Orlando Car Hire

Guide to Orlando

There’s no way you can start heading to Orlando without immediately thinking of attending the theme parks. So much of the world heads there for that specific reason. Start with the one all the kids are screaming for Gator World. Gatorworld was founded by Don Buckner, an entrepreneur that listened to what the people wanted. At the park are over 400 alligators in a simulated natural habitat, fenced in of course for viewing pleasure. There are gators from 6 foot to over 10 foot and there’s also a chance at the end to hold a baby one. It doesn’t stop there, you can walk out onto a dedicated platform to feed the gators from a pole or if that’s all too dangerous there’s a petting zoo inside as well, they don’t serve those pets to the gators.

Kennedy Space Centre

Still staying away from the main reason everyone goes to Orlando, also adding a little extra travel to the agenda, with a day trip to the Kennedy Space Centre, the NASA facility that is in operation today. Here you can see where they keep those important Apollo shuttles that were used to make it to the moon, it’s also home to the 363 foot Saturn V Rocket known for being the only launch vehicle to carry humans beyond low Earth Orbit. The Centre is located at Cape Canaveral which to this day is still one of the only busy space ports on Earth, which means if you arrive at the right time you could wave off a satellite or maybe even an astronaut into space.

Now before you take everyone off to enjoy the rides and sites of Disney territory you should warm them up with a visit to Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf where the fun comes in all sizes as long as its mini. There are waterfalls to navigate, pirate ships to putt through and planks to make your ball walk down. If adventure golf isn’t your thing but going on boats is then take one of the countless boat tours that are on offer. There’s plenty of scenic boat tours that are run by locals and even more Airboat tours that are also run by locals, the airboat is the one with the huge fan propelling it, it’s one of those machines that are all over American films and TV, at least when they’re set in the everglades of Florida.

Magical Theme Parks

It’s arrived, now is the guide on how to get the best out of the countless Disney theme parks that are in this great state. First thing you need to do is work out what it is that you or your family want from a theme park, do you want to see the cast of all the famous cartoons, if you do then your best bet is to start at Magic Kingdom, here you can drink tea in the beasts castle, cuddle with the world famous mermaid Ariel under the sea, take a ride on some family friendly thrills, party with Elsa and meet Mickey face to face. The park offers an ultimate ticket option that allows you to attend 6 different parks that make the land of Disney. The pass will also give you entry into the infamous attraction Galaxy’s Edge located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you can drink blue milk with Han and Chewy, board the Millenium Falcon or have a casual lightsabre battle with your arch nemesis Darth Sidious. Another on the list from this pass is Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, the home of the extra fast and mind bogglingly danger free, Summit Plummet, it’s a twelve story ride straight into a dark tunnel and you come out the other end wondering if you are still alive, perfect for adrenalin junkies. The Animal Kingdom Theme Park is included along with the others and it takes all your favourite films into real life and adds live animals to them, along with daily dance shows, Avatar augmented reality experiences, A ride on a 10 foot tall exo-suit, you cannot go wrong with this when it comes to impressing the whole family.

Placing the family to bed and wondering what to do next, there are plenty of adult parks (Bars) that only open at night. A local haunt and favoured destination for cocktail lovers is The Guesthouse, they have spared expense on the layout to keep the focus on the extensive range of wine and rare Mezcal’s that will blow your mind. Whiskey on the mind then your next and possibly last stop before bed will be The Woods a craft cocktail and whiskey bar with over 100 whiskey’s to choose from that come from all over the world, you will have to keep coming back till they find your favourite.

Orlando's History

Orlando and more widely Florida was not really known the way it is today till the early to the mid-1800s. Before this time, it was a home and community for the Seminole people, they are a Native American people who came together through a process of Ethnogenesis. Three tribes, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, The Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma and the Miccosukee Tribe were the main people that made up the Seminole and there were some others that attached themselves to this tribe as well. The reason for this migration was due to wars between the British Colonists and Native American tribes. 1823 saw some peace for the Seminole with the beginning of the Treaty of Moultrie creek, in which the area of what is now Orlando became a sanctuary for Native Americans, however this was short lived being overturned by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The Indian Removal act was an act that was enforced by the American government, it was sold as a want to create settlements for the British but was actually more the machinations of eradication. The Native Americans were forcibly removed from their land to make space for the settlements, they were marched off the land in what is now known as the Trail of Tears.

The city of Orlando did not begin to flourish until the late 1800s when the farmers found it was a perfect place to grow citrus fruits, this made it a centre for citrus but like other times in Orlando it was short lived as well, the great freeze arrived in 1894 and temperatures dropped to −8 °C and subsequently froze the majority of the citrus crop, the city losing most of its inhabitants to warmer climates in the north or even further south.

One of the most recent major turning points for the history of Orlando was when Disney world landed in town. There was plans to possibly build in other major cities, but they were closer to the coast so more susceptible to hurricanes. The inland position of Orlando meant it was more protected from extreme weather and there was more space to build the enormous structures. It opened in 1971 and now holds the title of being the most visited vacation resort in the world with an immense 52 million people wandering through its gates every year.

This is a selective abridged version of the history of Orlando. Many details have been omitted.

Car Hire in Orlando Airport

There are two main airports in the area of Orlando, Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Sanford International Airport (SFB).

MCO is the more popular destination for holiday makers due to its proximity to the theme parks and that there are dedicated shuttle services that operate from there to the majority of the hotels in the city. MCO is also one of the few airports in the world that offers the Disney’s Magical Express service.

The airport is around 10 miles southeast of the centre of Orlando, which is approximately a 20 minute drive, dependent on traffic. It handled over 47 million passengers in 2018 and the number continues to rise each year.

MCO is named after its original inhabitants, the military, more specifically the name of the former air force base Mc Coy Air Force Base. It’s a dual terminal airport with over 100 gates and 6 different VIP clubs on offer. The airport is dedicated to making its carbon footprint lighter in the coming years with the assistance of companies like Green Works Orlando.

The range of car hire at the airport is extensive with the following companies having physical desks, Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Rent-a-Car, Hertz, National, Payless and Thrifty. Many other companies offer a pickup service only at the airport.

SFO is a dual terminal airport and is situated over 25 miles from central Orlando, this is around a 30-minute drive dependent on traffic. The airport was originally built as a Naval Air Station that was used up until 1969 as a headquarters for carrier-based attack. In 1969 the city of Sanford took control of the space and turned it into a commercial airfield. This has been used not just for international and domestic flights but also for aviation services like flight training, this fact makes the airport one of the busiest in the world in terms of take-off and landing operations.

Car hire at SFB is readily available and the usual large companies are there, those being Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty with the company Accessible Mini-Van Rentals being off site and can be reached via shuttle.

Top Tips when hiring a car in Orlando

● A big number of users encountered rental cars in Orlando for less than £35 per day.

● Booking your rental car in Orlando in advance even if it's by at least 1 day before your trip ensures you'll get cheap car hire deals.

● Getting your hire car from one of the car hire companies in the Orlando International Airport means you'll get the best car hire deals as the prices at airport locations are unbeatable.

● In the arrivals terminal you'll find any car hire company you can imagine, their car hire desks are easy to find and reach and it's a convenient pick up location to begin your journey through the theme park capital of the world.

● The next best rental location is downtown Orlando where you'll find car rental companies that offer competitive prices but not as cheap as those of the Orland Airport.

● Intermediate hire cars in Orlando are cheaper and more popular than other vehicle types and are recommended for your Orlando car hire.