't have the actual villa picked until a few months ago. So it surprises me that our group of 6 people has dwindled down to possibly just Hubs and I. I know I cannot let them affect my trip and I don't plan on doing so. We love our friends but we shouldn't be surprised by this really. Every vacation (JA, New Orleans, camping, beach house) I plan EVERYTHING (where to stay, how to get there, food, schedule, etc.) and everyone else just gets to show up. They like it that way but I always get stressed because it becomes like a job and isn't fun for me anymore. Once I get there I am grateful for everyone to be together because I know none of my friends are planners and if I didn't do the work we wouldn't all get the chance to be together and have such fun. We really just want to have people who like to travel, especially to Negril to hang with. I told Hubs I am sad we didn't book for the boardie bash. I am a newb and do not know anyone but it would be nice to meet people who love JA and have their ish together when it comes to making sure they get there.

BreanaAshlee- Are you staying on the beach? I have tried to find something for Hubs and I on the beach in case I should cancel the villa and it seems everything is booked.

[BreanaAshlee]

BreanaAshlee- Are you staying on the beach? I have tried to find something for Hubs and I on the beach in case I should cancel the villa and it seems everything is booked.

Try hidden paradise, they aren't directly on the beach but they have beach access through their restaurant. they are still advertising their ATI Special, so hopefully they have rooms http://hidden-paradise.com/
I stay there every time i'm in negril.

ATI is a busy time in negril, Rooms get booked quick, a lot of times people book for next year when they check out.

[JnJLuv2Travel]

Thanks! I will give it a try just in case. Loved your trip report by the way. I admire and respect you for traveling alone. I won't even go to the movies by myself.