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.

On the Road

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.

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 89'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.

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 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.