View Full Version : What have I forgotten?
brianthebare
07-02-2003, 23:17
Sorry, me again.
If I have found a villa, found flights (sort of), found car hire and sorted out attraction tickets, what else must I think about. Things like insurances etc.:)
Any information from you experienced people would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Brian.
Don't forget your toothbrush!!!
Yes, you need worldwide travel insurance unless you have an annual policy or get it free with your credit card. And lottsa spending money in dollar travellers checks plus at least one credit card 'cos there's so much to buy out there and a few empty suitcases to bring it all back in. Add a good travel guide or print some items off the Orlando guide and you are away.
Oh and a passport valid for at least 6 months as well.
steph_goodrum
08-02-2003, 00:31
Definitely insurance , make sure it includes cancellation insurance just in case so if anything unforeseen cropped up at least you could go at another time.
Sunscreen! and lots of it.
Another useful item to pack is a waterproof disposable camera, that way if you go to the beach or a waterpark 1 person doesn't miss out on the fun whilst they're guarding the camera. You'll find you usually get great relaxed shots in the water parks and you don't have to worry about ruining expensive cameras.
brianthebare
08-02-2003, 00:59
Thanks for that advice. Any recommendations for Insurance (If you use and respect a company/policy, It would be a comfort).
Thanks,
Brian.
Tea bags!
As for insurance if you are a co-op bank or visa card holder their privilege club is good .Costs £6 per month -you can cancel at any time and claims are settled within a week as we have just found out!
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
08-02-2003, 01:31
Hi Brianthebare
If you need insurance why not check out our homepage and enquire of our travel insurance details.
No obligtion quote..amazing prices.
Sarah
Ps take chocolate and lots of it.
And tea bags but not Oxo cubes or meat or fruit!
bellaepovera
08-02-2003, 16:01
And dont forget your bathing suit!!
Very very important do not forget your driving licence and make sure your passports have at least 6 months to run :D
Start looking for your driving licence now in case you've filed it in a safe place as someone couldn't find theirs at the last minute! ;)
Take photocopoies of all documentation ,passports ,driving licence,travel insurance etc.and leave them with a family member or friend in case of problems
Lesley S
08-02-2003, 18:09
All of the above are good things to remember especially tea bags...... but why marmite....
I think Ruth means don't take marmite because you get stopped by the customs people!
You can now buy oxo cubes, marmite and tea bags at Publix.
You can take Marmite, I do everytime, it is vegetarian & our family can't eat American toast without it as the bread/butter is not as nice as ours:D
neilandkay
08-02-2003, 23:07
You seem to have the important things sorted. As others have mentioned check your passports & driving licences well in advance. In the worst case anything else can always be sorted out in Florida (have credit card - will travel!)
Don't forget to think about car seats, I remember from an earlier posting that you had a 4yr old and s/he may need to be in a car seat. It is usually cheaper to take your own than rent them but then that is one more thing to carry about.
Other things to think about
--Money - you can use your cashpoint card & there should be an ATM in the airport, but you may need some US currency when you arrive as some of the roads from the airport have tolls on them.
--Bug repellant (but you can but this at the markets)
--Light waterproof kagoul (Florida is tropical and it can rain! but again these are available to purchase everywhere)
--Kay
Waterpoofs are readily available in Walmart etc. for a fraction of the price they are in the parks, so go prepared - you will need them in the summer!
The battery operated fans aren't a bad idea either, and again, they are cheaper in the supermarkets than the parks. They spray a film of water on your face and blast air at you. Bliss in the summer![8D]
IESVILLAS
09-02-2003, 01:33
Hi
Make sure the 6 months left on the passport is 6 months still left the day you RETURN to UK, we nearly got caught out on this with my sons as the 6 months was up the day before we returned, the young guy checking said he would let his senior check it thankfully his senoir didn't pick it up but seeing as my hubby had checked all the passports! it was nearly the end of a very pleasant marriage at Gatwick airport.
Have a good holiday (MRS) Jeannette
brianthebare
09-02-2003, 02:47
Thank you all very much for the advice.
Kind Regards,
Brian.
Steve Johnson
12-02-2003, 21:00
Hi BtheB,
Very important - you'll need comfortable shoes, VERY comfortable.
Oh and a big appetite!
If you've got anyone in your party under the age of about 30 who likes to drink alcohol it's best that they always carry some ID. Even if they're over 21 they still may need to prove it if asked.
Cheers Steve - Have a great time.:D
brianthebare
13-02-2003, 16:07
Thanks for that advice Steve. I understand we will be doing alot of walking and eating.
Cheers,
Brian.
BtB,
The whole point is that you eat loads but burn it off very very quickly walking around the parks ALL day.....can't believe it but I actually LOST weight the last time we were over in Florida. My colesterol and body toxins etc were appauling when we got home(lots of heavy saturated fats) but overall weight loss!!:D
The comfy shoes advice is a good one - before we went out last time I bought a pair of those sports sandal type things (cool but not ACTUALLY sandals!!) thought that they 'looked' comfy in the book and felt OK when I put them on for two seconds in the UK. Walked around Sea World for a day in them and have never had them on my feet since, I was practically crippled by them!! I learnt the 'comfort before vanity' lesson that day - the hard way!:( Not this year!!;)
Roll on March 22nd!! - I need to lose some more weight!!
Biggus
I would advise everyone to wear trainers and sports socks. It may seem illogical but they keep your feet cooler than sandals. Also if you are there in the summer when we have the afternoon showers it's the quickest way to ruin a pair of leather sandals.
A tee shirt / polo shirt and shorts are also coolest thing to wear, and when you are hopping on and off rides a summer dress or skirt does hamper you!
quote:Originally posted by fiona
... and when you are hopping on and off rides a summer dress or skirt does hamper you!
But they do provide entertainment for those still waiting in the queue!!:D:D
Every down has an up!!:D:D
brianthebare
14-02-2003, 00:20
Aw, and I was planning on wearing my off the shoulder blue gingham number too. Oh well, polo/shorts it is then ;o)
Cheers.
quote:Originally posted by brianthebare
Aw, and I was planning on wearing my off the shoulder blue gingham number too. Oh well, polo/shorts it is then ;o)
Cheers.
I think I see you more as a "red with little white dots" man!!
quote:Oh well, polo/shorts it is then
And just how do you wear that mint, Brian?:D:D:D
brianthebare
14-02-2003, 10:18
As in 'itsy bitsy teeny weeny' - ooh, showing my age there!. Regarding the mint, it all depends on how big the hole is (halo, rubber ring style or ...).
LOL
Brian.
Publix near Orange Lake have a little section in their store with brits grub ie teabags marmite and so on
With regard to using credit and debit cards abroad. We have several and have found that the Nationwide cards have a much better exchange rate. We tested this at Christmas at Walmart. We paid for part of our shopping using Nationwide Reward Credit card and the rest (at the same time) using a Halifax Reward card. Both showed the same date on the statements and Halifax gave us 1.55 and Nationwide 1.59.
I have used my Nationwide Debit Card in Europe AND U.S.A
This is definitely THE best one to have!! IMHO
Nationwide is one of the few credit cards which don't charge a surcharge on purchases in foreign currencies. Most of the others do charge a surcharge - check out the 'fadey' print on the back of your statement to find out how much!
brianthebare
04-03-2003, 10:49
Hmmm. Should I be thinking of moving from Abbey Nat to Nationwide then (as Abbey have recently been annoying me anyway).
Thanks for the tips.
Also, should I be concerned that we may be ill due to differences in water, food etc (you know, like the old 'Dont drink the water' in some parts of europe)?
Regards,
Brian.
caroline
04-03-2003, 12:36
Hi Brian
We've never had any problems, in the tummy regions! However although the water is safe, it tastes foul! Almost as bad as drinking water from a swimming pool - the bottled is very cheap and tastes a million times better:)
brianthebare
04-03-2003, 12:43
Thanks Caroline - that's handy to kneu (remember those adverts for spring water [:I])!
steph_goodrum
04-03-2003, 14:26
Brian
When you do your first shop at the supermarket get 2 or 3 one gallon bottles for about $1 each then on subsequent trips, you refill the bottles in the machine at the front of the store for 35c a gallon.
Being the skinflints that we are, we always have a bottle of water each for the plane trip so we refill those to take to the parks as well, if the weather is really hot we stick a couple in the freezer overnight and use a small individual cooler bag, during the day round the parks, they are still thawing during the day and it's surprising how, with 3 in the party the $2.50 for a bottle mounts up during the trip. We worked out before we did this on one day in August, we spent nearly $40 on bottles of water at Animal Kingdom as it was so hot and the 3 of us had 5 or 6 bottles each.
brianthebare
04-03-2003, 16:21
Eu my!. That's alot of water Steph. My Mom always said 'Look after the pennies...' (did I just say Mom, oof?!). Thanks for that tip.
Regards.
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
05-03-2003, 01:19
As well as tasting like it comes out of the swimming pool, the cold water is always lukewarm - yuck!
Absolutely comfortable shoes!!! You need to get good walking shoes with plenty of support and shock absorbancy (or you'll be in bad shape at the end of the day)! Check out some of the shoe outlet stores when you arrive - Belz Mall is great!
brianthebare
10-03-2003, 17:09
I think day 1 will be spent shopping, for sure :)
Thanks again to y'all
Brian.
Shardeblil
10-03-2003, 22:28
We usually take the bottles with us as well and keep re-filling them as we go round the park, as there are plenty of drinking fountains every where.
These seem to be ice-cold[8D]
Regarding the child car seat - some trips we have taken ours with us, one trip we forgot and found it was cheaper to go to walmart and buy a car seat, than it was to hire one from Alamo!!
Also, be prepared for all the insurances that are added on to the car hire, if you have not already paid for them in advance. These can go on the credit card.
Also, make sure you have some dollars, to pay for the tolls on the roads as you drive to your accommodation.
We usually take no toiletries (just travel ones for the journey) and go to walmart on the first day and buy them all there. Saves carrying them, and they are so cheap. We also travel with half empty suitcases and buy shoes and clothes there. Otherwise you may find you need to buy another suitcase too!
Have a great trip
Rebecca
Also, we always buy a few of the squigy carton drinks (calypso) and put them in the freezer. When we go to the parks we leave them in the car. When you get back to the car the drink is lovely and cold - just what you need after being out in the heat.
Becs
brianthebare
15-03-2003, 14:57
More great advice - cool. I will compile a list of bare necessities (no pun intended) to buy here and to buy over there.
Our Son will be 5. Do we have to have a restraining seat or will a booster seat do for him?
Thanks Mum.
Regards,
Brian.
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
15-03-2003, 15:10
We use a booster seat for our 4 year old both at home and in Florida. He's be too big for a baby seat anyway.
yes- I agree, we use a booster for our 5 year old, but we use a seat for our 3 year old (although he is getting a bit big for it).
Have you got long until your trip? Who are you flying with? We are going in 2 1/2 weeks.
Rebecca
brianthebare
17-03-2003, 11:19
Thanks - I have a booster seat I can use for Samuel (4), that'll save us a bit.
We are going in July 2004 and flying with Virgin (hopefully!).
Hope u all have a great time Rebecca :)
Brian.