State's snowbirds shorten winter trips to save costs
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MELBOURNE - Florida's mild climate and world-class beaches continue to draw Northern retirees seeking temporary refuge from harsh winter weather, but tourism experts say many of these snowbirds are shortening their stays.
Rental rates have risen to keep up with spiraling property insurance rates from recent hurricanes, pricing some retirees out of the market.
''Prices in rentals have gone up because of insurance. We're 98 percent booked for February and March, but booked about 75 percent for January, which is very unusual,'' said Lisa Durgin, a Cocoa Beach-based Realtor who rents to snowbirds.
Durgin said this January is among the slowest she has seen.
Blanka Kovarik, a retiree from Toronto, said many of her friends are planning shorter stays in Florida this winter.
Along with the increased rental costs, gas prices and rising medical expenses are also a factor, she said.
In Brevard County, for example, a study by Schulman, Ronca, Bucuvalas, Inc., found that the number of snowbirds fell nearly 9 percent to 27,600 in 2005 from 30,300 in 2003.
Abraham Pizam, dean of the Rosen School of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida, said that snowbirds have been stricken with ''Florida fatigue.''
''Snowbirds are not returning to Florida as they used to,'' Pizam said. ''We're not getting as many repeat visitors. Other destinations are competing with us as well. Also, remember that snowbirds have a lot of expenses, with insurance and medical costs, and they have less money for trips. So, rather than cutting out the vacation completely, they're staying for a shorter time.''
Business are feeling the crunch, said Rob Varley, executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism.
''The season is shorter, and the part-time residents are not coming as soon, either,'' Varley said.
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(Now that I think about it, I don't see near as many cars driving down the road with their left turn signal flashing...and flashing...and flashing)
SHELLYSHELLYSoWal Insider5,763 postsJoined View profileMessageSoWal Insider
SHELLYSoWal Insider5,763 postsJoined View profileMessageSoWal Insider5,263 views
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JdargJdargSoWal Expert18,040 postsJoined View profileMessageSoWal Expert
JdargSoWal Expert18,040 postsJoined View profileMessageSoWal ExpertSure Jenny, any excuse to party!!! 😀
Dammit- you caught me.:blink:
kathydwellskathydwellsDarlene is my middle name, not my nicknameLacey's Spring, Alabama13,303 postsJoined View profileMessageDarlene is my middle name, not my nickname
kathydwellsDarlene is my middle name, not my nicknameLacey's Spring, Alabama13,303 postsJoined View profileMessageDarlene is my middle name, not my nicknameDammit- you caught me.:blink:
😀
port albertport albertBeach Comber39 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Comber
Funny...I thought they just tried to drive the rest of us crazy. I was eating at the Outback in Destin last night (my doctor told me to I needed red meat, and I couldn't think of anywhere else to get steak alone). Anyway, I was sitting next to a table of Snowbird couples. Both women had ordered chicken, and the men had ordered steaks. Both steaks were sent back because they were overcooked. The steaks came back, and one was not the cut of meat the gentleman had ordered, one was cold. Third steaks were the charm, but the ladies had finished their chicken, so one of the men suggested the women get free dessert "to make up for them having had to sit there for so long."
Oh, and the guy's opening remark to the waiter had been, "Oh, we thought you'd forgotten about us." They'd been waiting about two minutes.
*************Let me be sure that I understand your opinion. You seem to believe that it is ok for the restaurant to serve overcooked steaks and then replace them with cold or incorrect orders...but it is not ok for the customer to complain.
Perhaps each snowbird should invite a local to a northern locale where restaurants compete on quality and excellence of cuisine.....not on volume or big parking spaces for pickup trucks. Most restaurants in Walton would not last 90 days in more competitive communities.
6thGen6thGenBeach Fanatic1,491 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
6thGenBeach Fanatic1,491 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticFunny...I thought they just tried to drive the rest of us crazy. I was eating at the Outback in Destin last night (my doctor told me to I needed red meat, and I couldn't think of anywhere else to get steak alone). Anyway, I was sitting next to a table of Snowbird couples. Both women had ordered chicken, and the men had ordered steaks. Both steaks were sent back because they were overcooked. The steaks came back, and one was not the cut of meat the gentleman had ordered, one was cold. Third steaks were the charm, but the ladies had finished their chicken, so one of the men suggested the women get free dessert "to make up for them having had to sit there for so long."
Oh, and the guy's opening remark to the waiter had been, "Oh, we thought you'd forgotten about us." They'd been waiting about two minutes.
*************Let me be sure that I understand your opinion. You seem to believe that it is ok for the restaurant to serve overcooked steaks and then replace them with cold or incorrect orders...but it is not ok for the customer to complain.
Perhaps each snowbird should invite a local to a northern locale where restaurants compete on quality and excellence of cuisine.....not on volume or big parking spaces for pickup trucks. Most restaurants in Walton would not last 90 days in more competitive communities.
I believe the point was that our friends from the north do not always display the Southern hospitality we've come to expect in the area. But since you mention it, the restaurant was Outback, and now that the parent company has been bought out by private equity, you can expect a ton of people fired, a bunch of money borrowed to jazz it up and put out a better product, and when they cannot borrow any more, an IPO.
seacliffesseacliffesBeach LoverTangomar139 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Lover
seacliffesBeach LoverTangomar139 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach LoverPerhaps each snowbird should invite a local to a northern locale where restaurants compete on quality and excellence of cuisine.....not on volume or big parking spaces for pickup trucks. Most restaurants in Walton would not last 90 days in more competitive communities.[/quote]
Perhaps if it is so bad here maybe you should stay home. I have traveled all over the world in a variety of situations for over 40 years and I have always found that common courtesy goes a long way. People who work in restaurants are human beings and should be treated as such. Patrons are not superior to workers and this concept of trashing someone who is put in a personal servitude role makes me sick. I have patronized restaurants all through the "North" and I can tell you that from my perspective they are not as great as you must think they are.
Perhaps if it is so bad here maybe you should stay home. I have traveled all over the world in a variety of situations for over 40 years and I have always found that common courtesy goes a long way. People who work in restaurants are human beings and should be treated as such. Patrons are not superior to workers and this concept of trashing someone who is put in a personal servitude role makes me sick. I have patronized restaurants all through the "North" and I can tell you that from my perspective they are not as great as you must think they are.
bdc63bdc63Beach FanaticMd for now, but dreaming of SoWal303 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
Quite a love/hate relationship between locals and vacationers/snowbirds.
The locals LOVE the off seasons because there is less traffic, they can get into any restaraunt, etc. But the locals NEED the prime seasons because most of their businesses depend on visitor traffic.
It seems like a bit of a generalization to imply that all snowbirds are rude. Likewise, it would be a generalization to call locals rednecks.
Maybe a "truce" is in order?
The locals LOVE the off seasons because there is less traffic, they can get into any restaraunt, etc. But the locals NEED the prime seasons because most of their businesses depend on visitor traffic.
It seems like a bit of a generalization to imply that all snowbirds are rude. Likewise, it would be a generalization to call locals rednecks.
Maybe a "truce" is in order?
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RitaRitamargarita brocoliaDune Allen Beach5,207 postsJoined View profileMessagemargarita brocolia
Ritamargarita brocoliaDune Allen Beach5,207 postsJoined View profileMessagemargarita brocoliaQuite a love/hate relationship between locals and vacationers/snowbirds.
The locals LOVE the off seasons because there is less traffic, they can get into any restaraunt, etc. But the locals NEED the prime seasons because most of their businesses depend on visitor traffic.
It seems like a bit of a generalization to imply that all snowbirds are rude. Likewise, it's a generalization to call locals rednecks.
Maybe a "truce" is in order?
Logical people know that the restaurant "scene" described by Rapunzel happened to be "snowbirds" in this instance but is repeated throughout the country by many sorts of people, though I would hope not often. Usually it is how the situation is handled as much as anything.
I agree with the "truce" and realize that people often speak (type) in generalizations that are easy to take wrong. :idontno:
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Smiling JOeSmiling JOeSoWal Expert31,643 postsJoined View profileMessageSoWal Expert
Smiling JOeSoWal Expert31,643 postsJoined View profileMessageSoWal ExpertAfter having worked in the food/bev industry for a long time, I may not be as quick to send back orders if they are slightly under or over cooked, unless I order Tuna and it is cooked beyond medium, but I am smart enough not to order Tuna at questionable places.
Food is not always prepared correctly as ordered. However, some people don't know the correct degrees of doneness on steaks. If a steak is not cooked as ordered, the customer has every right to send it back, even three times, in order to get it right, no matter how long it takes. Frankly, if I were the one who sent it back three times, I would be a little upset. As a manager of a place where the customer had legitimate complaints about the food preparation, depending on the situation, I would probably buy them a bottle of wine, round of drinks, or desserts, and maybe even give them a discount card for their next visit so that I can have a chance to make them leave happy, and spreading the good word of mouth about the attention they received at my restaurant.
I have walked out of several restaurants after sitting unacknowledged for 5 minutes. I don't care if you can't take my drink order immediately, but at least look me in the eyes and let me know that you see me and that you will get to me shortly. However, I would never make any comments like, "did you send the cook out to catch the fish?," although I hear that quite often. I want to keep my server happy so that he or she remains attentive. When you are mean to the server, forget about that server checking on your table often. There is something about sticking one's finger in a light socket that just turns them off. ;-)
There are many types of snow birds, just as there are many types of regular joes who live here year round.
Respect your servers, tip well, be patient when a restaurant is busy. If you don't have time for patience, cook your own meal at home. Remember that the server doesn't cook your food, so be kind and win them over. Your kindness to them will get you results. ;-)
Food is not always prepared correctly as ordered. However, some people don't know the correct degrees of doneness on steaks. If a steak is not cooked as ordered, the customer has every right to send it back, even three times, in order to get it right, no matter how long it takes. Frankly, if I were the one who sent it back three times, I would be a little upset. As a manager of a place where the customer had legitimate complaints about the food preparation, depending on the situation, I would probably buy them a bottle of wine, round of drinks, or desserts, and maybe even give them a discount card for their next visit so that I can have a chance to make them leave happy, and spreading the good word of mouth about the attention they received at my restaurant.
I have walked out of several restaurants after sitting unacknowledged for 5 minutes. I don't care if you can't take my drink order immediately, but at least look me in the eyes and let me know that you see me and that you will get to me shortly. However, I would never make any comments like, "did you send the cook out to catch the fish?," although I hear that quite often. I want to keep my server happy so that he or she remains attentive. When you are mean to the server, forget about that server checking on your table often. There is something about sticking one's finger in a light socket that just turns them off. ;-)
There are many types of snow birds, just as there are many types of regular joes who live here year round.
Respect your servers, tip well, be patient when a restaurant is busy. If you don't have time for patience, cook your own meal at home. Remember that the server doesn't cook your food, so be kind and win them over. Your kindness to them will get you results. ;-)
PaulaPaulaBeach FanaticMichigan but someday in SoWal as well3,747 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
PaulaBeach FanaticMichigan but someday in SoWal as well3,747 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticYup, I agree with SJ, always respect the servers (unless they are horribly rude in which case you don't have to be disrespectful, but yo also don't have to reward that behavior). I was fired as a waitress -- It really was hard work and I just couldn't figure it out.
Regarding snowbirds, I like being around "older people" and very much hope to be one some day. I also want my children to seek out and enjoy "older people" -- I wonder if it's a U.S. cultural thing to speak of older people in negative stereotypes. As someone whose parents died before they reached real old-age, I look at older people in restaurants and supermarkets and other places through special eyes (somewhat longingly) and perhaps more appreciatively, wishing I had older people sitting at my table more often. One of the things I love about SoWal is that it has all ages -- from the youngest young and I hope to the oldest old.
Regarding snowbirds, I like being around "older people" and very much hope to be one some day. I also want my children to seek out and enjoy "older people" -- I wonder if it's a U.S. cultural thing to speak of older people in negative stereotypes. As someone whose parents died before they reached real old-age, I look at older people in restaurants and supermarkets and other places through special eyes (somewhat longingly) and perhaps more appreciatively, wishing I had older people sitting at my table more often. One of the things I love about SoWal is that it has all ages -- from the youngest young and I hope to the oldest old.
Edited
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