Unofficially we are saying good bye to Orlando as we know it as we are heading into Disney World for 2 weeks this morning. I have totally enjoyed our brief stay here in Orlando and it certainly has been different, we know that where we stayed and what we did was all about the tourist attractions and limited exposure to Orlando and what it has to offer but it has been great so far.

I have put a couple headline reviews together

People – Almost all Americans that we have come across have been very friendly and polite, the servers are more than willing to help you out for any request you have – but they need to right, considering their livelihood depends on it, but even when you are in the shops they are always saying excuse me sir/madam. Its funny though the pedestrian’s must have right of way over here as the cars will stop in the middle of the road waiting for you to cross it if it even looks like you are attempting to J-Walk across the road.

Shopping – Every block there are Disney shops all competing for your business, its funny though as we have found out that some prices are exactly the same but many items can vary from $2-$3 depending on what you are purchasing. We went to both of the main outlet malls and I out shopped Belinda both times, much to her disappointment – Why is this??  Well in our experience the necessary items (Jocks/Socks) are cheap $10 for 6 pairs of Nike socks as well as t-Shirts starting from $2. All other clothing is pretty much the same pricing metrics with bargains to be sought but the biggest difference is variety and quantity. For example the golf and general sport clothing is expensive in Aus based on quantity but here it is in its abundance and this is what drives the price down. I purchased 5 x Collar T-Shirts, 4 x Shorts, Pants, Light Jumper, Socks and a shirt all for $300, admittingly this is all Oakley, Nike or Adidas gear. Shoes however have not been cheaper at all, actually dearer on what we have seen so far. Lastly on shopping all the famous brands like Guess, CK, GAP etc do have discounted prices on items but you need to be aware as there stores are very confusing in regards to what is on sale and what is not.

Transport
We used the I-Trolley service which cost us $14 for unlimited use for 14 days, this was great value for what we needed and serviced us well. It goes to all the tourist attractions up the main strips as well as stops at Seaworld. If you need to go to Universal or Disney Parks most accommodation venues have organised shuttles to take you about at certain times. These are a good option which we used, the timings are very good as they allow you to get to the park on opening time and leaves generally about 30 minutes after the park closes. While we didn’t drive around anywhere it was good to observe – people still use their mobiles while driving (you can get fined) but can use them on stationary traffic lights. The other noticeable difference was hardly anyone drives with their windows down due to the humidity.

International Drive
This is the main road that has all plenty of attractions to see, shopping  as well as an abundant of dining options and has the I-Trolley service which makes it very easy. Some of the main attractions that we visited along this strip was Wonder Works, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Orlando Eye, Sealife, Shopping Outlets, Seaworld and many more.

Food
Before we left we had plenty of people suggesting that eating here is cheap, I did a bit of research before we left and the 1st point I wish to clarify is perhaps the difference in language as we call Entree in AUS a starter but here it is referred to as the main course.. As for the pricing, Steak is definitely cheap ($12-$15) but salads (Garden or Caesar) is at least $12 (US) with a majority of all places selling burgers. We have managed to find plenty of venues that allow you to eat healthy (medium) but they certainly lack in the vegetable department in all servings and your side salad is 95% leafy greens with a couple of cherry tomatoes.

The biggest shock for us here is that at least 70% of places we have seen our buffet style eating with bottomless soft drinks with one very respectable place we found which I liked a lot as it reminded me of the Jungle (back in Adelaide) – Brazilian Meat on Skewers. This place had a great selection of meats and very fresh and tasty salads – Cafe Mineiro.

The best place we ate in any park had to be Aquatica – cost was $15 (US) for another very fresh and tasty buffet that had a great choice of hot meats, salads, pasta and included dessert as well as the bottomless softdrink -but also water.

Not food related but the coffee is percolated at most venues and Starbucks is there coffee of choice but even then it’s only a 7/10 for me.

Tipping
When you travel to the USA you tip and we never know when to and it is confusing on how much etc, so the basic rule of thumb for us has been the following;

• Table Service Dining – you tip from 15 – 20% and sometimes it is already included in the bottom of the bill so make sure you check this out. I almost tipped $30 for a $70 experience
• Counter Service – like bars and  food court style maybe $1 for your entire purchase, if you are running a TAB don’t tip till the end. We didn’t tip at any of these places but rather through in my change (coins) into a tip Jar if they had one.
• Transport – Chauffeur style transport (taxis also) we tipped $1 per bag if they help you
• Retail Outlets – No

Our general guide was if the person has given us a personal experience and/or demonstrated good service then we have tipped, most of the time to the nearest dollar.

Attractions
Theme Parks have been awesome and would highly recommended them to everyone, with each Park giving you something different based on their theme. All the major parks are 100% clean throughout the parks and even the toilets have a rate me as you leave – this is pretty common through all the public toilets. A little fun fact for you that no attraction site sells chewing gum so there is no chance of finding old chewy stuck around.

Weather
The first week of weather was perfect around the high 20’s and dipping into the 30’s, the last 4 days have been hot, still only around 34 but the heat is like standing in front of an air heater – it’s hot not like Adelaide where it burns you just hot and humid..