Getting Started

Well, you've decided to go to Walt Disney World. It's just like going to Alton Towers, right? Probably not. The first subtle difference is that you are not going to be able to get there by heading up (or down) the M1 with nothing more than a tank of petrol. This is going to be an 8-hour flight from the U.K. to Orlando.

There are many conditions that vary from what you are used to. Hopefully, by highlighting them and showing a way around the problem, we can make your trip to WDW a lot more enjoyable. Should anything not be covered in this piece, please do not hesitate to go into the discussion forums and ask your question.

Before we set off, what do we need to know?
Important information for ALL passengers travelling to the USA -- There is now a very important requirement for people visiting America to complete an online application for travel authorisation. Called "Electronic System for Travel Authorisation", or ESTA for short, this is a U.S. Customs & Passport Control entry requirement that becomes compulsory on 12th January 2009 and must therefore be completed in order to visit the USA if you are arriving on or after that date. U.S. Immigration may well refuse you entry at border control if you do not complete the online form.

Because of a small scuffle a couple of hundred years ago, the United States decided to discontinue use of the Sterling Pound and instead chose to utilize the Dollar. Kind of inconvenient for us Brits to have to figure out what stuff "really" costs but an absolute boon when exchange rates come into play. America compared to Great Britain is largely a much cheaper country to exist in. Gas (petrol) costs less than a 3rd of what it does in the U.K. A Big Mac costs in Dollars what you would normally pay in Pounds. You get the picture?

You can pretty much cover all your expenses in the U.S. through the use of your credit card. This will also give you an excellent exchange rate; far better than you will ever achieve yourself, as you will get the proper exchange rate not the tourist rate. At some point though, you're going to have to invest in your own personal set of Presidents (dollar bills) and that should be handled back in the U.K. You can go two ways: Get travelers cheques which spend exactly like cash and/or get cash so that you have coin of the realm to use at places that don't take plastic such as the kiosks and food carts in the parks.

I would get a quote from M&S for your Money, they are not always the cheapest, but they are always there or there about and at least it's a source you can trust. I would also suggest you buy a combination of $50 and $20 cheques, as some shops will not exchange the $100 cheque you have just bought a $2 coke with. You may also be asked for ID in some places when using cheques.

Do not show up with pockets full of 50 pound notes and expect a wonderful exchange rate here. Remember that you can return unused travelers cheques to your bank or Thomas Cook's. If you save your original transaction receipt from your bank for your dollar bill exchange, they will actually exchange your unused dollar bills back at the same rate as the original exchange. Word of warning: All U.S. dollar bills are the same size and the same color. It's a good idea to sort them into denominations to prevent you tipping a waiter $50 instead of $5.

If you start to run unexpectedly short of dough, try as much as possible, to charge items to your credit card or room card. It is a really bad idea to take a cash advance against a credit card as this will be charged interest from the moment the transaction goes thru'. You also cannot draw from your U.K. bank account using a U.K. ATM card.

What do I bring?
Assuming that you are traveling in the summer months, you will want to bring very light clothing indeed. Bring good quality sunglasses, a big, floppy hat (ladies) and high SPF sunscreen. We Brits are mainly a very fair-skinned people and are not used to standing around in 95 degree weather. You would not believe how many folks I have seen lobster red after one day in the Florida sun. If, like me, you have wavy hair (the kind that's waving goodbye), get a hat. You will have the worst headache in living memory if you don't and may even get sunstroke. Be especially careful while standing in Theme Park lines or while at the hotel pool or the Water Parks and please remember to protect the smallest ones in your family. Babies have the least resistance to the sun and need the most protection. Because they nap a lot, they get burned and don't know it until they wake up. Then you know it.

Getting to Orlando?
My first bit of advice would be, don't book everything with one company, first try and buy each element of the trip from source, i.e. Disney. In the past, this has always saved you money, but with the pound taking a nose dive against the dollar this may not be true for summer 2009 as most travel companies will have locked in deals with U.S hotel groups at the higher rate during summer 2008.

I have saved approximately one thousand pounds on a like for like holiday that I booked each part myself; I will give you some examples... You can hire an Astra sized car for approx 225 pounds, which will comfortably fit a family of four, for 4 adults an intermediate would do for only a few pounds more. You can also save Money on your Disney tickets, you can buy them online for a lot less than the travel companies, Disney is also a good source (No surprise there) only a tenner more than most online sites, but a more trusted source. You can also save Money on the hotels, try and price them direct, with the good exchange rate you can save money.

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Last Updated: May 9, 2009