View Full Version : Can we take.....
louisehj
13-03-2010, 22:42
We are off to florida at the end of this month. We went 2 years ago and are staying in the same villa. Last time we ended up buying a huge bag of sugar, a large bottle of laundry detergent etc. Obviously with the pound being so weak against the dollar we were thinking of taking some things with us. The items we would be taking are teabags, sugar, cereal and washing tablets, would these be allowed?
Thanks in advance[msnsmile]
You would bring this to Florida to save $ 10 and run the risk ob trouble at customs ? Mmm I would reconsider.
You can take teabags and washing tablets, not sugar and don't think cereal, someone will confirm the last!
christhear
13-03-2010, 22:52
We always take cereal as we find the American cereal far to sugary.
mfairhurst
13-03-2010, 22:52
There are DOLLAR shops in FLorida and you can buy a lot of things for 1 dollar eg : sweets , bottles of water , biscuits , cakes and much more the rest you can get from Walmart , Publics and Target so it is not worth the trouble with imagration .as said before .
MAUREEN
www.onlinefloridavillas.com/villas/1683.aspx
dawn burley
13-03-2010, 23:05
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by louisehj
We are off to florida at the end of this month. We went 2 years ago and are staying in the same villa. Last time we ended up buying a huge bag of sugar, a large bottle of laundry detergent etc. Obviously with the pound being so weak against the dollar we were thinking of taking some things with us. The items we would be taking are teabags, sugar, cereal and washing tablets, would these be allowed?
Thanks in advance[msnsmile]
[/quote]
We have taken all these things except sugar and just declare the food items on the customs form. Customs will probably take a look in your bags so try and place the food/cereal near the top. Obviously you can't take fresh foods or meat etc in but dry cereal (muesli, weetabix) has never been a problem for us. I hope that helps.
Dawn
E. Cosgrove
14-03-2010, 10:22
You can buy a drum of sugar, much smaller than a bag and ideal for 2 weeks hol. We got one from Publix and it cost peanuts!
CERICROWLEY
14-03-2010, 11:01
I would reconsider the washing tablets. although as you know the villa you are staying in. Its just that many of the homes have a twintub type washing machine, not the type we have in the UK and the water temp does not reach as high as it does in the UK, tablets may not dissove to well. The detergent you buy in the US is more often powder or liquid.
Madabouttigger
14-03-2010, 13:09
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by CERICROWLEY
I would reconsider the washing tablets. although as you know the villa you are staying in. Its just that many of the homes have a twintub type washing machine, not the type we have in the UK and the water temp does not reach as high as it does in the UK, tablets may not dissove to well. The detergent you buy in the US is more often powder or liquid.
[/quote]
Mr M has dermatitis and can rect to different soap powders, so i usually take laundry tablets with me. I do buy the tumble dryer sheets whilst Im there.
I have taken my own tablets in the past and just crumble them into the tub, never had a problem.
I always take cereal and have not put it on the form. I have had my cases searched more than enough and no one ever reprimanded me for not having put it on the form. We also take wash tablets and have no problems with them disolving.
Sandra
britprincess
15-03-2010, 00:40
I take washing powder 2 in 1 tablets aswell and crumble them into the machine they work fine plus they are easier to carry in your case rather than the loose powder stuff! I also take PG tips (cant beat a good cuppa...and im a huge coffee fan but i LOVE the choice of coffee in the states i always bring lots of their coffee home [msnsmile2])
I have taken cereal, t bags, instant coffee, and dishwasher tablets, I don't take washing powder because they usually aren't automatic washing machines and the washing powder/liquid is really cheap and they do it in very small quantities although I tend to wash things most days so use quite a bit while we are away.
Personally I would reconsider bringing any of those things as the last thing you want to do is spend any undue time with the immigration people, you are only there for 2 weeks and in florida, every second, every minute is precious, plus you taking up space in suitcase.
Basically, we have been going to florida for such a long time, that we adapt to all things orlando, from the food to the weather, all part of the experience.
redsandy
15-03-2010, 15:45
we have never taken anything and just bought once there. we found its not that expensive. I agree with the comments above, its not worth the hassle but if I had to take anything it would be teabags, can't beat a good brew.
sundowner
15-03-2010, 20:31
I always take tea bags, Marmite and usually a couple of washing tablets for the first day, I also know of someone that takes their own dishwasher tabs as well.
As mentioned earlier, the dollar stores sell lots of things that are smaller than the supermarket sizes. Also if you go into the Walgreens, CVS and garage stores they tend to have smaller packs of everything too.
You may find the villa you are going to has left you a small basket with items like these for the first few days, our managment team leave Some English T bags some nescafe coffee sticks, sugar sachets and whitener 3or4 dishwasher tabs and a mini pack of soap powder enough to do the first 2 washes.
I also agree just buy when you get there, in saying that I always take a small box of Scottish Blend T bags and no there T tastes the same
ujpest doza
17-03-2010, 19:47
Last 2 places i've stayed at have been well stocked with coffee, tea bags, dishwasher powder, washing powder etc as the management company hasn't thrown them out when previous guests have left.
I just couldn't be bothered carrying all that sort of stuff with me. I have managed to buy PG tips tea and most of the other things that have been mentioned. When we were out last time, we needed to replenish the Cornflakes in the middle of the last week and found a small packet of Kellog's in Walgreen for $1. Food is cheaper than at home so why carry excess stuff with you.
Andrena
Robert5988
18-03-2010, 01:03
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Food is cheaper than at home [/quote]
It is WHAT?
It's not excess luggage for us as we leave our clothes at the villa. As we get things much cheaper for our pub/restaurant and we go for 6-8 weeks, it saves us a lot of dollars, especially with the rate so low.
I have to agree with Robert that food is certainly getting more expensive and is on par with UK prices.
Sandra
Robert5988
18-03-2010, 03:54
Everyone I know believes, in general, food is considerably more expensive in Florida.
I don't normally shop but did last week and noted that I paid $3.99 for a 19 oz loaf of bread(8 grain) in Winn-Dixie. I have just looked on-line and a fresh baked 800g(27 0z) wholemeal loaf in Sainsbury's is £1.(and they have a special getting the second for half price) Now if my arithmetic is correct that means that bread is nearly 4 times the price?
A friend's wife who is a real anorak about these things was astounded at Florida prices.
Katys Grandad
18-03-2010, 07:45
I suppose that it depends on how much you save by taking things from the UK. It simply isn't any longer true that food in the US as a whole (and Florida is no exception) is cheaper that in the UK. Generally speaking, it's actually quite a bit more expensive and the current poor exchange rate has made that even more apparent - so some savings can be made.
For me, the difficulty in deciding whether it's worthwhile is making a true comparison. It's easy with branded goods like PG tips but when it comes to sugar, detergent and cereal etc, you're not usually able to compare like with like. For example, in my local Tesco the cheapest detergent is less than half the price of the most expensive and I'm sure that's also the case in Walmart & Publix.
The only other consideration for me is weight. However much I'm saving, I don't want to be carting a suitcase packed with sugar and washing powder to save a few pounds although I do understand why others would take a different view.
rogerdunnaker
18-03-2010, 11:31
Sugar in America is sold in huge bags or cardboard cartons that look like salt cartons, one of those lasts about a fortnight so there is no need to buy the large bags.
If I take washing power, dishwasher tablets, tea & coffee, it leaves extra room in my case on return for more important things like new clothes.[msnwink]
ujpest doza
18-03-2010, 19:21
We found it was cheaper to eat out at restaurants than it was to eat in the villa last october, whereas in previous years it had been cheaper to eat in a lot more.
Food is now much dearer in Florida. Three rib-eye steaks were $35 from Publix earlier in the week. Admittedly they were delicious and we shouldn't feel guilty about treating ourselves while on holiday but the days of coming here and finding things much cheaper than back home are long gone.
There are obviously some exceptions - for example fresh chicken is very reasonable here but some essentials (cold meats, bread, etc) are extortionate.
I think that is all part and part of holidaying in florida, the amount of joy that we get, you can easily forget about the costing and just to save a few pounds at times is not worth it. But even here in the uk prices can differ largely also, we are in the midlands and most weekends are in london and trust on some things prices can vary largely between the two places.