First time trip to Florida

Miss_Havisham

I've been going for years and it's spoilt me for other holiday resorts ! A couple of tips:

get good insurance, medical costs are extortionate. I think I read over on the Dibb that someone who had an emergency appendectomy (sp?) had to pay out $35,000 for the privilege. OMG !

Don't get burned, get a good sun screen

Don't look at everything through the lens of a camera - take a break, sit and watch the world !

Pay for an extra suitcase for the homeward journey - don't fool yourself into thinking it will all go into one case - it won't.

Have a great time.

Miss H

[Deleted User]

I_am_mad wrote: »

Hello everyone,

My husband and I are going to Florida in May and I just wanted to ask people on here what we need to remember when there, what we should pack, what we should look out for, eat, driving over there.

We have thought of some things but would like advice from people who have already been.

Thank you

Florida is flat,dull,humid and hot for most of the year.
Most Americans who move there are old people waiting to die somewhere warm.
Most tourists who visit are English people who think visiting Orlando , a man-made hell-hole situated on a swamp, is the American dream.
It's not.It's a man-made hell-hole situated on a swamp.
You'll eat lots of deep-fried animal slurry, wear a baseball cap back to front and start high-fiving like a numpty.
Despite all that Florida is a great place to have a holiday.

tori.k

I_am_mad wrote: »

We are booking our car through BA when we book our flights as it seems to be the cheapest, does anyone know if I can put both of us on hire care this way?

If it's BA it will most likely be AVIS if your married & road legal you will automatically be able to drive the car you won't have to add on a additional driver, can't say for the other hire car companys, but i dare say it's the same as it was done to the whole american spousal rules what your's is mine

I_am_mad

tori.k wrote: »

If it's BA it will most likely be AVIS if your married & road legal you will automatically be able to drive the car you won't have to add on a additional driver, can't say for the other hire car companys, but i dare say it's the same as it was done to the whole american spousal rules what your's is mine

Yes we are married do you think I could ring them up and ask them before I make the booking as its cheaper to do them together than to book Avis seperatley, also with insurance we have been looking at ASDA gold insurance, but I dont know if this is classed as enough, my husband looked at it and it apparently has unlimited medical cover?

stoneman

Be very careful when driving. If someone prangs you then do not stop, make your way to the nearest gass station or well populated place and then call for the police to attend. This is a well known trap set up by thugs to rob vacationers. Also Americans can not drive, they consider it a necessary thing to get them from A to B while all the time talking on the phone, texting or applying makeup. So you are quite likely to get cut up or have someone pull out on you as well as encounter traffic light jumping. What ever you do DO NOT HONK YOUR HORN or gesticulate, you are likely to end up with a bullet in your head. My brother has lived in FL for over 50 years and says that this is rule number 1.
Also remember that there is an allowance of £39? for duty free stuff you can bring back, everything over that has to be declared at customs and you will be expected to pay the import duty, ignore it at your peril.

tori.k

I_am_mad wrote: »

Yes we are married do you think I could ring them up and ask them before I make the booking as its cheaper to do them together than to book Avis seperatley, also with insurance we have been looking at ASDA gold insurance, but I dont know if this is classed as enough, my husband looked at it and it apparently has unlimited medical cover?

If it's a BA fly/drive it should already be Avis with the fly/drives you get the CDW insurance and a additional driver already in the deal you wont need anymore than this even tho they will try the hard sell. if your doing a DIY trip you need to have critical end failure in your policy that way everything is covered. we used essential travel they worked out cheapest for us..then saying that I've never yet had to claim from them either.

Just remembered if you want to do Discovery cove, it well worth buying the ultimate package you can add on a parking pass for $31 that will give you two weeks free parking at any of the seaworld parks, parking is $15 a day at most parks it soon mounts up.

I_am_mad

What is critical end failure? The 2 weeks parking pass does that include access to Universal and IOA?

I_am_mad

tori.k wrote: »

If it's a BA fly/drive it should already be Avis with the fly/drives you get the CDW insurance and a additional driver already in the deal you wont need anymore than this even tho they will try the hard sell. if your doing a DIY trip you need to have critical end failure in your policy that way everything is covered. we used essential travel they worked out cheapest for us..then saying that I've never yet had to claim from them either.

Just remembered if you want to do Discovery cove, it well worth buying the ultimate package you can add on a parking pass for $31 that will give you two weeks free parking at any of the seaworld parks, parking is $15 a day at most parks it soon mounts up.

Did you use essential travel for travel insurance, I have been quoted £99.85 for superiour plus 25% cash back this is by far the cheapest I have found so thank you, I have never heard of them before though?

claire16c

Remember when driving in Florida you can turn right on a red light if its safe to do so (unless there is a sign saying you cant). So if you get beeped when youre sitting at a red light that may be why

It feels very wrong to do it at first! I wish we had that law here, it gets the traffic moving.

zagfles

claire16c wrote: »

Remember when driving in Florida you can turn right on a red light if its safe to do so (unless there is a sign saying you cant). So if you get beeped when youre sitting at a red light that may be why

It feels very wrong to do it at first! I wish we had that law here, it gets the traffic moving.

Yes but you must give way to pedestrians (who'll have the green WALK sign) as well as to cars.