spending money

[lauragreen1]

hiya. does anybody know what a realistic amount of money i will need to take to florida with me for,me, my partner, my 16yr old sis, 4yr daughter and a 1 and a half yr old. We are going fot 3wk and we have are park tickets.
thanx

[Dee Sa]

I would say at least �1000, if you can.
You dont say if you are in a hotel, if so is breakfast included, or have you hired a self catering villa, how are you getting to the theme parks each day ? have you hire car or hotel bus [ which they will make a small charge] or are you staying in a Disney hotel ? are you taking 1 buggy or two ? if one you will need to hire one at each park for the 4yr old as she will get very tired walking.
Also clothes shopping will be on your list especially the 16yr old and yourself.
presume none of you have serious convictions ? I dont want to appear rude but the "will I be able to get in" question appears on here almost daily.
you need to give more info for a realistic budget, all these little extras soon mount up.
Visit to Wetn'Wild for 5 people can be expensive, then theres Busch Gardens about a 2 hr drive away thats good.Your going to be exhausted at the end of each day an wont feel like cooking a meal -- believe me !
good luck

[VHG]

I would not take "money" as such, but a combination of Travellers Cheques and a credit card (or two). Just take a few hundred "dollars" for parking, snacks etc.

In Florida they take Travellers Cheques like money (they will even give you change). The great thing about Travellers Cheques is that if you lose them they will replace them (if you keep the numbers).

Everywhere takes Credit Cards and so you can use them to pay for meals, clothes etc.

If you have your theme park tickets your biggest expense is likely to be food & drink. The price of food & drink in the theme parks is quite high so you can get through a lot of money for each day you spend in a theme park.

As "Dee Sa" says, the cost will vary dependng on where you are staying.

If you are in your own house then you can buy your food and drink in the local supermarket, although you will probably want to eat out as well.

In a hotel the breakfast may not be included in the cost, USA hotels often charge extra for breakfast.

I can guarantee one thing, however much you THINK you are going to spend you will probably spend more.

[VHG]

>I would say at least �1000, if you can.

When I first saw this figure I nodded in agreement. Then I began to think about it.

�1000 for 3 weeks (20 days), that is �50 a day.

2 adults, 1 teenager, and 2 children (lets call that 4 "people"), so that is just over �10 a day each!

I dont think you are going to get by on �50 a day for 4 people.

Even if you already have theme park tickets there is still the cost of eating and drinking, petrol (if you have a car), parking (if you have a car - all the theme parks charge you to park), taxi or bus fares (if you dont have a car), snacks, ice creams, presents and gifts, any shopping you do (clothes etc), postcards and stamps and all sorts of other things.

To be honest, you can spend �50 in one long day in a theme park on food, drink, snacks etc.

My guess is you will probably spend between �1500 to �2000 during the 3 weeks you are there.

[spudqueen]

I'd say �2000 worth of US dollars. That is if you want to live the high life, eat out a lot, do quite a bit of shopping and not scrimp.

[auntiebertie]

I personally think you need a lot more than posted previously - even a measley $50pp pd works out at $5,250. And that is just for food and drink before you have hit the shops.....America is not as cheap as people think - especially when you add the 20% servce charge and the tax on to every thing you buy to eat. Take credit card and ATM card.

[ojread2]

�1000 is so not enough! We take that to go to France for 10 days

And $2000 would not enable you to live the high life for 3 weeks either

I would say auntiebertie is much nearer the mark, and then add another $1000 at least

[spudqueen]

ojread - I did say �2000 worth of dollars, not $2000!

[tigwig]

I would say �2000 as well. There is only me, hubby and 4 yr old, we went for 2 weeks and spent �1000 easily!
People say how cheap it is but in my opinion it isn't. A typical meal in a theme park costs around $7 -$8 dollars per person then there's drinks and all your other meals and all the toys the kids will want!
You will have a fab time though I'm sure! Hope you're loaded!

[phillis4]

i've been wondering about spending money too, a few people have kindly comeback back to me and said that they would recommend at least �2000 worth of dollars to be comfortable. We have had a bit of a nightmare with the visa side of things. I have had to apply for a visa (have to go all the way to London) And my hubby and kids have had to apply for a visa waver form, we did this bit on line. All the info is on the American Embassy website. Have a fab time!