Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
40
The U.S. National Park Service offers
an
America the Beautiful—National
Park and Federal Recreational Lands
Pass—Senior Pass
(formerly the
Golden
Age Passport
), which gives seniors 62
years or older lifetime entrance to all prop-
erties administered by the National Park
Service—national parks, monuments, his-
toric sites, recreation areas, and national
wildlife refuges—for a one-time process-
ing fee of $10. If you're going to the Cape
Canaveral National Seashore on an excur-
sion out of Orlando, it's a good bet. The
pass must be purchased in person at any
NPS facility that charges an entrance fee.
Besides free entry, the American the Beau-
tiful Senior Pass also offers a 50% discount
on some federal-use fees charged for such
facilities as camping, swimming, parking,
boat launching, and tours. For more infor-
mation, go to
www.nps.gov/fees_passes.
htm
or call the United States Geological
Survey (USGS), which issues the passes, at
&
888/275-8747.
For more information and resources on
travel for seniors, see
www.frommers.
com/planning
.
TRAVELING WITH PETS
For those of us who wouldn't dream of
going on vacation without our pets, more
and more lodgings are going the pet-
friendly route. Be aware, however, that
policies vary from property to property in
Orlando, so call ahead to find out the
particulars of your hotel.
None of the Disney resorts allow ani-
mals (except service dogs) to stay on the
premises or have their own kennels (the
only exception being Disney's Fort Wil-
derness Resort and Campground, where
you can have your pet at the full-hook-up
campsites), but resort guests are welcome
to board their animals overnight in kennel
facilities at the parks' four (soon to be five)
kennels. If you only require boarding dur-
ing the day, kennels are conveniently
located at all four Disney parks. Universal
Orlando & SeaWorld will board small
animals during the day only.
Universal's three Loews-run resorts do
allow pets on-site. In fact, “Loews Loves
Pets” is a program that caters to pets and
their families by offering such pet-friendly
amenities as food, leashes, bedding, toys,
and more. Pet walking, pet pagers, and
door hangers to let the resort staff know
that there is a pet in the room are also
available.
An excellent resource is
www.pets
welcome.com
, which dispenses medical
tips, names of animal-friendly lodgings
and campgrounds, and lists of kennels and
veterinarians. Also check out
www.dog
friendly.com
, which features links to
Orlando accommodations, eateries, attrac-
tions, and parks that welcome canine
companions.
For more resources about traveling with
pets, go to
www.frommers.com/planning
.
2
8
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
While sustainable travel may not be the
first thing you think of when heading to
the theme-park capital of the world,
Orlando takes the environment quite seri-
ously: understandable for an area that's
impacted so heavily by the millions of
tourists who visit from around the world
(a number that far exceeds the number of
actual area residents). As the city's largest
employers, Disney, Universal, and Sea-
World (among others) actively encourage
eco-friendly practices—on their own part
as well as on the part of the millions of
guests who pass through their gates, eat at
their restaurants, and stay at their hotels.
