It's possible it was a troll - but the sense I get is that it was people that were serious - but just very naive.

I'd rather do ANYTHING for a week than be in Orlando, no matter how crazy or fast paced. I'd be running in the opposite direction away from Orlando twice as fast as these people are moving. Some of these replies have been insanity.

I've moved around like this on business and it isn't inevitably unpleasant. Europe isn't that big a place, but even if it was, I've moved around America even faster than this. Europe is more fun, though, because the change in cities is so dramatic. Even if you are only there for an afternoon, you do get to see incredible things.

The first time I went to Antwerp, I only had time to pass through the train station and have breakfast. The train station in Antwerp is incredible! And the waffles and hot chocolate were fantastic. People who talk about "all you'll see is the inside of train stations" ought try taking a train in Antwerp, Porto, Madrid, Milan or London sometime. I'd rather spend an hour in any one of those train stations than a week in at Disneyland.

You mention that you booked transfers(cars)through your hotel. The Hotel usually tacks on their cut of the fee to the price. You will save money buy booking cars yourself.

For Rome, I recommend Rome Cabs, www.romecabs.com They charge 50 euro from FCO to the centre city.
For London, check out www.londontown.com

CWyrick has left the building. You can all quit yelling at her now.

I was coming to say $75-100 per day per person is the figure I use. That gives you a generous on-the-ground budget for meals, local transportation, museum admissions, etc.

<B>johnnyomalley:</B> The OP no longer exists

oops!

The comment that recommends 50% over what you would espend in NY has surprised me. Food in Europe is normaly cheapper than in US if you get off the tourist traps and go where the locals eat. You will also have the benefit of better quality.
I would recommend a minimum of $100 per day for the couple for food only. What you expend in entertaiment may vary a lot depending in what you want to do.
At least this has been my experience for 10 trips in the last 8 years, always on a budget.

Can I ask what it is with this "you''re new here" business as an attack on somebody?

This is a globally-available internet message board. It isn't a "here." But even it was, don't new people come "here" just about every hour or so? Do you think people are supposed to live here or something for years?

I've seen about three people come "here" and ask questions and provide information, and all they get back is "You're new here, snark, snark" and then editors are called in to remove the posts, move the threads or kill the accounts.

I actually posted before jthetravelman with a lot of info for the OP about eating cheap in pubs and pizzerias.. It was my first post, and it was gone in 10 minutes. I figured maybe the link I put it made them think I was trying to advertise, so I shrugged it off. But I'm beginning to think yelling at new posters or sic-ing mods on them is like some people's life "here."

Our first tour of Europe was very similar. We had 3 weeks but we packed in more cities and traveling. We did find it expensive and we did spend more than we thought we would. Of the places we visited, we found England to be the most expensive and the least enjoyable. Three years later we moved to England and have been living (and loving it) here ever since!

The OP (who left, unfortunately) admitted it would be crazy tight. But hopefully she and her husband have the type of personalities that can embrace that, do what they can and enjoy their trip.

Going in with proper expectations I think they can enjoy this taste of Europe and it could lead to a full blown travel hunger! Too bad the same can't be said of their first taste of Fodor's.

Hey, I like Orlando.

The forum editors don't remove people's entire accounts. The person does that themselves.

suze: "<i>The forum editors don't remove people's entire accounts. The person does that themselves.</i>"

That isn't true. Yes, one can cancel their own account - but Fodors nukes accounts every day. The <B>VAST</B> majority of 'missing' Fodorites were 'offed' by the monitors . . .

Well I don't believe that to be the case here. CWyrick said nothing herself that would make the editors step in. I'd bet a million that she didn't like the replies or tone and decided to leave the forum on her own.

And biztravfod's problem isn't related to being a newbie, which I doubt she is, it's about being obnoxious.

I do think the OP probably left on her own, unhappy that so many of us saw her trip as impossible.

>><i>don't new people come "here" just about every hour or so? </i><<

Yes biztravfod. And 99% are welcomed w/ open arms. But few register and make more that 50 posts in their first day, claiming to be an expert about <i>everything</i>. And few insult other members in their first hour or so on the forums . . .

I must admit I feel for the OP.
Instead of answering the qiestion asked some people took it in their minds to total blow all their vaction plans out the water.I do agree the Vaction was ambitious but it is their vaction and they had already made to booking. As members of the forums we should be answering their questions and maybe gently advising that their plans may cause them problems.
As to the welcome on the froums , we I must admit I was treated like cr*p when I first posted on Fodor because I had the audacity to say thet I was a destination expert on another travel forum (btw I am no longer a DE on that forum).I am thicker skidded than most people so it did not worry me.
There are many wonderful people on Fodors but there are several that could do with lessons in good manners.

I must also learn to spell check before I post my comments.Using a strange keyboard at the moment

In honesty the plans deserved blowing out of the water. Hopefully it makes them re-think. It was a pretty ludicrous schedule.

But the trip as originally posted IS possible and it is HER vacation not yours (ours). For all we know they could be on a packaged tour, lots of them hit this many places in that short amount of time.

suze: I don't think it is a packaged tour - when reading all of her posts she talks about booking car services in each city, flights, hotels etc. Even a mass market tour operator wouldn't try 4 cities in 8 days IF they had to fly from point to point.

They do coach tours like this because days are spent enroute from one city to the next w/o the hassles of airports. But thes 4 are too far apart.