What? No one wants go to go to Disneyland or Disney World? I LOVE Disney World. It’s quite easy to head over there for a weekend. It’s where your dream come true! Where you can forever be a child! Seeing your favorites characters. Getting fairy dust sprinkled on your head. The Mickey ears ice-cream. The rides. While the wait times are atrocious…and there’s kids all around…and some really bad tourists…and it can get expensive…It’s Disney! My avatar is essentially what my face looks like when someone says we’re going to Disney. If it isn’t clear yet, I am a huge fan of Disney.
But I most definitely agree with those who say Orlando. Yes, I frequent there often, but every time I drive in Orlando there’s at least one moment where I just want to throw all the cars in front of me out of the way. Traffic is terrible, horrible, and just no good. Chock full of tourists who don’t know where they’re going and speed racers who can’t take a second to check lanes. :-w
" If all one sees in a city are the airports and Ramada convention rooms, much is left unseen."
Agree. That’s why I specifically said SF city. Not Muir Woods, not Napa valley, etc. I would not pay my money to stay and walk around the city again - done. If I’m on business, then it is OK. Boston, OTOH, is just as big and expensive, but I would visit and walk its streets again.
I also curious if people who said Oahu have traveled around the island and hated it all or have only stayed in Honolulu/flew into HNL. I can see how one may not be enthused about visiting the latter for the second time.
There are quite a few places (e.g., Berlin, Vienna) where I feel like I have “seen the sights” but would be willing to return with an insider who knows the good restaurants, etc.
I am not a fan of most airports and convention hotels and the areas very close to both. On the other hand, I enjoy most places we’ve been and happily revisit most. When we have time to explore at leisure, we nearly always find things we enjoy most places.
I agree with much of the above except for Portland, if it is the one in Oregon. I love it there! Places I do not want to return to…Las Vegas, Florida (hate the humidity, the bugs -don’t ever pose for a picture next to a funny sign that is standing on a hidden fire ant mound-in sandals of course), Oklahoma City although I wasn’t there for long and I think it was partly such a culture shock, Tijuana, Hong Kong (I actually really enjoyed my visit but would probably not return w/o a specific reason), Bullhead City, AZ (a close relative lives there and I have to force myself to visit), Disneyland-it has become incredibly expensive and over-crowded and I have trouble because I compare it to the Disneyland of the 60’s and 70’s (also in follow-up to my Hong Kong comments, I did love the Disney Park there as it was reasonably priced, empty and reminded my of Disneyland in the 60’s), San Francisco- I used to love it but it has become very touristy, dirty and has a lot of traffic. I will visit anywhere at least once because there is almost always something good about anyplace, but there are definitely places I would prefer not to visit again.
Bb, you are correct, we were in Waikiki and a Diamond Head area. I think the Luau did us in. Lol!
I don’t like Disneyland either. I love both Portland cities.
My wife and I just spent two days at Disneyland/California Adventure last week. We had a great time… just us though; no kids. It was extremely busy, hot, and the Indiana Jones ride broke down about 5 times, but all things considered it was exciting and enjoyable.
Places I would avoid again: Seattle. This city looks great on paper, but it felt too cramped/busy for my liking. The grunge scene is unappealing to me and the weather is legendarily awful.
Oh, goodness…Tampa. I don’t care for it either. People can be aggressive. Traffic is terrible. Many of the good places to be have a lot of highway driving which I’m not a large fan of based on how traffic can be. I’m guessing Miami wouldn’t be much of a hit for your either. I remember when I first moved to Florida. I will never forget the first breath I took of Florida air and it just felt wet and thick. Oh, humidity! I’m a Caribbean baby so I don’t mind the weather for the most part. It’s hot, but it doesn’t bother me.
I can see why people don’t go back to Florida. I’m sitting here thinking of all the places in Florida that I’ve been to and I’ve whole-heartedly accepted that Florida is just crazy. Each city is a different type and has each of its special quirks.
I generally like all airports, especially the ones that give free massages. Of the airports I’ve been to, there was only one that I wasn’t crazy about. When we got off the plane I felt like I stepped into a 70s office building topped with fake animals and questionable green carpet to match.
A lot of these opinions a reflective of where you are in life. When I was a teen, Disneyland was a blast. After H worked for Disney our point of view changed thanks to their corporate culture and our relative cultural point of view. Now it just seems so rigid and oppressive and crowded and expensive and just so so awful. Disneyland did not change as much as we did. I remember the exact moment that I started hating it. I took seven year old D and her friend. We bought $5 cokes in flimsy cups. I asked for a lid and was told lids were not available, but HEY we have these $12 Mickey sippy cups for sale!
I understand why others still love it.,…just not me.
Any Disney theme park. In fact, if I never go to a theme park again, I’d be OK with that.
My top places I’ve been to and wouldn’t go back to unless I had a very good reason
Malaysia & Sri Lanka (neighboring countries are more tourist friendly and more interesting)
Costa Rica (over hyped and over priced)
Germany, Austria (I see Nazis)
Most of Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas
Houston – I went there a couple of times for my job many years ago, and disliked it immensely. Mostly because of the weather. San Francisco – I’ve been there a couple of times and have no particular desire to visit the city itself again. I would gladly go to the surrounding areas again. Boston/Cambridge – I went to law school up there and have been there quite a few times since. Although there are several locations I enjoy visiting, I have never been a fan of the city or the area in general.
I spent an afternoon and evening in Tijuana in 1977 with a friend of mine. It was interesting, but the idea of going back has never once occurred to me!
Jamaica – I went there on vacation once in the 1980s and enjoyed myself, but for political reasons, I would never set foot there again as long as current circumstances continue. I liked other Caribbean islands better anyway.
Of the places I’ve been in Europe (Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the UK), there’s none I wouldn’t want to visit again, although there are a number of countries where I haven’t been that I’d prefer to go to first if I had the opportunity.
