Biggest destination disappointment

Automatika said:
San Francisco. I had been there many times but always stayed somewhere outside the city. This time I stayed in the Holiday Inn by Fishermans Wharf; the first sign there would be a problem was when the told us to carry our luggage across the street from the hotel to the other building. Was accosted by two different panhandlers before we even got to our room. People screaming in the halls all night, smoke from somebody illegally smoking in the hallway. Parking was $40 a night in the hotel parking lot. I knew the Fishermans Wharf area could be touristy and tacky but wanted to be near the ferries. I would definitely stay somewhere outside of the city next time.
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Next time! There will be a next time? I always recommend that Holiday Inn.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: "Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair."
 
I have been to the Grand Canyon maybe 5 times. I loved it every time.

I have been to Vegas many times, on business and for football bowl games. Otherwise, not a place I like to be.

I have been to Cancun, and while the city itself was not all that impressive to me, side trips to Chitzen Itza, Xcaret, Tulum, etc., were absolutely fabulous. I highly recommend Cancun if you do side trips.

I have been to NYC maybe 10 times. I love it every time I go there. The symphony, the opera, Broadway plays, the museums--all are fabulous.

DW and I love to travel--and we always enjoy ourselves. But yes, there are disappointments here and there. Like when we went to Egypt. It was the year after the Luxor massacre of 1997, and the ratio of vendors to tourists was 10 to 1. We were harassed mercilessly by the aggressive, pawing vendors. Otherwise, it was a fabulous trip.
 
CuppaJoe said:
Next time! There will be a next time? I always recommend that Holiday Inn.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: "Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair."
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I've stayed three times in the Holiday inn Fisherman's Wharf. Never had any trouble. Ill be back there in January for a meeting
 
Retire2014 said:
Better than I expected: Venice, Italy.
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Venice was really nice....unfortunately I was in Italy on military duty TDY and I was there because my F-16 unit was flying missions into Bosnia. I had little time off to sightsee....one day to be exact, and I took a train to Venice. I'd need a lot more time than that to adequately explore Venice. So...hopefully I'll get back some day.
 
For me it was Sentosa Island in Singapore.. I loved Singapore but this attraction was a waste of time (4 years ago) don't know if they have updated it since then but I wouldn't waste my time there. I did like Stonehenge found it rather facinating that those giant stones were moved to the spot without modern equipment. I do like Disney for some strange reason.. spent years bring my kids there and still like to visit once a year. I agree on Honolulu if that is all you see in Hawaii you missed Hawaii.. I like to spend a couple of days in Honolulu because I like the city but when I do visit but want to spend the majority of my time on the other islands. Shanghai is an interesting place the first time you visit it but after the first few times I can take it or leave it. What about places you like?? I love Bordeaux, Barcelona, Paris, the Big Island, Just about anywhere in Australia.. Ohh I am getting the travel bug again!
 
Australia (all of it) didn't live up to a lifetime of wanting to go there. Tazmania was absolutly beautiful and I would live there in a second if I had the gonads.

Your wrong about Key West though, it is so different from the norm, a fun place that has everything Caribbean and more and When Cuba opens this little city is going to be a must go. Ferry over to Cuba in a couple hours, how cool is that!
 
xyz said:
For me it was Sentosa Island in Singapore.. I loved Singapore but this attraction was a waste of time (4 years ago) don't know if they have updated it since then but I wouldn't waste my time there. QUOTE]

Just been to Sentosa Island recently. Not impressed. Looks very artificial to me, new buildings, hotels, etc.
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itsmyparty said:
Totally agree....we've been once and want to go back again...nothing like it!
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Last month, high tide was sloshng over the sidewalks. So try to do your sightseeing at low tide.
 

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Pattaya 7 years ago, now it is much better but still nothing much to do except hitting bars full with hookers and lady boys. In the whole city there is no Thai/Thai couple.

I completely disagree with what you have written about Stonehenge ( you don't put it into historical context ) and about Egypt ( although it's all true, you just don't know how to tackle such situations ) . I enjoyed both destinations tremendously.

My top 3 so far
1. Beijing, China in summer or autumn
2. Rome & Vatican, Italy, any season
3. Vienna,Austria in summer or autumn
 
CoolChange said:
Negril, Jamaica.

I did think it was a beautiful area; but, this is the only place I've been in the Caribbean where I did not feel comfortable (not only personal safety but also general hassle and annoyance factors) wandering around on my own.

I won't go out of my way to return to Jamaica. There are too many other places that have just as much natural beauty without as much hassle factor for me.
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I agree !

There are so many different places to spend my hard earned dollars, I don't need the hassle !

I have a friend who is single and owns a couple of travel agencies. I figured he's already been to so many places repeatedly (I suppose he visited each country several times as he told me he went to Germany twice, Egypt once ...) and he ran out of place to go. Now he is going to Iran !

What the world did he choose to go to Iran unless he has no family (his own children) to worrry, and has extra cash to spend ...
 
ksr said:
St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The island was dirty and the residents were rude and nasty. I can't imagine how tourism survives there when (we) tourists were treated so badly. This goes back 15-20 years, so maybe it has changed/improved since then, though.
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I am surprised as I always imagine how beautiful the place is !
Thanks for sharing your experience though.

Hmmm, I wonder if the British Virgin Island offers better choice for tourists as I have never been to both US and British Virgin Islands.
 
travelover said:
Agree on Stonehenge and Niagara Falls.

I was also disappointed in an Amazon River Boat trip that I took from Iquitos, Peru. The river is so wide that it is hard to see anything (birds, animals) on the bank, and for miles and miles and miles it is burned out and farmed out. Not exactly the pristine experience I was hoping for. That didn't sour me on Peru, though. It just made me realize that I need to do more research before I travel.
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I agree that tourists need to do more research before spending their money on trips that disappoint them later.

Some people spend Cad$10,000 on a family vacation for 2 weeks. Well, if they are super rich, that's not a problem.

But what I found out was quite often it wasn't the case. They saved up their hard earned dollars and blew it on one trip. One case was a cruise in the Mediteranian, Cad$5000 for each person, a couple spent Cad$10,000 for that trip. I asked him before he left for the trip "Do you really have to spend $5000 each for that trip ?", he said "I have to ...". Well, he still has a mortgage to pay, and he is over 55 already.

If he really wants a cruise in Europe, there are other means but costs less, I think !
 
Texas Proud said:
OK... now that I have read them all....

I was disappointed in Disney last year... way to many people and trying to get any amount of 'riding time' was horrible... and WAY overpriced.. but it is not up there on my list of disappointments...

My #1 is Egypt... I have been to the 'resorts' on the Red sea... a nice place, but cold water.. also, horrible food... but the bad part of the trip was the Nile River cruise...

Every place we went, we were being accosted by Egyptions wanting MONEY... they would harrase you and follow you to try and get a sale.. they would try and show you around the ruins and then expect to get money for it... they would jump into your picture and then try and get money for it... they would act like they were your friend... and try and get money for it...

Then the tour would show you an old ruin for maybe an hour or two... back on the bus to the perfume shop, another ruin, a stone shop.. bad food, some other shop... you spent more time in shops with them trying to sell you something than actually seeing sites...

I would never recommed someone to go there unless they were ready for this onslaught.... heck, some people actually LIKE this...
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Thanks for sharing your experience in Egypt.

I appears to me one of the key words is "expectation". Say in my case, I only want some pleasant weather (South Florida is good for me) to snowbird for the winter, relax, take some cruises to the Carribean in the winter, and expect some places that are relatively safe for tourists.

So obviously I won't drive to Mexico as it's so unsafe to drive across the border ...
 
FUEGO said:
Grand canyon. Saw it as a teenager. Big hole in the ground. Scale of the thing is amazing, but after you look at it for a while, that is it.

I love vegas, but I think it is one of those places that you either like or hate. Great place to just relax and let it go - "what happens in vegas..." and all. Where else would I be sipping strawberry daiquiris served by mostly naked ladies with my wife sitting happily next to me? Where else can you think "It's 4 am, I really want a big beer and a big juicy steak, but I only want to pay $7 for it"? :)

Haven't been yet, but Hawaii is something the DW really wants to see. I'm kinda so-so on it, since it is a loooong flight from the east coast USA, and we have tropical islands in the Caribbean so close (many of which we have been to). But we'll have to go just to see it.

The Grand Canyon is the same way for her - she really wants to see it, but it is hard to explain that it is neat and all, but hard to justify a very long day trip or a 2 day trip from Vegas just to see it for a few hours. One day though...
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Agree !

Grand Canyon: I saw it from the plane flying from San Diego CA to Toronto Canada, I was tempting to go and see it, but after reading your experience, perhaps it's not worth spending my hard earned $ on Grand Canyon.

Hawaii: I share the same thought as yours. It's a looong flight from Toronto Canada to Hawaii, is it worht it ? There are beautiful islands in the Carribean and they are so close ! I can take cruises departing from NYC or Florida or Baltimore to see those beautiful tropical islands. So why waste my $ for Hawaii ? Well, unless I run out of places to see and have too much money left not knowing where else to spend !
 
sailfish said:
Rome was a major dissapointment.
I am in Florida right now in Feb. Three weeks and leaving to go back home in NJ.
I cannot see the fascination that some people have to come down here. I went to 4 different areas of the state where 4 couples (freind/aquaintances) are staying till April. They are not doing anything different down here than they do up North. I saw the Villages also . Not Impressed!
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Nice and warm weather in South Florida, no snow to shovel, lots of cruises departing from Miami and Fort Lauderdale to the Carribean, central America ...

Tens of thousands of snowbirds go to Florida every year. I am sure most of them appreciate how nice (weatherwise) South Florida is in the winter compared to Canada, Mid West, New England ...

No major disappointment for me. It depends on what your expectation is !
 
Moemg said:
It took me awhile to acclimate and every once in awhile I would say I missed living up North and one of my co-workers would make that sound your car makes when starting in brutal cold weather and that would bring me down to earth . I still visit the North and there are many things I love about it but January to March is not one of them . It's not just the snow . It's the constant grayness and lack of color for months and the cooped in feeling .
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Hi Moe,

Agree with you and other but I just quoted once instead of quoting different people of the same idea.

If people live in the South (never live in the North), some of them don't understand how boring it is living up North in the winter.

- Snow: Depending on the year, sometimes it's 5 or 6 feet high after shoveling the snow.
- Road is slippery: Some walkway is covered with ice.
- View: Boring ! Constant grey, no leaves
- The sky: Cloudy most of the time, grey !
- Wind: I hate that, think about the windchill factor...
- Spring/Fall: Even Spring and Fall are boring ...
- Fuel cost: To heat the house
- Snow again: Sometimes it blocks the entire street and you can't get your car out to some minor route until the next day as all neighbours will have to wait till the snow plough the next day to remove the snow on some side street.
- Street: It's dirty, boring, hard to drive, accidents ...
- Cars: Freeze your butts when you got into your cars ...

Now, it explains why Canadians snowbird in Florida (75% of members of the Canadian Snowbird Association).
 
LuvSouth said:
Agree !

Grand Canyon: I saw it from the plane flying from San Diego CA to Toronto Canada, I was tempting to go and see it, but after reading your experience, perhaps it's not worth spending my hard earned $ on Grand Canyon.
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My wife and I spent 10 days hiking down and around the canyon years ago during spring break. Some day we will go back as it was an awesome, humbling experience. Driving to the rim to look down from some viewing platform would, I agree, be a disappointment and a waste.

DD
 
Midpack said:
We're in the minority but you're not alone. I lived in Lakeland, FL for 3 years and spent a lot of time in Orlando, Tampa, Clearwater, etc. When I got transferred there I thought it would be wonderful. I have lived in WA, RI, CA, TX, FL, OH, IN & NJ and visited all over the US and several foreign countries, and FL was the least desirable place I have ever lived period (despite living in the nicest house we ever owned). But again, I realize that's not how most people feel, even some close friends of mine. YMMV
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You are definitely the minority :)

Talk to Canadians about Florida in the fall and winter, and you will see how excited they become ...

If finance, family (children or aging parents), health, work ... are not the issues, most of them would love to escape the bloody cold winter in Canada, and I think Florida, Mexico and the Carribean are the few top choices !
 
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