Travelling around Orlando

Driving in or travelling around another country is always a daunting experience, but don’t worry, with the help of this handy guide we’ll give you our top hints and tips to make exploring Orlando a breeze!

For the convenience and freedom to explore that you’ll probably want when staying in Orlando, the best way to get around the area is by car. You can book a range of cars with us for great prices, from standard cars and SUVs to minibuses, all dependent on your needs. Check our website for a range of car-hire options. As you book, we show all of the insurance and fuel options available to you, so you can make the best decisions about your rental needs. We generally recommend that you opt to return the car with fuel when selecting a fuel option, as there may be a ‘re-fuelling surcharge’ applied by the rental company, which could work out more expensive than refuelling yourself!

Remember, everyone who wants to be added to the car hire agreement must present their driving licence when collecting the vehicle, and the lead driver needs to have a credit card in their name for a security deposit.

Top Orlando driving tips

• You must carry your driving licence and car hire agreement with you at all times – not doing so is an offence.
• Unlike in the UK, you can be passed by traffic on both sides on multi-lane roads – so make use of your mirrors!
• Keep plenty of 25 cent coins with you in the car – although you aren’t likely to encounter many automatic toll booths, you’ll need coins to be able to pay for road access!
• If you have children aged 5 or younger with you, they need to be in a car seat. It’s more cost effective to buy a cheap booster seat from Halfords or similar, than hiring one from the car rental company when you get there!

Why not hire a sat nav system from us to make getting around more straight forward? It’ll save the family arguments over which is the right road to take, as well as showing you the optimum route to your location. If you hire direct from us it’ll also work out cheaper than getting one from the car rental company when you arrive (we charge £2.50 per night, plus a one-off fee of £17.50†, car hire companies start at around £12 per day!). Before you have even left the UK we’ll send it out to you, ready to pop into your luggage and retrieve from your bag on arrival. You don’t even need to worry about paying to return it – we provide a pre-paid envelope for you to send it back it to us once your holiday is over.

There are plenty more tips for driving around Orlando in the booklet we send you when you book with us, which will help make being behind the wheel in Florida a doddle!

If you don’t have a driving licence, are nervous about driving in the US, or even just want to enjoy a few drinks on a night out, then you should check out the taxi options available to you in Orlando. The main two taxi services that have come to the fore in the last few years are Uber and Lyft, which can both be booked with the help of a convenient mobile app. The major advantage of using these services is that you have an estimate of the cost of your journey before booking; you can even do this before leaving the UK!

Uber: www.uber.com Lyft: www.lyft.com

Make sure that you download the Uber app before leaving the UK though, as you’ll need to verify your account before you arrive in Orlando. For convenience, you can pick up pre-paid Uber cards at chains such as Walgreens, which are loaded with balances of between $15 and $200, and will save you having to worry about working out the exchange rate while paying on your card.

TIP: You might even want to consider using one of the taxi services we’ve mentioned to take you from your villa to the theme parks, as you can avoid the expense of parking, fuel, and have the convenience of being dropped off – a win-win situation!

Shuttle buses run from certain communities††, check in the community clubhouse to find out whether there is a shuttle service available. Windsor Hills, for example runs a chargeable shuttle bus service to the theme parks. If you have a large party though, it will work out cheaper to drive and park at the attractions.

If you have bought one of our Busch Gardens ticket packages, you are entitled to free coach transportation on the Busch Gardens Shuttle Express! Departing from SeaWorld, plus various locations around International Drive and Kissimmee, this is a popular service that fills up quickly, so you’ll need to make a reservation by calling 1-800-221-1339 while you are in Orlando, or see this webpage for more details.

The I-RIDE Trolley is a great option for visitors staying in or travelling around the International Drive area. This map shows all of the stops on the I-RIDE system. With single trips costing just $2 per adult, $1 per child, 25 cents for over 65s, or $5 for the whole day. It is a quick way to travel around the area and explore all the local attractions. You’ll need to make sure you have exact cash though, as drivers don’t carry change, and if you want to buy daily passes (there are additional multi-day passes available) you’ll have to do that on the I-RIDE Trolley website.

If you have time to explore, then the Lynx Bus system might work out well for you. This is a very cheap way of exploring Orlando and the surrounding areas, with costs set at just $2 per single ride, or just $4.50 for an all-day pass. There is a map of the entire lynx system on the company’s webpage, and you can see how extensive it is! From here you can travel from the Kissimmee area to the Disney parks and further afield, however it will take some time to reach your destination, and you will need to plan your route ahead. There is an app that you can download for either Android or Apple devices that will help you work out which bus you need to catch, and the estimated arrival times at your stop.

As you can see, there are plenty of transport options in and around Orlando, so you needn’t be stuck when trying to get from A-B! Due to the convenience factor, car or taxi will inevitably be the best option, offering you the freedom to go wherever you want at any time you choose. However you decide to travel, we hope you have found this blog of interest – let us know if you have any top tips to share when travelling in Orlando!

† Minimum charge of 7 nights. †† Debbie's Villas is not responsible for any amendments or changes to the shuttle bus service.