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That’s quite the map George, “Arkansas with a beach”… :lol:
And if you're thinking about traveling, Mike, here is a map to help you decide where you may want to go :cheese: ::lol: Oh No! S***, it's a frighteningly accurate map! At least with North America, it is.
Have you been to the Southern Caribbean yet George?We got tickets to go to St. Lucia last year but cancelled at the last minute and went back to Dominican Republic instead. Maybe this year. Although I really want to go to Turks and Caicos: it looks beautiful.
Thevillageatheist - 25 January 2013 05:15 PM Have you been to the Southern Caribbean yet George? We got tickets to go to St. Lucia last year but cancelled at the last minute and went back to Dominican Republic instead. Maybe this year. Although I really want to go to Turks and Caicos: it looks beautiful.Yeah, I'd planned a visit to the Windward Islands, especially Martinique but ended up in mouse land with the granddaughters. We ate with the princesses in the castle. It was fun, not exotic but fun. Cap't Jack
I think we might be due for another torture at Disney as well. I don’t want to even think about it.
I think we might be due for another torture at Disney as well. I don’t want to even think about it.I hang out at Epcot when we're there as much as I can. I like to torture the German kids with my fractured speech plus the food's pretty good and I can get samples of several German beers, get tippsey and dance to the oompah band with the girls. They love it. I also like the soarin' ride. Cap't Jack
Maybe I’ll just have another kid. It had worked in the past: For the past couple of years I stayed at home with our youngest boy who was too small for Disney while my wife took our older boys by herself. I know it’s only a temporary solution since I can’t keep having kids forever, but I’ll worry about the future when it gets here. 
Maybe I’ll just have another kid. It had worked in the past: For the past couple of years I stayed at home with our youngest boy who was too small for Disney while my wife took our older boys by herself. I know it’s only a temporary solution since I can’t keep having kids forever, but I’ll worry about the future when it gets here.That's a pretty expensive plan George considering that raising a kid nowadays takes upwards of $200,000 plus college expenses, unless your progeny share your intellect and get a scholarship. It might be better to just bite the bullet and go! Cap't Jack
$200,000? 
What do they feed them? Caviar?
As someone who’s never been; what is so bad about Disneyland?
$200,000? What do they feed them? Caviar?Oops, That was just an estimate. Factoring in college etc. a child born now would cost $300,000. Today! Better rethink your strategy George. It ain't that expensive in mouseland! C'mon what's a few days of cotton candy and mindless entertainment. Besides, you might like the teacup ride! http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/06/14/cost-to-raise-a-child-around-300000-not-including-college/ Cap't Jack
As someone who's never been; what is so bad about Disneyland?I'm not too Bashful to say you really have to be Grumpy or Dopey to hate it. If you're Happy at all or a childish Doc like me its really a lot of fun. Seriously though it all depends on your outlook. Yes its very contrived and a bit over priced. It can be very crowded at times with long lines and the expensive souvenirs are all junk made in China. On the other hand if you like amusement park rides in an environment that is spotless and staffed by people who go out of their way to help you have a good time then its a great place. It also depends a lot on who you are there with. I remember the first time we went there with our oldest who is now 23. She was 2 at the time and I don't think I ever saw her smile or laugh so much. If your idea of a vacation is lying on the beach with a beer than Disney world isn't going to be the place you want to go. The lines can really be annoying and tiring but if you time things right you can avoid most of that. We usually hit the park first thing in the morning, then head back to the hotel pool for the heat of the afternoon and back to the park again in the evening if everyone is up for it. If your kids are a little older, Universal studies is practically down the street from Disney and if you stay in their hotel you gat a VIP pass that gets you around all the lines ( definitely worth the cost of the hotel). Their rides are geared more to the older crowd than at disney and the park is smaller so its less exhausting. My kids are all in college and they still enjoy going to Disney World, in fact we will be going this spring since they all happen to have the same vacation, but we will spend half of our week there and half at Universal. Its not a trip to Rome or Paris but each type of vacation fills different needs. It all depends on what your up for at the moment.
That's funny I spent a week in Budapest in 1977, being 1/4 Hungarian it was nice touching my mom's home base and my relatives were fantastic, but I sure did run into some surly waitstaff and store keepers. But what a fantastic city to walk around, specially back then, because it's like all over was the architectural grandeur that reminded one of the Hungary... and the promise before the wars. I spotted WarII damage all over the city. I got my first visceral shock of the depth of destruction those wars caused. Not just immediate damage, but it destroyed the promise of the new century... society's dreams and aspirations were dashed and science was harnessed for destruction and domination. And now we get to watch as the final chapters of humanities may follies unfold.Well, I was in Hungary only twice and am sure there are many friendly people as well. Budapest is indeed fantastic. Hungary is still a young struggling democracy and some of the elected officials have not fully adopted the democratic mindset.
I’m not too Bashful to say you really have to be Grumpy or Dopey to hate it. If you’re Happy at all or a childish Doc like me its really a lot of fun. Seriously though it all depends on your outlook. Yes its very contrived and a bit over priced. It can be very crowded at times with long lines and the expensive souvenirs are all junk made in China. On the other hand if you like amusement park rides in an environment that is spotless and staffed by people who go out of their way to help you have a good time then its a great place.I'm not ashamed to say that I've had a ball every time we've been there, especially with our grand kids. Magic kingdom can be a nightmare of overcrowding at times, probably because it's the quintissential Disney theme park with the castle, but my favorites are Epcot and animal kingdom. We took the kids on the safari ride and it was a learning experience for them. There's also a recreated village in the park and I met a carver from the actual East African village whose carvings were outstanding. He uses ebony and other exotic African woods and carves animals, masks and walking sticks. His whole family works there as well and they are all expert carvers. So, yeah besides the cheap Chinese tourist junk you can find some real gems if you look hard enough. Same at Epcot. BTW, the best times to go are around Halloween and before Xmas. The crowds have thinned and the parks are theme decorated for the season. We always stay in the park at one of the resorts with easy access by bus to all the theme parks. All in all it's a fun place to have a vacation, especially if you go with princesses! Cap't Jack
I have been travelling alot. Travelling itself makes me happy. I have been to many countries. Here is my list:
NZ
Australia
Indonesia (Bali)
USA
Canada
England
Scotland
Wales
Austria
Germany
Czech Rep
Italy
France
The Emirates
Haven’t included the Vatican and haven’t included airport only stops
Very often I use Travel Network sites to arrange my trip effectively.
Bumping threads out of the ancient past…not a good sign. It’s crazy how many people were on the old forum, though. A different era.
Travel is fun to a point, but travel for the hell of it gets old quickly imo. Probably doesn’t really “expand horizons” much either — for that you need to live somewhere else.
I’ve traveled to every continent except Australia and South America, a lot of it with the military. One thing I have noticed is the more civilized a country is the less friendly the people are. That says a lot about human nature in general.
I have been travelling alot. Travelling itself makes me happy. I have been to many countries. Here is my list:
NZ
Australia
Indonesia (Bali)
USA
Canada
England
Scotland
Wales
Austria
Germany
Czech Rep
Italy
France
The Emirates
Haven’t included the Vatican and haven’t included airport only stops
Very often I use Travel Network sites to arrange my trip effectively.
thatoneguy, you could alway try to contribute a little yourself and start a new fascinating thread. Tell us what you really think. 
Countries I’ve been to:
Britain, Ireland, Cuba, Kosovo, Greece, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Kenya, Kuwait, Seychelles, Italy, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, Japan.
Some I just passed through, others I saw a lot of.
Friendliest people were probably in Kenya and Seychelles. Some people in Afghanistan were also really nice, believe it or not. Least friendly were Canadians and Scandinavians.
Overall, I’d have to say the US has the best combination of good infrastructure, decent people, and great variety of natural scenery and weather.