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Ian Lewis 1 |
| Gender: | Male | | Lives in: | United Kingdom | | Registered: | 29 May 2002 | | Last visit: | 30 March 2007 |
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| Orlando Travel Guide: Orlando Guide
| | Written by Ian Lewis 1 on 05 Apr 2006 about a trip in Mar 2004.
Trip was for a couple on holiday. Ian Lewis 1 would definitely visit again.
| Orlando shopping | | There are a number of large malls in Orlando and a lot of people go purely for the shopping. Compared to the UK, clothing is cheap and there are many bargains to be had.
Some malls that are a must are Orlando Premium Outlets, Prime Factory Outlet World (formally Beltz), Florida Mall and Mall at Millenia. Some malls offer discount vouchers at their receptions giving you further discounts too. |
Orlando nightlife | | The problem with nightlife in Orlando is, as it is spread out so much, you end up paying large taxi bills to get around.
Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney and CityWalk at Universal are a good place to go. You pay a one off fee to get in then have access to a number of bars and clubs. You avoid the taxiing around too, but depending on where you stay, can be a good distance to get to. There are a number of pubs and clubs on International Drive and is also worth a visit. |
Orlando restaurants | | Orlando has a vast variation of restaurants, with pretty much all tastes covered. One thing you will soon find out is that the portions are much bigger than in the UK. I would say by about 30%. Food is also cheaper than in the UK.
Most people eat out for breakfast as many people avoid eating in the theme parks and go all the way until tea time to eat again.
10%-15% tipping is usually the norm, as a lot of the waiters/waitresses don’t get paid much and rely on tipping to make a decent living.
Places to try are Downtown Disney which has a Planet Hollywood and Rainforest Cafe, CityWalk at Universal which has Hard Rock Café among others, International Drive has a large number of good restaurants and my personal favourite, but is on the more expensive side is Charlies Steakhouse |
Orlando attractions | | | Orlando has some of the best theme parks in the world. Disney has a number of theme parks for varying tastes and also have some great water parks. Universal also have a couple of theme parks (and in my opinion the best) but it all depends on what you like. Universal theme parks cater for people who like roller coasters and thrill rides which are usually movie/comic based (like the Hulk, Jaws, Men in Black). Disney theme parks cover younger kids with Magic Kingdon, movie goers with MGM, animal lovers with Animal Kingdom and if you are interested in other countries of the world then Epcot is the place to go (including London which is odd when you see the old red phone box in Orlando). |
Orlando day trips | | A little out of Orlando in Tampa is Busch Gardens. This is a fantastic theme park with top rides and wildlife.
If your not into theme parks, there is still a vast amount to see and do. If you don’t mind going out of Orlando, the Kennedy Space centre is well worth a visit, and on the opposite side of Florida, is Clearwater which has beautiful white sandy beaches and has warm waters as it is on the Gulf of Mexico. |
Orlando History and Culture | | What more do you want for a holiday destination, sun most of the year round, some of the best theme parks in the world, great shopping and some of the top restuarants in america. You will never get bored here.
Orlando is made up of a number of areas including Disney, Universal, International Drive, Kissimmee and Lake Buena Vista. |
Getting around Orlando | Car is far and away the best form of transport in getting around Orlando. Although public transport is very good, spending 5 minutes in the mid day sun waiting for a bus is not very nice and not recommended. The attractions are well spread out and the highway links are very good and well sign posted to all the major attractions like Disney, Universal etc.
One thing to ensure is you have some dollar bills to get you through the toll booths. They are generally cheap but some people get caught out when leaving Orlando International airport and hit a toll booth with no change. The other local airport is Sanford, which is a little further away than Orlando International airport but is not excessive to drive too and from it. |
When to visit Orlando | | As you are no doubt aware, the state of Florida does get hit from time to time by hurricanes. They generally hit during the summer months. The best times to visit are Spring and Autumn. You will find it cheaper in the summer months but you take the risk of being in a hurricane (although it is a slim one). You will tend to find it rains too in the summer months but is usually only for a short time. |
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Orlando Hotel Reviews
Ian Lewis 1 reviewed these Orlando hotels...
| Sheraton Vistana Village review |  | | Vistana - Orlando - 2004 | | I have stayed here twice, and both times I was extremely impressed. Rooms are very nice, there are a number of pools around the complex, lots of other sports like tennis and basketball etc. You... |
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