The fact that you "never had issues before" means you didn't send transactions in the last months of 2017.
Get used to check the mempool size before sending transactions. Although maybe not the best, I use https://btc.com/stats/unconfirmed-tx because I find it easier to read. It should help you avoid surprises in the future.


For the current problem, sending to ViaBTC pool (link is posted already by somebody else) the tx id can be a good solution, just make sure you do it exactly at fixed hour (xx:00); if you are seconds late your request may not be accepted.