Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
23
Fun Facts
Laying Out the International Welcome Mat
Orlando welcomes an average of slightly more than 2.8 million international visi-
tors each year. More than 75% cross an ocean to get to see the Mouse, with the
remaining 25% coming from America's neighbors to the north and south. The
British lead the international brigade, with an average of just over one million
citizens of the U.K. making the trip annually. Canada adds 783,000 to the mix,
while Brazil, Colombia, and Germany (rounding out the top five) bring another
900,000-plus visitors to the area.
U.K. Citizens:
HM Customs & Excise
at
&
0845/010-9000
(from outside the
U.K., 020/8929-0152), or consult their
website at
www.hmce.gov.uk
.
Australian Citizens:
Australian Cus-
toms Service
at
&
1300/363-263,
or log
on to
www.customs.gov.au
.
New Zealand Citizens:
New Zealand
Customs,
The Customhouse, 17-21
Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington
(
&
04/473-6099
or 0800/428-786;
www.
customs.govt.nz
).
MEDICAL
REQUIREMENTS
Unless you're arriving from an area known
to be suffering from an epidemic (particu-
larly cholera or yellow fever), inoculations
or vaccinations are not required for entry
into the United States.
2
3
GETTING THERE
GETTING TO ORLANDO
By Plane
THE MAJOR AIRLINES
There are
more than 50 scheduled airlines and sev-
eral more charter companies serving the
more than 37 million passengers who land
in Orlando each year.
Southwest
(
&
800/
435-9792;
www.southwest.com) has once
again recaptured the top spot, claiming
more than 21% of the flights in and out of
the
Orlando International Airport
(MCO). AirTran Airways
(
&
800/247-
8726;
www.airtran.com) claims second
place, at just over 11.5%, while
Delta
(
&
800/221-1212;
www.delta.com),
thanks to recent downsizing, comes in a
close third with slightly more than 11% of
the flights (though its recent merger with
Northwest would in theory place it at just
over 16% if they were to combine their
numbers).
Several so-called no-frills airlines (those
offering lower fares but providing few
or no amenities) also fly to Orlando,
including
Spirit Airlines
(
&
800/772-
7117;
www.spiritair.com).
jetBlue Airways
(
&
800/538-2583;
www.jetblue.com) is
another low-cost carrier that operates out
of a number of U.S. cities and offers direct
flights to Orlando out of New York City.
The latter has video screens offering 24
TV channels—a big plus for those travel-
ing with kids.
To find out which airlines travel to
Orlando, please see “Airline, Hotel & Car-
Rental Websites,” p. 392.
Orlando's Airports
Orlando International Airport
(
&
407/
825-2001;
www.state.fl.us/goaa) offers
direct or nonstop service from 73 U.S.
cities and two dozen international destina-
tions. Rated one of the top airports in the
