Holiday dreams fall short: 5 of America’s 'most complained-about' Christmas attractions

Christmas lights, vacation markets and wintertime wonderlands usually dispersed cheer — but immoderate of the country’s astir fashionable attractions person besides delivered a frustrating acquisition for galore Americans, according to Tripadvisor reviews. 

Visitors mention everything from monolithic crowds and agelong waits to precocious prices and underwhelming displays successful their antagonistic ratings posted connected the reappraisal site. 

The database was compiled by Nomad eSIM, a planetary integer work that analyzed Tripadvisor data. It ranked U.S. Christmas attractions by the measurement of one- and two-star reviews the locations received.

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Criticism oregon not, galore of these attractions stay wildly popular. Fox News Digital reached retired to each of the venues for remark and thoughts. 

Here’s a look astatine America’s astir "disappointing" Christmas attractions, according to the compiled list.

Despite monolithic popularity, respective U.S. Christmas attractions fertile among the "most complained-about" venues connected Tripadvisor. (Getty Images)

1. An Old Time Christmas astatine Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri

The vacation venue successful Branson includes much than 6.5 cardinal lights, Broadway-style performances, trade demonstrations and accepted seasonal meals, according to the park’s website.

Even so, the parkland received the astir low-rated reviews of each U.S. Christmas attractions connected Tripadvisor.

Visitors astir often cited agelong hold times, dense crowding and dissatisfaction with nutrient and amusement offerings during highest vacation periods.

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One reviewer from Ohio said his oregon her household of 14 spent astir $1,500 connected tickets and add-ons during a vacation sojourn — describing the acquisition arsenic poorly managed.

Another visitant wrote, "Absolutely the worst acquisition we person ever had astatine an amusement park," noting three-hour hold times, overcrowding and constricted entree to nutrient and seating.

2. Santa Claus House, North Pole, Alaska

Santa Claus House describes itself arsenic a year-round attraction.

It offers Santa meet-and-greets, Christmas-themed merchandise and seasonal displays successful the municipality of North Pole, Alaska, according to the attraction’s website.

Some of the astir fashionable vacation and Christmas venues successful the U.S. person reviews mentioning agelong hold times and precocious prices. (iStock)

The attraction received the second-highest fig of low-rated reviews among U.S. Christmas destinations connected Tripadvisor.

Reviewers mentioned the acquisition arsenic overpriced and constricted successful scope.

One reviewer wrote, "Don’t marque this thing but a bath stop."

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Paul Brown, the venue's operations manager, told Fox News Digital, "While it makes for a sensational headline, this ‘report' from Nomad surely stretches the information to get there. For example, spot our wide 4.1-star standing connected TripAdvisor and the information that we person consistently been a ‘Best of TripAdvisor.’ [We] are presently a Travelers’ Choice — which means we’re ranked ‘in the Top 10% of properties connected TripAdvisor.’"

"We indispensable beryllium doing thing right, oregon we wouldn’t beryllium celebrating our 73rd Christmas this year."

Brown said that portion the determination takes "all lawsuit feedback seriously, we besides see the context. Regarding the online reappraisal sites … the fig of reviews successful this lawsuit is simply a tiny percent of the postulation we get adjacent connected a regular basis, truthful it is hardly typical of wide impermanent satisfaction,"

He added, "We similar to deliberation we indispensable beryllium doing thing right, oregon we wouldn’t beryllium celebrating our 73rd Christmas this year."

3. Oglebay Park Festival of Lights, Wheeling, West Virginia

The Wheeling venue features a nightly drive-through vacation airy display, on with further seasonal attractions specified arsenic Santa’s Village and Christmas-themed activities astatine the park’s zoo, its website notes. 

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The attraction received the third-highest fig of low-rated reviews among U.S. Christmas destinations connected Tripadvisor.

Visitors were unhappy astir agelong hold times to participate the park, peculiarly during highest vacation evenings, arsenic good arsenic disappointed with portions of the airy display.

Many visitors accidental the astir "complained-about" venues had agelong hold times to enter. Others simply expected much retired of the destinations.  (Getty Images)

One reviewer said the travel was the "biggest discarded of clip to thrust 4 hours to spot a pathetic airy display."

Other visitors called the acquisition "awful" and "overrated."

4. Lights Under Louisville, Kentucky

This seasonal drive-through vacation attraction is held wrong the Louisville Mega Cavern, a erstwhile limestone excavation located astir 100 feet beneath the city. 

The lawsuit features illuminated displays on a way that takes vehicles done underground caverns, the attraction’s website said.

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The attraction received the fourth-highest fig of low-rated reviews among U.S. Christmas destinations connected Tripadvisor. Complaints centered connected agelong hold times and disappointment with the display.

One reviewer called it "an costly airy amusement that didn’t consciousness precise Christmas-themed."

Another visitant said the acquisition did not comparison favorably to different vacation airy events the idiosyncratic had attended.

5. Christkindlmarkt, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Christkindlmarkt is simply a seasonal Christmas marketplace often referred to arsenic "Christmas City." 

It features European-style vendors, handcrafted goods and vacation nutrient offerings, the event’s website said.

The marketplace received the fifth-highest fig of low-rated reviews among U.S. Christmas attractions connected Tripadvisor.

Criticism oregon not, galore of these Christmas-focused attractions stay wildly popular. (Getty Images)

Multiple reviewers pointed to precocious introduction fees, crowded walkways and the outgo of nutrient and merchandise, with respective reviewers questioning whether the acquisition justified the price.

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One reviewer wrote, "You wage $15 conscionable to enter, and the prices wrong were much than treble what I’ve paid elsewhere."

Another visitant said, "After experiencing existent German Christmas markets, this 1 falls precise short."

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While these attractions received galore low-rated reviews, they besides proceed to pull ample numbers of visitors each twelvemonth — which tin lend to higher expectations.