The honeymoon is over for the longtime Honeymoon Capital of the World — several disillusioned globetrotters took to Reddit last week to rate Dubai, Niagara Falls, Disney World and other surprising locations as overhyped travel destinations.
The list comes as US airports completed their busiest travel season in years.
AAA had predicted that 115.2 million travelers would hit the road or take flight for the holidays.
Many of them likely visited the tourist traps that made Reddit’s no-fly list.
Dubai
The so-called City of Gold seems to be an Arabian nightmare for Redditors who ranked it the No. 1 most overrated destination with 10,000 upvotes on the forum.
“Dubai has always sounded like a holiday in materialistic hell,” sniped one. Another griped, “It sucks so bad, there is nothing to do and no culture. Unless you like gaudy designer bulls—t or laying by the pool.”
Even former expatriates expressed distaste for the allegedly Disneyfied Middle Eastern metropolis.
“I worked there for years and looked behind the fancy veneer,” wrote one. “Dubai has nothing by my abject contempt. It’s deplorable.”
Like a naturally beautiful celeb tarnished by plastic surgery, some argued that Dubai has transformed from a dream desert destination to a soulless labyrinth of commercialism.
“It was a beautiful place with nomadic tribes and culture,” lamented one Redditor. “Now it’s a shopping hellhole.”
This alleged materialism is perhaps best personified by Linda Andrade, a Dubai millionaire’s wife who frequently flaunts her conspicuous adventures on TikTok.
Those include enjoying a luxurious 24-k gold cup of coffee and having her hubby light up the Burj Khalifa skyscraper with a birthday message.
Others insisted that Dubai bashing has become trendy and is not reflective of the locale.
“Dubai gets s—t on harder than any other travel destination on Reddit (maybe with the exception of Cairo),” one defender declared. “It’s always at or near the top of threads like these. Honestly though? I thought it was completely fine.”
The poster added, “It’s one of those places where you have to have the appropriate expectations. Dubai is NOT the place to go if you’re interested in culture and history. But it can be a fun destination if you want to go dune bashing, sit on a beach or if you’re into futuristic-looking architecture.”
Disney World
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Another universally reviled destination on Reddit? Disney World. Some believe the House of Mouse has become far too expensive and congested to deserve the moniker “Most Magical Place on Earth.”
“You turn into a human cash dispenser the moment you step foot in those parks,” rued one Redditor.
“Disney is and always has been a pretty cool experience,” wrote another. “But reduced staffing and increased cost overshadows the magic these days unfortunately.”
“I had to wait in line just to type this,” quipped one Reddit wit.
After its stock price hit a nine-year low last year, Disney hiked admission prices at its Florida and California theme parks by as much as 10%.
Some Disney buffs claim that VIP is the only way to go when making a pilgrimage.
“Disney World is pay to win. I got a $10,000 bonus at work one year and went. I paid for the nice hotel that gets early park access and you can walk to the parks,” one recalled. “Gets you on rides with short lines. Also paid for the enhanced dining stuff, several optional fun stuff (like light saber building) and paid for the line skipper. It was a very different experience than just showing up 2-3 hrs after the park opens and planning to wait in line.”
“I agree. You kind of need to go big if you go at all. You can’t just show up and buy a ticket anymore,” seconded another.
Niagara Falls
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Redditors don’t seem to want to go chasin’ waterfalls.
“Niagara Falls, NY is NOT a nice place,” declared one critic.
Another wrote, “As someone from western New York, the city of Niagara Falls is the victim of boom and bust tourism economy, corruption in the local and state governments over decades. The unfortunate reality is that the city is left behind to pick up the pieces.”
Cataract City was recently ranked the 44th most dangerous city in the US — up five places from last year.
Some feel that tourists are better served experiencing the falls from our neighbor to the north.
“The State Park is great, but yeah that’s about the only thing worth seeing on that side of the Falls,” said one. “We always stay on the Canadian side.”
Another wrote, “The Canadian side is the one with the views. The American side is just kind of a sad decaying town.”