We are back.

[karenk]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by djdigitald
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lynnroy
I agree - we though a lot of the food was really expensive- our first shop on arrival which had hardly any food but we got cleaning stuff etc was in excess of $150. I nearly died.

[/quote]

Ours was similar at $200 [msnoo] I thought Kaye was going to have a fit.
[/quote]

Be happy. My food bill in the UK is 220 pounds per week for 4. Last time I was over with all of the family comparative foods in Walmart, Publix for the week amounted to $250 so a saving on UK prices of around 40 pounds. In fact, we probably bought more than usual due to the amount of choice in US supermarkets. Prices have gone up over the last couple of years, but as I've said in other threads on this site, IMHO its still not as expensive as the UK. My sons can eat for Britain so any saving is a good one.[msnsmile2]

[LiesaAnna]

we found it to be very expensive this time... food portions we also thought were a bit smaller.. have always hyped the grown up kids at home about food sizes and yet when they finally came with us they were just average size of that at home...

we didnt enjoy our shopping in walmart this trip we hardly looked at anything... i like bedding to bring home and hobbie stuff... but the trolley was always filled with fresh stock of groceries etc and was always really high priced!!!! not sure if were watching what we bought cos it seemed dearer or because of the lack of luggage allowance?

[FraserLynn]

I think that this probably answers the question about food prices and increases over the last 12 month. The same basket of goods is about 40% dearer in the US vs the Uk and nearly 3 times the price of Spain or Portugal. It has also increased by 35% over the last 12 months.

I would imagine that the meal excludes the "mandatory" 20% tip as well.

The table below shows how much a typical basket of goods costs in various popular destinations, compared to this time last year.

Country

Typical price

Compared to summer 2009

Portugal

£36.04

-41%

Spain

£36.68

-39%

Bulgaria

£38.20

+2%

Thailand

£41.45

+15%

Malaysia

£45.57

-5%

Kenya

£45.84

-4%

Indonesia

£46.58

+9%

Croatia

£58.03

-2%

Greece

£58.30

-3%

Turkey

£59.83

+5%

UK

£68.96

-2%

France

£70.72

+1%

Italy

£73.57

+7%

USA

£89.98

+35%

Egypt

£80.09

+40%

Source: Post Office. Basket includes: coffee, lager, cola, water, sun cream, insect spray, cigarettes, three-course meal for two incl. wine. Based on tourist resort prices.

[chrizzy100]

Fl is now as expensive as where I live in MA...if they bring in VAT I think it will put pay to cheap US shopping..I've always found the cost of living in the US higher than the UK..

[MTP]

While this is all well and good, there are various global indices that you could use, perhaps most famously is the Big Mac Index.

While we could all sit around and wring our hands and pour over these stats, is it really useful for choosing a holiday destination? Personally, I think not.

Can I afford a vacation? Yes, then I will go. No, then I will not go.

Pah, you say, you have an invested interest, you already own a villa in Florida.

Well, due to the choices that we have made this year I simply can not afford to vacation there this summer. Am I disappointed? Of course I am. Does the global fluctuations of a basket of shopping influence my decision? No. This kind of minutiae is such a small part of the vacation compared to all of the other expenses that it is hardly worth the forum space to discuss. It is interesting, from a nerdy point of view, however it serves little purpose otherwise when it comes to vacations.

You need to know how much money to have available for a meal, for sure, however to assume that a different business will offer exactly the same fare as a previous business in the same location is a little naive, in my opinion. Before you order, you are made well aware of the price options available. If this one establishment does not suit your needs then perhaps you need to chose another, Central Florida is hardly lacking in options.

As to a 20% tip being "mandatory" - perhaps it is time to be a wee bit more assertive? If you are not happy with the service, then please express your displeasure. If you are happy with your service, then please consider rewarding it appropriately. I would hardly consider 20% as the norm, though, however just as there are some who love to come on to these boards and choose to be inanely positive about Florida, there are also those who choose to be exceptionally negative. Makes you wonder why they holiday there year after year.

[Katys Grandad]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by MTP Pah, you say, you have an invested interest, you already own a villa in Florida. [/quote]

No, it was only you who said that.

[FraserLynn]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by MTP
. however just as there are some who love to come on to these boards and choose to be inanely positive about Florida, there are also those who choose to be exceptionally negative. Makes you wonder why they holiday there year after year.[/quote]My post was on topic, providing some information about what people have seen with their own eyes and posted about before me, timely as it was only published yesterday and relevant for anyone who is traveling to Florida and interested in what budget they may need.

Never been negative once about Florida, let alone exceptionally negative. I have always had great holidays there and always been positive about the experience, about staying in villas, about the great service from the car hire company etc etc. I am trying to think about anything I have ever posted that is negative and I am coming up blank. I accept accurate, but negative, no.

I disagree that spending money is minutiae in the cost of a holiday, for us it is always at least 30- 40% of the total cost and would be considerably more if we didn't fly business class - feels pretty material to me. This is also clearly the case for other people who have posted here with comments like:

"To be honest i was shocked and still am at how much prices had increased so much to say that (Baring in mind i am a seasoned florida junkie) it has partially put us off going back for a long while"

At the end of the day, I can't help it if you find the facts negative - your position on the facts is much more of a reflection of your opinion than mine.

[7165red]

Replying to Pacino's restaurant, we ate there several times and always had a good meal.

[sammibabe]

For what it's worth I would like to add that I have found it a useful post. We are going next summer and haven't been since 2008 and as a family of 5 on a 3 week holiday spending money is a considerable expense. Whilst it will not stop us going it is good to know that our expenditure is going to have increased by quite a bit. Better than getting there and not having saved enough (worse getting back here to a huge cc bill that we wouldn't be able to pay) Thanks for the info and we now have a year to save some more dosh[msneek]

[KH2508]

Am I stating the really obvious when I say prices for food, goods and products have gone up all over the globe? I don't think so. I only have to look at my weekly shopping bill here compared to 12-24 months ago, it's gone up considerably and all the indications are that this trend will continue. Has anyone been to Greece lately, Spain? It's as expensive to eat out there as it is here in the UK, you could even say it's cheaper to eat here. Everyone knows that the cost of flights and fuel has gone up. Did you really think you were going to get to Florida and it be the one little corner of the world where prices have remained static? I was last in Florida in October 2009 having previously been there in 2008 and 2006 and yes, I did notice the difference but I wasn't surprised by it.