Aer Lingus Vacation StoreReviews of aerlingusvacationstore.com

Trying to be fair - too much driving. Lodging adequate to nice but not elegant. Would much have preferred to stay in one spot several days to see more of what was to offer in those areas where we KNEW there were things to see. Last 2 night stay there wasn't even wifi that worked consistently so I could not connect with family. Even Edinburgh would have been fun 2 nights but the tour was sold as Highlands so I get it. Some places had little to nothing to do and we went out of season because we hate crowds so in my opinion places were understaffed and they even made mention of that fact. Waiters serving as porters and welcome people. I don't mind quiet and being on my own, in fact we love it hence going out of season but the Scots gave whole new meaning to frugal. We got scammed in Edinburgh by cabbies overcharging but some were lovely. Apparently different costs depending on which cabbie you get. Edinburgh parking impossible and construction abounds. Had to find car park because hotel had no parking and no one at hotel even mentioned we would get the horrific ticket we got first night in for parking across the street and we spoke with a policeman who was looking at our car. He never said a word. Signs 10 feet over our heads and we should have known better because we travel Europe but ticket dispenser was around the corner and not visible. I also think I got double charged for Hertz insurance because I felt sure I paid with vacation package (an extra $250+) but they said no, we needed more. "included" car ended costing additional over $500. $250 when package purchased an another $250 at desk in check in. Stirling castle and William Wallace monument worth the ride and cost. "Heritage Pass" which was "included" was only for summer and had expired despite our booking for winter months but the people at first stop remedied it and Rabbies tours were very accommodating in doing so. However if person at event on list had not pursued and contacted them directly we would have been left in the lurch.having to pay more. We knew Scotland was costly but I have buyers remorse. Hubby very much enjoyed distilleries and I did learn things so maybe it was a wash. If you don't fish/golf/drink scotch beware. Sight seeing would get an A however. As for the people, in all honesty I felt like many tolerated us. Most were accommodating with a smile but not really friendly or fun if that makes sense. All in all for the cost I would not do again. Scotland that is.

Struggled finding B&B's where we wanted to go, very disappointing!

Difficult to customize & upgrade--why would folks staying at 4 star hotels want to fly economy? Offerings look good on surface, but fine print reveals many flaws and time consuming maneuvers when making changes. My compliments to online staff. Your JFK lounge was fantastic--service and food/beverage selection. Bus class plane food offerings seem to be designed for 100 pound person. When I asked for dessert and cheese was told no--yet 5-6 passengers didn't even request dinner--went to sleep--and I noticed attendants seem to enjoy their food. Bed seats were least comfortable I've experienced. Hotels were fantastic, 100% regarding food, cleanliness, and service--except Fitzgerald--strange location, old, distressed hotel, middling food, but excellent service. Dooley was overpriced for services received; and 2 counter staff lied to me. Though I had travel insurance, it was worthless when I needed to return early due to family illness. I booked Delta choice seat for less money than Aer Lingus was offering in basic economy. My brother had paid lounge pass, was well dressed, but denied lounge access. His special meal arrived early but wasn't cleared away for 1 1/2 hours. He is filling out a complaint. I will never book vacation package again, and Aer Lingus, unfortunately, won't be an airline I'd likely fly with again.

The Aer Lingus flights were wonderful -- on-time, uneventful, clean, wonderful service and great ground support in Boston & Dublin. The Vacation Store was simply okay. For no logical reason, they are unwilling to offer fly/drive packages from Shannon despite the availability of available cars. Because the Vacation Store is outsourced and not operated by Aer Lingus, they could not book seats with the reservations requiring a second set of phone reservations. In the future I will always attempt to make the reservations directly with Aer Lingus before booking any Vacation Store packages.

Experience overall was good, I would have liked a better quality hotel in Dublin.

Dooley's did not have a car for me. The one they were going to give me was in an accident. No one noticed until I asked why the tire light was on in the car. By the time they found a car for me it was rush hour. When I tried to print the itinerary the only thing that printed was the prepopulated areas. The details of my trip did not print.

We were very excited about our first trip to Ireland and love staying in B&Bs. What we did not know was how limited our B&B choices would be thought the Aer Lingus Vacation Store. We were unable to stay in the town where my family was from and had to drive more than 20 minutes from the closest B&B available during our stay. When we got to the village we found many B&Bs available - just not through Aer Lingus. Next time we will book our B&Bs independently. We found the Aer Lingus B&B booking process difficult, very little guidance on the website. As we booked our stays we had many questions and called customer service. The woman who answered the phone was rushed and rude. We were less than satisfied. We found printing vouchers confusing as well. The site did not allow us to print individual vouchers for each B&B. Luckily we printed 2 and when we arrived at most B&Bs they accepted either our reservation number or made a copy. One B&B had no ability to copy and the host insisted on our paper copy leaving us with one more voucher for the rest of the trip. Be advised to carry multiple copies of vouchers!!! Our car rental went smoothly however there is very little information on the vacation store to guide you through the insurance nightmare ... We did a lot of research before leaving and luckily had all paperwork in hand that proved we did not need to purchase the exorbitant insurance offered through Dan Dooley. The vacation store web site needs up dating. We were disappointed in the user friendliness. We will be going back to Ireland but will not be booking through Aer Lingus Vacation Store again.

Probably a good choice for simple situations but not at all good for complicated ones. Multiple calls and emails to get things straightened out, including a computer glitch that wouldn't let me retrieve vouchers. Probably wouldn't use it again for anything more complicated than two people traveling together and sharing a single room.