Well, the experts all agree: this summer’s travel season to Central Florida could be back to pre-2001 levels. That’s excellent news for the area, and an even better indicator that many of you are probably planning on joining those other folks at one or all of the areas theme parks.

...Which is why I felt it would be a great time to catch you before you speed away toward the fun-in-the-sun, recently ranked #1 family destination we all know as Central Florida and Orlando.

With some advice that may seem simplistic, offending your intelligence, or downright obvious, I hope you’ll take into account that many, MANY guests to the Central Florida region do not understand or possibly have never experienced the area like many of us have. I figured it would be better to build us all from the ground up, rather than assume a certain level of knowledge. So, with that in mind, let’s get ready for our wonderful Central Florida vacation, shall we?

The Heat Is On

There’s a reason I put this first. By far the most underestimated factor about the Central Florida area is the heat during the summertime. More people require medical assistance from heat exhaustion and heatstroke than from any other factor while at Walt Disney World in the summer, and the fact is that most, if not all cases, can be avoided. Heat exhaustion comes mainly from the body not being able to cool itself down through sweating, and heatstroke can be a life threatening medical emergency.

There are warning signs however, but the best one is also the simplest and earliest. If you or anyone in your party becomes thirsty (and/or their mouth feels dry), that person is already dehydrated. Try and find the nearest water fountain or drink stand and drink from it immediately. You may have to do this every 2-4 hours, depending on the environmental conditions. If you find yourself in a long queue line, have one member of your party get out of line and go get something to drink one at a time, just as long as the line is moving slowly.

However, DO NOT drink anything with caffeine or alcohol, as these will actually dehydrate you even more. Sports drinks are perfectly fine, however. A good idea is to have a bottle you can fill up with water from fountains during the day. If you don’t have one, you can always buy a bottle of water inside the park and save the bottle for the rest of the day.

You are also going to want to be wearing light colored clothing that reflect the suns rays and breathable fabrics to allow your body’s sweat to evaporate efficiently. Of course, when at all possible, you’ll want to go indoors to escape the heat. Stores make wonderful cool zones in the parks, as do restaurants as long as they’re not too busy. A spray bottle with ice water inside is also a great way to cool down quickly.

In addition to clothing, make sure you wear sunscreen, and that’s especially true when it comes to children. Read on the label as to how often you must reapply it to be effective, and make sure you buy something with a SPF rating of 15-20 as a bare minimum. Sport sunscreens usually do better, as they are designed to stay effective longer and are resistant to sweating.

Don’t Try and Be a Hercules, but Do Listen to Jiminy

Safety of Central Florida visitors is always a top priority for everyone involved in tourism, and the local Sheriffs Offices in the area do a great job in that respect. However, there are many things you and your group can do to ensure that you all have a safe and wonderful time.

It is widely believed that Tourism attracts crime. While that is untrue, it isn’t completely without some merit. It has been shown in research studies (that look at crime reports) that crime is in fact higher in Tourism destinations than other comparable areas, but it isn’t that crime is “attracted to the location.” Rather, researchers generally conclude that crime happens to Tourists more often than others because they are generally easier to distinguish than locals. Why target tourists instead of locals, you ask? Simple: tourists generally carry much more cash on them and will be leaving the area relatively quickly, leaving a high payoff and little threat of prosecution for criminals.

What this means for you is not to dramatically change your wardrobe, but rather to take the above considerations into account what going out in public places such as US 192 in Kissimmee and International Drive near Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando, two of the most popular destinations in the Central Florida area outside of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.

In addition, it is generally advised that if ever in a situation with a criminal, it is best to do what he or she says. In most cases, they are looking for a quick payoff with as little time, attention, and trouble as possible from you. The exception to this is in cases where the criminal wants you to go with him or her somewhere. In that case, your chances decrease with every minute you are with him or her. The sooner you can run away, the better off you are in most cases. In the event that you do need to flee, run in the direction of the largest crowd, and keep screaming the entire time. In most cases, a criminal will not waste time trying to chase after you when you are trying to draw so much attention to yourself.

Hotel room doors are of major concern in this aspect, as well. If someone is outside and asks to be let in, usually on behalf of the hotel, check ID and if necessary call the front desk and ask if anyone was supposed to be at your room. This sort of information, as well as other safety tips, are posted on the back of, or near the hotel room door. One of the first things you should do after dropping your luggage in the room is to look and read this information. It is especially important that everyone look at the layout of the hotel and where the room is, and which way the fire escape routes will lead you in the event of an emergency.

Central Florida is relatively lucky when it comes to crime and fire emergencies. However, it doesn’t hurt to be safe and prepared for something that you may have otherwise not been prepared for.

I Saw the Sign

One of the most important aspects of any Central Florida vacation is of course the Theme Parks. However, just because you are inside one of the parks and you are able to forget your troubles; you can’t go around ignoring the posted rules and requests of Cast Members.

One of the most important things I could tell you would be to pay attention and obey the signs that are posted. Let me say that again. Pay attention to and obey the signs that are posted!

This is especially critical when talking about the warnings and safety instructions for the rides and attractions. All rides and attractions are built with certain specifications for speed, acceleration, height, etc. They are also built with guest safety in mind, but they can never be 100% fool proof. The warnings and requests made either on the signage or by Cast Members themselves ensure your safety and the safety of others in your group. While it may seem harmless to dip your hand in the water on Pirates of the Caribbean, for instance, you really do not know what could be right under the surface at any given point that may be harmful.

This also goes for external video lighting and flash photography. The general rule is that most attractions allow video and pictures to be taken, as long as no lighting is used on video cameras (Infrared NightShot-Types included) and that the flash is not used on still cameras. This is done for your safety as it can interfere with monitoring procedures, and on behalf of other guests who the lighting and/or flashing can bother while they are trying to enjoy the ride or attraction.

A Really Great Tip for You

Tipping sometimes can be confusing for those not familiar with the system in place, and to be sure, many waiters, waitresses, and servers in food service derive most of their income from customer gratuity or tipping. Basically, you (the customer) are giving the person providing a service to you a certain amount of money based upon a percentage your total bill. That percentage will vary depending on how well they did in your opinion.

Most likely, you will encounter this most often when at a sit-down restaurant in the Central Florida area. There are other times when a tip is appropriate, but a restaurant scenario usually doesn’t allow easily access for a calculator or paper and pencil to do some quick math.

In Orange County, sales tax on most purchases is 6.5%, which means that for every $1.00 you purchase, the company will also tack on $0.065 on behalf of Orange County and the State of Florida. For a simpler conversion, for every $100 you spend, you will also have to pay $6.50 in taxes on top of the $100. What is great about this in regards to tipping, however, is that business are usually required to post the tax charge separate from the actual bill. The exception to this of course is in the products that are an even number, like $2.50 or $1.75, in which there is usually a small sign somewhere stating that the sales tax is included in the price.

The generally accepted gratuity for average service in a restaurant setting is (arguably) 15%. With the knowledge of the sales tax just now, we can make calculating a gratuity very easy.

We just said that sales tax for Orange County is 6.5%, so, if we double it, we have 13%. That’s pretty close to 15%, and with some rounding to make our lives easier, we can bridge the gap fairly easily. Here’s how to do it:

You get a bill for $32.75, and sales tax is listed as $2.13, giving you a total bill of $34.87. If you received average service and you feel that the 15% mark is appropriate, round the tax amount up to the nearest fifty cents, and double it. In our case, the $2.13 becomes $2.50 after rounding, and double that amount easily becomes $5.00. The actual 15% of the total comes out to be $5.23, which is close to what we came up with, especially since we didn’t have a calculator.

The beauty of this system is that, whatever you feel is the right amount of gratuity, you can add another sales tax amount to the tip to increase the percentage. If we had received great service, we may have wanted to round, double the amount, and then add another amount (which would in fact be multiplying the original $2.50 by three) to bring our tip up to $7.50, or 21.5%. The system is really flexible and easy to use, assuming you know the current sales tax amount.

Just Because You’re in a Park Doesn’t Mean You Have to Stay There

It happens thousands of times each day. A group of people get up bright and early, often dragging some or all of the rest in the group along and manage to get to the park of their choice for the opening that day. The theory goes that if you get up and get in after opening, the lines will be shorter. In fact, this is largely true, and is especially true if you work your way from the back of the park to the front, unlike most who start from the front and work their way back.

However, there is a common problem with using this sort of theme park agenda; namely everyone is dead tired after 1:00PM, and the park doesn’t close for another 8-10 hours!

This is where it pays to understand your surroundings. If you were lucky and paid that extra amount to stay on property, this is where your choice pays dividends for you. Both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando have easy access to their on property hotels, which can be a midday life saver.

If you did book on property at say Walt Disney World, the bus, boat, or best of all (if staying on the ‘loop) monorail transportation systems can take you to your hotel during the midday to take a quick nap. Granted, you won’t be able to make it back within two hours or so, but the break from the heats and park can rejuvenate you enough for the rest of the day, including late nighttime entertainment shows such as Wishes, Illuminations, or Fantasmic.

However, the transportation can also take you to other options you probably didn’t think of during the midday, such as other restaurant options. Even if you’re not staying on property, you can still use the complimentary transportation to access any hotel’s restaurant or the Downtown Disney area for a midday lunch away from everyone else at the parks. If you’ve been to a counter service restaurant in the parks around noon in the summer, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. Downtown Disney is especially useful for all of the shops you can browse through which have that wonderful thing known as air conditioning. One piece of advice however: get your hand stamped when you leave...I’ve only had to use the stamps twice in my life, but I was glad I had them when I did. Call it I’m-not-paying-for-another-ticket insurance.

Remember Why You’re There

Most likely, a trip to Central Florida is done with fun in mind. This is important to remember, as the lines and crowds in the area can easily ruin a good day. It’s important to remind yourself that you’re there to have good time.

Maybe that means not going back to the park you were at earlier and taking in a dinner show, or maybe that means playing some rounds at a putt-putt golf course with your group, or maybe some shopping. Whatever the choice, there is plenty to do in the area if you feel yourself getting stressed out. You’re here to get away from everyday stresses... you shouldn’t have to replace them with vacation stresses.

If you’re really dumbfounded as to what to do to get away, simply ask a member of the front desk staff in person or on the phone. They should be happy to make suggestions that will fit what you and your group are looking for.

Well, I hope that this gave you some ideas for a Central Florida vacation during this summer. If you do go this summer, feel free to drop us an e-mail to WebMaster@MickeyNews.com as to how your trip went, what you liked, what you didn’t like, etc. We’d love to hear about YOUR Central Florida vacation experience, and post it in the columns section of Mickey News.

Thanks for stopping on by, and I’ll see you next week!