Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ELECTRICITY
Like Canada, the United
States uses 110 to 120 volts AC (60
cycles), compared to 220 to 240 volts AC
(50 cycles) in most of Europe, Australia,
and New Zealand. Downward converters
that change 220 to 240 volts to 110 to 120
volts are difficult to find in the United
States, so bring one with you.
EMBASSIES & CONSULATES
All
embassies are located in the nation's capital,
Washington, D.C. Some consulates are
located in major U.S. cities, and most
nations have a mission to the United Nations
in New York City. If your country isn't listed
below, call for directory information in
Washington, D.C. (
&
202/555-1212
) or
check
www.embassy.org/embassies
.
The embassy of
Australia
is at 1601
Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20036 (
&
202/797-3000
).
The embassy of
Canada
is at 501 Penn-
sylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20001 (
&
202/682-1740;
www.canadian
embassy.org). Other Canadian consulates
are in Buffalo (New York), Detroit, Los
Angeles, New York, and Seattle.
The embassy of
Ireland
is at 2234 Mas-
sachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20008 (
&
202/462-3939;
www.ireland
emb.org). Irish consulates are in Boston,
Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and
other cities. See website for complete
listing.
The embassy of
New Zealand
is at
37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington,
DC 20008 (
&
202/328-4800;
www.
nzembassy.com). New Zealand consulates
are in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, San
Francisco, and Seattle.
The embassy of the
United Kingdom
is
at 3100 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washing-
ton, DC 20008 (
&
202/588-7800;
www.
britainusa.com). British consulates are in
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland,
Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San
Francisco, and Seattle.
EMERGENCIES
Call
&
911
to report a
fire, contact the police, or get an ambulance.
387
number for the
Poison Control Center
(
&
800/282-3171
). To find a dentist, call
the
Dental Referral Service
at
&
800/
235-4111
or go online to
www.dental
referral.com
.
Doctors on Call Service
(
&
407/399-
3627
) makes house and room calls in most
of the Orlando area (including the Disney
resorts).
Centra Care
has several walk-in
clinics listed in the Yellow Pages, including
ones on Sand Lake Road, near Universal
(
&
407/851-6478
); at Lake Buena Vista,
near Disney (
&
407/934-2273
); and on
U.S. 192 (W. Irlo Bronson Hwy.) in the
Formosa Gardens shopping center (
&
407/
397-7032
). The
Medical Concierge
(
&
407/648-5252;
www.themedical
concierge.com) makes “hotel house calls,”
has a walk-in clinic (listed in the Yellow
Pages), arranges emergency dental appoint-
ments, and rents medical equipment.
DRINKING LAWS
The legal age for
purchase and consumption of alcoholic
beverages is 21; proof of age is required and
often requested at bars, nightclubs, and res-
taurants, so it's always a good idea to bring
ID when you go out. No liquor is served in
the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
Alcoholic drinks are available, however, at
the other Disney parks, at SeaWorld, and
are quite evident at Universal Orlando's
parks (even more so at its seasonal celebra-
tions). Bars are required to stop serving
alcohol at 2am, but don't necessarily close at
that time. Do not carry open containers of
alcohol in your car or any public area that
isn't zoned for alcohol consumption—the
police can fine you on the spot. Florida blue
laws prohibit the sale of alcohol on Sundays
before noon in Orange County and before
1pm in Osceola County. And nothing will
ruin your trip faster than getting a citation
for DUI (“driving under the influence”), so
don't even think about driving while intoxi-
cated.
DRIVING RULES
See “Orientation,”on
p. 59, and “Getting Around,” on p. 64.
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