Page 6 | 3k for trip to US

UndertheCedartree · 2025-01-04T21:31:56+00:00

I want to take my DC to the US for a special trip as they turn 13/18 this year. I'm looking at travelling in September. On a tight budget of 3-3.5k for flights and accomodation. I'm clueless as to where to take them. Not New York but aside to that I am open to anywhere but would need to be able to get about without a car.

Takoneko · 06/01/2025 13:43

Quitelikeit · 06/01/2025 12:36

Hang on what attraction costs 500 each? And is that per day?

wth

It’s not per day, no, but the theme parks in Orlando are really expensive. If you want to buy a one-day pass to Disney or Universal then it’s well over £100 per person. A 2 day Disney pass is around $300.

You can get a two week pass for Universal for £350 or for Disney for £430 per person as the 14 day passes are often discounted to be cheaper than a 7 day pass. When you see headlines on their website saying you can visit the parks for £35 per person per day, they mean if you buy a 14 day pass. The average price for a 1 day Disney world ticket is $160. It’s all a bit wild.

SchoolDilemma17 · 06/01/2025 13:49

I have just returned from Florida and I thought everything was very expensive. Have been before pre-covid and prices are definitely higher, even supermarket prices. No meal deals to be found. Main courses are $20-$30 plus tax and tip (20%). Didn’t eat in fast food places. Target had cheap clothes but quality is like Primark. Outlets weren’t worth it at all.
don’t think Orlando is doable without a car (or budget for Ubers), Miami you could do but accommodation is $$$.

Yesiknowdear · 06/01/2025 14:12

nopdhhd · 06/01/2025 08:56

@Tommytoronto people can plan and budget how they want but how are strangers on the internet meant to help if they are given half the budget?! No good saying I've got £3k to go to anywhere in the USA with no inclination as to what is then spare for attractions or food, no good spending £3k on Orlando and getting there with a few pennies left, or being sent to South Dakota because that covers everything but then nothing to do despite having another £2k squirrelled away for "attractions".

And people who say they do Orlando on £3000 with a family of 4 are lying, unless your only attraction is the mall.

I didn't see this post.
I wasnt lying. She was talking about flight and hotel only and said she had food money and attraction money separate for 2 weeks.
I even started my reply post asking what she had for food and attractions and mentioned what 2025 disney tickets are costing.

But answered the OPs question of where she could fly to and stay within her budget.

Yesiknowdear · 06/01/2025 14:21

Quitelikeit · 06/01/2025 12:36

Hang on what attraction costs 500 each? And is that per day?

wth

Oh no, that's Disney for 14 days, which I think is reasonable compared to 14 other separate days out charged separately.

Quitelikeit · 06/01/2025 15:45

Op

I would genuinely prioritise accommodation that had some form of self catering options!

I do plan to do a similar trip and this thread has been an eye opener re costs

SnakesAndArrows · 06/01/2025 16:12

UndertheCedartree · 06/01/2025 00:23

Thank you for all the information.

I hadn't thought of Florida precisely because I thought a car was needed but my research seems to show many people manage fine without a car. As you say there are trips to the space centre - which I agree I would really like them to see.

Driving is completely off the table for me due to a health issue. My DS is learning to drive but wouldn't want any pressure on him to drive as would be so new to it.

We enjoy being outdoors - walks, wildlife, beaches. Swimming and pedalos etc. Equally we like sightseeing and museums. We enjoy a theme park but not too much! My DD wants to go to Hot Topic and Target and my DS wants to go to 7/11 and fast food places!

Show quote history

OK I am invested in your holiday now!

I still think Florida is risky weather-wise but you might be able to do it relatively cheaply.

Flights x 3 mid-week inc 1 checked case (food on way out, souvenirs on way home) about £1500

14 nights in a small apartment with a tiny kitchen (but it probably won’t have an electric kettle) mid way between Disney and Universal https://www.booking.com/Share-ryIs9F about £1k

It has a free shuttle to the parks. You can work out Uber costs to the Florida Mall etc. for Hot Topic. (Shopping is no longer cheap because of the poor exchange rate so your DD may be disappointed).

Park tickets - you can get 14 days Disney (parks and water parks) for £550 ish each and 1 day for £130 ish each. Going on a coach trip to Kennedy Space Centre will cost you another £130ish each, ditto a Universal day, so you can see how it adds up and how much better value the multi day tickets are. So, somewhere between £2000 and £800 for the three of you depending on how many/which park days you want to do. Ditching Disney and just doing Universal is a slightly cheaper option.

So total so far somewhere between £3300 and £4500.

You can eat counter service fast food to avoid tipping - in the parks and outside - as well as supermarket food. The only other thing is airport transfers and Ubers.

The DIBB boards used to have long running threads on doing it all on a shoestring, so if you’ve been bitten by the Orlando bug (and goodness knows I’ve been there…) pop over there to get tips!

Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 19:14

mathanxiety · 06/01/2025 06:54

I have a sneaking feeling your DS will be pretty disappointed by both Target and 7-11. However, I know Americans who raved about Dunnes Stores in Dublin...

Hot Topic is a suburban mall type of shop. If you're willing to study a map, check bus/train networks, and take a train or bus to a mall, you'll be fine.

They have friends who have been and they all love American shops etc! It is just it being 'different' that they like! 😂

I'm sure the Florida Mall has a Hot topic. We'd probably just get an Uber.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 19:15

mathanxiety · 06/01/2025 07:03

The weather all over the US (well, in the places you're considering anyway) would be nice enough in September for you to pack light. Nobody would bat an eyelid at tourists wandering around in shorts and Tshirts. You can use local laundromats to wash and dry your clothes so you don't need to pack a different outfit for every day of your holiday.

We're pretty good at packing light but yes, we could do laundry too.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 19:31

Yesiknowdear · 06/01/2025 00:29

How much are you factoring for food and activities?
You could potentially do Orlando with that budget. Last August (DDs school went past uncharacteristically late so we flew out on like the 23rd, had 2 weeks and arrived home a day before term started)
It was £2300 for the 4 of us.
If you do go to Orlando- I drive for universal
W irlo bronson/ highway 192 for Disney. A lot of the hotels do shuttles to and from the attractions.
There are some inexpensive places to eat around too.

I was thinking about 1k for activities but if we did do Orlando I think it would have to be more but I have suggested to grandparents about 'buying a day out' for them as their birthday present (even if they don't actually pay for the whole thing.)

I'm not sure as yet what we'll need for food, although I've learned it's a lot more expensive than it used to be! I'm looking at a self catering apartment on the coast and in Orlando I see lots of hotels have fridges and microwaves. We'll definitely be doing it on a budget but just need to figure out what a realistic budget would be!

I'll also make sure the hotel will have a complementary shuttle bus for where we want to go.

I am leaning towards Florida. My DS likes the idea of seeing the Everglades. And the beach is very appealing to me! My DD will love Disney and the malls. It looks quite possible to get around without driving too. I just need to figure out a budget for food to see if it is viable.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 19:36

nopdhhd · 06/01/2025 08:25

It was £2300 for the 4 of us. If you do go to Orlando- I drive for universal W irlo bronson/ highway 192 for Disney. A lot of the hotels do shuttles to and from the attractions. There are some inexpensive places to eat around too.

It's so disingenuous to narrow a holiday down to just flights and accommodation though, people do this with Florida all the time but this bit is often one of the cheaper areas of the holiday. How much did you spend on food, attraction tickets, airport transfers both ends, airport parking if needed?

I find it weird OP is saying she has £3k then saying that's just for flights and accommodation, surely when sorting a holiday you have an overall figure in mind? And you factor your food budget alongside flights etc?

Tbf, that poster spoke about food and attractions, they didn't pretend it was £2300 for everything.

I have 3.5k ready to go to book a holiday. Food and activities I can save up for/ask family to contribute (for birthdays)/maybe take some from savings. Always done it like this!

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 19:37

Tommytoronto · 06/01/2025 08:50

Let people plan and budget their holidays however they want to @nopdhhd

I personally like getting accommodation and flights sorted first because you can book these in advance in a sale. And then figure the rest out later / closer to the time while saving.

Me too!

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SnakesAndArrows · 07/01/2025 19:37

The Everglades are fabulous but the only way you’re going to see the actual national park without a car is on a coach trip. You can go on an airboat ride close to Orlando which will still be pretty special. Again, you’d need to book a tour, but I’m sure that must be possible.

Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 19:39

nopdhhd · 06/01/2025 08:56

@Tommytoronto people can plan and budget how they want but how are strangers on the internet meant to help if they are given half the budget?! No good saying I've got £3k to go to anywhere in the USA with no inclination as to what is then spare for attractions or food, no good spending £3k on Orlando and getting there with a few pennies left, or being sent to South Dakota because that covers everything but then nothing to do despite having another £2k squirrelled away for "attractions".

And people who say they do Orlando on £3000 with a family of 4 are lying, unless your only attraction is the mall.

Clearly I'll be bringing some money for food/attractions but that is negotiable. Not going to be going anywhere without flights and accomodation!

And fair enough if you can't answer my question but plenty of other people have been able to and been very helpful!

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 19:46

Yesiknowdear · 06/01/2025 11:11

I agree with you RE factoring in costs separately. I tend to do an all in cost of well, everything and would be too anxious if I were to leave anything not planned for to the penny.

We spent 2k on food. A mixture of slightly more expensive restaurants and also cheaper.

Attractions were around 500 each, but if you're wanting attractions for each person to cover 2 weeks, I think £500 is on the low end of a budget. Universal is/was cheaper but I know there's an imminent opening of a new park in Orlando.. I'm a bit more Disney.

I haven't factored in the cost of transfers to and from hotel areas, as I've never used them.

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I am planning all costs but it evolves for me. I'm not coming from a place where I have a massive chunk of money to go, I have a more moderate amount and then am figuring out if I can stretch to the rest needed.

I've looked at travel insurance and transfers. Also attractions. We definitely do not want wall to wall attractions, some attractions and some chilling.

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Darkflames · 07/01/2025 19:48

Try looking at British Airways - they have surprisingly good deals when booking flights and accommodation together. We booked a two part holiday with them - a few nights in New York and then a flight to LA for Disneyland.

Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 19:50

Takoneko · 06/01/2025 13:43

It’s not per day, no, but the theme parks in Orlando are really expensive. If you want to buy a one-day pass to Disney or Universal then it’s well over £100 per person. A 2 day Disney pass is around $300.

You can get a two week pass for Universal for £350 or for Disney for £430 per person as the 14 day passes are often discounted to be cheaper than a 7 day pass. When you see headlines on their website saying you can visit the parks for £35 per person per day, they mean if you buy a 14 day pass. The average price for a 1 day Disney world ticket is $160. It’s all a bit wild.

Show quote history

Yes, I think if we did Orlando we'd just get a Disney ticket and do that. A day here and a day there ends up costing more! We won't do anything like 14 days at Disney but it seems it's the only way to do it on a budget.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 19:54

SchoolDilemma17 · 06/01/2025 13:49

I have just returned from Florida and I thought everything was very expensive. Have been before pre-covid and prices are definitely higher, even supermarket prices. No meal deals to be found. Main courses are $20-$30 plus tax and tip (20%). Didn’t eat in fast food places. Target had cheap clothes but quality is like Primark. Outlets weren’t worth it at all.
don’t think Orlando is doable without a car (or budget for Ubers), Miami you could do but accommodation is $$$.

Edited

The cost of food is my biggest question mark. We're very used to eating mainly from supermarkets but I need to see if it is doable. I'll make sure our hotel has a shuttle bus to Disney and will have some budget for Ubers. I would book a tour to pick up from a hotel for anything else. My daughter loves Primark so I'm sure Target will hit the mark 😂

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 19:55

Quitelikeit · 06/01/2025 15:45

Op

I would genuinely prioritise accommodation that had some form of self catering options!

I do plan to do a similar trip and this thread has been an eye opener re costs

Yes, definitely!

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Lordofmyflies · 07/01/2025 20:03

Hi OP, with regards to food costs..we got back from DC and NYC 2 weeks ago. Costs for 4 people.
Breakfast was a coffee and a muffin takeaway from a local cafe and ate in the room = $60 plus 20% tip = $75 or £60
Lunch was usually a bagel and a soft drink $80 plus tip = $96 / £75
Dinner if eating out at a pizza / pasta place was $200 / £160

So about $100 dollars a day per person. Thats without any treats, drinks. Ironically, the supermarket and fresh food was as expensive or even more expensive than the street food.

Marblediamond · 07/01/2025 20:03

The budget is very tight for 3 people going to US. Good luck

Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 20:03

SnakesAndArrows · 06/01/2025 16:12

OK I am invested in your holiday now!

I still think Florida is risky weather-wise but you might be able to do it relatively cheaply.

Flights x 3 mid-week inc 1 checked case (food on way out, souvenirs on way home) about £1500

14 nights in a small apartment with a tiny kitchen (but it probably won’t have an electric kettle) mid way between Disney and Universal https://www.booking.com/Share-ryIs9F about £1k

It has a free shuttle to the parks. You can work out Uber costs to the Florida Mall etc. for Hot Topic. (Shopping is no longer cheap because of the poor exchange rate so your DD may be disappointed).

Park tickets - you can get 14 days Disney (parks and water parks) for £550 ish each and 1 day for £130 ish each. Going on a coach trip to Kennedy Space Centre will cost you another £130ish each, ditto a Universal day, so you can see how it adds up and how much better value the multi day tickets are. So, somewhere between £2000 and £800 for the three of you depending on how many/which park days you want to do. Ditching Disney and just doing Universal is a slightly cheaper option.

So total so far somewhere between £3300 and £4500.

You can eat counter service fast food to avoid tipping - in the parks and outside - as well as supermarket food. The only other thing is airport transfers and Ubers.

The DIBB boards used to have long running threads on doing it all on a shoestring, so if you’ve been bitten by the Orlando bug (and goodness knows I’ve been there…) pop over there to get tips!

Show quote history

Ah, bless you!

I've looked at travel insurance and transfers - both pretty reasonable.

DD does know the cost of Hot Topic as she has had friends get her things so it will be her responsibility to save her pocket money as to how much she wants to spend! But honestly knowing DD just being in the shop will be exciting in it's own right! 😀

I will have a look on DIBB to try and get a reasonable budget for food figured out and then can see if it's viable. I appreciate all the help!

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 20:06

SnakesAndArrows · 07/01/2025 19:37

The Everglades are fabulous but the only way you’re going to see the actual national park without a car is on a coach trip. You can go on an airboat ride close to Orlando which will still be pretty special. Again, you’d need to book a tour, but I’m sure that must be possible.

Yes, I've been looking at those options, thanks.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 20:07

Darkflames · 07/01/2025 19:48

Try looking at British Airways - they have surprisingly good deals when booking flights and accommodation together. We booked a two part holiday with them - a few nights in New York and then a flight to LA for Disneyland.

Yes, I've noticed that. Some really reasonable deals.

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Darkflames · 07/01/2025 20:08

If you can try to find a hotel with breakfast - we did that and it meant we only had to buy one meal per day and made do with a light snack in between.

Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 07/01/2025 20:11

Lordofmyflies · 07/01/2025 20:03

Hi OP, with regards to food costs..we got back from DC and NYC 2 weeks ago. Costs for 4 people.
Breakfast was a coffee and a muffin takeaway from a local cafe and ate in the room = $60 plus 20% tip = $75 or £60
Lunch was usually a bagel and a soft drink $80 plus tip = $96 / £75
Dinner if eating out at a pizza / pasta place was $200 / £160

So about $100 dollars a day per person. Thats without any treats, drinks. Ironically, the supermarket and fresh food was as expensive or even more expensive than the street food.

Thank you, that's helpful! That is a lot for food, though!

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