Where would you never go again?

We all have the occasional disastrous trip, but what destinations were so disappointing that you would never return and you warn others away? :D For us, there are two.

The first would be the Wisconsin Dells. We spent 4 days there. We were going for the scenery and really expected some outdoorsy activities. What we found was an incredibly tacky town and separate tours that you had to take to see the scenery. There was probably a better way to do it. Perhaps my it was just my research that fell short, but man we were disappointed. We stayed at one of the water resort hotels which we were really looking forward to as well. Someone we know recommended the Polynesian so we booked there. Ugh. It was just this side of seedy, the employees had a dismal attitude and the water was freezing.

I'll have to post later about trip two.

We've had two trips that were a bit disappointing too. Not so much so that we'd never return, but these just didn't "wow" me like other vacations we've taken.

First off was Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We loved all the nature type stuff we did, but there was one part of the main town that was so "tacky tourist" and we really didn't like it. We did a ghost tour that was a complete waste of time and money, and I was actually embarrased to be seen on the tour. You could tell there were people looking at us thinking "SUCKERS!". Also the photo of our cabin looked like it was nestled way up in the mountains, it was not, it was almost on flat ground. We still had a great little pond and the cabins were spaced well so we had privacy. Not a big deal, just not what we were expecting. We also visited Asheville, North Carolina and drove the Blue Ridge Parkway on that trip, stopping many times along the way, and that part of the trip was amazing, so the whole trip wasn't a waste. I was just a little disappointed in some of what we did in Gatlinburg and Piegon Forge.

The other place that I had high expecations for was San Antonio, Texas. We had been wanting to visit there for years, but kept putting it off. Last summer we visited with my SIL and her family. We had a really fun time, but it also was not what I was expecting. Now to be fair there is a ton of stuff we didn't get to do, and I'm sure if we went again and did other things my opinion may change, but it didn't wow me at all. Every person I know that has been to San Antonio has talked about how much they LOVED it, and I just didn't get it. We went in the middle of June and it was hotter than anything I've experienced before, and I live in Southern Louisiana. I know hot! It was really too hot to enjoy anything that wasn't water related, so we spent most of our time at the waterpark, tubing, and our hotel pool, with outings in the early morning or at night, and it was still too hot! The day we spent tubing was by far the highlight of our trip! We'd like to go back in the spring or fall to do the caves and hill country, and get to spend more time on the riverwalk when it's not so hot. I think we'd enjoy San Antonio much better at a different time of year, doing some of the other things the area has to offer.

I was a litte put off by my visit to Gettysburg a few years back. Wasn't what I was expecting at all, but maybe it was to time of year we went.

Not so bad I wouldn't go back, but it was quiet the opposite of what I wanted to get out of it. It would be [short] part of another destination for sure.

I would have to say Provincetown MA. I didn't hate it but it wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be.

We went to pigeon Forge several years ago. I will never go back! After a 14 hour drive with a 3y/o and 1y/o (we did stop in Savannah), I cried when we got there. :cry: it was the tacky touristy strip that set me off."14 hours for this????" Once we got up to our cabin in the mountains I was better. but I will never go back. There are much better places to go to experience The Smokies than Pigeon Forge.

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Originally Posted by DizneyRox

I was a litte put off by my visit to Gettysburg a few years back. Wasn't what I was expecting at all, but maybe it was to time of year we went.

Not so bad I wouldn't go back, but it was quiet the opposite of what I wanted to get out of it. It would be [short] part of another destination for sure.

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:( Oh that makes me sad. I grew up taking trips to Gettysburg and ended up doing my undergraduate education at the the college there. I love that town.

If your a history buff make reservations for a hotel way in advance of the July 1-3 anniversary. The reenactments and such are really awesome!

We camped once on Assateague island (Virginia). The whole trip was pretty much a disaster. Camp ground areas were packed, crazy humidity, and the horse flies. OMG the flies.

I'm not really camping fan to begin with but this trip was just horrific. Maybe I'd go back if we stayed in a hotel the next time.

We had a couple as well.

Probably our worst has been to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg like some of the others. It is just an overpriced tourist trap. There are a few attractions that are ok but overall the place is just a ripoff. There were also some sort of scam artists that had little stands set up that would scream and I mean literally scream at you and follow you along yelling trying to push whatever they were selling. It may have been timeshares they were selling but can't remember for sure because I got angry the second time it happened and I started going off every time after that and used quite a few curse words while I was screaming back. I got an ovation from the other tourists when I let one of them have it. That actually turned out to be the highlight of the trip as far as time in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and the family still jokes around about it. That has been probably around 6 years ago and we still have absolutely no desire to go back.

The next worst trip sadly was to Disney World during 4th of July week. The allowed way too many people in magic kingdom and we couldn't even move because it was literally shoulder to shoulder all the way down main street and in the courtyard. It took us over an hour and a half to get from the entrance to the spoke that goes over to tomorrow land. All the while, cast members were yelling at everyone (us included) that we could not stand in the street and we needed to move. I snapped and yelled back that everyone was trying to move but we couldn't and instead of yelling at us they could be attempting to help the situation before someone gets hurt. I guess a supervisor heard me because they all stopped yelling at the guests very soon afterwards, got down and started assisting everyone move and clear a path to the outlets from the courtyard. Basically a lot of people had came early and were trying to claim a spot in the courtyard to watch the 4th of July fireworks show and it had caused pedestrian grid lock.

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Originally Posted by Dulcee

We camped once on Assateague island (Virginia). The whole trip was pretty much a disaster. Camp ground areas were packed, crazy humidity, and the horse flies. OMG the flies.e.

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One of my least favorites was Ocean City Maryland. We were there for a week for a dance nationals. To escape Ocean City we drove to Assateague and got a two day pass so we could escape OC another day. We weren't camping so that probably made it nicer. It was the middle of July and we liked the island a lot better than the beach area, which I thought was tacky.

Also, Gaitlinburg for 2 different dance nationals. That is a real tourist trap. But loved that the Smoky Mountain National park was right there.

[QUOTE=TheVBs;2274635]

The first would be the Wisconsin Dells. We spent 4 days there. We were going for the scenery and really expected some outdoorsy activities. What we found was an incredibly tacky town and separate tours that you had to take to see the scenery./QUOTE]

Agree with you on tacky town. We're campers and found a wonderful campground up there right on the Wisconsin River - the owners are great (Holiday Shores). However, the stores and a lot of other things downtown are tacky. Not sure why people are attracted to the Dells but it certainly gets crowded.

Hershey Park.

NEVER again.

New Orleans...once was enough...saw things in public I hope to never see again...and no I wasn't on Bourbon Street, nor was I there for Mardi Gras. lol.

Myrtle Beach...tourism gone awry.

Gatlinburg...love the Smokies, but the town has become myrtle beach in the mountains. (The Townsend area is still rightly advertised as the quiet side of the Smokies but does lack mainstream eateries...though it does boast one of the top restaurants in Tennessee.)

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Originally Posted by Mousemates

Myrtle Beach...tourism gone awry.

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Some friends of ours have a beach house in Myrtle Beach North (or is it South), anyway it's the quieter part of Myrtle Beach. We visited them a few years ago in late June and it was so calm and enjoyable. The beach was super clean and it was just a lot of families enjoying beach time together!

Now we did go to some little tourist shopping area for the kids to go to MagiQuest. That was a disaster for me. First off I hate that MagiQuest game. We've let the kids do it in the Great Wolf Lodge resorts, which is fine, they can go off on their own. This was a free standing MagiQuest place and there was nothing for me to do, but follow the kids around helping them find stuff. It was one of the worst few hours spent on any vacation!!

You know, I can't really think of anywhere we've vacationed that I wouldn't go there again (and I've been pondering this for several minutes). The closest destination would probably be Miami. Many years ago we had a weekend or two there that were fun--Biscayne Bay, South Beach, etc. But the last time we were there I was with my husband on one of his business trips and I was put off by the attitudes and pretentiousness of so many people, especially in South Beach. Many of them may have been tourists or C-list celebrities trying to appear more than important than they really were, but I decided it just wasn't my kind of city anymore.

South of the Border
Didn't vacation there, but stopped there a couple trips ago. I remember stopping there in the past and it not being as bad as it was.

Universal Studios.... The park crew are rude, and very unprofessional, and scream at the folks getting on rides. They are always in a hurry, even when there are no crowds. I will never return to Universal.

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Originally Posted by MNNHFLTX

...But the last time we were there I was with my husband on one of his business trips and I was put off by the attitudes and pretentiousness of so many people, especially in South Beach. Many of them may have been tourists or C-list celebrities trying to appear more than important than they really were, but I decided it just wasn't my kind of city anymore.

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I agree with you on South Beach. Spend a ton of money to be treated like garbage.:ack: I'm ok with spending money If i am getting good quality and service.

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Originally Posted by Mousemates

New Orleans...once was enough...saw things in public I hope to never see again...and no I wasn't on Bourbon Street, nor was I there for Mardi Gras. lol.

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I live about an hour and a half with traffic away from N.O. I refuse to go there. Both before and after Katrina it was and still is just a mess. A real shame too. There are some fantastic restaurants there.

I am not a fan of Panama City Beach or Myrtle Beach. Both too tacky/touristy for me. If I go to the beach, I want to spend time at the beach, not at a bunch of tacky souvenir shops.

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Originally Posted by barnaby

South of the Border
Didn't vacation there, but stopped there a couple trips ago. I remember stopping there in the past and it not being as bad as it was.

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Is this the place between South and North Carolina? If so, how could I forget that place. Definitely a place I would never stop at again. We stopped just for the novelty of it, but we were back in our car and leaving rather quickly. The place was such a dump!

DH was stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina back during his Army days and he and his friends would stop there when going to Myrtle Beach. For some reason he thought it would be a cool place to stop with the kids. NOT!!!!!

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Originally Posted by russ57

Universal Studios.... The park crew are rude, and very unprofessional, and scream at the folks getting on rides. They are always in a hurry, even when there are no crowds. I will never return to Universal.

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Awww, too bad you had such a bad experience. Our experiences with Universal have been pretty wonderful.

We visited Islands of Adventure during 2 different Disney trips for the WWOHP section of the park. We enjoyed it so much that during our Christmas trip to WDW we stayed onsite at Universal for 2 nights before heading to WDW. We did have a little bump in the road before we left home about a room discount, but once that was squared away we had no other issues. I felt their standards were right up there with Disney, and we didn't encounter any rude Team Memebers ( I think that's what they are called over at Universal). I still prefer Disney over Universal, but we really had an excellent time there.

As a matter of fact I can't imagine going to Universal and not staying onsite. And while I'm sure we won't visit Universal on every WDW trip, we definitely plan to visit more often than we have in the past.

Nassau, Bahamas. Don't mind the cruise there and back, but have no desire to go into town ever again.

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Originally Posted by buzznwoodysmom

Awww, too bad you had such a bad experience. Our experiences with Universal have been pretty wonderful.

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I agree--my son and I were there a few weeks and thought everything was first-rate. Stayed on site too, to take advantage of the Express Pass. That was fantastic.

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Originally Posted by russ57

Universal Studios.... The park crew are rude, and very unprofessional, and scream at the folks getting on rides. They are always in a hurry, even when there are no crowds. I will never return to Universal.

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I have never had this experience there in all of the years we have been going. Personally, I don't let the workers attitudes (even at Disney) effect my vacation, unless it gets to be on a personal level. We have vacationed many places where the workers can be less than friendly or even "dry" but I don't care as long as they answer my questions and don't get rude with me on a one on one level.

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Originally Posted by barnaby

South of the Border
Didn't vacation there, but stopped there a couple trips ago. I remember stopping there in the past and it not being as bad as it was.

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I would rather wear adult diapers than ever have to stop there again!!!:ack:

Myrtle Beach

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Originally Posted by buzznwoodysmom

Is this the place between South and North Carolina? If so, how could I forget that place. Definitely a place I would never stop at again. We stopped just for the novelty of it, but we were back in our car and leaving rather quickly. The place was such a dump!

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Yep, that's the place.
We stopped on our trip down in 2008. I had stopped there in as a kid in the 80s. From what I remember, it wasn't that bad. But when we stopped on the most recent trip, it was a couple quick pics with the some gorilla "statues" and we were gone.

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Originally Posted by TheDuckRocks

I would rather wear adult diapers than ever have to stop there again!!!:ack:

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:D
I think not wearing adult diapers, if needed, would be the worse alternative of the two. ;)

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Originally Posted by barnaby

it was a couple quick pics with the some gorilla "statues" and we were gone.

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Hahaha, that's about all we did too. DH had a picture of him and his Army buddies on one of the gorillas. So we took a few snaps of the boys and DH with the gorilla, walked around a bit, then hightailed it out of there.

DH had stopped there several times in the late 90s. When we stopped with the kids it was around 2005. DH said he didn't remember the place being such a dump, but I figured it was because those were his "party days", what did he know back then?!?!? LOL. Perhaps it really wasn't as bad back in the day.

We went to the Outer Banks a few years ago. We stayed in a big beautiful house with all of DH's extended family. The house was directly across from the ferry that goes to Ocracoke.

I'm an only child, and I am not really one to enjoy traveling with extended family. It was a bit much. I might not have minded if there was something, ANYTHING to do down there. But, we were at least an hour from anything, except for a tiny little shopping center across the street. There was a restaurant where everything that didn't move was fried, and a beach shop that sold towels and things like that. I'm used to the Jersey shore. I wanted boardwalks and rides and mini golf and stuff like that. There was no place to go at night. I *needed* to get out of that house for just a little while, and I couldn't. I thought I was going to lose my mind. :blush:

I can totally sympathize with the disappointed Gatlinburg comments. Both DH and I had been there as kids and we remembered it as a charming little town. We were excited when we decided to stop on the way back from WDW one year. Man were we in for a shock! I don't know if it was always that tacky and we just misremembered or if it's gone downhill since then. Loved the Smoky Mts. Ntl. park though!

The second destination that we'd never go back to is Sebasco Harbor Resort in Maine. We love Maine! However, this destination was pretty much a total bust for us, and a very expensive one at that. I'd read about it in either Parents or Family Fun magazine and the way it was described made me think that it was a true family destination with fun things for kids of all ages and families to do together. Well, it's primarily a golfing destination and the activities described for kids was basically glorified daycare. We didn't drive all that way not to spend time with our kids! Little to no activities for families. With our youngest being only 2 at the time, there was basically nothing for her. We did stay in a cabin on a cove and that was great. The cabin was beautiful and the tide would go out in the cove a couple times a day so we could all walk out there and collect shells. That was the highlight of a very high dollar trip! Getting from the cabin to anything meant we ran a gauntlet of huge mosquitoes and had to cut through the golf course. The food was very expensive and very disappointing. We did do a pirate cruise as a family (most people just sent their kids) and that was cute. Extra cost of course. We were only there a few days and the bill was enormous. I almost wept when I paid it. :( And, of course, because we didn't have fun, I had to make the comparison to WDW. We could have easily had a week or more there for what we paid for a few days at this disappointing destination.

JAMACIA-
We felt safe while at the resort (Sandals), but outside of the fence was a different story.

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Originally Posted by captain j

JAMACIA-
We felt safe while at the resort (Sandals), but outside of the fence was a different story.

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I totally agree with you on Jamaica. We went there on a cruise (Ocho Rios) and went on a shopping excursion. The shopping area was fenced and there were guards with guns. We were told not to leave the fenced area. Thanks but no thanks.

I could do without any visits to the Bahamian Islands, when we do our next cruise. The only way I would do a Bahama cruise, is if we spend our time at the Atlantis resort. I can't do long cruises :sick:so it is hard pick out some real nice short cruises that dont include the Bahamas to go on.

Universal. Don't ever have to do it again.

wow.. I'm amazed at all the bad comments on Gatlinburg. It's one of my favorite places to visit. Maybe I have so many great memories of the place that I overlook it now? or maybe it's because I spend all my time in the mountains when I'm there, but I just don't see it as a bad place to go.
I agree with Nassau Bahamas. Made a stop there on a cruise I took and I was very disapointed. We did a 'pirate tour excursion' and stopped at the 'pirate museum'.. oh my gosh, it was terrible. So yep.. been there, done that, never again.
The comments on Jamaica have me worried. I am considering going to the Montego Bay Sandals resort next year. But if there are armed guards patroling areas, well, maybe I need to rethink this....

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Originally Posted by IwannabeinNarnia

The comments on Jamaica have me worried. I am considering going to the Montego Bay Sandals resort next year. But if there are armed guards patroling areas, well, maybe I need to rethink this....

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You'll be ok as long as you don't leave the resort.