What did you think would be more glamorous or impressive than it was?

[SugarMouseTown]

As a kid I thought that being an actor would be fun and exciting and I'm sure it has its moments but watching the behind the scenes videos much of it looks miserable and dull. Especially action movies where they're required to get drenched with every substance known to man and have explosions and fire going off around them.

What didn't live up to expectations for you?

Yes! I concur about Dubrovnik @Badlydrawncat we saved it for the end of our honeymoon (travelling round Croatia and the islands) because of how much people raved about it…felt like an overpriced tourist trap and was so crowded when the cruise ships came in that it was like being at a theme park in peak season!

Sydney Opera house was a bit meh for me

Hated Dubai, Ladies Day or any day at the races, agree re. business travel. I love Paris, Venice, New York, nightclubs (once upon a time), London, any type of champagne - I guess at the end of the day it's each to our own.

Bondai beach and Surfers Paradise. Latter is very shadowed due to high rise buildings.

Hershey bars….. they tasted foul - not a patch on Cadbury’s .

Having a cheque book and writing a cheque. Symbolised being grown up and independent. Got my first one in 2002. Realised that handing over money is handing over money and it never feels good! There are four cheques torn out.

The casino in Monte Carlo. Not really glamorous at all. Just quite a sad place actually. Watched someone lose about £30,000 in just 20 mins. Funny thing was, I think his reaction would have been much the same as if he'd won the same amount. He hardly blinked.

Personal training. Basically someone counts your squats… 🤷🏼‍♀️

Your observation re acting is spot on. I’m not an actor but I’ve been on dozens of sets and it is boring, repetitive work and loooooong bouts of waiting around.

For me, Times Square. It looks exciting. It is horrible and tacky.

Machu picchu.

Adulthood.

The pyramids and Sphinx.

You think it's in the middle of the desert but in reality they're sat at the edge of Cairo with litter and shite flying about and a Pizza Hut at the side of it. Hugely disappointing

My DC would say prom. Both said it was rather meh, and the after prom was better.

Champagne 🍾 bleurgh 🤢

Le manior aux quat' saisons, over priced and you need to stop off at the chippy on the way home.

I'm glad some people are standing up for Venice, I absolutely adored it when I went, found it so atmospheric and almost ghostly. I am hoping to go back next year, hopefully before the cruise ships return!

Los Angeles sucks if you're a tourist but it is fun if you know locals.

I loved a lot of places/things on this list. I'm clearly easily pleased. Cairo was a hole but the pyramids and the ancient architecture in other parts of the city are incredible.

Cornwall though... I thought I'd feel shabby on our beach holiday this summer, wandering the beaches with cool surfers and yummy mummies from the home counties. That was not a problem It poured with rain nearly every single day and it was the same mix of tourists as everywhere else.

The Eurostar. It's just a train going through a really long tunnel, which is dark like every other tunnel and not the slightest bit like the tunnel at the Sea Life Centre.

A flight in first class. You're in the nose. It's mega bumpy.

I could never fly first again but I'm glad I don't want to. Lol.

@allsorts1

I'm glad some people are standing up for Venice, I absolutely adored it when I went, found it so atmospheric and almost ghostly. I am hoping to go back next year, hopefully before the cruise ships return!

Los Angeles sucks if you're a tourist but it is fun if you know locals.

I adored it, and I’m very hard to please, and I was staying in a fairly basic AirBnb, with a small child, in August —when it was (presumably) at its most charmless.

I get a bit puzzled at people dissing entire cities — I mean, they’re not theme parks, they’re just places people live and work. Your Paris or London or New York won’t be my Paris or London or New York, because we’ll seek out different things. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ experience. I wasn’t that charmed by Milan, but part of that was La Scala was dark and the place was full of drunk Celtic fans. But the Celtic fans were clearly enjoying themselves.

@Monolithique

My DC would say prom. Both said it was rather meh, and the after prom was better.

I keep misreading this as the DC saying porn was rather meh.

Harrods
Hamleys

St Lucia the most expensive and also the most boring holiday ever.
Rotterdam on a cold and wet Sunday.

Caviar. Just salty.
Afternoon tea. I would sooner eat peanuts and crisps than bread and cake.
Spa days. I don’t want a head massage or any sort of massage, I don’t want to sit in a sauna. Or a hot tub.

Woking.

Tahiti.
Thought it would be romantic and idyllic.
The harbour was full of French warships and the black volcanic sand is very gritty and uncomfortable. Moorea was better.

Head massage.
Now I love a good back massage but the head one seemed to involve having my hair pulled out in clumps.

Spa days. As previously mentioned. Very boring and rather weird spending the whole day in a dressing gown.

blowdryrat I literally came on this thread to mention the EuroTunnel.

While I didn't exactly expect it to be like a SeaLife tunnel, I was distinctly underwhelmed by every aspect of it. The only upside is it used to be convenient for taking the dogs abroad.