I wasn’t trying to say your opinion was invalid, I was just trying to say that for people who don’t have wonderful warm weather Cancun can be nice.
I must concur with Vienna. Grimy, dull, and expensive. There were some nice buildings, but it seemed like there was little to do that didn’t cost a fortune (and we were broke backpackers at the time), and even the food was high priced and all very pretentious. Didn’t find the people at all friendly either.
I’m sure it didn’t help that I had just come from Prague, which is lovely - attractive, cheap, cool, lots to do. Vienna was terrible in comparison.
I lived in the Midwest for six years and Eastern Europe for two. I understand about cold winters. I’d still never return to Cancun.
You are advising people to skip Rome?
You’ve got the wrong city: the Scottish city that insists of wearing a hat of clouds even when the rest of the country is sunny is Glasgow. Edinburgh gets gorgeous weather, specially on the fall.
I’ve been disappointed by very few places, but then, my attitude tends to be of the “let’s get surprised” kind. I know there isn’t much point for me to go to Cancún or Punta Cana because that’s not the kind of tourism I want to do: for the same reason, I will not be found within 100 km of Marbella and it’s very unlikely I’ll do more than pass through Ibiza “ok, yeah: beach full of shrimp-colored north-Europeans, big nightclubs, let’s go back to the ship”.
If I’d had more than a weekend to spend in Nice, with no car and on a short budget, I would have been bored out of my mind by the third day; since I only had two days and my hotel was close to the old parts/beachfront, it was fine. If you want to see the area (not just go down to the beach), there are many villages nearby which would be better as “command centers”. The same can be said for Rosas in NE Spain: lots of things to do and places to see in the area, but if you’re in “the big village” getting from the hotel to the road takes a ridiculously long time unless you jump into the car before the other tourists have woken up.
For me it’s probably San Francisco- besides Alcatraz, I was just thoroughly underwhelmed by this city that’s so frequently held up as One Of The World’s Great Cities. And I’ve never seen so many homeless people in a city before or since, for that matter.
Of course, you could always hop the train to Cannes or Nice. They’re 10 or 15 minutes away.
True. But you get the free “performance art/stand-up comedy/theatre” that is Glaswegian people. 
Loudly seconding Shamozzle’s reaction to Mach Tuck::
Do not skip Rome. I repeat: Do not skip Rome.
My own vote of negativity goes to Irish towns and cities in general. Go to Ireland if you like its specific type of wild and raw nature (and don’t mind rain), friendly people, talking, Guinness and music. The towns, well they tend to have a smattering of cute coloured houses and pockets of nice architecture here and there if you know where to look, but to be quite honest, they are nothing like as beautiful, interesting or cultural as what you could easily find in most of mainland Europe (Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France etc). And most of those places are cheaper.
I think that’s how the place struck me the first time I went there. But on subsequent visits, I’ve come to like the place more. I may even end up loving it: I like the distinct feel to the various areas, and I love that there’s all that nature right at its back door.
Seattle, on the other hand…!
I’m reasonably sure that I didn’t need to hop on the train from Nice to Nice… did you mean Monaco? Neither Monaco nor Cannes are places I have the slightest interest in seeing, sorry.
Dublin’s the only one that really comes to mind. The whole city seems to be set up around drinking. Temple Bar is an outrageously expensive shithole, and if you really want to be surrounded by drunks and stag parties you may as well visit any mid-sized town in the British Isles as opposed to paying the eye-watering charges they levy there for a pint of ale. Similarly, the museums all seem to be geared towards drink: the Guinness Factory, Jameson Whisky Museum, etc.
Dublin’s one redeeming grace was Kilmainham Gaol, where we had a guided tour by a woman who knew her shit and obviously cared quite a deal about the history of the place, and where we had by far the best tourist experience. Oh, and it also only cost us €1.50.
Mt. Rushmore is a massive disappointment that I would really recommend against visiting in person. The reason is mostly because everyone is very familiar with scenes of it in movies, where actors are climbing on it or running across it or flying helicopters near it, and you’re seeing it right there in close-up.
In person, you’re seeing what looks like a tiny carving on a distant cliff face. It’s very underwhelming. I mean, if you’re in the area and want to stop anyway, sure, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. The Crazy Horse monument just up the road is pretty cool, though.
Seeing the ** Mona Lisa**, is really not that much more exciting than seeing **Plymouth Rock. **
DisneyLand, DisneyWorld are very disappointing as a travel destination… if you are over the age of 7.
Rome (and the Vatican) is probably the best man-made (as opposed to natural wonder/Yellowstone) travel attraction/destination in the world.
Do not skip Rome.
The Alamo. It was a wall and nothing else. Yawn.
The Grand Canyon was a giant hole. I looked down in it, muttered “Meh,” and went back to the RV.
Actually, the Alamo is a Chapel & the Long Barracks. Surrounded by walls built in modern times that also surround the gift shop & other modern buildings. Even as kids, we thought the gift shop rather tacky; but it includes an informative diorama of The Battle.
There’s also a granite marker inscribed in Classical Chinese by a Japanese visitor, comparing The Battle to an incident in Japanese history. Erected in 1914, it was missing on my first visit in the 50’s; back then, the Japanese Tea Garden in Brackenridge Park was called The Sunken Garden. Years passed. The monument reappeared & the garden’s name reverted to the original.
Another “new” feature at the Alamo is a plaque commemorating Adina de Zavala for her efforts at preserving the place. Good for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas for allowing it; she was often at odds with their methods.
Anybody wanting to learn more about the other San Antonio missions should visit the park just south of town.
Concerning the OP: I haven’t traveled enough to be widely disappointed. I recall not being overwhelmed by Amarillo, but it’s not regarded as a tourist highlight. Even by other Texans.
Well! I’d always assumed that the Rock was a rocky promonotory of some sort. I’d never realised that it was literally just a rock! :eek:
I was underwhelmed by Athens, as well. The entire city is dirty, the people are rude, and the whole joint smells like urine. I was asking a taxi cab driver for directions, and he said he didn’t know, even though it was the next street over.
Kilmainham Gaol is amazing. If you ever happen to be coming to Dublin again and want a more teetotal experience, give us a bell. There are plenty of things to do that aren’t beholden to Diageo and Pernod Ricard.