F.A.Q.
Here's where we try to answer some of the more common questions (mainly potential U.K. visitors) ask about visiting Florida....
Q. When is
the best time of year to visit Florida? (There are a few websites kindly offering to charge you for ESTA registration - DON'T
be conned.......)
Please contact us if we can be of any assistance !
A. Any time of year
has advantages & disadvantages. Spring before Easter & Autumn before
Christmas are the 'low' seasons. The weather is normally mild & dry &
there are few queues to contend with. Parks open
late & close early (9 > 7 typically), but checkout Halloween specials
{especially at Universal}!
Summer brings more people in
school holiday time, the parks compensate by opening early & closing late (8
> 11 or later!).
It usually rains briefly mid-afternoon & can get
very hot & humid. Some of the water parks only open from late spring to early
autumn, check their web-sites. Christmas week sees the highest yearly attendance at
Disney, the lights & displays make it a 'magical' place....
Q. Where's the best place to book flights ?
A. Orlando's
main airport is Orlando International (MCO) - about 15 miles from our villa.
Sanford Airport (SFB) is used by most charter flights & is about 30 miles
further North - (but is an easy drive on the I 4).
We've used different agents nearly every visit, offers change
regularly, so we can
only offer general advice:- Look at Teletext pages for current offers (ITV page
222). Try:
Expedia;
Opodo; Airline
Network; Thomson;
Orbitz; The Flight Center advertises that it'll beat any fare
- 08708-900-988 (but never have for us...) We used First
Choice (Jan. '06) & were very pleased with legroom & service..
The same flight from different agents frequently varies significantly in price,
you need to spend some time on this one to get the best value !!
Q. What about money ?
A. You will need
$ (dollars) - Don't take £'s - totally useless...
Travelers'
cheques, although safest, can be difficult to cash as there are many
forgeries. Shops don't like high value ones, so if you use them, buy in fairly
low denominations. You will need cash for tolls, but can pay with
plastic (MasterCard or Visa) for nearly everything else. U.K. cards work fine
but most card issuers will charge
you 2.75% handling on all $ transactions (Nationwide don't).
Petrol is a
pain, most pumps take credit cards, but need a zip code to work... You'll have
to pay in advance at the till....
Q. What about car hire ?
A. It's
convenient (but usually NOT cheapest) to book flydrive
with your flight provider, however, give U.S.Car hire
a try. We use them frequently ('06/'07/'08/'09) - best deal around !
For your convenience, we suggest you
choose a car
hire company that has its' car park on-airport. Some bus you off-airport to collect your
car & bus you back to airport at end of hire...
Pay upfront for
car insurance in UK if you can - not at car-hire desk. You will usually only get the American equivalent of 3rd party
packaged with flydrive, totally useless as car hire co. won't let you drive
without SLI (supplementary liability) & CDW (collision damage
waiver) insurances which will be offered as "extras". Expect
to pay about £150 per week for a medium car all in.
WARNING: It's becoming normal for car hire clerks (commissioned) to
pressure you into buying "extras" even if you've bought a full package
from the UK. They know you've had a very long flight & regard you as a soft
touch.
Extra insurances & car upgrades (both overpriced &
unnecessary) are common...
NOTE: We got well &
truly stung by DOLLAR (June 2005). As we traveled with one extra body, we
"upgraded" from a convertible to an SUV at Sanford. DOLLAR kindly
billed our credit card an EXTRA $848 after the desk-clerk had told us that excess charges
would not apply !! We don't recommend Dollar Car Rental...
Q. Theme Park Tickets ?
A. Park tickets will be one of your major expenses, about £35 per adult (over 9 years old) ticket per day,
although discounts on multi-day tickets are common. Remember that 1 day in a
major park will last from 9am 'till 10pm (ish), so are relatively good value !
You can buy on-line from U.K. easily: Ticketmania
, Park tickets
, any Park website - (try the links on our homepage) or look at our webpage:
"Tickets".
Please be aware that offers for 'free' or very cheap tickets are usually tied to
compulsory timeshare/ condo presentations.....
We earnestly recommend that you DON'T
buy from roadside vendors selling "part-used" tickets - all the major
parks use fingerprint ID & you may well be very disappointed....
Some sites offer "E-tickets" that you print on your local printer & take with you.
These work really well - save quite a bit of queuing !!
Q. Will we need pool heating ?
A. That very much depends on yourselves... Some like a fairly cool pool (relative to air temp.) & others like it hot !!
Please see Poolheating for the best advice we can give...
Q. When & where do we collect the key to your villa ?
A. The key is in a tiny combination safe outside the villa.
You keep it for the duration of your holiday.
Q. Is the villa in a "nice" area?
A. Lindfields development was one of the first built West of Disney in about 1992 when land in the area was relatively cheap. Consequently, the area benefits from wide roads & generous plot-sizes.
Our villa is on a well lit, quiet road at the back of the area. See "Lindfields" for more info...
Q. Can we book mid-week to
mid-week ?
A. Flights mid-week are usually significantly cheaper than weekend,
we are happy to accommodate you if the villa isn't previously booked.
Q. Are there any other
charges ?
A. We quote you an "all in" price
which includes electricity, bed linen, pool & bath towels, local 'phone calls,
use of wireless broadband internet, digital safe, crib (playpen), stroller
(pushchair), high chair and final clean plus the 13% Florida Sales
& tourist tax which we are obliged to collect... The
villa is completely valeted before your visit. The only additional charge is for
optional pool heating. This must be arranged at time of
booking as it takes 48 hours to bring the pool up to temperature in the 'winter'
months. (Usually November - March). We have a solar pool blanket you can use to limit
night-time heat loss.
Q. What time can we arrive / depart ?
A. The villa is available from 3pm on your arrival date until 10am on your date of departure.
This allows time for our housekeeping team to thoroughly clean the villa. Early
arrivals / late
departures can usually be pre-arranged if required.
Q. How do we find the villa ?
A. If you book our villa, we send you full driving directions from
either Sanford or Orlando airports, related maps &
shortcuts. If you need any other info.
just ask....
Q. Are there any 'quick' ways from your area to Disney?
A. Yes !!! - See our webpage: "Shortcuts"...
Q. Can we book for more
than 2 weeks ?
A. If the villa isn't
previously booked, we welcome longer rentals (2 weeks is never enough!). We offer reduced rates for longer stays, please get in touch.
Q. We don't wish to hire a car, is your villa accessible
?
A. We can arrange a 'meet & greet' service from
either airport for you & taxis are available. However, if you wish to visit
Orlando but not drive, we would honestly recommend you find accommodation in the
International Drive area & take advantage of the excellent Tram services there.
Q. We've previously stayed in
places with noisy air-conditioning & not slept well ?
A. Our villa has a very
quiet (new Jan. 2008) central air-con. unit deliberately sited in the far corner of the garage
to create as little disturbance as possible. The compressor unit is outside the garage.
Q. The distance from the theme parks varies between
web-sites, why?
A. Some sites use 'as the crow flies' measurement to make
distances seem shorter ! Lindfields is about 3 miles from Disney measured
directly, but 5 miles drive (or less - see shortcuts).
As a rule, the estates to the West of Disney have easier access as the traffic gets heavier the further
East
you go on the 192 with more traffic lights. Travel to Universal & Sea World
is easier now they've extended International Drive to the 192. Please take
claims of "5 minutes from Disney" with a pinch of salt!
Lindfields is one of the closest developments. Our villa is at: 28° 19' 48.45N
- 81° 38' 13.07W on Google Earth !!!
Q. We would like to play golf during our visit?
A. Orange County golf is about 1.5 miles away !! Also see our webpage
"Golf"...
Q. We would like to visit NASA / the Gulf Coast during our
visit, is it easy to reach either of these from your villa ?
A. Kennedy Space Centre is about 50 miles away on
Merritt Island, very well worth a visit, schedule a whole day. The Gulf Coast is
about 55 miles, aim south of Tampa for some of the best sugar-sand & shell beaches.
Q. We would like to visit the Florida Keys / Everglades during our visit ?
A. As it's about 200 miles (3 hours minimum)
to the top of the Keys, not really a day trip. Either think about a two-centre
holiday or book B/B for a night. There is a 50 max. limit right down through the
Keys, so Key West's a further 3 hours at least !!
Q. If we book from UK, can we deduct the 13% tax?
A. Unfortunately, as the villa's in Florida, we have to pay local taxes !
Q. Will the proposed changes to the U.S. visa waiver scheme affect our holiday ?
A. Please use this link to read relating
info: U.S.Visa Requirements.
Q. What is "ESTA" and how does it effect us ??
A. The on-line ESTA form has replaced the green immigration form
previously filled
in on the 'plane
en route to the US.
You MUST complete this registration on-line AT LEAST 2 days before travel to the US.
This link will take you directly to the correct webpage: ESTA
Form.
Please note that is is COMPULSORY to complete this form
& that it is FREE to register.
Registration lasts 2 years, we recommend that you note your registration
number(s) in your passport(s)...
