I spent a lot of money on an experience and didn't enjoy it

[Newname101]

There's something I've wanted to do for ages, do dh and I bought very expensive tickets yo do it. We travelled into London which he hated and it was short and wasn't for me, I left feeling stupid and sad that we spent out money on it. Dh said at least we gave it s go and we had the money spare. I enjoyed walking through St james park with dh more than the activity.
It's really made me doubt myself and worry about doing things in the future.

We took DS1 to the Dark Skies Observatory at Kielder. It cost us about £180 and was a 90 minute drive each way. We have wanted to go for ages and it was terrible.
The event was advertised as a magical experience seeing the night skies and stars in detail.
The reality was:
One of the big telescopes has been out for action for a year
The hatch over the other one didn't open and a member of staff was reduced to hitting it with a large bit of wood.
It was cloudy so we saw absolutely nothing.
The place you sit is near the compost toilet and stinks
It was split into 4 sessions. The first was a talk. The second was sitting watching a man make you a mug of cocoa because the telescope was out of order. The third was the man hitting the hatch with a bit of wood, it eventually opening and the clouds blocking any stars at all so he made a few quips to 'entertain' us. The 4th was a woman who had a few (6?) tiny rocks - supposedly bits of meteor but literally about a cm square of grey rock. She stood next to them for 30 minutes. She was nice but incredibly dull and only spoke if anyone spoke to her.
They had made no adjustments at all for a Plan B in terms of broken equipment, no ability to see stars.

It was appalling. We were really disappointed. Kielder were not interested in any complaints - and there were plenty made on the night and recorded online. They seem to think it's fine.

We felt like we'd been robbed. DS1 was so disappointed by it.

Ask for your money back

London Eye?

For what, though? Simply not liking it?

OP, I know it’s shit if you’ve spent money on something so you feel you ought to get your money’s worth and have X amount of enjoyment, but sometimes it doesn’t work out. Far better to sack it off than suffer through it. Our worst-ever day out was taking the DC to London Zoo at vast cost, a day we still laugh-weep about sometimes because it was so relentlessly miserable for all of us. Looking back, we should have simply left! The money’s gone already, whether you enjoy the thing or not. And there’ll be some other day that costs nothing, you’re not expecting much out of, that turns out to be the best thing ever. It all balances out.

This really made me laugh.

One day I’ll tell you about my trip to the Lapland reindeer castration museum.

@LuluBlakey1 god that's awful! I can clearly imagine how that felt and can also clearly imagine that happening to us! We have the worst luck for stuff like that which is why we don't risk it so much these days.

I've got to ask @ClairDeLaLune re: the underground - what grey bogies??

I enjoyed walking through St james park with dh more than the activity.

Try Richmond Park next time.

Was it the taskmaster experience? I've heard it's really disappointing

Just chalk it up to experience and move on, what else can you do?
I took my 3 and 5 year old to disneyland Paris years ago, my eldest (unbeknown to me at the time) is autistic. He was in completle sensory overload for the entire trip, resulting in meltdown after meltdown. The best part of the trip for him was getting a double decker train in France on the way home 🫣

Make today that day, please @LaPalmaLlama!

Look at it this way, sometimes you spend a lot of money on something you think is going to be amazing and it is disappointing. Other times you unexpectedly have an amazing time doing something free or something you paid for but thought would be rubbish (for example on a hen night ). It all balances out in the end, and as long as it doesn't bankrupt us it is better to try new stuff - stops us getting dull and inflexible.

So don't do that again.
Focus on what you did like about the trip, spending time with your DH, walking in the park, and do those things again.

@LaPalmaLlama damn that made me snicker out loud glad i wasn't sipping my tea.

i love battersea park, i could walk through it daily and never tire of it.

I've lost it🤣🤣🤣

It is a lesson learned though. One of the benefits of getting older is learning what works for you personally, to be able to see through hype and to recognise that just because lots of other people love something, you don’t have to.

it’s strange isn’t it. I saw a social media post for a lovely log cabin near a lake serving home cooked breakfast. I took my husband who is disabled. It was a scruffy place nothing like the photos. I only wasted £10 on the breakfast and an hour of our time but irrationally I felt so cut up about it as we had been looking forward to it

I think kids have this ability, it must get beaten out of us all at some point in the name of manners or society or something.

We once got tickets for the butterfly house at the Horniman Museum. (Not a fortune but not pocket money either.) Three year old DD really excited until we walked through the door and it was HOT (because exotic butterflies). She instantly went “Well, we’re not staying here in THIS” and walked straight out. There roughly 12 seconds and 11 of those were finding the exit. But she KNEW, instantly, she wouldn’t enjoy the butterflies because she didn’t like the heat. Didn’t give af she’d been supposed to like it. Be more three year old!

Well done OP for trying new things. That's what life is about.... yes there are risk elements, and not everything can pay off 100%, but that's what living life fully means!

I'm currently in Costa Rica on my first solo adventure in decades. I've made all kinds of decisions about tours etc, and it's all costing lots of money. Some stuff has been amazing and memories I'll treasure for life. Other things have felt a bit shit, not worth the money, or vulnerable or I'd have done differently if I'd known. But that's ok. I'm proud of myself for taking the leaps. You should be too!

It sounds like your DH (who sounds lovely) also took leaps, and these paid off- if not in the event itself, then in conquering some fears and barriers.... so plenty to celebrate, even though the event wasn't your thing.

I hope you enjoy Iron Maiden!

Honestly I've always tried these things to 'experience ' them. Some I've enjoyed, some I haven't and I find that I'm always glad I've tried stuff even if I haven't enjoyed it as now I know that I didn't enjoy it.

Was it a posh afternoon tea op?

I've always wanted one of these in London but it would kill me spending a lot of money and not feeling comfortable or not enjoying it.

This is a bizarre outlook. You didn't enjoy something so it's put you off doing anything in the future?

All i can say is read reviews of something beforehand then make a decision based on whether you think the price/effort is worth it.

This thread is making me think about the immersive art exhibition I will be going to in the near future (friend from abroad wants to 😕). I am not excited by the idea at all, but maybe I will love it - who knows until I try!

(I'm pretty sure I will be faking an expression of awe and appreciation).

Good for you got going though and giving it a try

imagine doing nothing ever, as you’re too scared to be disappointed.

enjoy Iron Maiden!!!!

I have MASSIVE regrets not going to see Dream Theatre in London this winter. There were tickets left but I was worried it would be a bit sad, all these old rockers, what if it was crap…. Big mistake. Huge. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear them play so many of their best songs… Mike Portnoy on the drums 😭😭😭 and I did not go

don’t be like me, rock on 🤘