Rupert_Baehr Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Hi We've been to Florida for the last three years, and we still haven't seen it all! ... That's not really surprising. From Pensacola to Key West is about 800 miles. Land's End to John O'Groats is 874. I doubt you could see the whole of the UK in 3 two-week trips, either. The first time we stayed on International Drive, and did not hire a car....still able to get about as bus service pretty good, but was tiring! The last two times we stayed in a private villa and hired a car, but the minus side was the villas are abit out of the way of any entertainment like you get on I drive... Car hire can be expensive (though there are some good deals available at Orlando airport.) If you choose to hire a car there (and particularly if you choose to hire through one of the discounters such as hotwire.com) check your insurance cover very carefully. The law in Florida allows hire car companies to charge you (and they will charge at a very high rate) for the time a car is off the raod being repaired in the event of an accident. - It's a good idea to have insurance which covers not only damage to the car, to 3rd parties and injury damage, but also covers losses caused by the hire car being off the road. It can vary between 10 - 25% depending where in the US you are. Cheaper states like Florida its best to leave a min of 10%. Large cities like NYC/LA/Chicago its at least 15% min. Leave 10% in NYC and the waiter will chase you out the door asking for more money. Good rule of thumb? Double the sales tax on the bill (it will be printed and be printed on the receipt). As Orlando is 6%, 12% would be suffice. Cheaper States like Florida? :hihi:. They have a 'Special price for tourists from Treasure Island' and they seem to be more than willing to help tourists by lightening their wallets. The 'going rate' in Brevard County (on the coast, East of Orlando) is about 15%. If the service is poor, they don't get that from me, though. (If the service is poor, they probably won't see me again, either.) Temperatures are (or should be) falling considerably by November. Expect daytime highs of about 26'C and night time lows of about 15'C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Ryan* Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Whats the deal with all the tipping? Is it frowned upon if you dont? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alternageek Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Cheaper States like Florida? :hihi:. They have a 'Special price for tourists from Treasure Island' and they seem to be more than willing to help tourists by lightening their wallets. The 'going rate' in Brevard County (on the coast, East of Orlando) is about 15%. If the service is poor, they don't get that from me, though. (If the service is poor, they probably won't see me again, either.) In terms of costs of living for the waitstaff, not so much for tourists. Where my Mom lives in Stuart, its 20%, but theyre close to West Palm and service is a bit different there, than say in Orlando. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alternageek Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Whats the deal with all the tipping? Is it frowned upon if you dont? Waitstaff dont earn a minimum wage (about $4 an hour depending where they are) and rely on tips in order to meet gap in the minimum wage. In Florida its $7.31 per hour for non waitstaff and $4.29 for tipped staff. The only time you shouldnt leave a tip is if the service was so terrible that you had to serve yourself. Also if youre using coupons/vouchers/offers you should tip on the basis of what the meal would have cost at full price and not the discounted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky0000547 Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Whats the deal with all the tipping? Is it frowned upon if you dont? To the Americans then YES. Their only argument is that the waitstaff are poorly paid and need tips to survive. Personally I don't know why the customers need to pay the waitstaff wages and not the restaurant owners. And also the restaurant prices are not exactly cheap over there compare to UK so someone is pocketing a lot of profits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Ultimately, the customers pay the wages of everybody who works in the restaurant (and pay the owners, too.) Given that, in most States in the US - as in the UK - there is Sales Tax (6% in Florida, 20% in the UK) if the bill was set to include the difference between the wage paid currently and minimum wage and there was no service charge and no tipping, then you - the customer - would have to pay sales tax (at 6% in FLorida and at 20% in the UK) on all the waiter's wages. Some - though far from all - places have an inclusive service charge. That service charge is in lieu of a tip and is not subject to sales tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 In terms of costs of living for the waitstaff, not so much for tourists. Where my Mom lives in Stuart, its 20%, but theyre close to West Palm and service is a bit different there, than say in Orlando. I don't know much about the cost of living in Orlando, but the cost of living around Melbourne isn't that low. Many people don't have house insurance (that certainly isn't cheap!) and given that wages are low, any increase in costs (or any natural disaster) can and does have a dramatic effect on people who are living on those low wages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Ryan* Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 And is a visa required for Florida if we have a british passport? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 See this link, then go to the US Embassy website here, follow the instructions in the Wizard and you will get an answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky0000547 Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 If you have no criminal records then you only have to apply for an ESTA. You can apply for one from an official site https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.