On the way home, I was sitting next to a British family heading for their 2 week summer holiday in Orlando (why anyone would travel across continents to go to Orlando in the summer heat/humidity/thunderstorms is a bit of a mystery to me, but the Brits love the place). They told me they go every year. They each bring an extra empty suitcase to lug their loot home. I was told that jeans in the US cost 1/3 the price they do in the UK.

I would agree with you that sightseeing can be expensive in the US (compared to elsewhere in the world), but it's still much cheaper than in the UK. Restaurant food here is also significantly cheaper, at least as long as you don't drink too much (booze is expensive in the UK, too, but I found the mark-up at fancier restaurants there perhaps less than at some posh US eateries).