Florida - and I feel old
Discussion
(nearly) A week in with the (adult) kids and I've realised that I'm viewing things a little differently/practically these days.
Our first car at the airport was a hateful pile of s
t - a Toyota Rav 4... hated iwith a passion. A thrashy engine, crap gearbox, dreadful driving position... I could go on and on (and on!). Finally had enough after 2 days, went to swap and was presented with a.... Chrysler Voyager. Absolutely love it. Yes the dash plastics are Fisher Price but it's got oodles of space and storage, blindspot monitoring, nice instrumentation, sliding doors, comfortable seats and artic aircon. Florida has turned me into a soccer-mom!
First time here in 6 years so observations about Florida generally...
- I'm not sure if we've been exceedingly lucky but the weather has been outstanding (1st week nov).
- the prices for the parks seem to be insane (especially Disney
)
- eating out seems cheaper than I remember from 6 years ago
- tee-shirts haven't had a noticeable price increase (maybe $1/$1.50)
- car hire pricing has increased massively
- people seem the be a LOT friendlier and positive than in the UK
- driving standards aren't great!
Our first car at the airport was a hateful pile of s
t - a Toyota Rav 4... hated iwith a passion. A thrashy engine, crap gearbox, dreadful driving position... I could go on and on (and on!). Finally had enough after 2 days, went to swap and was presented with a.... Chrysler Voyager. Absolutely love it. Yes the dash plastics are Fisher Price but it's got oodles of space and storage, blindspot monitoring, nice instrumentation, sliding doors, comfortable seats and artic aircon. Florida has turned me into a soccer-mom!First time here in 6 years so observations about Florida generally...
- I'm not sure if we've been exceedingly lucky but the weather has been outstanding (1st week nov).
- the prices for the parks seem to be insane (especially Disney
)- eating out seems cheaper than I remember from 6 years ago
- tee-shirts haven't had a noticeable price increase (maybe $1/$1.50)
- car hire pricing has increased massively
- people seem the be a LOT friendlier and positive than in the UK
- driving standards aren't great!
DodgyGeezer said:
(nearly) A week in with the (adult) kids and I've realised that I'm viewing things a little differently/practically these days.
Our first car at the airport was a hateful pile of st - a Toyota Rav 4... hated iwith a passion. A thrashy engine, crap gearbox, dreadful driving position... I could go on and on (and on!). Finally had enough after 2 days, went to swap and was presented with a.... Chrysler Voyager. Absolutely love it. Yes the dash plastics are Fisher Price but it's got oodles of space and storage, blindspot monitoring, nice instrumentation, sliding doors, comfortable seats and artic aircon. Florida has turned me into a soccer-mom!
First time here in 6 years so observations about Florida generally...
- I'm not sure if we've been exceedingly lucky but the weather has been outstanding (1st week nov).
- the prices for the parks seem to be insane (especially Disney )
- eating out seems cheaper than I remember from 6 years ago
- tee-shirts haven't had a noticeable price increase (maybe $1/$1.50)
- car hire pricing has increased massively
- people seem the be a LOT friendlier and positive than in the UK
- driving standards aren't great!
I bet the weathers nice and we've hopefully seen the last of the HK's. Our first car at the airport was a hateful pile of s
t - a Toyota Rav 4... hated iwith a passion. A thrashy engine, crap gearbox, dreadful driving position... I could go on and on (and on!). Finally had enough after 2 days, went to swap and was presented with a.... Chrysler Voyager. Absolutely love it. Yes the dash plastics are Fisher Price but it's got oodles of space and storage, blindspot monitoring, nice instrumentation, sliding doors, comfortable seats and artic aircon. Florida has turned me into a soccer-mom!First time here in 6 years so observations about Florida generally...
- I'm not sure if we've been exceedingly lucky but the weather has been outstanding (1st week nov).
- the prices for the parks seem to be insane (especially Disney
)- eating out seems cheaper than I remember from 6 years ago
- tee-shirts haven't had a noticeable price increase (maybe $1/$1.50)
- car hire pricing has increased massively
- people seem the be a LOT friendlier and positive than in the UK
- driving standards aren't great!
Didn't you pick the car yourself? That was always the best bit about US car rentals I miss in Europe.
I was out there for a chunk of October and came home on the 5th ... the weather has been exceptional other than 1/2days overall.
I would say yout observations are absolutely nailed on - lots moan about the cost, yes its not the 2:1 days but theyve been gone for a very long time now (last time was 2007 ... even 1.5:1 was back in 2015).
Disney is comical, the other parks really arent though. Annual Passes for Universal that include free parking are c.£500/year and were 15mths for the price of 12. Seaworld park passes, under £200 annually - Bargain IMO.
Even flights to/from can be nabbed very cheaply if you are patient and book at optimum times.
I think the Disney gravy train is slowing as more americans wise up to their gauging and more brits are decoupling their bookings and stopping spending £10k for a simple holiday to Orlando (I could be wrong, but I dont believe I am)
I would say yout observations are absolutely nailed on - lots moan about the cost, yes its not the 2:1 days but theyve been gone for a very long time now (last time was 2007 ... even 1.5:1 was back in 2015).
Disney is comical, the other parks really arent though. Annual Passes for Universal that include free parking are c.£500/year and were 15mths for the price of 12. Seaworld park passes, under £200 annually - Bargain IMO.
Even flights to/from can be nabbed very cheaply if you are patient and book at optimum times.
I think the Disney gravy train is slowing as more americans wise up to their gauging and more brits are decoupling their bookings and stopping spending £10k for a simple holiday to Orlando (I could be wrong, but I dont believe I am)
x5tuu said:
I was out there for a chunk of October and came home on the 5th ... the weather has been exceptional other than 1/2days overall.
I would say yout observations are absolutely nailed on - lots moan about the cost, yes its not the 2:1 days but theyve been gone for a very long time now (last time was 2007 ... even 1.5:1 was back in 2015).
Disney is comical, the other parks really arent though. Annual Passes for Universal that include free parking are c.£500/year and were 15mths for the price of 12. Seaworld park passes, under £200 annually - Bargain IMO.
Even flights to/from can be nabbed very cheaply if you are patient and book at optimum times.
I think the Disney gravy train is slowing as more americans wise up to their gauging and more brits are decoupling their bookings and stopping spending £10k for a simple holiday to Orlando (I could be wrong, but I dont believe I am)
We're booking a first time trip next August, so I'm all over fb groups etc looking for deals/advice. Flights are EXPENSIVE, I know it's school holiday times but they've ramped up massively compared to previous years. We'll get gouged for sure, but we're used to that as we go to a LOT of theme parks. Flights (3 of us), 2.6k, Park tickets, 2.5k, Villa/Universal hotels, probably about the same if not more, and Uber+Food, it'll be 10k+ total for 2 weeks.I would say yout observations are absolutely nailed on - lots moan about the cost, yes its not the 2:1 days but theyve been gone for a very long time now (last time was 2007 ... even 1.5:1 was back in 2015).
Disney is comical, the other parks really arent though. Annual Passes for Universal that include free parking are c.£500/year and were 15mths for the price of 12. Seaworld park passes, under £200 annually - Bargain IMO.
Even flights to/from can be nabbed very cheaply if you are patient and book at optimum times.
I think the Disney gravy train is slowing as more americans wise up to their gauging and more brits are decoupling their bookings and stopping spending £10k for a simple holiday to Orlando (I could be wrong, but I dont believe I am)
I hate extreme rides, I'm in effect a delivery system for my kids, only stipulation I put on the holiday is that we have a day at Kennedy.
toastyhamster said:
We're booking a first time trip next August, so I'm all over fb groups etc looking for deals/advice. Flights are EXPENSIVE, I know it's school holiday times but they've ramped up massively compared to previous years. We'll get gouged for sure, but we're used to that as we go to a LOT of theme parks. Flights (3 of us), 2.6k, Park tickets, 2.5k, Villa/Universal hotels, probably about the same if not more, and Uber+Food, it'll be 10k+ total for 2 weeks.
I hate extreme rides, I'm in effect a delivery system for my kids, only stipulation I put on the holiday is that we have a day at Kennedy.
I guess you'll have your reasons for august, I think mid May - early June is the best time to go if you can, but before the storms start. Hot days and very warm nights. ques are much less, sometimes rides even walk on. I hate extreme rides, I'm in effect a delivery system for my kids, only stipulation I put on the holiday is that we have a day at Kennedy.
October has almost as hot days but cooler nights and is busier.
x5tuu said:
Disney is comical, the other parks really arent though. Annual Passes for Universal that include free parking are c.£500/year and were 15mths for the price of 12. Seaworld park passes, under £200 annually - Bargain IMO.
Even flights to/from can be nabbed very cheaply if you are patient and book at optimum times.
Interesting on the annual prices, that's staggeringly good value (if you're able to come out more than once).Even flights to/from can be nabbed very cheaply if you are patient and book at optimum times.
Our flights and villa (gated community 10 minutes from Disney) were c.£900 each for 4 adults - though BA cattle class had one of the most uncomfortable seat cushions I've tried so springing for the upgrade on the return
Stella Tortoise said:
Parts of Florida are lovely but Disney? Without young children?
Sounds worse than Dubai.
Wife and I did it once without kids / grandchildren, but it was when you got included dining at a good level if you stayed on-site in one of the higher band hotels. We also went during the Food & Wine festival and it included food during that. I think they've made the F&W much longer now so it doesn't have the same focus.Sounds worse than Dubai.
If you stay on-site it can be a pretty relaxing holiday although you need to be hitting the parks early - getting up at 5.30AM to get to MK for 7AM early entry was a bit weird, but we had 2hrs with only a handful of people in the park as people off-site didn't know they'd changed normal opening to 8AM instead of 9AM.
Out of UK/US/Brazil etc school hoildays, there's not an awful lot of kids there. A few people with very young kids but I don't know why as there's not a lot they can do.
u6dw4 said:
toastyhamster said:
We're booking a first time trip next August, so I'm all over fb groups etc looking for deals/advice. Flights are EXPENSIVE, I know it's school holiday times but they've ramped up massively compared to previous years. We'll get gouged for sure, but we're used to that as we go to a LOT of theme parks. Flights (3 of us), 2.6k, Park tickets, 2.5k, Villa/Universal hotels, probably about the same if not more, and Uber+Food, it'll be 10k+ total for 2 weeks.
I hate extreme rides, I'm in effect a delivery system for my kids, only stipulation I put on the holiday is that we have a day at Kennedy.
I guess you'll have your reasons for august, I think mid May - early June is the best time to go if you can, but before the storms start. Hot days and very warm nights. ques are much less, sometimes rides even walk on. I hate extreme rides, I'm in effect a delivery system for my kids, only stipulation I put on the holiday is that we have a day at Kennedy.
October has almost as hot days but cooler nights and is busier.
Are flights any cheaper if you have a stop in say NY/Washington?
I can't say if we went to Florida I'd feel like I was fulfilling my Childs ultimate dreams like what it was hyped up to be when I was a kid and families luckily went to Florida.
Kennedy, Universal, Busch, Seaworld most definitely.
I think I'd need to sell arms/legs though to even think about Florida holidays with what it would cost per day when there (let alone accommodation/flights)
I can't say if we went to Florida I'd feel like I was fulfilling my Childs ultimate dreams like what it was hyped up to be when I was a kid and families luckily went to Florida.
Kennedy, Universal, Busch, Seaworld most definitely.
I think I'd need to sell arms/legs though to even think about Florida holidays with what it would cost per day when there (let alone accommodation/flights)
Riley Blue said:
cliffords said:
I don't think the car you hire should be such a feature of your holiday. Enjoy your family time and don't fret about the plastic dash or gearbox.
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