money?

[babalicious]

going to florida, myself, my husband and 2 year old son. how much would anyone reccommend to take as spending money for us to have a good time? also do i take money, travellers cheques or will my switch/debit card work in the machines over there? (we will have already paid for disney tickets in advance!)

[netibiza]

Always best to have a little cash and then use your credit card whatever. A lot of places don't accept cash as they are worried about robberies. You can always withdraw cash everyday as cash points are everywhere. Have a nice time.

[apex204]

You'll need a good deal of money. Florida is a great place to go but the local businesses know that the place is awash with tourists so prices aren't especially cheap. Depending on how long you're going for (and how often you plan on eating out) I'd take at least �150/day, plus the cost of any park tickets on top of that.

I really recommend the Outback Steakhouse on Hwy192 in Kissimmee though - delicious!!

[apex204]

Oh, something else - take cash. If you're flying into Sanford (as most people do with charter airlines) the main route into Kissimmee (the 417) is a toll road. Buy yourself a chocolate bar or something at the airport - the toll booths are generally unmanned and don't give change.

Happy holidays!

[jno]

travellers' cheques, especially American Express, are treated like cash: people take them and give you change.

[scoobydooby]

A credit card is definitely the best. I've just returned from Florida and found that, although accepted, I had more problems with Dollar Travellers Cheques than ever before (have been three times). For some reason, several people didn't know what they were! I was also asked to produce my passport on nearly almost every transaction - something you would also need to do if paying by credit card.

If you're planning to eat out most of the time, you will not be paying for your two year old to eat in most places (kids under 11 are free) but you will need to budget for meals based on UK costs (as Apex says, it's not particularly cheap) and you will pay state tax and gratuities (15 - 20%) on top.

Have a great time, it's brill!

[spudqueen]

I went last year and took a little cash to get us started and credit card for shopping trips but mostly I used travellers cheques. Most restaurants, shops etc take them and give you the change in cash(eg you spend $55 in a restaurant, pay with a $100 travellers cheque and they give you $45 in cash). Some places wanted ID but I used my photo driving licence. Your debit card will work in the cash machines also.

[babalicious]

does everyone mean a CREDIT card or a DEBIT card, because i dont have a CREDIT card( ie.visa/mastercard), i just have a DEBIT card ( switch). should i get a CREDIT card?

[jno]

surprised by what you say about travellers' cheques scoobydooby, though I must say I haven't used any for a few years now; so babalicious should probably ignore my last post. But I never had to produce a passport with them, or with a credit card either - I was in the USA last month, and put everything on my credit card without trouble. But the conversion rate the credit card companies use when translating back into sterling is stacked against you, of course.

[dannydingbat]

Best credit card to take is Nationwide or Saga for charging to. Best ATM card is Nationwide Flexaccount. There is no surcharge applied to US purchases