Place that didn't live up to expectations

[Anonymous]

Count me in with the Paris Syndrome group! I have no one to blame but myself, but I didn't enjoy Paris nearly as much as I thought I would. I had some fairy tale ideas in my head, and was not expecting European New York (I don't like NYC either).

I loved Dublin, Hawaii (Kauai and the Big Island) and a few other places mentioned here, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved Savannah, New Orleans, and Paris. Another city people are often let down by that I loved was Venice.

Places that didn't live up to expectations include Rome, Bali, Varanasi, and Chicago.

+ 1 on Savannah, New Orleans, and Paris, but I do love Rome.

Disliked Costa Rica, Florence, and Hawaii. Also found Masai Mara a little disappointing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beijing. The air quality was so bad and everything was grey - it felt almost apocalyptic

I always think of the two weeks I spent in Beijing as feeling like I was living in pea soup. Apocalyptic is a good description.

I hated it. And not just because of the air quality; everything was difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved Savannah, New Orleans, and Paris. Another city people are often let down by that I loved was Venice.

Places that didn't live up to expectations include Rome, Bali, Varanasi, and Chicago.

+ 1 on Savannah, New Orleans, and Paris, but I do love Rome.

Disliked Costa Rica, Florence, and Hawaii. Also found Masai Mara a little disappointing.

Why Costa Rica? I’ve been wanting to plan a vacation with family there.

[Anonymous]

New Zealand, particularly the south island. We went during their "summer" and the weather really wasn't good. It was cold and damp and cloudy and raining, which is apparently standard there even at the best of times. If you pat attention, you'll start to notice that ads for New Zealand also only feature the same dozen or so photos over and over again. We found that was pretty much because those are the only remarkable vistas. The rest is lovely and nature-y, but is just standard. We have been far more impressed by most US National Parks

[Anonymous]

New Orleans - what a disgusting pit. I felt like I needed to delouse after visiting. Gross half dead addicts everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hawaii.

My own fault for poor research, but I was expecting something quieter and less developed...more exotic. Instead I got traffic jams and Walmarts. It felt like Florida with better scenery. Which makes sense since it's a state.

Where on earth in Hawaii did you actually go?!?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved Savannah, New Orleans, and Paris. Another city people are often let down by that I loved was Venice.

Places that didn't live up to expectations include Rome, Bali, Varanasi, and Chicago.

I've been to and loved all these places except Savannah (never been).

I agree with PP who said Greece. Athens was so gritty and dirty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved Savannah, New Orleans, and Paris. Another city people are often let down by that I loved was Venice.

Places that didn't live up to expectations include Rome, Bali, Varanasi, and Chicago.

I've been to and loved all these places except Savannah (never been).

I agree with PP who said Greece. Athens was so gritty and dirty.

People who don't like Athens have no soul.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disneyworld. What a s—show.

I enjoyed Disney as a whole more than expected, but the Magic Kingdom was kind of a disappointment. Way too many "rides" that were really just sitting and looking at animatronic crap. I don't need to wait 45 minutes to see a bunch of dolls in a cave sing It's a Small World.

Thank you for saying this so I don’t feel insane. That thread about spending 14k on a Disney vacation made me feel nuts because I cannot imagine spending that much to see Small World and the Hall of Presidents, sit in the Tiki Room, etc. I don’t get the appeal at all, and I have been as a child and adult.

I also don't get it. It's not Magical at all. WAY TOO MANY people running over people with their scooter chairs. Everyone is "executive" line skippers. The best I can say about any Disney park - they are clean and provide a lot of jobs. I would never spend any money to go to any of them again. Never.

[Anonymous]

Costa Rica. I didn't realize how big of a sex tourism destination it was. Lots of older white men and young prostitutes. It was beautiful scenery interspersed with weird creepy old man vibes. I ended up running into the seemingly nice middle-aged med we'd sat next to on the plane at a restaurant. Turns out they were with some prostitutes and their pimp. One complained when they didn't laugh enthusiastically enough at his jokes and weren't flirty enough. We got out of there fast.


Key West. It's beautiful but very expensive and the beaches suck. I don't like Jimmy Buffet music and Duval street is overrated. There are much better places to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved Savannah, New Orleans, and Paris. Another city people are often let down by that I loved was Venice.

Places that didn't live up to expectations include Rome, Bali, Varanasi, and Chicago.

I've been to and loved all these places except Savannah (never been).

I agree with PP who said Greece. Athens was so gritty and dirty.

People who don't like Athens have no soul.

I’d say the same about those who don’t like New Orleans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most places in Spain, especially Sevilla. I liked Barcelona a lot though.

Why? I'm hoping to visit. It's great that you enjoyed Barcelona.

DP. I have spent a lot of time in Sevilla over the years. Part of its charm is that it is gross. There's a picaresque element to all your interactions with sevillanos, no matter how wealthy they present themselves to be, which can be tiring when you're just trying to get stuff done. I am still wowed when I find a public bathroom with toilet paper and soap instead of having to bring my own. The landscape is uninspiring, certain corners of the city resist gentrification fiercely in spite of million of euros of investment (the alameda), and when it comes down to it, it's a provincial city whose heyday was 500 years ago. I still love it because it's a magnet for eccentrics worldwide, and the city goes senseless with joy during all the festivals, sort of like New Orleans. But like New orleans, "gritty and a bit run down" is a polite way to describe it.

It sort of kills me to say this but for pure tourism in Andalusia I'd recommend Granada instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Costa Rica. I didn't realize how big of a sex tourism destination it was. Lots of older white men and young prostitutes. It was beautiful scenery interspersed with weird creepy old man vibes. I ended up running into the seemingly nice middle-aged med we'd sat next to on the plane at a restaurant. Turns out they were with some prostitutes and their pimp. One complained when they didn't laugh enthusiastically enough at his jokes and weren't flirty enough. We got out of there fast.


Key West. It's beautiful but very expensive and the beaches suck. I don't like Jimmy Buffet music and Duval street is overrated. There are much better places to go.

Felt the same way visiting Phuket and parts of Thailand. Lovely locals but the older fat white men with young girls was unnerving.

[Anonymous]

i bet the people saying Hawaii didn't go to Kauai.