Orlando, Florida Hotels and City Guide

Orlando - Travel Tips

When to Visit Orlando

Tourist traffic in Florida is as predictable as a summer thunderstorm. When school is out in the US and around the world, tourist traffic is heavy. When school is in session, you can go on every ride in a theme park by lunch time. Of course, scheduling time off for mom, dad and the kids during the middle of October is almost impossible, which is why many theme parks are left scrambling to attract locals during this time of year.

Seasons

Spring: Spring means one thing in the Orlando area – Spring Break. While Orlando itself isn’t quite the spring break destination that some places are (you won’t find beach access easily), you have a series of events starting with the Daytona 500 in February and continuing on with Spring Break, Black College Reunion, Bike Week and other events that make this time of year an absolute zoo, especially if you want to get out of Orlando and see the rest of Central Florida. The weather during this time of year is quite nice. The end of April and May can be as warm as any summer up north, but March is beautiful, albeit a bit busy.

Summer: Summer in Orlando is incredibly hot. Before you have packed your shorts and funny t-shirts, make sure you have a water bottle with you and a six-pack of sunscreen. Nothing can short circuit a vacation faster than a severe sunburn, but so many pale people from all over the world assume that they don’t need it and then spend the rest of their vacation in pain. Temps in the summer can get into triple digits and the humidity is regularly around 90 percent. The parks are often full since this is the only time people can get away with the whole family, so try to take advantage of the ride programs featured in all the parks that let you schedule your ride time instead of standing around waiting in lines. The water parks are extremely popular during the summer, but try to arrive early so you can get the most trips down the waterslide in before things get too crazy.

Fall: There is nothing like visiting Disney or Universal on an early October morning. The park is almost completely empty, the temps are reasonable again and you can literally see everything in one day and have time to get home by dinner. October was once the slowest time of the year until the smart marketing minds at Universal came up with Halloween Horror Nights, which has singlehandedly brought this time of year to life at the Universal parks. If you are a teen or adult and you enjoy being scared, this is an absolute MUST. In fact, Horror Nights comes so highly recommended that you may want to consider rescheduling your vacation for October just so you can enjoy it.

Winter: With the exception of American Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, wintertime may be the best time of the year to visit Orlando. All of November is very quiet until the third week of the month, and the same goes for December. In fact, many locals will tell you that the first two weeks of December are the ideal time to head to Orlando, but you should look out for early closing times (sometimes as early as 6pm) at the theme parks. Christmas and New Years can be incredibly busy in the parks, but early January is quiet again until the spring festivals rev up again.

Local Holidays:

There aren’t any really remarkable local holidays and the theme parks stay open on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas just like any other day of the year. Here’s a quick list to get you by, though, for smaller venues.

New Year's Day (January 1)
Martin Luther King's Birthday (third Monday in January)
Washington's Birthday (third Monday in February)
Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
Independence Day (July 4)
Labor Day (first Monday in September)
Discoverers' Day (second Monday in October)
Veterans' Day (November 11)
Thanksgiving (last Thursday in November)
Christmas (December 25)

Orlando Local Customs & Etiquette

Drinking

The drinking age in Florida, as it is throughout the United States, is 21. Many area bartenders are used to looking at foreign identification, so don’t feel that you have to have a US driver’s licence to get served, but be sure you have your ID with you at all times. Many bars have a strict policy where they card anyone who looks under the age of 40, as the penalty by the state for serving someone underage is incredibly stiff. If at all possible, have two pieces of picture ID on you at any given time. Last call in the city of Orlando is 2am, although some places by the theme parks have their own rules. You are not allowed to carry a drink outside, and the penalties for drinking and driving are incredibly severe, so just call a cab or your hotel if you need a lift home.

Smoking

Smoking is all but banned in Orlando, as it is in many US cities. You won’t be able to smoke in a bar, in a restaurant or even in a cab in most cases. In many places, you won’t even be able to stand under an awning to smoke as many businesses have begun requiring people to stand a certain distance from the door to smoke. You can still find a handful of smoking hotel rooms within the city limits, but they are few and far between.

Tipping Advice

It is legal in the state of Florida for workers who collect tips to be paid under $4 an hour, so in most cases, once taxes have been taken out of a person’s check, they are left with nothing but what you give them. Generally speaking, you want to tip 15 percent for a good meal, 20 percent if the service was excellent. Make sure you tip those that clean your room a dollar per day or maybe a bit more if you have lots of special requests. If you’ve come to Orlando to play golf, be generous with your caddy. It is very likely hot outside and they have worked very hard to make this round of golf memorable for you.

Health and Security

Crimes against tourists are rare occurrences. The most common crime you hear about is rental car break-ins, so don’t leave valuables in plain sight, or anything in plain sight for that matter. Stay away from the downtown Parramore district at night, as well as South Orange Blossom Trail in the area around the Citrus Bowl stadium. You’ll also want to avoid the Pine Hills neighborhood, but there is nothing to see there even in the daytime, so you likely won’t have to worry about it. If you do need police assistance, call 911 right away.

Orlando has two different hospital systems: Orlando Health and Florida Hospital. Should you require health assistance while you are visiting, don’t hesitate to find an emergency clinic or the emergency room of one of these two facilities.

Tax Refunds

There is no VAT in the United States, but it’s important to check with your embassy. You may be able to save on the amount of tax you pay if you ask to have your item shipped home. On most purchases, you will pay a federal tax and a state tax, but some retailers will refund your state tax if they know that you aren’t from Florida and that your item is being shipped out of state. This can be a great deal if you have purchased something big and heavy that you don’t want to take on the plane home, anyway. You can also take advantage of duty free shopping at Orlando International Airport and at several locations around the city. Your order will be sent to the airport and you can pick it up at the gate right before you board your plane. The sales tax on most items (excluding groceries) is 8.25%. The tax on hotel rooms is between 8.05% and 12%.

Hotels in Orlando, Florida