Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BY MOTORCYCLE
The increasing popularity of Bike Week in
nearby Daytona Beach and a growing
number of weekend road warriors have
sparked an increase in places specializing
in motorcycle rentals. The Harley David-
son, in all shapes and sizes, is the most
popular. You must be at least 21 and some-
times 25 years of age, have a motorcycle
license, and a major credit card. Rental
fees can run between $489 and $1,152 for
a week or between $99 and $195 per day
including helmets and raingear. You can
rent bikes at
American V Twin,
5101
International Dr. (
&
888/268-8946
or
407/903-0058; www.amvtwin.com),
Orlando Harley Davidson,
3770 37th
St. (
&
407/423-0346
),
South Orlando
Harley Davidson,
5881 W. Irlo Bronson
Hwy. (
&
407/994-3700
), and
Eaglerider
Motorcycle Rentals,
1233 Sand Lake Rd.
(
&
407/438-4055
). Reserve your bike
months in advance if you're going to be
here during Bike Week, late February to
early March, or Biketoberfest (also in Day-
tona) in mid-October.
69
note of the location, and call the police by
dialing
&
911
to make them aware of the
situation.
Park in well-lit, well-traveled areas
whenever possible. Keep your doors
locked, whether you're inside the car or
not. Look around before you get out and
never leave packages, pocketbooks, or any
kind of valuables in sight. Although
theme-park lots are patrolled, it's best to
secure your valuables at all times. For an
added measure of security, you can always
lock things in the lockers available near all
of the park entrances. If it is an item you
really don't need with you that day, use the
hotel safe for storage and don't even bring
it along.
If someone tries to rob you or steal your
car, don't resist. Report the incident to the
police immediately.
BY BUS
Stops for the
Lynx
bus system (
&
407/
841-5969;
www.golynx.com) are marked
with a paw print. It will get you to Disney,
Universal, and I-Drive (one-way fare is $2
adults, $1 kids in grades K-12 with valid
school ID, free for kids [up to 3 per paying
adult] 6 and younger; express passes and
daylong passes are available as well), but
it's generally not very tourist-friendly.
Mears Transportation
(
&
407/423-
5566;
www.mearstransportation.com)
operates buses to all the major attractions,
including Kennedy Space Center, Univer-
sal Studios, SeaWorld, and Busch Gardens
(yes, in Tampa), among others. Their ser-
vice is the largest in the area, and with
good reason. Rates will vary based on
where you are going and where you are
coming from, of course, so call ahead for
the particulars. Many of the area hotels use
Mears for their shuttle service to the parks
and attractions. If your hotel does not
provide free shuttle service, make sure you
compare the costs of taking shuttles to the
cost of renting a car before deciding on
your transportation; the car will often be
the cheaper way to go.
3
BY TAXI
Taxis will line up in front of major hotels in
addition to a few smaller properties. The
front desk will be more than happy to hail
one for you. If you wish, you can also call
Yellow Cab
(
&
407/699-9999
) and
Ace
Metro
(
&
407/855-1111
) on your own.
Both are good choices; however, rates can
run as high as $3.25 for the first mile and
$1.75 per mile thereafter, though occasion-
ally you can get a flat rate if you ask. Yellow
Cab (a division of Mears Transportation)
features a fare estimator on their website
(
www.mearstransportation.com
)—just
click on the “Taxi Service” icon and the
“Fare Estimator” icon will come up. In
general, cabs are economical only if you
have four or five people aboard and aren't
going very far or using them many times.
You could actually rent your own car
(depending on the model) for the price of
just a few taxi rides.
