Not Worth It?

[dreamer17555]

Curious since so much of our board travels but have you ever regretted a trip (to Disney or anywhere) or looking back felt the money wasn’t worth it?

 

[mrs. magoo]

I hate Las Vegas - when we spent 3 days there I was constantly thinking how I could have spent the money on something different. I know people love Vegas but it is just not for me.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Jamaica and Myrtle Beach are the two locations we actually regret.

Jamaica was more because I think we figured out we would have been happier staying at The Tensing Pen on the cliffs than where we stayed at on 7 mile beach. We liked the ability to walk to restaurants so that was nice but the beach as we thought but didn't quite realize how it truly was was just too shallow for my husband plus being bombarded by people wanting to sell wares or buy alcohol. We had a nice dinner at Then Tensing Pen and while it wouldn't have had the beach my husband was wanting overall it probably would have been a better trip.

In Myrtle Beach we were there because the in-laws were doing a timeshare presentation (for the reduced/free lodging) and we just found Myrtle Beach to be a dump really. All of us felt bad that we were spending 3 days 2 nights there. It was our "main" destination on a road trip we were doing (because flights to that area were hard at that time) and we wished we had spent more time in Savannah for example and Asheville.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I hate Las Vegas - when we spent 3 days there I was constantly thinking how I could have spent the money on something different. I know people love Vegas but it is just not for me.

The funny thing is Vegas has sorta become our go to place for a quick getaway. Mostly because we've gotten offers from The Wynn/Encore but we could have also gone this time around with an offer I got from MGM properties. We mostly go for the food (I'm craving Mon Ami Gabi right now lol) and then watching the fountains and at the Wynn the Lake of Dreams. We gamble only a little. Vegas is pricey though in terms of food and the hotel rates can be highly variable.

I was sorta like "do we have to go again" this past September when we went (due to an offer with a reduced hotel rate and a comp night) but I did still enjoy it. Then with our promotional Companion Pass from SWA for this month, Feb, and first part of March I was like "hmm maybe we should go back to Vegas" lol which my husband was more than willing to do (he really loves it there) but we settled for Puerto Rico to change it up.

I can def. understand why the appeal isn't there for others. We find our activities shifting each time we go to keep it fresh. I think for some the over the topness for some things there is just too much. Honestly my main complaint these days is the weed smell.

 

[igrsod]

I agree with Vegas. We've gone a few times, and probably won't go back. It's the best place set up to separate you from your money with very little value.
Walt Disney World could be moving in that direction from some of our most recent visits.

 

[Smugpugmug]

When I was younger, my family and I went to the Beaches resort in Turks and Caicos and we said never again. We didn't feel like the cost was worth the actual experience. I remember the resort being really dirty and the food was bleh. This was years ago so maybe it has changed, but I don't have any desire to go back.

I know this is very touristy and overhyped, but Hollywood was absolutely not worth the visit when I went to California for the first time. Incredibly dirty and kinda lame. Seeing the Chinese theater and Hollywood sign were pretty cool but that was about it. I felt similarly about Los Angeles but I'm not sure if people go there on a "vacation".

 

[xipotec]

NYC. former resident of the area, been many times, but this last trip, is was quite obvious the city it turning back into the “have” and “have not” era of the 70’s and 80’s.

its filthy everywhere, even for NYC standards, way expensive, pot smoke everywhere, rude police.

Still love the food thou,

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I agree with Vegas. We've gone a few times, and probably won't go back. It's the best place set up to separate you from your money with very little value.
Walt Disney World could be moving in that direction from some of our most recent visits.

We feel WDW is sooooooooo much worse (I cannot stress enough) in value of money spent. Our trips to Vegas we spend less than the cost of the tickets for WDW for the entire trip including airfare, hotel costs, food and drinks. Gambling usually a couple hundred at most in overall costs. That said we would be more likely and have been going mostly during the week at Vegas when the hotel costs are much lower.

But, we try to compare like for like. So for a theme park we'd compare the value of that to the value of Universal (or another theme or amusement park). For a beach we'd compare beach to beach in terms of value. History trips we compare that as well.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

When I was younger, my family and I went to the Beaches resort in Turks and Caicos and we said never again. We didn't feel like the cost was worth the actual experience. I remember the resort being really dirty and the food was bleh. This was years ago so maybe it has changed, but I don't have any desire to go back.

Did you explore other parts of Turks and Caicos? Wondering if other parts of the islands had any appeal to you?

That was actually a strong contender back in late 2019/early 2020 for a place to go (Grand Cayman was another one) We obviously didn't go but I've looked again into Turks and Caicos last year, I think our main problem was flights but the cost of the hotels are kinda high too. We wouldn't stay at Beaches though (we would have looked strongly if there was a Sandals though but there isn't).

 

[HopperFan]

Nashville (for NYE) and very disappointed, was nothing there that interested us. Best moment was driving WAY OUT SW to a fried chicken and biscuits (melt in your mouth) place.

San Francisco ~ well planned trip for a week in and around it. I think it's hard when a place is so romanticized over so much time. While we hit some nice spots and it is a unique city, I have no desire to ever go back again for variety of reasons ~ in addition to cost and distance. IF I find myself there I only have two requirements, Alcatraz and Heinold's First & Last Chance Saloon.

While I enjoyed Charleston it was a bust as a family vacation. I think it's more an adult destination or for history buff. Great option for adults, gal's trip, bachelorette party etc. I'll go back on an adult trip because I like the old stuff and just wandering.

Key West - SO DISAPPOINTED. Waldorf was nice to stay in but I had no idea the water is really not very swim-able in KW. (We should have picked one of the other keys where you can swim & snorkel without taking a boat out.) Homes are really quaint and I am sure folks love living there. But from a tourist angle it was junky tourist tacky. Even the food was disappointing. I did love seeing chickens walk around, and giant "lizards" hanging.

 

[MillauFr]

I didn't regret going to Knotts or Universal but both were a never again for us. Disney could triple prices and we would still rather go there than end up at Knotts again.

 

[soccerdad72]

I didn't regret going to Knotts or Universal but both were a never again for us. Disney could triple prices and we would still rather go there than end up at Knotts again.

Totally agree about Knotts. Didn't cost us anything but gas and our time as we had Cedar Fair platinum passes at the time, but what a waste of time.

 

[Minnesota!]

Our last Disney trip... December 2019. I left regretting ever going, for the first time ever (50+ trips prior).

Then, Covid hit, I got sober and I have even less desire to go back, ever.

 

[ronandannette]

I really regretted Disneyland Paris after-the-fact but we planned it so stupid, it was entirely our own fault.

I'm not sure if regret is the right word as much as dislike, over our family holiday in 2021. We flew one of the DD's and grandkids all the way across the country to meet us in a famously pristine and remote part of BC called the Sunshine Coast (her choice). I hated it there - it was total snoresville and the two days we spent in Vancouver on the way home were, well, let's just say I've never liked that city. All in, it was HUGE money, like go-to-Europe money and while I'll never regret the rare and precious family time , wild horses couldn't drag me back there.

 

[Boopuff]

Some regrets I've had:
- Naussau, just not a fun place. I don't like having to pay to go to a big resort, or beach. And, like most island places, the people selling stuff so annoying. The truly sad thing, it's on a lot of cruise itenerarys.
- Puerto Rico. Stayed at a nice resort, but found the island sorta dirty and icky. The beautiful rainforest was overcrowded and overused.
- Niagara Falls - one and done. The American side is icky, really liked the Canadian side though.
-Wisconsin Dells - lived in Illinois and did too many trips to the epitome of tourist trap. Way back when.. the place was clean, fun, but now it's been overtaken by one big corporation and lots of waterpark hotels.

 

[MGMmjl]

I think the only destination I've been to that I probably wouldn't go back to is Myrtle Beach. We are used to the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area, and while Myrtle Beach had a similar vibe, it just seemed dirtier and the crowds worse. We did go to Hilton Head Island a year after we went to Myrtle Beach, and I loved that area.

 

[sk!mom]

The only place I can remember regretting is Branson, but I knew it likely wasn't for me. We were with a group though so...

DH and I are very compatible travelers so usually no regrets. We tend to enjoy the time away and time together even if the destination is less than we would have liked.

The closest we come is places that were one and done- San Francisco, Cancun.

There are also those places that we enjoyed enough to visit more than once but feel like were probably done now-
Vegas (I'd likely only go back for a great concert)
Disney World (we went many times in our child raising years but for the cost, there are so many places we'd rather go now. I would like to take my infant grandson to Disneyland in a few years)
Colorado (also been many times both summer and winter- totally over the cold and the altitude.)

Our bigger problem is all the places we would love to return to added to the number we still haven't been. So many places-so little time.

 

[loves to dive]

There is nowhere that is a regret but there are probably a few places that were one or two and done. I'm not a fan of New Orleans, I know, I know, everyone loves it. When hubby and I went it was a long weekend trip for my birthday. We stayed at a W right in French Quarter. I hated Bourbon Street, it stank and I never felt safe there. Part of that is that I live in a college town (Go Dawgs 2 time National Champs) and our downtown is just bar after bar so has that same type of vibe at night. During the day its o.k. My hubby is a some what picky eater, just meat preferably fried, no veggies and no different spices. I love the food but other than chain restaurants you can find anywhere, we had issues finding places he could eat at. We actually had problems finding somewhere to hear good jazz, I know you can go away from the French Quarter and find it but we were there for such a short time and that was before Uber and we found the cab drivers sometimes less than honest (going way out of the way to get somewhere so they could charge more). I've been back twice since for reader conventions for the site I used to review for had booths and authors so we weren't in the middle of the quarter so that was o.k. But really, I just found the city too dirty and unsafe. I probably won't ever go back.

On the flip side, I love Memphis. Beale Street is completely different, we found jazz just about every other place we passed by, the food was great and it was just safer.

 

[StarCruzer]

Rome and London. This is probably more personal taste though. I grew up in the suburbs of NYC.

I thought both Rome and London were dirty cities with very little personality. I got my butt groped just walking down the street in Rome, and there were at least three guys getting BJs from their girlfriends on picnic blankets in the park we visited Italians dgaf I guess.

I enjoyed Manchester, Liverpool, and Edinburgh in the UK much more. Pretty much any city in Italy is better than Rome (although we did like visiting the Coliseum).

 

[Smugpugmug]

Did you explore other parts of Turks and Caicos? Wondering if other parts of the islands had any appeal to you?

That was actually a strong contender back in late 2019/early 2020 for a place to go (Grand Cayman was another one) We obviously didn't go but I've looked again into Turks and Caicos last year, I think our main problem was flights but the cost of the hotels are kinda high too. We wouldn't stay at Beaches though (we would have looked strongly if there was a Sandals though but there isn't).

We mostly stayed at the resort, but did explore other parts of the island. If you're still planning that trip, I would say choose Grand Cayman instead. I've been there as part of a cruise stop (I think it was on Royal Caribbean) and thought it was great. And yeah, don't stay at Beaches especially if you're a party of all adults. It's similar to Atlantis in the Bahamas where it's full of families with kids.

I think the only destination I've been to that I probably wouldn't go back to is Myrtle Beach. We are used to the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area, and while Myrtle Beach had a similar vibe, it just seemed dirtier and the crowds worse. We did go to Hilton Head Island a year after we went to Myrtle Beach, and I loved that area.

I love Hilton Head too. The beaches are wonderful and there are a lot of hidden gem restaurants. I went in August and had a great time. Your feelings about Myrtle Beach is how I feel about Ocean City, MD. It's dirty and is ridiculously crowded. I go to Rehoboth in Delaware instead and it's way better that Ocean City.