s/o Ever traveled somewhere and been disappointed by it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of Americans are dissapointed with European cities like Paris and Rome because they expect them to be like what they've seen in the movies or what they see at Epcot Center! They want a Disney version and not the real world cities that they are!

+1
I have a friend who actually believes she's introducing her kids to "Europe" when they go to Epcot. She said she doesn't want to go to the real cities because they're "so dirty and everyone smokes". For real!!!!!!!! It's so ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New York City. Loud, dirty and a mustiness that never clears.

YES. I've been multiple times and just don't get the appeal. All of the above, plus never being able to see past all the buildings. I feel trapped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brussels. So cold and dreary.

Bangkok. I felt rich and hated the feeling.

Las Vegas. Beautiful desert ruined by crap gambling.

Agree with Brussels: soulless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will probably get flamed for this one: New Orleans. I've been there three times over the past 15 years and just don't get the appeal at all. Paris, Outer Banks, and Amsterdam I really enjoy though!

New Orleans as well. My teen summed it up, "Why does this whole city smell like pee all the time?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Randomly St Lucia. If you aren't up for shelling out $1000 a night you can't stay anywhere that's nice and on a beach. The roads are SO treacherous and terrifying so a nice hotel is a must unless you're interested in risking your life every time you get in a car.

I agree about St. Lucia. Someone recommended it for our honeymoon. It was a waste of a lot of money. There is too much disparity between the haves and the super poverty. The roads were frighteningly awful. The resort was way over priced for what we felt about it Anse Chanete.

[Anonymous]

Niagra Falls. Didn't like it. U.S. Side. Once you saw it there was nothing else. Yawn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Budapest - Not much to do. Grand Cayman - very crowded, not as scenic as I expected.

Thanks for this and the thoughts about St Lucia. I've only been to the Caribbean once and we're starting to think about a trip there for our 10th anniversary.

Leaning towards PR. Easy to get to, easy to explore, lots of lodging options.

We love Grand Cayman. Have been twice. Gorgeous. Easy. Clean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alaska- least favorite destination ever. I'll never go back to Nevis- the resort was beautiful but thee wasn't much to do on the island & the water wasn't particularly nice. I am also with the posters who don't get the appeal of th DE/MD beaches. There's not much appealing about them in the least.

I've been to Alaska twice and found it amazing. The vistas, the wildlife, glaciers, camping by giant mountains. I want to go back!

Alaska is one of the most awesome places I've ever visited. The last frontier. Beauti
Best ever salmon n Halibut.

[Anonymous]

I didn't like Montreal as much as i expected to. It's a beautiful city but the bikers were absolutely crazy and didn't obey traffic laws - my DH was nearly run over, it was a very, very close call. I was on edge the whole time.

I loved Toronto, however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Niagra Falls. Didn't like it. U.S. Side. Once you saw it there was nothing else. Yawn.

Canada side is better, I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Niagra Falls. Didn't like it. U.S. Side. Once you saw it there was nothing else. Yawn.

Canada side is better, I think.

Maybe a little. Overrated place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brussels. So cold and dreary.

Bangkok. I felt rich and hated the feeling.

Las Vegas. Beautiful desert ruined by crap gambling.

Agree with Brussels: soulless.

And grey!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hong Kong and Bangkok were miserable.

But we were young backpackers and knew nobody there.

That's funny, because I went to Bangkok as a business traveler and kept thinking how much more I'd have enjoyed it had I been a young backpacker!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Egypt.

I went there with my family just a few month before the Arab Spring. Was so disappointed by the pyramids - many of the painting have been 'restored' by essentially repainting them. Next to the pyramids they offer camel rides (for $50/person for a 10 min ride) with the saddest, abused camels you've ever seen. The airline (I think Egypt Air) tried to scam us when we arrived at the airport for a domestic flight by claiming they couldn't find our ticket - hinting that they were expecting a bribe - and when we were adamant that we had already paid and showed them our confirmation and receipt, refused to acknowledge it and made us buy new ticket for the next day (but still charged us for the original tickets). As a woman, I was completely ignored by taxi drivers, restaurant staff, etc. And EVERYWHERE we went we were asked for 'baksheesh' for the smallest thing - such as a security guard telling us 'American? President Obama,' and expecting a payment for knowing this fact.

Oh God, the baksheesh! Egypt was one gigantic toilet. Most of the people were awful and they seemed to really enjoy ripping off tourists. And this was twenty years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to go to Vietnam every year to see the in-laws. I'm always shocked when any American says they enjoyed it -- they must have been on a tour group or stayed somewhere upscale like Six Senses. I've been going for a long time, and I've never really enjoyed it (and no, it's not because of the ILs, they are lovely).

People are very aggressive there, it's very dirty and disorganized, and many of its natural treasures are trashed with plastic garbage and toxic chemicals, or by catering to casino-loving Chinese tourists who act like there's no tomorrow, and they don't seem to give a crap about keeping things clean, or customer service. The air pollution in the cities is just intolerable.

It's a big country, though, and like I said, I suspect anyone who enjoyed it did very touristy things. It'd be helpful to say "The resort I stayed in at Phu Quoc was nice" or "The beach in Da Nang was underwhelming" if you're a Vietnam-liking PP.

As a one of the Vietnam loving PPs, we were not on a tour group or stay anywhere super upscale. We stayed in mid range places in Hanoi and Saigon. Took day trips to Halong Bay, Mekong River, Chu Chi tunnels, etc. I guess that's fairly touristy but we were not insulated from the locals. There were a few girls who stood on the streets incessantly trying to sell foot massages, but otherwise I didn't find the people overly aggressive.* In fact, I thought that people all over Asia were some much more mild mannered and polite than Americans, it was refreshing. And the food was universally outstanding.

*We did not drive in Vietnam, which would have terrified me if we had tried to do so. Yes, they are definitely aggressive drivers.

I traveled alone through Vietnam at age 30, stayed in local guest houses, and loved it. It was difficult being unable to communicate but I found the people lovely.