The Attractions - Organisation is the key. Plan out your entire holiday even before your holiday starts. Make sure that a late night is not followed by an early morning start to another busy day. Collect the day's schedule of events as you enter each Park and plan your day around the special shows. Don't forget to get a map of the Park. Walk to the furthest point from the entrance and work your way back to avoid the queues. If the ride/show has two queues choose the left. Most people automatically go to the right.

Make sure that everyone in your party has suitable clothing and comfortable shoes for the hundreds of miles you will walk during your holiday. (It will feel like you've walked hundreds of miles). Take plenty of sun block and cover up, you can easily get burned just walking around. Hats and sunglasses are a must for adults as well as children. Make plenty of drink stops to rest aching feet and to avoid dehydration. You will find plenty of free water fountains. And finally, make a note of where you parked your car. Car parks are enormous and believe me it's true: all rental cars do look the same.

Driving - In the U.S.A. you drive on the right hand side of the road. You WILL be fined for speeding. You are not allowed to drink and drive and you must turn on your headlights when driving in rain or reduced visibility. Unless otherwise stated, you may turn RIGHT at a RED traffic light providing of course that it is safe to do so. When crossing the road on foot, make sure that you look LEFT first.

When going to petrol stations, you may be required to pay before filling up. All cars use regular unleaded petrol and it is cheaper to use Self Service stations.
if you are stopped by the police for any reason you must stay in your vehicle until the officer comes to you. Do not attempt to get out of the car. If you do not have both your driving license and rental agreement with you, you can be fined.

Should you have an accident, you MUST report it to the local Police. You must not leave the scene of an accident and you must ask for a copy of the report for your car rental company. You should then telephone your car rental company and advise them of the situation

Never Drink and Drive, it is illegal in the State of Florida to visibly carry alcohol or to have an opened container of alcohol in the vehicle. If you are found guilty of Driving Whilst Intoxicated, you will go to prison.

On multi-lane roads, you can be overtaken by vehicles in both the outside and inside lanes. American drivers in general will not allow you to cut in so make sure that you are in the correct lane at junctions. Roads are much wider than in the U.K. and driving tends to be easier. Rush hour is normally between 7:00 and 10:30 in the morning and between 15:00 and 19:00 in the afternoon.

You are required to STOP if a school bus stops, even if you are on the other side of the road. It is illegal to overtake a school bus when it is stopped for loading or unloading passengers. You should remain stationary until all the children are clear of the road and the bus has moved off. When entering a school district, watch out for reduced speed signs.

Do we Speak the same language? - When it comes to driving, there are a number of language differences. Here are a few of the most common:

Health & Safety - As with most major cities around the world, including Great Britain, it is worth following a few simple common sense rules on safety. When in areas frequented by both tourists and residents such as shopping malls and supermarkets, don't carry video cameras etc. Lock them safely in the boot of the car. Always stay within the tourist areas at night and return home when the shops close. Avoid wearing expensive jewellery and bum bags stuffed full of Travellers Cheques. If you walk around looking like you are worth mugging, someone may be tempted. As a golden rule, if you wouldn't do it in London, don't do it in Orlando . The Orlando Police are very helpful and much more visible than in the U.K.

THE EMERGENCY NUMBER FOR POLICE, FIRE AND AMBULANCE IS 911

British Consulate - Should you lose your passport during your holiday, the British Consulate is at Sun Bank Tower, Suite 2110, South Orange Avenue, Orlando. Telephone (407) 426 7855.

Climate & Dress - The following is a guide to the type of temperatures you can expect on your holiday.

• Spring: March - May. High temperatures in the upper 80's, possible lows 50's. Wear shorts and light clothing for daytime. Light sweater for cooler evenings.
• Summer: June - September. Daily high temperatures in upper 90's with evening temperatures averaging 70's. Thunderstorms and showers likely in afternoons usually lasting about one hour. Wear shorts and light clothing. Sun protection is a MUST.
• Autumn: October - Mid December. Daily temperatures around 80's with evenings in the 60's. Light clothing should be worn in the daytime with sweater or jacket for evenings.
• Winter: Mid December - February. Daily high temperatures in the 60's to 70's with lows in the 40's. Shorts and light clothing may be worn in the daytime with jacket or light coat for evening wear.

Dining Out - There is a huge variety of restaurants in Florida , enough to suit every taste from traditional American food to Indian, Italian, Mexican and Chinese. Most restaurants will expect you to dress in shirt and shoes at all times. It is customary to dress for dinner in many restaurants. Of course most people think of fast food outlets when they think of America and of course there is no shortage of them.

Do we speak the same language? - When it come to eating, there are a number of languages differences. Here are a few of the most common:

Drinking - Most bars are within restaurants although a number of novelty, bars resembling English Pubs have sprung up all over Kissimmee. Many bars have "Happy Hour" with half price drinks. The legal drinking age in Florida is 21. You must have a picture I.D. if you want to be served in a bar or supermarket. If you intend going out for the evening make sure that you get a taxi or that one of your party is not drinking. Drink drive laws are very strict and you could face imprisonment.

Tipping - Tipping is customary in bars and restaurants even for only one drink. Bar staff and waiters not only rely on your tips to supplement their income, they actually pay income tax based on the estimated value of their tips. An average tip would be in the region of between 15% and 20% of the total bill including drinks.

Clothing - Clothing and footwear are much cheaper in Florida than in the U.K. especially if you visit one of the shopping malls such as Beltz Factory Outlet Mall at the end of International Drive. Don't forget that American sizes are different to both English and European sizes. Whilst men's clothing is the same, women's clothing is different. A US size 12 is the equivalent to an English size 14 or a European 42. Men's shoes are normally one size larger and women's shoes one and a half sizes larger.

Video Cassettes & DVD - These will only play if your Video recorder and TV support the NTSC format or your DVD player supports Region 1 DVDs. A number of the attractions do sell souvenir videos which are clearly marked "PAL" these tapes will play back home on all Video Recorders. If you hire a Video Camera make sure it is "PAL" format. You will also have a problem purchasing mains electrical goods as the US voltage is only 110.

Banks, Credit Cards & Local Sales TAX - Banks are normally open between 09:00 and 16:00 Monday to Friday and close on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. Larger branches operate a "drive thru" service on Saturdays. Sun Trust Bank has branches at The Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Sea World. Most Banks will accept credit cards for cash advances or Travellers Cheques. Cash advances can be obtained from the ATM machines if you have your PIN number. Travellers Cheques are accepted in all shops although you should avoid high denominations.

Florida Sales TAX is not included in prices in the shops and will be added on at the checkout. At present, 6% tax is added to all purchases in Orange County and 7% in Osceola County.

Postage Stamps - Stamps are available from vending machines located within almost every shop and supermarket. These machines do not issue stamps at face value.

YOUR HOLIDAY VILLA

Voltage: The American power supply is 110 volts. Dual voltage items such as hair dryers will operate with an American adapter. Adapters can be purchased from most supermarkets in the U.K. Please remember that ALL electrical items must be carried in your hand luggage.

Telephone: A telephone has been installed in your villa, which you may use during your stay. This service will accept all incoming calls but only allows local and emergency direct dialled outgoing calls. These calls are FREE of charge. If you use the telephone for long distance or international calls you will need your credit card handy to pay for the call charges. This service is much more expensive than public payphones. To call the U.K. from the States, you need to dial the International Code (01144) then omit the first zero of the STD code.

Swimming Pool: Please exercise extreme caution near the pool, especially when young children are in your party. The pool will be over 5ft deep in places. NEVER use crockery or glassware on the patio area or by the pool. Plastic cups and plates are provided for pool use. Our MC will regularly check the pool to ensure the correct chemical balance. Please contact the MC if you have any problems. Do not tamper with the pump or filtration system as you could permanently damage the pool which will cost YOU up to $25,000 to repair.

IMPORTANT: Please remember that your holiday villa is located in an American Residential Community, most of your neighbours will NOT be on holiday. Consideration should be extended to other residents, especially early mornings, late at night and around the pool and patio area.

NOTE: If you have any questions relating to the Villa or your holiday in Florida to do not hesitate in contacting us with your question. Click here for details on how to contact us.