Money saving tips for holidays in Orlando, Florida

ncollett

1. Best time to go - outside school holidays, May, June, September, November and early December. Book as early as possible.

2. Villas - only rent a named villa or if with a holiday package a named community. (villas are normally in communities of several hundred). Make sure the villa is licensed for short term rentals. Check the price includes all taxes. Beware cheap villas as they may be a long way from the theme parks (over an hours drive), be careful about claims of driving time.

3. Flights - if you can get a flight at less than £500 per head you are doing well. Check online prices or sign up with a specialised flight agent to keep you informed.

4. Cars - if booking a fly/drive check whether insurance is covered on your "free" car. It can cost an extra $25 a day. Otherwise book the car from a UK specialist.

5. Best shopping buys - cotton goods such as sheets and towels are good value for money in the US. Remember all US are prices are displayed EXCLUDING taxes. Go to Macys department store customer service with a passport and you can buy goods there without sales tax.

6. Duty free - spirits are very cheap in Florida, check the duty free prices on the plane going out and then visit a liquor store, it is cheaper to buy in the liquor store than the airport or plane duty free. Caution - some products may be up to 80% by volume alcohol twice as strong as legal in the UK.

7.Theme park tickets - buy these in the UK before you go. Some types of ticket are only available here. Discounts are not normally available but sometimes extra days are available. Before buying tickets it is recommended that you have a plan. Buy a book detailing the parks such as " The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World". There are now 15 theme parks plus numerous other entertainments, you cannot see them all in two weeks.

worried_jim

ncollett wrote: »

6. Caution - some products may be up to 80% by volume alcohol twice as strong as legal in the UK.

I don't think this is the case, just that in the U.S. they use a different description of measurement-
ABV - Alcohol by Volume - This is the standard measure and used throughout the U.K. It simply represents the amount of volume consumed by ethanol compared to the entire volume of the drink. It is expressed as a percentage.

Proof - This term is used among the strongest spirits. To compute a liquor's proof you simply multiply the ABV by 2. The theoretic highest possible strength of any drink is therefore 200-proof. In reality though the maximum for distilled spirits is 191-proof because not all of the water can be distilled from ethanol.

I think that in the U.S there method of alcohol measurement is Proof not ABV. So when looking at a bottle of Jack Daniels (for example) in the U.S. it will state 80% and in the U.K. 40% when in fact it is exactly the same stuff in the bottle.

I may have this description slightly in correct but I am pretty sure I am on the right track. Good tips otherwise though.

ncollett

worried_jim wrote: »

I don't think this is the case, just that in the U.S. they use a different description of measurement-
ABV - Alcohol by Volume - This is the standard measure and used throughout the U.K. It simply represents the amount of volume consumed by ethanol compared to the entire volume of the drink. It is expressed as a percentage.

Proof - This term is used among the strongest spirits. To compute a liquor's proof you simply multiply the ABV by 2. The theoretic highest possible strength of any drink is therefore 200-proof. In reality though the maximum for distilled spirits is 191-proof because not all of the water can be distilled from ethanol.

I think that in the U.S there method of alcohol measurement is Proof not ABV. So when looking at a bottle of Jack Daniels (for example) in the U.S. it will state 80% and in the U.K. 40% when in fact it is exactly the same stuff in the bottle.

I may have this description slightly in correct but I am pretty sure I am on the right track. Good tips otherwise though.

Check Wikipedia on ABV. Rum in particular is can be 80% ABV and they sell this in the US but not in the UK.

worried_jim

ncollett wrote: »

Check Wikipedia on ABV. Rum in particular is can be 80% ABV and they sell this in the US but not in the UK.

Alcohol proof

Alcohol proof is a measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in an alcoholic beverage. The term was originally used in the United Kingdom and was defined as 7/4 times the alcohol by volume (abv). The UK now uses the abv standard instead of alcohol proof. In the United States, alcoholic proof is defined as twice the percentage of abv. The measurement of alcohol content and the statement of this content on the bottle labels of distilled beverages (also called liquors or spirits) is regulated by law in the United States. The purpose of the regulation is to provide pertinent information to the consumer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_proof

So the Rum you have mentioned will be 40% ABV, and just the same as a UK purchase. The only drink I can think of that is 80% vol alcohol is Absinthe- http://www.hapsburgabsinthe.com/ and is still illegal in the USA due to its extreme alcohol content since 1915. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

ash28

ncollett wrote: »

1. Best time to go - outside school holidays, May, June, September, November and early December. Book as early as possible.

2. Villas - only rent a named villa or if with a holiday package a named community. (villas are normally in communities of several hundred). Make sure the villa is licensed for short term rentals. Check the price includes all taxes. Beware cheap villas as they may be a long way from the theme parks (over an hours drive), be careful about claims of driving time. You can alway use google maps or google earth to check the location of villas - when ever we have gone to Orlando we have booked the villa privately - often the best prices are not through agents - if the villa is owned by someone in the UK then taxes are normally included - but sometimes the best prices can be through US owned villas where taxes are not included

3. Flights - if you can get a flight at less than £500 per head you are doing well. Check online prices or sign up with a specialised flight agent to keep you informed. Look for your flights on a Tuesday or a Wednesay - not at the weekend - you will get better prices - all airlines seem to up their prices online at weekends - it must be when they get their most "hits"

4. Cars - if booking a fly/drive check whether insurance is covered on your "free" car. It can cost an extra $25 a day. Otherwise book the car from a UK specialist. Also if you use Budget Car Hire there is no additional driver charge for a spouse or partner they are automatically included - can save you a lot of money if you both are going to drive. Book through a UK specialist like USRentacar. Don't hire a satnav from the car hire company (usually $140 for 2 weeks) - you can buy a tomtom in Walmart for $99 + tax and if you don't have one at home you can download the UK/Europe maps when you get home or if you already have one see if you can download the US maps before you go.. Don't hire car seats - airlines usually carry these free of charge - take your own.

5. Best shopping buys - cotton goods such as sheets and towels are good value for money in the US. Remember all US are prices are displayed EXCLUDING taxes. Go to Macys department store customer service with a passport and you can buy goods there without sales tax.

6. Duty free - spirits are very cheap in Florida, check the duty free prices on the plane going out and then visit a liquor store, it is cheaper to buy in the liquor store than the airport or plane duty free. Caution - some products may be up to 80% by volume alcohol twice as strong as legal in the UK. Some of the aiport deals on spirits could be tough to beat - 2 for £25. Spirits in Florida can be worth buying but you need to be careful - one of the biggest chains of liquor store is ABC with shops all over Orlando, including International Drive - they currently sell 750ml bottle of Bombay Gin for $23.99 + tax - you can get the same in Asda for £14.32 - around $23 - Glenlivet 15 years old French Oak Cask 750ml £25 ($40) in Sainsburys - ABC $45.99 + tax. So you need to be careful about what you buy - it's pointless carrying stuff home if it's cheaper at home. How ever you can buy cheap bourbon for $10 a bottle and Jim Beam for $17.99 + tax - same in Asda £15 or about $24 - Vodka is also very cheap - not so much the big brands but if you don't mind what you have you can buy 1.75liters of vodka for $12 +tax.

7.Theme park tickets - buy these in the UK before you go. Some types of ticket are only available here. Discounts are not normally available but sometimes extra days are available. Before buying tickets it is recommended that you have a plan. Buy a book detailing the parks such as " The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World". There are now 15 theme parks plus numerous other entertainments, you cannot see them all in two weeks.

I love Florida and there are bargains to be had - kitchen knives are great value compared to here. Lego is another one - so much cheaper than here - if your kids like it it's worth buying it out there - we bought our grandson Sponge Bob Good Neighbours at Bikini Bottom for $44 the cost here is £40 - Hogwarts Castle is £102 over here and $114 over there.