US Trip Suggestions and Advice Needed

starbearer on 25/11/2017 - 19:57

Hi All,

I'm about to go on a family trip to the US for about 3 weeks and planning to cover New York, Orlando and Miami. I need help on the below areas:

  1. Which SIM to get once getting there? Just need calling within the US and 2-3 GB of data should be great. We're landing in New York JFK. Whereabouts would I get a SIM immediately on landing, without getting ripped-off?
  2. Although the New York portion of the trip is sorted (since we have some family there), the Florida portion not so much. Few questions on that below:
    a. Which airline would you recommend for New York to Orlando? Skyscanner is showing good deals for Spirit Airlines and Jetblue. Are they comparable to Scoot/Jetstar here?
    b. Since we're planning to do Magic Kingdom, Universal while in Orlando (5 days), does it make sense to just stay in the Disney park accommodation?
    c. How do we get to Miami from Orlando considering that none of us can drive there (Only used to right hand driving and would rather not risk it.). Are there any cheap buses/ trains?
    d. Stay options in Miami, like which areas?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Travel

Comments

  • Sterio on 25/11/2017 - 20:10
    +5

    Get yourself a T mobile tourist sim.

    https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-26344

    Plenty of t mobile outlets but unsure whether any at airport.

    Try Southwest airlines. Added advantage is 2 bags fly free.

    As you don't like driving in the US you're better off staying at a disney resort and utilise the transport. If you elected to drive, I would rent a home in Kissimee.

    Sorrry can't help re Miami.

    • starbearer on 25/11/2017 - 20:19

      Awesome! Thanks for your help. There won't be many bags, since we'll be leaving them in NY.

  • DealBargain on 25/11/2017 - 20:33
    +3

    I made an account just to help you out here :)

    T-Mobile was good price, but the service was sketchy at times wouldn't get service.
    AT&T is better service (like our telstra), so up to you if you want to pay a little more.

    Buying the SIM card immediately after landing, is a good way to land yourself into an immediate rip-off.

    If you can hold off a little, use free wifi at airport and Viber Credit to make USA calls, enough to get you to a 7 eleven or similar to buy the plan away from the airport.

    As far as airline, just go the cheapest in my opinion. That's not going to be a long flight. But can't remember what each airline quality was like.

    In Orlando, staying in the Florida shopping mall hotel was great. Good location (wake up get food, shop right outside your door), good price, and only like a $10 Uber to any of the parks. You should compare to staying at the park and see if this price difference is worth it for you. Keep in mind its hard to just get up and find food (unless you really like paying for hotel/theme park food).

    Getting from Orlando - Miami, there is a roughly $50-60 bus/coach provided by a company called greyhound. They were pretty easy and cheap. Warning - Prepare ALL the documents you need for this trip and allow a lot of time as they took a while to process tickets and you'll find they won't care about customer rights as much as they do in AUS if you get it wrong (saw a lady be completely rejected for not having some very minor documentation), and it was the last bus for the day.

    Miami I highly recommend to stay in South Beach. That's where the best beaches are and most activity. We stayed a 20 min drive outside of South Beach and it was too expensive and inconvenient trying to travel back and forth. Otherwise the other areas are nice to stay, but if you're in Miami, you might as well see Miami properly and stay in a good location. I regretted not choosing a good location and ended up not enjoying Miami at all.

    Enjoy your trip the USA is so much fun! :)

    • starbearer on 25/11/2017 - 20:46

      Super upvote! Thanks for this wealth of info, mate!

      Warning - Prepare ALL the documents you need for this trip

      Which documents are you talking about? We'd all be having our passports and ticket copies with us. Is anything else needed?

      • DealBargain on 25/11/2017 - 21:02

        Thanks and you're welcome!

        I can't remember specifically all the documents required, I just have an imprinted memory of them being more pedantic than international customs haha. However, passport and ticket copies/receipts, and the combination of being early, you should be all good!

      • decabyte on 27/11/2017 - 11:31

        I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but you'll need to have completed your travel authorizations (ESTA) before you go. Assuming of course that you're not US citizens :)

        https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

    • TheRealCher on 25/11/2017 - 22:35
      +1

      Greyhound Us is very different though from greyhound Oz. I would actually suggest looking into Amtrak. Seats are comfy. Devices can be charged. Miami Station https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_station_(Amtrak) is not central but may have moved so check the Amtrak sites.

      Jetblue is a little better than jetstar… But not by much. That said, it's good for a budget and better than United.

      Buying a cheap burner phone from somewhere like best buy might be worth it… The sims can be an issue with yr phone. Agreed on the wifi. Free wifi everywhere (except on certain Amtrak trains lol) and in hotels which is much better than here.

  • Randxyz123 on 25/11/2017 - 20:35
    +2

    1. AT&T is so much better than T-Mobile and not much more expensive. Plenty of places in Manhattan.

    2. JetBlue is very decent. Never heard of Spirit Airlines. Isn’t scoot Singapore Airlines budget airline ?

    3. Just drive. You’ll be fine. It takes 30 minutes to adjust and then it’s second nature.

    • starbearer on 25/11/2017 - 20:49

      Thanks! With the driving, only 2 of us have licenses, one of which is a big noob to driving. The other has only ever driven in right hand drive and very likely doesn't have an international license (need to check), that's why its not really an option.

      • DealBargain on 25/11/2017 - 21:04

        I considered driving there too, but the cost just didn't outweigh the benefits. By the time you pay car rent, insurance, international license, sort all the documents out, go to the car and pick it up - It was easier to just jump in an Uber to the bus terminal and sleep your way to Miami :)

      • Randxyz123 on 25/11/2017 - 21:50
        +3

        There's no such thing as an International license. You just need an Australian license (or overseas license with an English translation).

        Greyhound will be fine if you don't mind a bus.

        Driving in a left hand drive car is the same thing as driving in a right hand drive car. You just stick to the right in the right hand lane. I was scared at first as well but you should have no problems.

        @DealBargain - Say there are 4 people and the tickets are $35 each way then a car would make more sense.

    • WreckTangle on 26/11/2017 - 08:00

      Agreed. Drove round LA a fair bit when I was younger, you get used to left hand drive pretty quick.

  • dcuksuop on 26/11/2017 - 00:11
    +1

    JetBlue is nice, spirit not really.
    Driving in US is easy.

    • starbearer on 26/11/2017 - 00:12

      Thanks for your suggestions.

  • starbearer on 26/11/2017 - 00:21

    I see a lot of comments (here and online) of not taking a SIM near JFK. How about outside? 7-Eleven's ok for getting a starter pack SIM?

    • bengal tiger on 26/11/2017 - 07:12
      +1

      Agree with the above comments to avoid getting your SIM at JFK.

      I don't recall ever seeing 7-Elevens in New York, convenience stores over there are similar to milk bars in Australia so instead you want to head to pharmacy chains like Walgreens or CVS, though I think they're badged as Duane Reade in NYC. They will sell everything including pre-paid SIMs and Visa/Mastercards.

      I agree with Sterio's comment above in getting the T-Mobile tourist plan. It changes name and features every now and again but the staff will need to sight either an international driver's licence or passport before they will sell you the plan so you'll need to head in to a T-Mobile store in order to get it - they have plenty of locations in NYC.

  • bengal tiger on 26/11/2017 - 07:42
    +2

    I've stayed at Disney World accommodation, spent a few nights at Disney's All-Star Music Resort. The room did feel a bit dated like it hadn't been updated since the 90s but it was a cheap deal for us at the time and there's plenty of other Disney resorts to choose from at varying price points.

    Pros of staying at a Disney resort:
    - there's a dedicated Disney check-in area at MCO airport and they provide free transfer to your Disney hotel (side note: they'll say "Welcome to the start of your vacation!" when little do they know you're already on holiday)
    - each guest receives a MagicBand which are essentially NFC chips encased in a plastic wristband. You can choose to pay for everything in the parks with your MagicBand and bill it to your room plus you can store your FastPass on it. You can also customise them prior to arrival as part of the 'Disney Experience' and you get to keep them after your stay so it's a nice souvenir.
    - bus transfers from the park to Disney hotels seemed to be more frequent than the 3rd party transfers to the non-Disney hotels

    Cons:
    - you may get better deals at other hotels who can offer free Disney transfers
    - no Disney resort is going to offer you a free transfer to Universal so you'd need to taxi over each day.

    We stayed 4 nights at the Disney hotel then moved to another hotel for 2 nights closer to Universal that offered a free bus transfer.

    It's not mandatory to stay at a Disney hotel but it does make the Disney portion of the trip go smoother. If you want to stay at a non-Disney hotel then it's best to look into one that offers free bus transfers to both Disney and Universal, I recall not many hotels offer this except the larger chains but it'll make getting around easier without having to swap hotels or pay for daily taxi rides.

    Also from your post you said you're only visiting Magic Kingdom? If you're choosing to skip the other Disney parks then you can do that in just one day (with a FastPass) or no more than two days (without a FastPass). We did 3 days at Disney (1 at Magic Kingdom, 1 day at Hollywood Studios, 1/2 days at Animal Kingdom and Epcot) which lets you see everything. We also did 1.5 days at Universal (1/2 day during the hotel transfer day) which was more than enough, in retrospect we could have done it in one full day if you know which rides to hit first (e.g. everyone heads to the Minions ride early, 15min queue at the start of the day and can be 1-2 hours wait by the afternoon).

  • bengal tiger on 26/11/2017 - 08:00
    +1

    Agree with DealBargain's comment above, I travelled through Miami several times when I was hopping around Central America and you want to stay at either the Miami Beach area (South Beach or City Center) or Key Biscayne.

    If you don't have a car you probably want Miami Beach as it has more public transport options and taxi ride journeys will be shorter. Lincoln Road Mall is the closest shopping strip and if you want the full mall experience there is Aventura Mall which is either a 30min taxi ride or 1hr direct public bus ride from South Beach.

    Key Biscayne is more for the resort experience where you use the hotel beach and don't leave the premises if you're looking for the quieter beach holiday.

    I've stayed in Miami Downtown and there's not much there for tourists, some downtown locals don't even speak English (basic knowledge of Spanish helps). IMO the only place worth visiting in the Downtown area is Bayside Marketplace which is a 15min taxi ride from South Beach.

  • Lurker on 26/11/2017 - 09:48
    +1

    Sorry I haven't read your entire post . But check out some of the comments here from a few years back. They might be helpful.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/165152

  • TimSubaru on 26/11/2017 - 10:26
    +2

    Just back from Florida and NY, NY public transport the way to go is easy and only $2.75 a single trip(can get passes if going to use a lot)or JFK to Downtown was only $7.75 using Airport train and subway.

    Florida you will be better off with a rent a car .You can get a rent a mid size car online with zero deductible for about $42 AUS a day(2 day rental cheaper for a week). I have used VIP rental, Jetstar etc before. In florida there is no one way drop off fee so you can drive from Miami to Orlando and fly out of Orlando to save time and driving. Also gives you options of saving money on hotels as in the park it is $$$$.

    We used Delta and also Southwest and agree with other the person, the advantage of Southwest is free bags, but when I looked at prices Delta was cheaper even with one bag purchase. the major Issue you need to look at is where the airline fly into and out of what NY Airport.Some are cheaper and easier to get to downtown than others… so use Skyscanner or momondo to see best deal.l

  • try2bhelpful on 26/11/2017 - 16:52
    +1

    +1 on the rental car. What you are buying here is a degree of freedom in relation to the hotels you stay at and what you actually see.

    When we were in the area we went to Kennedy Space Centre (which is Nerdvana for anyone into space travel) and Busch Gardens (where the big person rides are) as well as the Disney Worlds. Miami didn't really rock my boat. Probably way too late but I would also put in a shout for New Orleans if people are visiting Florida, only a short plane ride away but a good time will be had.

    https://buschgardens.com/tampa/

    • starbearer on 26/11/2017 - 17:00

      Thanks. We'll consider our options.

      • try2bhelpful on 26/11/2017 - 21:17

        Have a great time whatever you decide.

  • papachris on 26/11/2017 - 19:36
    +1

    If you decide to drive across to the west coast, take the northern route - there's a man in Illinois with a beard of bees. But on the southern route, there's a chicken that plays tic-tac-toe…

    • starbearer on 26/11/2017 - 20:19

      Umm… Good to know. Thanks!

      • papachris on 27/11/2017 - 20:30
        +1

        Sorry - 'Friends' reference…

        • starbearer on 27/11/2017 - 21:10

          Ahh… Remember now. Lol

  • lainey13 on 26/11/2017 - 20:17

    I was also nervous about driving on the 'wrong side' but honestly you get really used to it, and you just follow other cars. When turning you can kinda tell what's right or not because of the angle the car is going. The only problem sometimes we had was going into entry ways with no other cars and accidentally going up the wrong way ie into petrol stations. But only when there are no other cars… so less risk anyway :) Also America is built for cars. Greyhound sucks and is full of dodgies. Train is ok. But a lot more freedom with a car!

    • krunchymoses on 27/11/2017 - 08:27

      Seconding the greyhound claim here. I love greyhounds because I love colourful American characters.

      But those buses are full of crims. Majority of the people I spoke to on greyhounds had warrants out on them and they were flying under the radar. To be honest, these were for silly Americrimes like not paying fines or something dumb like that - but greyhound stations may have a lot of weird vibes for kids.

  • Wampus on 27/11/2017 - 08:38

    Don't be scared to rent a car in the US, it's easy to get around and driving on the other side is actually easier to get used to than you'd think. Also opens up options like the Florida Keys if you drive. Eat Cuban food when you're in Miami or the keys!

    Careful of Spirit Airlines, they're OK but the reason they're the cheapest is they charge you for EVERYTHING, including carry-on luggage. I was pricing them from Honolulu to LA and by the time I added in everything I needed, a full service airline was cheaper.

    I'm off in eight weeks, lived in the US for a year when I was younger and enjoy going back and just having a driving holiday.

  • smuir0908 on 27/11/2017 - 09:49

    Just came back from 4 weeks in the US. Purchased a 30 day 10G T-Mobile Sim, unlimited texts and calls within US for $US50. Coverage fine, didn't have any issues and there are T-Mobile stores everywhere. Flew Delta (Virgin) but all flights to and from and within the US were booked with Virgin due to frequent flyer status. Disney hotels are all organised and run buses to each theme park and Disney Springs every 15-20 minutes or so depending on the hotel. We stayed at Pop Century, old and could do with renovations but clean and as we were only using the room to sleep in would recommend if you are happy to stay at a large busy hotel. Eat at Disney Springs, the food at Pop Century is appalling. Didn't travel to Miami so no suggestions there. Hope this helps.

  • jubified on 27/11/2017 - 09:58
    +2

    I got my sim from simcorner for $55. Unlimited calls and txt plus 4gb data for 30 days.

    They activate your sim for you so you are ready to go when you leave the plane. About to head off to my usa trip as well :)

    • starbearer on 27/11/2017 - 10:00

      Thanks

    • Wampus on 27/11/2017 - 11:41

      FYI I think SimCorner no longer has shopfronts at any airports (maybe none anywhere)

      • jubified on 27/11/2017 - 12:11
        +1

        Thats correct. Closed at sydney and reno at melb. I just did an online order.

  • one man clan on 27/11/2017 - 10:58

    Are you set on Miami? I've never been but nothing about it really appeals. From New York you could go to DC and see some cool american history or stay in San Fran to break up the trip from Australia into 2 legs.

    Don't mess around and just stay in Disneyworld. It's a full experience staying in the resort and is worth the money. That way you don't have to worry about renting a car and you can easily spend 5 days in the park. I did 7 days a couple years ago. There are some really informative websites about trip planning to Disneworld. Do your research about when to go because it can get insanely busy - we went during a quieter week and it was still busy as hell.

    I stayed in Port Orleans and it was great - there's a ferry down the river to Downtown Disney as well as the buses which take you to the parks. Book restaurants and character dining really early so you can plan your day.

  • Fluffyduck77 on 27/11/2017 - 11:23

    1) +1 for T-Mobile, I suggest checking out the whirlpool thread on this though.

    2) a. Whichever is the cheapest one, it's not a long flight.

    b. We stayed in Disney park, however the day we went to Universal we took public transport (Bus) on the way there we had no issues. On the way back we waited for over an hour for a bus, then two came in a row. Definitely take an Uber. If we ever go back I'm renting a car though, could go to Busch Gardens then (about a 1.5-2h drive depending on traffic).

    c. +1 for driving, it took us about 5 hours but we stopped for lunch at some petrol station. I've driven quiet a bit in the US now and you do get used to it really quickly. The drive apart from leaving Orlando and getting into Miami is all motorway so a real easy drive.

    d. South Beach if you don't mind paying for it, we stayed downtown and used the car that we got in Orlando to drive around and Taxis for drinking times.

    Enjoy your trip!!

  • keepa on 27/11/2017 - 11:43
    +1

    I have used a T-Mobile sim previously in LA, NYC & San Francisco and had no network issues anywhere.

    I also prefer to drive where ever I go, gives me the extra freedom and flexibility to go where I want when I want. I have never been to Orlando so would recommend to research parking for the hotels you'll be staying and and how easy it is to park where ever you plan on going. Obviously in places like New York, I would never consider driving because the subway system is an excellent way of getting around.

    OT but some cheapish food suggestions for NYC:
    Essa Bagel - go for the everything bagel
    Los Tacos #1 in Chelsea market - Beef tacos here are the best I've tasted
    Halal guys - street food, try the beef gyro and the chilli sauce is deadly!
    Eileens Cheesecake
    Katzs Deli - Pricey but the Pastrami is amazing

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