800/777-5500Planning Your Trip to Orlando
Orlando hosts some 68 million visitors a year, and the people who run the airports, hotels, and theme parks are specialists in moving them from one location to another. You’ll always find someone eager to sell you what you need. You will, however, need to take care of some nitty-gritty details yourself, from flights to transportation.
By Plane Orlando is served by 37 airlines, so thankfully, competition keeps airfares among the lowest on the East Coast. More than 40 million people use Orlando International Airport (MCO; www.orlandoairports.net) each year, and airfare deals are common. Strategies for finding a good airfare include the following.
Primary websites that collect quotes from a variety of sources (whether they be airlines or other websites) include CheapOAir.com, Expedia.com, Kayak.com, and Momondo.com. Each has odd gaps in its coverage because of the way they obtain their quotes. Some sites have small booking fees of $5 to $10, and many force you to accept nonrefundable tickets for the cheapest prices. You can often save money by booking between roughly 7 weeks in advance if you’re flying domestically and 3 to 4 months ahead from abroad.
MCO is mostly a pleasure. Current security wait times are listed on its home page and if, on the way home, you realize you neglected to buy any park-related souvenirs, fear not, because Disney, SeaWorld, Kennedy Space Center, and Universal all maintain lavish stores (located before the security checkpoint, so leave time). The airport, 25 miles east of Walt Disney World, was built during World War II as McCoy Air Force Base, which closed in the early 1970s but bequeathed the airport with its deceptive code, MCO. Its on-time rate is 80%, one of the best in the country, even though the airport is America’s 14th busiest. Midmornings and midafternoons can be crowded for outgoing passengers, weekends can be clogged with cruise passengers. Midafternoon summer thunderstorms sometimes create delays, so try to avoid that time.
The main terminal is divided into two sides, A and B, so if you can’t find the desk for your airline or transportation service open on one side, it may be on the other side. Most major rental car companies are in a connected garage, no shuttles required.
Rental car companies at MCO:
Advantage: www.advantage.com; 800/777-5500
Alamo: www.alamo.com; 800/327-9633
Avis: www.avis.com; 800/831-2847
Budget: www.budget.com; 800/527-0700
Dollar: www.dollar.com; 800/800-4000
Enterprise: www.enterprise.com; 800/325-8007
E-Z Rent-A-Car: www.e-zrentacar.com; 800/266-5171
Hertz: www.hertz.com; 800/654-3131
National: www.nationalcar.com; 800/227-7368
Payless: www.payless.com; 407/856-5539
Thrifty: www.thrifty.com; 800/367-2277
Very few airlines use Orlando Sanford International Airport (www.orlandosanfordairport.com), or SFB, which despite the Orlando in its name is 42 miles northeast of Disney. It’s connected to the Disney area by the Central Florida GreeneWay, or S.R. 417—the trip takes about 40 minutes and there are tolls, so new arrivals should have U.S. money on them—preferably quarters. European visitors might fly into Tampa International Airport (www.tampaairport.com), or TPA, 90 minutes southwest.
By Train Amtrak’s (www.amtrak.com; 800/872-7245) Silver Service/Palmetto route serves Orlando and Kissimmee. Trains go direct between New York City, Washington, D.C., Charleston, and Savannah. The privately funded Brightline service (www.gobrightline.com) has been announced to connect Orlando International Airport with West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami in 3 hours, but not until 2021 at the earliest.
Transportation to & from MCO
By rental car Get a car. Otherwise, theme park resorts conspire to hold you prisoner. If you intend to experience the “real” Orlando or its rich natural wonders, get a car. If you want to save huge amounts of money on meals, if you ever want to take a breather from the theme parks’ relentless plastic personalities—get a car.
Economy rental cars start around $25–$30 a day. Test the waters at a site such as Kayak, Orbitz, or Travelocity, which compare multiple renters with one click. Priceline and Hotwire have been known to rent for as little as $20 a day.
If you rent a car, be alert as you exit the airport—you must decide whether to use the south exit (marked for Walt Disney World) or the north exit (for SeaWorld, Universal, the Convention Center, and downtown Orlando). Whichever route you take, you will pay a few dollars in tolls, and some booths are automated and don’t accept bills, so have loose change. Also, at tollbooths, stay to the right, where the cash windows are; the left lanes are for e-passes. (You can rent e-passes from your rental car company, but if you’re staying within Orlando, you won’t use it enough to warrant the expense.)
If you’re staying on Disney turf, an economical solution is to rent a car for only the days you’d like to venture off property. To that end, Alamo (www.alamo.com; 800/462-5266) and National (www.nationalcar.com; 800/227-7368) operate satellite agencies within the Walt Disney World Resort: at the Car Care Center near the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom and at the Dolphin hotel by Epcot. Many giant resorts host a rental car desk from one of the major names. Renting away from the airport incurs taxes of around half of those charged by renting (or even merely returning) a car at the airport, where they’re more than 20%. Always fill up before heading back to MCO, because gas stations near the airport’s entrance have been nabbed for gouging. Stations inside Walt Disney World charge a competitive price, but one not as low as outside the tourist zone.
Agencies might not rent to those under 25. Action Car Rental (3719 McCoy Rd., Orlando; www.actionrac.com; 407/240-2700) has awful service but goes as low as 18-year-olds. It’s not as cheap as the major renters. Most companies won’t rent to anyone older than 85.
By AIRPORT Shuttle Mears Transportation (www.mearstransportation.com; 407/423-5566 or 855/463-2776) is the 800-pound gorilla of shuttles and taxis; it sends air-conditioned vans bouncing to hotels every 15 to 20 minutes. Round-trip fares for adults are $33 ($25 for kids 4–11, kids 3 and under free) to the International Drive area, or $37 per adult ($28 for kids) to Walt Disney World/U.S. 192/Lake Buena Vista. You’ll probably make several stops (it’ll take up to 90 minutes) because the vans are shared with other passengers.
If you have more than four or five people, it’s more economical to reserve a car service (do it at least 24 hr. ahead) and split the lump fee; an SUV for up to 7 would be $100 to $190 round-trip from MCO (zooming to $225 from SFB). Try Mears, Tiffany Towncar (www.tiffanytowncar.com; 888/838-2161 or 407/370-2196), or Quicksilver Tours (www.quicksilver-tours.com; 888/468-6939; starting at $50), which often volunteers to toss in a free 30-minute stop at a grocery store so you can stock up on supplies.
If you have a reservation at a Disney-owned hotel, you have the right to take the company’s free airport motorcoaches (also known as Disney’s Magical Express, run by Mears). The Mouse mails you tags for your luggage, which you affix before leaving home, and tells you everything will be taken care of from there. But by the time you even board the bus to the resort, you may have already have waited in two long lines (one to check into Magical Express, then another for your hotel motorcoach) at the airport—the first of many, many lines you’ll endure, so get used to it—and then you may stop at up to five other hotels first. Your bags may not meet up with you again for 6 to 8 hours, so hitting a park right away may be difficult (pack swimsuits in your carry-on). When you depart for home, you must be ready 3 to 4 hours before your flight. Magical Express is free, but you can see how it also costs you. It also lulls you into not renting a car, which means you’ll probably never leave Disney property. Universal Orlando has its own small system, Universal SuperStar Shuttle Service ( 866/604-7557), that’s a $36 adults and $26 kids 3–9 (kids 2 and under free) add-on to its vacation packages, and you can’t buy it without a package. Obviously, it doesn’t go to Disney and Magical Express won’t visit Universal.
By RIDESHARE Uber and Lyft are available. Meet them at the Express Pickup Tunnel by the rental car counters. You should pay $55–$60 to the tourist zones outside of surge periods. The airport tacks on a $5.80 fee, one of the highest such fees in the nation.
By taxi It’ll be about $70 to the Disney hotels, $60 to Universal, not including a tip, which is cheaper than a town car but not than rentals or Uber.
Traveling from Orlando to Other Parts of America
Orlando, while not an important air hub, is well connected to the cities that are, particularly New York, Atlanta, and Chicago. For advice on how to find cheap airfare, see “Getting There,” p. 267.
The USA Rail Pass is the American equivalent of the Eurail Pass in Europe—although our national rail system, Amtrak (www.amtrak.com; 800/872-7245 or 215/856-7953), hardly compares to the European system. It barely compares to freight. The pass allows travel within the U.S. The cheapest pass is a 15-day pass, which grants eight trips ($459; $230 kids 2–12); the most expensive offers 45 days of travel over 18 trips ($899; $450 kids). Those on a grand tour of America may benefit from those rates compared to flying.
From April to early June, some car renters redistribute inventory by offering “drive-out” deals for one-way rentals that originate in Florida and drop off elsewhere in the country. Rates can start at $10/day, so ask about those.
For bus travel, Orlando is served by Greyhound (www.greyhound.com; 800/231-2222), Megabus (www.megabus.com; 877/462-6342), and RedCoach (www.redcoachusa.com; 877/733-0724). Long-distance bus travel in the United States is a purgatorial experience. Don’t.
By Car Probably 90% of what a tourist wants to do lies within a 10-minute drive of Interstate 4, or I-4, as it’s called. That free highway runs diagonally from southwest to northeast, connecting Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, the Convention Center, Universal Orlando, and downtown Orlando. I-4 is technically an east-west road linking Florida’s coasts, so directions are listed as either west (toward Tampa and the Gulf of Mexico) or east (toward Daytona Beach and the Atlantic Ocean). Once you’ve got that down, you’ll be set. Exits are numbered according to the mile marker at which they’re found. Therefore, the Disney World exits (62, 64, 65, and 67) are roughly 10 miles from Universal Orlando’s (74 and 75), which are about 9 miles from downtown (83). If you know the exit number, you can figure out distance.
If you stray much onto minor roads, it’s a good idea to carry a map or turn on the Waze app or Google Maps. Roads can go by several names and be confusing. Disney World is a particular disaster, since its signage is intentionally incomplete to funnel traffic. Don’t rely on free maps; laughably, some maps provided by Universal don’t acknowledge that Disney exists at all. Visit Orlando (www.visitorlando.com/mapexplorer) has free marked maps.
Some Florida toll roads are cashless and require a transponder to pay. Fortunately for tourists, in Orlando only the Florida Turnpike and parts of 528 have gone cashless. Rental cars will lend you a transponder for about $4 a day, even if you don’t use it, plus the cost of tolls. Better to avoid the Turnpike instead.
Shuttles Universal is easy: You walk, bus, or take a free boat everywhere. At Disney, though, hoofing it is impossible. It’s so big, it requires a fleet of more than 400 buses, the Disney Transportation System (DTS), which anyone may use for free. Find out about getting around Disney on p. 30.
There are also hotel theme park shuttles, which go from independent hotels and are often free (or paid for by resort fees). Yes, you can save money by using them, but there are strong downsides, including wildly inadequate scheduling (you might miss fireworks) and rambling routes. These only go to the park gates, not to restaurants or the many worthwhile smaller attractions.
Another option is the I-Ride Trolley (www.iridetrolley.com; 866/243-7483; adults $2 per ride, seniors over 65 25¢, kids 3–9 $1; day pass $5, 3-day pass $7, 5-day pass $9; free transfers; passes not sold on board; daily 8am–10:30pm), an excellent shuttle bus with plenty of clearly marked and well-maintained stops, benches to wait on, and genuinely useful routes—except it doesn’t go to Disney. Its Red Line (every 20 min.) plies International Drive from the shops and restaurants just north of I-4’s exit 75 all the way to Orlando Premium Outlets, near Disney; along the way it touches down at SeaWorld and the Orlando Eye. The second route, the Green Line (every 30 min.), takes in SeaWorld, too, but heads down Universal Boulevard, making it more of an express route, and turns around at Orlando Premium Outlets. It comes within a long block of the entrance to Universal Orlando. Visitors without cars may find it feasible to stay on I-Drive, use this dirt-cheap shuttle to see nearly everything, and then tack on the hated hotel shuttle or a city bus for Disney days.
By PUBLIC TRANSIT Ultimately, Orlando is a car city, not a public transit city. Buses are infrequent (usually one or two an hour), shelters are often nonexistent, and when the sun’s strong, the combination is dangerous. Distances are also fairly great, so journeys can take a while. The Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority runs the LYNX system (www.golynx.com), on which one-way fares are $2, day passes cost $4.50, week passes are $16, and transfers between lines are free. Up to three kids 6 and under ride with adults free, and you have to pay with exact change. In downtown Orlando, there’s the free LYMMO (www.golynx.com; Mon–Thurs 6am–10:45pm, Fri 6am–midnight, Sat 10am–midnight, Sun 10am–10pm) bus service, three lines that loop every 10 to 15 minutes.
Mouse-Clickers: The Best Planning Websites |
If you really want to be intense about planning (for your sanity and relaxation, don’t), there are obsessive resources that go into granular detail. My choices:
AllEars.net offers encyclopedic compendiums of everything Disney, down to the menus, what’s under renovation, and which rooms are best.
EasyWDW.com tracks the minutiae of how to navigate moment-to-moment.
OrlandoInformer.com comprehensively reports Universal, including deals.
WDWmagic.com and WDWinfo.com (and its DISBoards.com) host some of the most active message forums for news, but their tone is defensively Disney-positive.
The independently run PartyThroughTheParks.com rates drinking and nightlife and DisneyFoodBlog.com keeps track of meals.
MouseSavers.com and TheMouseForLess.com post current Disney deals.
OrlandoAttractions.com, TheDisneyBlog.com, and JimHillMedia.com professionally stay on top of Disney Parks news and history.
For tourists, here are the most convenient routes, many of which stop at Disney Springs where you can transfer to Disney’s free bus system:
Route 56 connects Kissimmee to the front gates of the Magic Kingdom, where you can catch DTS to the other parks. Buses run every 30 minutes, but the last one leaves at 10:53pm.
Route 8 does most of International Drive, including the Convention Center and SeaWorld. It duplicates the service offered by the I-Ride Trolley (see above).
Route 50 goes from downtown Orlando to Disney Springs and to the gates of the Magic Kingdom. It stops at SeaWorld where passengers can connect to I-Drive on Route 8.
The lesser Disney areas are served by the 300-series lines: 300 goes to Hotel Plaza Boulevard from downtown; 301 to Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom from Pine Hills; 302 to the Magic Kingdom from Rosemont; and 303 to Hollywood Studios from the Washington Shores area. Bus 304 is the only one that connects with another tourist zone; it trawls Sand Lake Road, which bisects I-Drive. Buses 301 and 302 pass within a few blocks of Universal Orlando, on Kirkman Road, so if you toss in about 15 minutes of walking, they could technically be used for Universal, too, but it wouldn’t be fun.
Route 42 starts at the Convention Center on International Drive, and 75 minutes later, reaches the airport.
Orange County has SunRail (www.sunrail.com; 855/724-5411; $2 one-way, $3.75 round-trip), running from DeBary, north of Sanford, to an obscure spot on E. Sand Lake Road near S. Orange Avenue. Tourists only care about the 16-minute jaunt between downtown Orlando and Winter Park, but as departures are widely scattered in the morning or evening, targeting commuters, you won’t see the point.
By Taxi Given so many alternatives, taxis are not a natural choice. Uber and Lyft operate in Orlando, and increasing numbers of tourists rely on them. Uber trips within Disney World are about $10–$14 (much cheaper than Disney’s in-house Minnie Vans, operated via Lyft, which cost a flat $25). To go between Disney and Universal you’ll pay a little under $20. You will still almost always find a cluster waiting within range of the theme parks’ gates.
Many companies accept major credit cards, but ask when you summon a ride, because your payment may need to be processed by phone. Companies are not carefully monitored, so only choose a recommended carrier. Call your own:
Diamond Cab Company (www.diamondcabco.com): 407/523-3333
Transtar (mytranstar.com): 407/857-9999
Yellow (www.mearstransportation.com): 407/422-2222
The main consideration when it comes to selecting dates is balancing good weather with thin crowds. Crowds keep you from seeing everything. In the peak season (such as spring break or the week after Christmas), the Magic Kingdom’s turnstiles spin like propellers. None of the theme parks close on public holidays. In fact, they do better business then. In late December, Disney parks sometimes hit capacity and seal gates. But in September and the week after Thanksgiving, you can do nearly everything in a day. Light crowds do not automatically mean shorter waits, because on quieter days, rides run at lower capacity.
So when are the peak seasons? Put simply: when American kids are out of school. That means mid-spring, summer until late August, and the holidays. Hotel rates rise then, too. If you want to save cash, early January, early May, late August, all of September, and the first half of December are prime. The flipside of low season is that the theme parks trim services when it’s quieter. January is a particularly tough month for missing out on rides due to rehabs. And especially in the winter months, you may find it too chilly to enjoy the rides that get you wet, which is a shame since Orlando has some of the best water rides in the world.
Which Day of the Week? |
The busiest days at all parks are generally Saturday and Sunday. Seven-day guests are often traveling on these days, and weekends are when locals come to play. Beyond that: Tuesday and Thursday see an uptick in the Magic Kingdom; Tuesday and Friday (and evenings) at Epcot; Wednesday is a tad busier at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday can be a zoo (forgive the pun) at the Animal Kingdom. Crowds tend to thin later in the day.
CLIMATE June to September is the heaviest season for excruciating sun and brief torrential rain. Every afternoon, another heavy storm rolls in and shuts rides temporarily—pretty much everything outdoors or on water will temporarily shut down if lightning is detected within range. Those deluges usually roll out within an hour but scare away a significant percentage of guests, so for shorter lines, it almost always pays to wait out the rain. Central Florida suffers more lightning strikes than any other American locale. During that season, bring along a cheap poncho from home.
Orlando Average Temperature & Rainfall
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUG | SEPT | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| Hi/Low Daily Temps (°F) | 72/49 | 73/50 | 78/55 | 84/60 | 88/66 | 91/71 | 92/73 | 92/73 | 90/73 | 84/65 | 78/57 | 73/51 |
| Hi/Low Daily Temps (°C) 22/10 | 23/10 | 26/13 | 29/16 | 31/19 | 33/22 | 33/23 | 33/23 | 32/23 | 29/19 | 26/14 | 23/11 | |
| Inches of Precipitation | 2.25 | 2.82 | 3.32 | 2.43 | 3.30 | 7.13 | 7.27 | 6.88 | 6.53 | 3.16 | 1.98 | 2.25 |
Check the special events pages at the theme park websites to see if any themed weekends or smaller events are in the works. In addition, the events listings at Visit Orlando (www.visitorlando.com), Orlando Weekly (www.orlandoweekly.com), and the Orlando Sentinel (www.orlandosentinel.com) are comprehensive. You will also find a few listings at Orlando magazine (www.orlandomagazine.com).
January
Citrus Bowl. Now stickered by the Overton’s marine supply company—can anyone keep track of the square-dancing corporate naming rights anymore? Held New Year’s Day at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium (Camping World Stadium), it pits the second-ranked teams from the Big Ten and SEC conferences against one another. www.floridacitrussports.com.
Pro Bowl. Love it or hate it, the late-season all-star AFC/NFC game is no longer held in Hawaii. In 2017, it signed a three-year deal to join the other tourist attractions in a city players’ families would rather visit. Late Jan. www.nfl.com/probowl.
Walt Disney World Marathon. The route goes through all four theme parks, or just do the Half, which hits Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. Close to 80,000 runners come for at least one of the five events. Other half-marathon events pop up over the rest of the year. First week of January. www.disneyworld.com.
ZORA! Festival. The folklorist and writer Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960) was from Eatonville (a 30-min. drive north of Orlando), the country’s oldest incorporated African-American town. This weeklong event includes lectures and an art fair. www.zorafestival.org; 407/647-3307.
Epcot International Festival of the Arts. The newest and least focused of Epcot’s four major annual festivals is about performance, visual art, and food. In addition to Broadway-style performances and kiosks selling gourmet mini-dishes throughout World Showcase, on many days there are free talks or short workshops with artists who share their disciplines. Begins mid-January. www.disneyworld.com; 407/939-3378.
February
Winter Park Bach Festival. This annual event at Rollins College began in 1935 and has evolved into one of the country’s better choral fests. Although it has stretched to include other composers and guest artists (Handel, P.D.Q. Bach), at least one concert is devoted to Johann. It takes place mid-February to early March, with scattered one-off guest performances throughout the year. www.bachfestivalflorida.org; 407/646-2182.
Silver Spurs Rodeo. Lest you doubt Central Florida is far removed from the American Deep South, it hosts the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi (with bareback broncs, barrel racing horses, rodeo clowns, and athletes drawn from the cowboy circuit) over 3 days on the third weekend in February in an indoor arena off U.S. 192. 2019 marks its 142nd event. 1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee. www.silverspursrodeo.com; 321/697-3495.
Rock the Universe. Universal’s festival of top-flight Christian rock bands, which perform on stages inside Universal Studios park. Rides and performances continue past midnight, after regular patrons go home. It’s separately ticketed. www.rocktheuniverse.com.
Mardi Gras at Universal Studios. On Saturday nights, Universal books major acts (Bonnie Raitt, Hall & Oates, LL Cool J, Diana Ross, Ne-Yo) and mounts a family-friendly parade complete with stilt-walkers, jazz bands, Louisiana-made floats, and bead tossing—although here, what it takes to win a set of beads is considerably less risqué than it is in the Big Easy. It’s included with admission. www.universalorlando.com/mardigras; 407/224-2691.
Spring Training. See p. 167 for a rundown of which Major League Baseball teams play where. Mid-February through March.
March
Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival. This spring event, which lasts 75 days from March through May, transforms Epcot with some 30 million flowers, 70 topiaries, a screened-in butterfly garden, presentations by noted horticulturalists, and a lineup of “Flower Power” concerts (Chubby Checker, the Pointer Sisters). It’s free with standard entry. www.disneyworld.com; 407/934-7639.
April
Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival. See March for full listing, above.
Florida Music Festival. Some 250 bands over 4 days give exposure to up-and-coming musicians—at a pace of 50 per night, all over town. April or May. www.floridamusicfestival.com.
Florida Film Festival. This respected event showcases films by Florida artists and has featured past appearances by the likes of Ellen Burstyn, William H. Macy, Christopher Walken, and Sissy Spacek. www.floridafilmfestival.com; 407/629-1088.
May
Orlando International Fringe Festival. This theatrical smorgasbord, the longest-running fringe fest in America, spends 14 days mounting some 950 performances of more than 160 newly written, experimental performances in Loch Haven Park. Some 72,000 attended in 2018. www.orlandofringe.org; 407/648-0077.
Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival. See March for full listing, above.
September
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The World Showcase makes amends with the countries it ignores by installing temporary booths selling tapas-size servings of foods and wines from many nations. That’s supplemented with chef demonstrations, seminars, “Eat to the Beat” concerts by known acts, and tastings by at least 100 wineries. In short, it’s a sensation. A few of the more extravagant events are charged, but most are free. The festival, which tends to more crowded on weekends, lasts 90 days from late September to mid-November and the hotly awaited details are posted by Disney in the summer. www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine; 407/939-3378.
AUGUST
Gay Days. What started as a single day for gay and lesbian party-minded visitors in 1991 has bloomed into a full week of some 40 events managed by a host of promoters. It’s said that attendance goes as high as 150,000. Until last year, it was held in early June, but starting in 2019 it moves to August, when hotel rates are cheaper. Gay Days are a blowout party with group visits to the city’s parks (wearing red shirts as a gentle reminder of visibility), an ongoing bash at Parliament House (p. 182), concerts (En Vogue, LeAnn Rimes), a marketplace, several dance events, and more than a dozen pool parties. 2019: Aug 13–19 at host hotel Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive. www.gaydays.com.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. The best of the Magic Kingdom’s separately ticketed evening events, this one mounts a special parade with fiendishly catchy theme song, a few special shows, a fireworks display that surpasses the usual one, and stations where you can pick up free candy. Kids even show up in costume, although it’s not required. The event happens on scattered evenings from mid-August through the end of October. Unfortunately, it’s so oversold that you will barely be able to move. Target audience: people who like lollipops. www.disneyworld.com/halloweenparty; 407/934-7639.
Halloween Horror Nights. Unquestionably Universal’s biggest event, HHN is the equivalent of a whole new theme park that’s designed for a year but only lasts a month. After dark, the Studios are overtaken by grotesque “scareactors” who terrorize crowds with chain saws, gross-out shows, and seven or eight big, well-made, walk-through haunted houses that are created from scratch each year. The mayhem lasts into the wee hours. Wimps need not apply; children are discouraged by the absence of kids’ ticket prices. On top of all this, most rides remain open. HHN has legions of fans. Target audience: people who like to poop themselves in fright. (Busch Gardens’ Howl-o-Scream event’s scariness is somewhere between Universal’s and Disney’s.) www.halloweenhorrornights.com.
SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular. SeaWorld throws a sweet, toddler-approved weekend Halloween event of its own, with trick-or-treating (kids dress up), a few encounters with sea fairies and bubbles, and show starring Count von Count from Sesame Street. Target audience: people who have a naptime. It’s included in admission.
Orlando Film Festival. Like all festivals worth their salt, this one presents mostly mainstream and independent films in advance of their wider release dates, plus cool events like workshops on writing and pitching. It lasts about a week in October or early November, screening at various downtown venues. www.orlandofilmfest.com; 407/843-0801.
November
ICE! It debuted in 2003 at the Gaylord Palms hotel and has quickly become a holiday perennial. The hotel brings in nearly 2 million pounds of ice, sculpts it into a walk-through city, keeps it chilled to 9°F (–13°C), and issues winter coats to visitors. Add synchronized light shows and you’ve got an event that charges $29 adults, $17 kids for entry—and sells out. www.gaylordpalms.com; 407/586-0000.
December
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. This crowded night, which occurs on various nights starting even before Thanksgiving, is probably Disney’s most popular special annual event. It requires a separate ticket from regular admission. What you get is a tree-lighting ceremony, a few special holiday-themed shows, a special fireworks display (very green and red), an appearance by Santa Claus, a special parade, and huge crowds. Meanwhile, Disney’s warehouse for holiday decorations (it exists) empties out and its hotels deck the halls: The Grand Floridian erects a life-size house made of gingerbread. www.disneyworld.com/christmasparty; 407/934-7639.
Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. This 75-day event features holiday customs of many nations and a host of costumed storytellers, but its real showpiece is the daily, 40-minute candlelight processional, a retelling of the Christmas Nativity story by a celebrity narrator (regular names include Sigourney Weaver, Gary Sinise, Edward James Olmos, and Neil Patrick Harris) accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and a full Mass choir. The processional is a WDW tradition going back to its earliest days—Cary Grant did it! www.disneyworld.com/holidays.
Grinchmas & The Macy’s Holiday Parade. Usual holiday traditions include a musical version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas and daily parades by Macy’s, which brings some balloons and floats to Universal when Thanksgiving is over. That’s included in the ticket price. Holiday events kick in then, too. www.universalorlando.com.
Before Magic Your Way made ticket expiration standard, pretty much every Disney ticket was good forever. That means there are a lot of unused days floating around. It’s illegal to sell them, but that doesn’t stop people. When you see a sign on the side of U.S. 192 promising discounted tickets, guess what may be for sale? Buying a ticket like this is a gamble, particularly if you don’t have the expertise to recognize a fake or a spent ticket. Often, only a Disney laser scan can tell for sure.
Other organizations, such as timeshare developers, offer legit tickets to theme parks and dinner shows, but to get them, you will have to endure heavy-duty sales presentations that may last several hours. The requirements for attendance can be tight: Married couples must attend together (gay couples are often discriminated against—that’s still legal in Florida), you both must swear your combined annual income is above a certain amount ($50,000, for example, for Westgate branded resorts—owned by the timeshare baron in the film The Queen of Versailles), that you are in a given age range (23–68 is common), and that you commit to staying for at least 90 minutes, although being pitched for as long as 4 hours is also common. Even if you’re willing, an entire morning of your hard-earned vacation time is worth more than whatever discount is being promised. After all, how many days of working did it take for you to accrue those 4 or 5 hours? You also may not arrive at the parks until lunchtime, missing (in some cases) a third of the opening hours. Don’t be so cheap and discount-obsessed that you throw away your time at an aggressive timeshare pitch.
Camping World Bowl. An ACC team battles a Big Ten team, usually a few days before New Year’s and always at the Camping World Stadium, once called the Citrus Bowl. Going since 1990, the game has had many faces, including the Champs Sports Bowl, Carquest Bowl, Tangerine Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl, and its very first sponsor, the doomed videocassette giant Blockbuster. www.campingworldbowl.com.
New Year’s Eve. Yahoo.com reports that Orlando regularly makes its list of top five most-searched New Year’s Eve destinations. There’s no shortage of places to party. At the parks: CityWalk throws its EVE bash with outdoor dance floor and light shows. The Disney parks stay open until the wee hours and may have live DJs. SeaWorld brings in big-band music or jazz, plus fireworks.
Getting Attraction Discounts
For a full breakdown of Disney’s ticketing, how it works, and how to guard against overspending, see p. 22.
Universal and SeaWorld discount the gate price if you book online, and all the parks discount per-day entry if you buy multiple days. SeaWorld and Busch Gardens also offer courtesy admission for members of the military and their families. Check www.wavesofhonor.com to see if you are eligible. You will also find coupons through the discount circular HotelCoupons.com.
A few outfits (such as, occasionally, local AAA chapters) sell faintly discounted tickets. Maple Leaf Tickets (www.mapleleaftickets.com; 800/841-2837) and The Official Ticket Center (www.officialticketcenter.com; 877/406-4836), both accredited by the Better Business Bureau. So is Undercover Tourist (www.undercovertourist.com; 800/846-1302), which also publishes a marvelous calendar that guesses, using as many statistics as possible, at what the best touring plans are for the days you’re visiting. No Disney deals ever seem deep enough to offset shipping fees or the hassle of picking up your tickets at some third-party office; however, multiple purchases, stays of a week or longer, and third-tier diversions such as dinner shows ($10–$15 off) may be worth it. Tickets are nontransferable. If you don’t want the hassle of pre-planning, a desk at the Orlando Official Visitor Center (p. 286) furnishes similar discounts on tickets you can trust.
One to be wary of is the Go Orlando Card (www.goorlandocard.com; 800/887-9103), which offers admission to secondary attractions. The catch is you get an obscenely short time to use it. Rare is the person who can move fast enough to make the price (a 2-day card is $149 for adults, $129 kids) pay off unless one of the days is used at an expensive attraction such as Legoland and the other day is crammed from morning to bedtime with lesser diversions.
Accessible Travel Nearly everything is accessible. This situation predates the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; as multigenerational attractions, the parks have always worked to be inclusive, and in response, guests with mobility issues have long embraced them in return.
Disney’s full descriptions of its support facilities are posted under the “Services” section at www.disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services. Upon arrival at Disney, anyone with a disability heads to Guest Relations to obtain a Disability Access Service Card that designates you as requiring consideration. No doctor’s letter is required. Parties with wheelchairs will be given a reservation time that accounts for the current wait time (you can come back later as long as the time has passed, but you can’t get another reservation until you’ve used the first one). Or part of your group might be asked to pass through the standard line while you wait in a special area and reunite with them before riding. There will usually be a place for you to wait for the special wheelchair-ready ride vehicle to come around. You might have to transfer to a manual wheelchair; the park maps indicate which rides will require you to leave your wheelchair or ECV. A very few, pre-ADA attractions, such as Tom Sawyer Island and the Swiss Family Treehouse, require you to be ambulatory. Those are marked, too. Companions of guests with cognitive disabilities such as autism also obtain ride reservations that correspond to the current wait time; cast members can also direct them to “break areas” for easing stimulation. Oxygen tanks may not be permitted on rides. There is a special parade-viewing area for those with mobility issues so you can have good sightlines; arrive early and ask any cast member where it is. At Universal, go to the Guest Relations desk after the turnstiles for an Attractions Assistance Pass. If a ride’s wait is less than 30 minutes, you’ll scoot right on, and if it’s longer, you’ll be issued a time to return but you cannot get a new reservation time until that one is fulfilled. If that system won’t work for you, Universal may choose to issue a Guest Assistance Pass, which grants Express access to all attractions, no appointment required. (Universal publishes a ride guide to accessibility: www.universalorlando.com/rg). Similarly, SeaWorld offers the Ride Accessibility Pass.
Theme park hotels all can lend door knock and phone alerts, amplifiers, bed shakers, strobes, and TTY phones. For off-property stays, consider renting a house, which provides much more room; most home-rental companies also comply with ADA requirements.
All the parks have a full range of in-park services for guests of every need, including at least a half-dozen TTY phones scattered around and sign-language interpreters on scheduled days of the week. Universal marks the times for its ASL shows on its guide map. Service animals are permitted but aren’t always allowed to ride attractions. Disney maintains a Special Services hotline to answer all accessibility needs, including full arrangements for blind guests and captioning for hearing-impaired guests with devices requiring a $25 refundable deposit ( 407/824-4321 (voice) and TTY 407/827-5141; Disability.services@disneyparks.com). Universal Orlando can be reached at 800/447-0672 (TDD) or 407/224-4233 (voice) (www.universalorlando.com); SeaWorld Orlando’s number is 407/363-2400 (www.seaworld.com); Kennedy Space Center is at 321/449-4443 (www.kennedyspacecenter.com). Try to contact those a few weeks ahead. Most parks can arrange sign-language interpreters with a few weeks’ notice; all furnish assisted listening devices or scripts for some, but not all, of the biggest attractions. There are plenty of accessible parking spots.
Medical Travel, Inc. (www.medicaltravel.org; 866/322-4400 or 407/438-8010) specializes in the rental of mobility equipment, ramp vans, and supplies such as oxygen tanks (be aware that many rides do not allow tanks). Electric scooters and wheelchairs can be delivered to your accommodation through these established companies: Orlando Medical Rentals (www.orlandomedicalrentals.com; 877/356-9943) also supplies oxygen, scooters, and the like. Buena Vista Scooter Rentals (www.buenavistascooters.com; 866/484-4797 or 407/938-0349), Scootaround (www.scootaround.com; 888/441-7575), CARE Medical Equipment (www.caremedicalequipment.com; 800/741-2282 or 407/856-2273), and Walker Medical & Mobility Products (www.walkermobility.com; 888/726-6837 or 407/518-6000). All the theme parks, except the water parks, rent ECVs for about $50 a day and wheelchairs for about $12 a day. If your own wheelchair is wider than 25 inches, think about switching to the park model, because it is guaranteed to navigate tight squeezes such as hairpin queue turns. If you wear a prosthetic limb, you may have to remove it for the most aggressive rides. A few coasters (like SeaWorld’s Mako) have restraint systems that won’t be effective if you use certain prosthetics, so always ask the operators what’s safe for you.
Organizations that offer assistance to travelers with disabilities include the American Federation for the Blind (www.afb.org; 800/232-5463) and Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (www.sath.org; 212/447-7284).
Area Codes The area code for the Orlando area is 407 (if you’re dialing locally, a preceding 1 is not necessary, but the 407 is), although you may encounter the less common 321 code, which is also used on the Atlantic Coast. The 863 area code governs the land between Orlando and Tampa, and the Tampa area uses 813 and 727. The region west of Orlando uses 352.
Business Hours Offices are generally open weekdays between 9am and 5pm, while banks tend to close at 4pm. Typically, stores open between 9 and 10am and close between 6 and 7pm Monday through Saturday, except malls, which stay open until 9pm. On Sunday, stores generally open at 11am and close by 7pm.
Car Rentals This topic is perhaps the most hotly debated issue in all of Disneydom. The bottom line is there’s only one reason to do without a car: You never intend to leave Disney. If you plan to fan out, such as visiting Harry Potter or the Space Shuttle, get wheels.
Disney guests often justify forgoing a car by saying they can’t afford one. This is a fallacy. Disney hotels charge as much as twice what you’ll pay to stay at a hotel of similar quality off-site. If you stay at a non-Disney property, you can afford a car and still pay less. A large inventory means rentals are cheaper here than in other American cities: $25 a day is common for a compact car.
One caveat is that parking charges can add up. Valet is often free in town, but the theme parks charge $22 a day for a space (Universal is free after 6pm). If you stay at a Disney resort, it is free. Also, if you pay for parking once at any Disney park, you won’t have to pay again for another park on the same day. The bigger hotels now slap on $20-plus nightly fees for parking. In the rest of Orlando, parking is free, plentiful, and off the street.
Make sure your rental car locks by remote control fob; use it to make your vehicle honk and locate it in those confusing theme park parking pastures.
Crime Disney may advertise itself as “the Happiest Place on Earth,” but it’s still on Earth. As we are all too aware, that means bad things happen. Never open your hotel room door to a stranger, never order anything off a flyer you find under your door, and never give your personal details or credit card number to anyone who calls your room, even if they claim to work for the hotel. Pickpockets are virtually unheard of, but they exist. Be vigilant about bags; you’re going to be bumped and jostled many times—one of those bumps could be a nimble-fingered thief. The theme parks all have metal detectors and bag checks.
Customs Rules change. For details regarding current regulations, consult U.S. Customs and Border Protection (www.cbp.gov; 877/227-5511).
Doctors There are first-aid centers in all of the theme parks. There’s also a 24-hour number for the Poison Control Center ( 800/222-1222). To find a dentist, contact the Dental Referral (www.dentalreferral.com; 800/235-4111). DOCS (www.doctorsoncallservice.com; 407/399-3627) makes house and room calls. If you don’t have a car, EastCoast Medical Network (www.themedicalconcierge.com; 855/932-5252) makes “hotel room calls” to area resorts or rental homes for $150 to $275 for most ailments. It’s available at all hours, accepts most insurance, and brings a portable pharmacy, although prescriptions cost more. Do not bring medical marijuana through Orlando’s MCO airport; despite the fact carrying it is legal in Florida, the airport management has gone rogue and heeds federal rules instead. Also see “Hospitals.”
Drinking Laws The legal drinking age is 21. Proof of age is always requested, even if you look older, so carry photo ID. It’s illegal to carry open containers of alcohol in any car or public area that isn’t zoned for alcohol consumption (as CityWalk and Disney Springs are), so outside of the resorts, the police may ticket you on the spot.
Driving Rules Americans drive on the right. In Florida, you may turn right on red only after making a full stop unless the signal is an illuminated arrow, in which case you must wait for green. Many intersections are equipped with traffic cameras that will take a photo of your license plate, and rental car companies pass on fines along with hefty fees. If your plans take you outside the Orlando area, some toll roads (in Miami and Tampa, for example) are cashless and can only be paid by a SunPass sensor that must be rented, for an extra daily fee, from your rental agency, otherwise you will incur large penalties. Last, Florida is full of visitors who don’t know where they’re going or maybe have never even driven on the right before. These wandering souls will halt, cross three lanes of traffic, and barrel into the wrong lane without thinking. Keep a safe distance from the car in front of you.
Electricity The United States uses 110 to 120 volts AC (60 cycles), compared to the 220 to 240 volts AC (50 cycles) that is standard in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. If your small appliances use 220 to 240 volts, buy an adapter and voltage converter before you leave home, because these can be difficult to come by in Orlando.
Embassies & Consulates The nearest embassies are located in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Some consulates are located in major U.S. cities, and most nations have a mission to the United Nations in New York City. Call for directory information in Washington, D.C. ( 202/555-1212), or log on to www.embassy.org/embassies.
Emergencies Call 911 for the police, to report a fire, or to get an ambulance. If you have a medical emergency that does not require an ambulance, you should be able to walk into the nearest hospital emergency room (see “Hospitals,” below).
Family Travel All parks have a cool baby care center for heating formula, nursing, and so on, and diaper changing tables in the restrooms. But think carefully about whether your child is ready for the theme parks. I agree with many parenting experts who say that about 3 years old is the minimum age. Younger children get wigged out by costumed characters and get turned away from rides they have their hearts set on. Some experts say kids are not truly ready for the rigors of theme parks until they can walk on their own all day. Whether or not very young children are advisable, they are possible: Scarier rides have what’s called a child swap. That provides an area where one adult can wait with a child while their partner rides and then switch off so the other gets a chance without having to wait all over again. Many rides also have a bypass corridor where chickens can do their chicken-out thing.
Your stroller will not be allowed inside most attractions, and it will not be attended in parking sections, so never leave anything valuable in it. Come prepared with a system for repeatedly unloading valuables. Also have something that covers the seat; like in parked cars, they get sizzling hot in the Florida sun. Finally, tie an identifying marker (like a white flag, as in “I surrender”) to yours so you can identify it amid the sea of clones. Some outfits deliver nicer models than Disney’s to hotels: Magic Strollers (www.magicstrollers.com; 866/866-6177) and Baby Wheels (www.babywheelsorlando.com; 800/510-2480) among them.
If you want to lose $100 a day, you can rent a handmade wire-frame stroller that looks like Cinderella’s carriage from Princess Carriage Rentals (www.princesscarriagerentals.com; 407/990-1844).
Family Travel Tips
To avoid tears, familiarize yourself with height restrictions in advance. They are posted at the parks’ websites and listed on the maps. Universal also keeps physical gauges in front of both its parks. Everything is measured in inches, so if your child is usually measured in centimeters, multiply by 0.393.
Bring supplies to kid-proof your hotel room.
Slather your kids in sun lotion. Florida sun is stronger than you think.
Dress kids in bright colors. You’ll spot them faster if you’re separated. Some parents even put their phone number on their kids with temporary tattoos. You might also want to wear a distinctive hat or shirt yourself so they can spot you.
Dress to get wet. There are water playgrounds, plus frequent rains.
Baby changing tables are in both women’s and men’s rooms. No sexism here. At least in this. All those princesses hunting for men is another matter.
Hotels offer “kids eat free” programs. Ask.
Theme park strollers are easy, but basic; they don’t recline, and they won’t secure kids younger than toddlers. Folding “umbrella” strollers have distinct advantages. They make getting onto trams, monorails, and into other tight spaces easier (not just for you—also for people waiting for you).
Bring a picture of your child or keep one on your mobile phone in case you get separated. Teach your child to go straight to the nearest employee if they get separated from you. Everyone is well trained in reuniting families.
Health Your biggest concern is the sun, which can burn you even through gray skies on cloudy days. You will be spending a lot more time outdoors than you might suspect—rides take 3 minutes, but some lines will have you waiting outside for an hour. Hats are your friends. If you see a wide roach about an inch and a half long, it’s not necessarily due to uncleanliness at your hotel—those are waterbugs, which thrive in the damp Florida environment and are always hunting for food. As for mosquitos, the resorts’ spraying regimes keep them in check, but if you’re worried, any Disney cast member can tell you where to obtain free repellant.
Holidays Banks close on the following holidays: January 1 (New Year’s), the third Monday in January (Martin Luther King, Jr., Day), the third Monday in February (Presidents’ Day), the last Monday in May (Memorial Day), July 4 (Independence Day), the first Monday in September (Labor Day), the second Monday in October (Veterans Day), the fourth Thursday in November (Thanksgiving Day), and December 25. The theme parks are open every day of the year.
Hospitals Dr. P. Phillips Hospital (9400 Turkey Lake Rd., Orlando; 407/351-8500) is a short drive north up Palm Parkway from Lake Buena Vista. To get to Florida Hospital Celebration Health (400 Celebration Place, Celebration; 407/764-4000), from I-4, take the U.S. 192 exit; then at the first traffic light, turn right onto Celebration Avenue, and at the first stop sign, make another right. Clinics: Centra Care Walk-In Care in Lake Buena Vista (12500 Apopka-Vineland Rd., 407/934-2273; www.centracare.org; Mon–Fri 8am–midnight, Sat–Sun 8am–8pm); near the vacation homes south of Disney (8201 W. U.S. 192, Kissimmee; 407/465-0846; Mon–Fri 8am–8pm, Sat–Sun 8am–5pm); and northwest of Universal (8014 Conroy-Windermere Rd., Suite 104; 407/291-8975; Mon–Fri 8am–8pm, Sat–Sun 8am–5pm). In addition, each theme park has its own infirmary capable of handling a range of medical emergencies.
Insurance Among many options, you could try UnitedHealthcare Global (www.UHCsafetrip.com; 800/732-5309) or Travel Assistance International (www.travelassistance.com; 800/821-2828) for overseas medical insurance coverage.
So what else may you want to insure? You may want special coverage for apartment stays, especially if you’ve plunked down a deposit, and any valuables, since airlines are only required to pay up to $2,500 for lost luggage domestically, less for foreign travel.
If you do decide on insurance, compare policies at InsureMyTrip.com ( 800/487-4722) or SquareMouth.com.
Internet & Wi-Fi Getting online isn’t hard. Wi-Fi is now considered an essential amenity, like running water. Most hotels will have free access—sometimes in common areas, sometimes in guest rooms, and sometimes in both places. Walt Disney World’s hotels have free Wi-Fi, and so do all the theme parks in town. Hotel connections aren’t always fast enough to stream movies, but they’re usually fast enough for standard uses. Nearly all home rentals come with Internet-connected computers and free Wi-Fi.
LGBT Travelers Orlando still has a conservative streak, but the Pulse massacre has made its citizens feel much more protective of its gay population. Most hotels aren’t troubled in the least by gay couples, and gay people can be themselves anyplace. The most intolerant attitudes will come from other guests at the theme parks, who, of course, mostly aren’t from Orlando. Public displays of affection are not likely to be attacked, but don’t expect a warm reception, either. Then again, sexual affection is not celebrated in the parks if you’re straight, either. Use your intuition, your manners, and your common sense.
Mail At press time, domestic postage rates were 35¢ for a postcard and 50¢ for a letter. For international mail, a first-class letter of up to 1 ounce costs $1.15; a first-class international postcard costs the same as a letter. The post office most convenient to Disney and Universal is at 10450 Turkey Lake Rd. ( 407/351-2492; Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, Sat 9am–5pm). If all you need is to buy stamps and mail letters, you can do that at most hotels. For more information, including locations nearest you, go to www.usps.com and click on “Calculate a Price.” Ask at the theme park Guest Relations desks if mailing your items there will entitle you to a novelty postmark.
Mobile Phones Your phone will work in Orlando; it may not work is you drive far from commercial areas, such as in some remote vacation home developments (although in those cases you’ll probably have Wi-Fi for Internet calling). To buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card, ask for a “no-contract” SIM card.
The theme parks’ new reliance on programming your schedule via apps drains devices quickly. To have enough juice for a 13-hour day, carry a portable charger or battery. The theme parks’ photo stores, located near the front gate, have FuelRod (www.fuel-rod.com) machines selling $30 pre-filled booster batteries, adapter included; when it’s depleted (they’re not very powerful—your own would be better), you pop it into any other FuelRod vending machine elsewhere at Disney or anywhere in the world and swap for a fresh one at no charge. (FuelRods are about $10 cheaper if you buy one at home.) Disney will also charge your phone for free at Guest Relations if you have the required cord. At the Magic Kingdom, there’s a public charger in a fake tree stump among the benches across from Peter Pan’s Flight and in the big tent beside the Fantasyland railroad station; bring your own cord.
Money This town exists to rake in money. Consequently, it places few obstacles between you and the surrender of it. Most ATMs are run by third parties, not your bank (Disney’s are by Chase), which means that you’ll be slapped with fees of around $2.50 per withdrawal (around $5 for international visitors). Machines accept pretty much anything you can stick into them. Citibank customers can avoid the usage fee by using the fancy Citibank machines located at most 7-Eleven convenience stores. International visitors should make advance arrangements with their banks to ensure their cards will function in the United States. Also ask your bank if it has reciprocal agreements for free withdrawals anywhere.
Credit cards are nearly universally accepted. In fact, you must have one to rent a car without a hassle. Most places accept the Big Four: American Express, MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. Very few places add Diners Club, and some family-owned businesses subtract American Express because of the pain of dealing with it.
Before you leave home, let your issuer know that you’re about to go on vacation. Many of them get antsy when they see unexpectedly large charges start appearing so far from your home, and sometimes they freeze your account in response.
Try not to use credit cards to withdraw cash. You’ll be charged interest from the moment your money leaves the slot. Universal sells its own private scrip, Wizarding Bank Notes, at Gringotts Money Exchange in Universal Studios. It’s charged as a purchase, not a withdrawal, sparing you extra charges, and can be used to buy things inside Universal’s parks.
Because ATM withdrawals give better deals, old-fashioned exchange desks are rare. One is Travelex Currency Exchange at Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores (p. 191; Mon–Sat 10am–9pm, Sun 10am–7pm), but you’ll get better rates at a bank during regular banking hours.
Newspapers & Magazines A decreasing number of business hotels distribute that shallow McNewspaper, USA Today, to use as your morning doormat. The local paper, the Orlando Sentinel (www.orlandosentinel.com) is less widely available but much better for discovering local happenings. Orlando Weekly (www.orlandoweekly.com), free around town, covers trends, events, and restaurants. Also see the box on amateur-run websites covering the theme parks on p. 272; those are better for park goings-on.
Packing For the latest rules on how to pack and what you will be permitted to bring as a carry-on, consult your airline or the Transportation Security Administration (www.tsa.gov). Also be sure to find out from your airline what your checked-baggage weight limits will be; maximums of around 50 pounds per suitcase are standard. Anything heavier will incur a fee. Paying for the luggage at the airport is often more expensive than online.
If you forget something, there’s nothing you can’t buy in Orlando. It’s hardly Timbuktu. But bring the basics for sunshine (lotion of at least 30 SPF, wide-brimmed hat, bathing suit, sunglasses), for rain (a compact umbrella or a plastic poncho, which costs $10 if you wait until you get into the parks), for walking (good shoes, sandals for wet days), and for memories (camera, storage cards, chargers). Theme parks are too crowded for the safe use of large umbrellas. Gum also isn’t sold at any theme park resort because it makes the night cleaners cry.
Stuff You Never Thought to Bring (But Should) |
Besides the usual toiletries, recharging cords, and medications, you might not have thought of these good ideas, too:
Earplugs. Orlando flights are swinging with kids going insane with excitement.
Hand sanitizer. Turnstiles. Safety bars. Handrails. Furry mice. You’re going to be handling a lot of dirty things.
Sole inserts. You will be walking for miles and standing for hours, with few benches in sight. Even hardy feet need all the comfort you can provide.
Dark-colored clothing. On almost all flume rides, the seating doubles as a step, so you’re bound to stain your butt with a slightly muddy footprint. Also, it’s hot and you’ll be in lots of photos—and colored shirts show sweat marks.
Sandals that fasten. Water-based rides soak regular shoes and cause pruning. Flip-flops won’t always do because they’re not hardy and they won’t stay on.
Skin-tight underwear. Florida humidity can cause chafing even in people who rarely experience it. Under Armour or nonpadded bike shorts preempt that.
Sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses. Okay, so you probably thought of these, but it bears repeating.
A mobile phone battery recharger. Between the My Disney Experience app, Wi-Fi, photos, and social media updating, you’ll drain your battery quickly.
A superabsorbent shammy. For lenses and wet children.
Pocket-size games. People talk about rides, but they neglect to mention the hour in line before those exciting 3 minutes. Orlando is lines. Bring diversions.
Pets None of the Disney resorts allows animals (except service dogs) to stay (the only exception being Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground, where you can have your pet at the full-hook-up campsites). Disney offers overnight animal boarding, usually for about $30–$40 per day. Disney uses a single facility, Best Friends Pet Care, on the Bonnet Creek Parkway (www.wdw.bestfriendspetcare.com; 407/209-3126). Overnight prices start at $41 for dogs and $26 for cats. For daytime dog and cat boarding, Universal charges $15 per pet at its first-come, first-served kennel (
407/224-9509) in the parking structure; there, owners must feed and walk their own dogs, but water is provided. You don’t have to stay at a resort property to use Universal’s service. Off-property, there’s VIPet Resort (
407/355-3594; www.vipet.net; $50 overnight, $26 daytime), near where Sand Lake Road meets Florida’s Turnpike. For all these services, your must have written proof of current vaccinations.
Universal’s resorts (minus Cabana Bay) allow pets for a fee, and the hotels also provide welcome amenities. Also pet-friendly: Drury Hotels (p. 263) and the Marriott at Flamingo Crossings (p. 258). Expect a daily fee. To find more pet-friendly hotels, two solid resources are www.petswelcome.com and www.dogfriendly.com.
Pharmacies The tourist area hosts mostly national chains. Walgreens (7650 W. Sand Lake Rd. at Dr. Phillips Blvd., Orlando;
407/370-6742), which has a round-the-clock pharmacy, could, at a stretch, be deemed an outfit with local roots; back in the day, Mr. Walgreen spent the cold months in Winter Park. Turner Drugs (1530 Celebration Blvd., Suite 105-A, Celebration; www.turnerdrug.com; 407/828-8125) is not a 24-hour pharmacy, but it delivers prescriptions to most Disney-area accommodations.
Police Call 911 from any phone in an emergency.
Safety Calculated in fatalities per mile, the 132 miles of I-4 through Orlando is the deadliest highway in the United States, so drive it with extreme caution. Train kids to approach the nearest park employee in case of separation. Never dress kids in clothing that reveals their name, address, or hometown, and unless it’s a travel day, remove any luggage tags where this information will be visible. If people can read your address off a tag while you’re in line at Toy Story Land, then they’ll know you’re not at home. Stay out of lakes at night—Florida belonged to alligators for thousands of years before we were here, and evening is often when they get hungry. Attacks are extraordinarily rare, but one did happen in June 2016 on Disney’s Seven Seas Lagoon when a gator mistook a 2-year-old child for small prey. Don’t leave valuables visible when you park your car. Also, please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. Thank you.
Senior Travel Just about every secondary attraction offers a special price for seniors, but the theme parks offer precious little. If you’re over 50, you can join AARP (601 E. Street NW, Washington, DC 24009; www.aarp.org; 888/687-2277) to find out what’s being offered in terms of discounts for hotels, airfare, and car rentals. Before you bite, be sure that the AARP discount you are offered actually undercuts others that are out there. Elderhostel’s well-respected Road Scholar (www.roadscholar.org; 800/454-5768) runs classes and programs, both inside the theme parks and around the Orlando area, designed to delve into literature, history, the arts, and music. Packages last from a day to a week and include lodging, tours, and meals. Most are multigenerational; bring the grandkids.
Smoking Smoking is prohibited in public indoor spaces, including offices, restaurants, hotel lobbies, and most shops. Some bars permit it. In general, if you need to smoke, you must go outside into the open air, and in the theme parks smokers are comically quarantined to strictly enforced areas like bad kids in detention.
Taxes A 6.5% to 7% sales tax is charged on all goods with the exception of most edible grocery items and medicines. Hotels add another 2% to 5% in a resort tax, so the total tax on accommodations can run up to 12%. The United States has no VAT, but the custom is to not list prices with tax, so the final amount that you pay will be slightly higher than the posted price.
Telephones Generally, hotel surcharges on long-distance and local calls are astronomical, so you’re better off using your cellphone or a public pay telephone. Many convenience groceries and packaging services sell prepaid calling cards in denominations from $10 to $50; for international visitors these can be the least expensive way to call home. Many public phones at airports now accept American Express, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards. Local calls made from public pay phones in most locales cost either 35¢ or 50¢. Pay phones do not accept pennies, and few will take anything larger than a quarter. Make sure you have roaming turned on for your cellphone account.
If you will have high-speed Internet access in your room, save on calls by using Skype (www.skype.com), WhatsApp, or another Web-based calling app.
For calls within the United States and to Canada, dial 1 followed by the area code and the seven-digit number. For other international calls, first dial 011, then the country code, and then proceed with the number, dropping any leading zeroes.
Calls to area codes 800, 888, 877, and 866 are toll-free. However, calls to area codes 700 and 900 can be very expensive—usually a charge of 95¢ to $3 or more per minute, and they sometimes have minimum charges that can run as high as $15 or more.
For reversed-charge or collect calls, and for person-to-person calls, dial the number 0, then the area code and number. If your operator-assisted call is international, ask for the overseas operator.
For local directory assistance (“information”), dial 411; for long-distance information, dial 1, then the appropriate area code and 555-1212.
Time Orlando is on Eastern Standard Time, so when it’s noon in Orlando, it’s 11am in Chicago (CST), 10am in Denver (MST), and 9am in Los Angeles (PST). Daylight saving moves the clock 1 hour ahead of standard time. Clocks change the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November.
Tipping Tips are customary and should be factored into your budget. Waiters should receive 15% to 20% of the cost of the meal (depending on the quality of the service), bellhops get $1 per bag, bartenders get $1 per drink, chambermaids get $1 to $2 per day for straightening your room (although many people don’t do that last one), and cab drivers should get 15% of the fare. The Disney Dining Plan automatically includes gratuity. Don’t be offended if you are blatantly reminded to tip—it’s usually to remind international visitors, who don’t participate in the custom back home.
Toilets Each theme park has dozens of restrooms that are clean (at least at opening time). Outside the parks, every fast-food place—and there are hundreds—should have a restroom you can use. Lobbies of large hotels also have some.
Visas Citizens of western and central Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore need only a valid machine-readable passport and a round-trip air ticket or cruise ticket to enter the United States for stays of up to 90 days. Canadian citizens may enter without a visa with proof of residence.
Citizens of all other countries will need to obtain a tourist visa from the U.S. consulate. Depending on your country of origin, there may or may not be a charge attached (and you may or may not have to apply in person). Be sure to check with your local U.S. embassy or consulate for the very latest in entry requirements, because these continue to shift. Full information can be found at the U.S. State Department’s website, www.travel.state.gov.
Visitor Information Orlando has one of the friendliest visitors’ bureaus in America and it operates the Orlando Official Visitor Center (8102 International Dr.; www.visitorlando.com; 407/363-5872; daily 8am–9pm), on the west side of I-Drive just south of Sand Lake Road. It’s stocked from carpet to rafter with free brochures. Although many, many places in town claim to offer “official” tourist information, this is the only truly official place. Its ticket desk has the inside line on discounts, or use its free app for find them or communicate with a city expert.
Kissimmee, the town closest to Walt Disney World, maintains its own tourist bureau (www.experiencekissimmee.com; 800/333-5477). The Kissimmee CVB works with the Orlando bureau, so you won’t have to make two trips.
Water A powerful sense memory you will always carry after an Orlando vacation is the smell of the water. Tap water has a distinct mineral taste and aroma. Your hotel’s pipes are not to blame. Rather, think of Central Florida as an island floating over a cushion of deep mineral water. In fact, most of the city’s lakes started as sinkholes. Drinking water is drawn from the aquifer, hence the specific flavor and odor. Don’t worry. It’s safe. Likewise, your hotel pool smells of chlorine. And the water-based rides at the theme parks have an odor all their own: It’s bromine, a cleaning agent that’s favored in amusement rides because it’s longer-lasting and easier to maintain than chlorine. (Bet you didn’t know that. Aren’t you glad you bought this book?)
