Just knowing a few little tricks will help you get the best you can out of your holiday in Florida. Here are my top ten tips.
- If you are under 25 or indeed if you just look under 30, always carry photo ID on you. This applies especially in night clubs where they are very strict on under age drinkers and the law in Florida is 21 being the youngest you can consume alcohol. Your ID may sometimes be asked for when you want to pay by credit card too.
- NEVER drink alcohol in the street. This is against the law and you will be arrested for it. You can not even carry liquor in the street unless it is in a bag. (Have you never wondered why drunks in American films always carry their liquor in brown paper bags)
- If you do not have free phone calls in your villa or hotel, then a phone card can be bought from any supermarket and is quite cheap for calling home to your country of origin. If you are staying in a hotel do not use the hotel phone or the one in your room. The price will be extra high.
- If you are shopping at Macy’s (there is one in the Florida Mall) you can go to the customer services department and get a tax rebate card. This will allow you to get all your shopping in that store tax free.
- If you are over 55, you can get smaller meals (which are the equivalent size to our ordinary ones) at a reduced price in some of the cheaper restaurants like International House of Pancakes and Dennys.
- If you are driving, always carry your drivers licence in the glove box or on you, it is the law in Florida.
- Every price you see printed in shops or restaurants is without tax and you will need to add an extra 6% or 7% when you come to pay. The percentage varies from county to county and the Disney area is spread over four counties. It can be very annoying if you give your children $5 for an ice cream and they come back, having queued up for ten minutes, telling you they don’t have enough. The one exception to this is in the Disney parks where their ice creams and popcorn etc, which is sold on stalls and not in the shops, does have the tax included.
- If you like your drinks without them being 99% full of ice, then do make sure to ask for just a little or no ice or your drink will be swamped with ice and you are then paying for only a small amount of drink. All their drinks are dispensed freezing cold anyway.
- After parking your car, always make a note of the car park area number, in Disney it will be something like Minnie 59. You will never find your car at the end of the day without this information.
- From June to September it is the rainy season and although it only rains for a few minutes it can be torrential so always carry an umbrella or a rain poncho in your rucksack.