Without a car

[ozliz]

Does anyone know of any particularly good resources (travel guides etc) for travelling around orlando or florida more broadly without a car? I see so many references to the importance of having a car and the cheap hire car rates and this means that aside from discussion of wdw buses there is little other advice. I never hire cars in the US. Jet lag, driving on the other side of the road, a general dislike for driving and the fact that I often travel solo so will not have a second person to help navigate means that I am in no rush to start driving there. I often end up having to do some organised bus tours but still wish there was more tourist specific information on the options (for travel anywhere in North America).

 

[maxiesmom]

Are you trying to go someplace particular? Could you maybe use taxis to get around?

 

[nacho113]

You could do your whole vacation on Disney property and never need anything but the free Disney transportation network, however, there is a whole other NON DISNEY WORLD outside those Disney confines. Other theme parks and attractions, beautiful beaches, dinner theatres, wildlife attractions and even something as simple as having the freedom to go shopping or eat at a local Orlando resaurant are available "off-site"

If you will be taking more than 1 or 2 off site trips or want to go to one of the beaches, a car rental is definitely a better value. The costs of taxis or town car will add up quickly for multiple trips or if you want to travel any distance.

If you do rent a vehicle, you can avoid a lot of the heavy traffic and issues if you have a good (and up to date GPS). Just set "least use of freeways" and it will keep you on the quieter/slower side roads. FYI: if you don't want to pay tolls, also select "avoid toll roads".
Driving in Orlando really isn't all that bad if you stay off the freeway, may take a little longer to get to your destination but why hurry .... your on vacation.

 

[Alesia]

Basically, your options are taking taxis or using the Lynx bus.

Taxis are convenient, but pricey. You can look up fares at taxifarefinder.com

The Lynx bus is cheap, but very inconvenient. It is the Orlando city bus system, so it is definitely designed for locals, not tourists. You can find out more at golynx.com

 

[bumbershoot]

I think that it just cannot be emphasized enough how little good public transportation there is in many parts of the US. Orlando included.

From your username I'd assume you are from Australia. I've never been there (sad) but to give an example of a place I traveled in recently, I was all nervous about using public transportation in England. Decided to not go to Stonehenge because surely there's no way to get there by bus. Ha ha ha, yes there was. You pick a place and a bus or a train or a something will get you there, simply. In the states? No. Even in the cities with good transportation, getting *to* those areas isn't going to be simple.

There are very few public transport options in Orlando, and they aren't going to be simple. So...if you want to go much of anyplace other than WDW or Universal (or Seaworld from Uni), you're looking at renting a car or renting a car&driver (limo, towncar, taxi).

 

[ozliz]

Thanks everyone. Pretty much the answers I expected. And yes, I am from Australia so the jet lag can last pretty long. Also I am not the most confident driver here in busy traffic and our population is much smaller, especially as I don't live in a big city.

I have looked at some of the day trip options eg for kennedy space centre and also some multi day florida bus tours but was just hoping that, despite a lot of searching, there might be some other websites etc out there.

As a reference point. I did catch public transport around LA (among many other cities). Can anyone tell me if the Orlando public transport is better/worse?

I love travelling in USA as in many ways it is much easier than Europe but I have to say I do love the fact that many European major cities have relatively good public transport. My standards are not that high. Being from a small city there is not the population for a great system at home.

 

[Alesia]

Thanks everyone. Pretty much the answers I expected. And yes, I am from Australia so the jet lag can last pretty long. Also I am not the most confident driver here in busy traffic and our population is much smaller, especially as I don't live in a big city.

I have looked at some of the day trip options eg for kennedy space centre and also some multi day florida bus tours but was just hoping that, despite a lot of searching, there might be some other websites etc out there.

As a reference point. I did catch public transport around LA (among many other cities). Can anyone tell me if the Orlando public transport is better/worse?

I love travelling in USA as in many ways it is much easier than Europe but I have to say I do love the fact that many European major cities have relatively good public transport. My standards are not that high. Being from a small city there is not the population for a great system at home.

I've never used public transportation in LA, but I'm going to guess that it is much better than the bus system in Orlando.

It's hard to say how difficult it will be for you without knowing exactly where you want to go. I would recommend checking out some travel times by going to "plan my trip" on golynx.com You'll probably find that the travel times can be prohibitively long. For example, it takes about 2 hours to get from WDW to universal studios by bus, as opposed to 25 minutes by taxi.

 

[ozliz]

Hi. Thanks. Sorry I have not said exactly where I am trying to go but that is because I am still working that out. Planning without a car can be a little slower as sometimes I make decisions based on what is easiest to get to and then only pick a few difficult locations that are of high enough interest to be worth paying for taxis or taking a long round about route between cities etc.