You can do the homework, you can plan your trip, visit this and other forums, but the vacation you plan comes down to accepting whether you're going to have a great time or complain. People have recently spoken of ill trips to places I love. Is it them or is it the place? For me, I'm filled with wonderful memories. Don't reach for perfection and make the best of the decisions you've made. They are your life and your memories...don't allow small letdowns destroy what should be a piece of your life....enjoy yourselves. And don't blame the details for not having the time of your life on vacation. That is a cop out and you have only yourselves to blame. Count your blessings that you can be so lucky as to visit these beautiful islands.Don't be blinded to not see the beauty around you.

If people on this board weren't filled with wonderful memoriesof their travels, they would not continue to search out more great adventures.

Well said Alisa.

Someone get me a tissue and a delete button!

A trip report/review should discuss both the good and the bad of any vacation, to make a complete picture. I would think that just because someone was dissapointed with certain aspects of their vacation, it wouldn't necessarily translate to destroying their experience. An honest evaluation of the experience doesn't mean that they didn't enjoy themselves, and is much more helpful to those researching their next vacation. What I find least useful on these boards is praise or condemnation without explanation. The WHY of what was good/bad is more important than the fact that one individual didn't like it. What is important to one traveler may not matter to another. So, I appreciate people sharing both good and bad experiences, and the fact that not everyone will like what I like. I hope they continue to do so, and tell me why they did or did not like a place.
Regards, Amy

Michelle, I hear what you're saying, but what you're really condemning is human nature. People are far more likely to speak up when they're upset or disappointed than when everything goes their way. Ask anyone who's ever worked in a customer service department (which I did many years ago), and they'll tell you that the complaint-to-compliment ratio is about 99 to 1. Sad, but true.

well said Amy and Lynn! I would love more openmindedness with people saying," I really hated or was disspaointed with this, but loved that." There does indeed seem to be an epedemic of people that will allow their vacation to dwell on the negative, rather than get over it and have a great time.

Michelle - the above two posters did not agree with you. Now, enough of this. be helpful or don't post.

Alas, you just don't get it do you. I can have an opinion and enjoy an educated and thoughtful response, whether it agrees with me or not. That is why this is a forum and to suggest I have nothing to offer after responding to my original post....well there's irony!

This is one of those times where you have to say "WHATEVER!" just so the original poster will zip it.

I was enjoying this discussion but clearly the last poster okfine makes no sense at all. What are you trying to say to the readers of this forum?

Point taken okfine. thanks.

WHATEVER.

Confused: That this particular post and the original poster is full of it. It wasn't helpful, informative, or educational to anyone who specifically reads these posts to gain knowledge on the part of the globe that they plan to visit. It started off as a "I'm standing on my really tall soap box and I want everyone to hear me tell them that they should think like me!!!" post. So, okay fine- she stood on her soapbox, got the attention that she wanted... now what? After I first read it, I thought to myself...ok...whatever.