Spending money for Florida?

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micheletmoore

For our family of 4 I budgeted about $1000 for a 8 day trip. But both my kids will usually eat off the kids menu or at the most share an adult meal. Also we budget to eat breakfast in our condo most days (above amount includes $120 in groceries) and to have one sit down meal and one counter service meal per day. The way I budget is to choose the restaurants we will probably eat in, pick the most expensive thing on the menu that I think each person will eat, add drinks, and the occasional dessert and then round up to cover tax and tip. Here is a web site with all the menus for Disney with prices http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm It is just hard to say what someone else would spend because both of your kids might get adult meals or you might just order a salad and be fine. So look around and see what you come up with. Even if you only do a few days it would at least give you an average.

For spending money I usually budget $100 per day. We usually don't spend that, but my son and I collect snowglobes and pins and I buy a lot of pictures, so I factor for that. Also I might buy something at the store to give as a Christmas or birthday gift and ship it home, so I like to have a little extra. To me, I am like you I would rather have more than enough. This saved us the year we ran over something on the highway and needed 2 new tires, a new rim, and a flat bed tow truck. Or the time my son needed to order medicine and it was not covered by our insurance because we had filled it prior to our trip and forgotten to refridgerate it. You just never know.

You can however get by on much less than that if you are budgetting and say each person an choose a t-shirt and have X dollars to spend. (Still add some for snacks and pictures) Or you can spend way more if you like to shop. It depends on your style of vacationing.

If you need any more help feel free to email. Good luck and have fun!!!

cuddles_gb

OK, we took (2 adults, all pre-paid parks like you) Â£1700. Out of that we got all our meals, pressies for us and our respective families Xmas pressies that year - and still had about Â£200 left over. Also did some extra activites other than parks as well. I't say Â£2000 should easily cover you - or even less if you don't have many relatives to buy pressies for.

Also, we did it in Â£1200 travellers cheques, the rest cash, and only took out a 2 or 3 hundred each day (split between the two of us) - the rest stayed in the Hotel safe. Easy, no problems the whole time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If you plan on eating each meal at a restaurant than expect to pay about $40-60 each night for dinner. Breakfast and Lunch are typically a bit cheaper but probably about $150 per day on meals (I'm giving a bit of leeway as I am not sure if you are light or heavy eaters).

bean

thanks I was going to ask a similar question ... happy saving!!

thepenismightier

Not to be alarmist, but Florida can be dangerous for tourists. You should try to avoid carrying large amounts of cash. You should either take US dollar-denominated travellers' cheques or just use the local ATMs.

Nearly all the restaurants take credit cards as well (including McDonald's).

jl hooker

You can use travellers cheques just like cash !!
Meals are reasonable

Thornsey

Hello, I used to live in Florida ( back in the UK now) You will have a great time at all the parks. My advice would be make sure you have a good old American breakfast everyday very cheap and filling and this will save you from having to buy to much in the parks themselves, (ripoff) If you can make sure you take a few bottles of water with you as well as this also costs an arm and a leg in the parks. other than that don't worry to much, take as much as you can afford, everything is so much cheaper over there and the exchange rate is great right now. If I was going with my wife and to kids I think Â£1000 would do us fine. Have a great time. Oh if its 2 weeks make it Â£2000, I would also have my Credit card just in case.

jeff k

I always give myself a certain amount per day, it works great because what you don't spend one day goes onto the next days expenditure and so on, if you give yourself Â£150-200 per day that's $300-400 per day should be more than enough to feed your gang.

SeaGirl

For two weeks if you want to have to much than to little I would say at least 7,000. Good luck.

Odessa R

family of 4 for a week park for is costly no credit card ? it would be better to charge as its hard to give estimate most meals at parks are 8 dollars or more drinks 2.50 no refills dinner outside parks varies from 7 dollars up

deano2806

Hi There,
I have been to Florida a few times now, and by personal experience, I have taken as much as I can afford, I mean at the time I was single, but now I have a fiancee, and a 1 year old son, I would suggest taking at least Â£2,000 GBP, as there is so much to do, and buy out in Florida, and if you take less then you will be hugely dissapointed on the things you could have done, I mean it is so cheap to buy things in America, you can 2 things for the price of 1 compared to the expensive U.K, when you do go to Florida make sure you go on the Clearwater Screamer, as that is such a fantastic ride in which you get to see the Dolphins whilst you are in the speed boat!
I hope this helps you out? Enjoy!

pamomof4

Its all according to where you plan on eating. Eating in the theme parks can be a bit pricey. You would be alot better off eating outside the parks. What we did when we went last year (we are a family of 6) eat lunch inside the parks and go to dinner outside(sometimes very late like 7-8pm). If we wanted to re-enter after dinner we did but usually just went back to the hotel and went in the pool, sang karoke..etc.
I would say that for a week you probably will need approximately $1500-$2000. USD Remember its not just the meals you will need spending money for..you will want souvenirs, maybe play a few games in the game rooms..etc. You're right to want to bring more..better to have more than enough than not enough. Also bring a credit card just in case.
Disney is great..your family will have lots of fun! Make sure you check out at least one of the laser shows at night (we liked Fantasmic at MGM studios the best).
Have a great time!

Big Frank

You probably want to be aiming in the region of $250 per day. Lunch generally works out at around $40 for 4 at a self service restuarant in theme park and dinner in excess of $70.
By the time you add parking, drinks at $2.50 per bottle etc it soon mounts up. If you want to take advantage of the shopping malls etc I'd take extra for that. I've been many times with my family and April is by far our favourite time to visit.

pattibcacl

Take American express travel check with you and about two thousand you need food buying stuff and having fun time good luck

MaryAnn

IF you're staying a week I think 2 thousand
for meals, things to buy at the parks, etc...

....................

This was the same for myself, partner and 2 kids we are from Scotland, everything paid for we didn't know how much to take we ended up taking $2000, i think it was just over Â£1200 just for spending money for 2wks and it was plenty i hope this helps and you have a great time. If you haven't been before our kids loved Chucky Cheese and we thought Denny's and Checkers were great i hope you all have a great time i loved it i would love to go back but i hate planes.

honey

we went to Orlando in 2003. The thing that got me was that you had to pay for parking at the themeparks, silly me thought that was included in the park ticket,i think was $8 aday.
Also the prices on say a tshirt doesn't include tax,as it does in the uk, its added on at the till.
Saying all that petrol is cheap and so is food compared to home,if you want to save more the supermarkets are amazing. We brought most of our gifts [including Disney] from Walmart.

MANCHESTER UK

What we do is take Travellers Cheques. We always take more than we actually need because it tempts us to go back again!
If you have a Bank Card, any additional expenditure could be covered with that, I suggest.

Just Me

US$4 - 5,000 should be enough.

silly gorbie

If you have all your park tickets then food and drink are you only real expense.....but are you staying in a hotel or a villa? In a hotel you can spend a LOT of cash on meals and drinks whereas self prepared meals when in a villa are about the same as in the UK. In a hotel you need $1,500 a week for food and drink - in a villa half this amount. We are going on 23rd April so perhaps we shall see you there. (we are in a villa)

paul e

the more money you save the better time you will have.
sad but true

neil desperandum

I've never been to Florida, but whenever I visit a new country I always pick up (buy, borrow or browse) a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide to that place. They give you a good idea of the costs of transport, food, drinking and lodging etc. When you've estimated your daily costs just add on a bit extra for each person, then you shouldn't go short.

Danielle P

Hi I came back from America in December, me and my husband took Â£1000, this was about 2000 dollars. We rented a house and had enough for meals out incl breakfast and shopping.

Surveyor

Bring enough to tip the waitresses and bartenders. On the average, Britts and Canadians are the worst tippers. It is appropriate to tip 15% for average service... more for excellent service.

JULIE S

Around Â£1000 but take a credit card for the shopping you get a great rate on the conversion

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