• Locations
• Sights
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Activities
• Travel Tips
• Features

Money Matters

Be prepared to spend and spend -- and spend some more. Despite relatively low airfares and car-rental rates, cash seems to evaporate out of wallets, and credit-card balances seem to increase on exposure to the hot Orlando sun. Theme-park admission is roughly $60 per day per person -- not counting all the $2 soft drinks and $20 souvenirs. Hotels range so wildly -- from $60 a night to 10 or more times that -- that you have to do some hard thinking about just how much you want to spend. Meal prices away from the theme parks are comparable to those in other midsize cities, ranging from $5 per person at a fast-food chain to $40 entrées at a fancy restaurant.

ATMs

Automatic teller machines are scattered throughout the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Downtown Disney. Often there's a $1.50-$2.50 charge if you're not a customer of the specific bank that maintains the ATM.

Credit Cards

Throughout this guide, the following abbreviations are used: AE, American Express; D, Discover; DC, Diners Club; MC, MasterCard; and V, Visa.

Reporting Lost Cards

American Express (800/430-1000). Diners Club (800/234-6377). Discover (800/347-2683). MasterCard (800/622-7747). Visa (800/847-2911).

Discount Coupons

Coupon books, such as those available from Entertainment Travel Editions (800/445-4137. www.entertainment.com) for around $30, can be good sources for discounts on rental cars, admission to attractions, meals, and other typical purchases. Hotel and restaurant lobbies also often have racks with flyers that advertise business with coupons.

The Orlando Magicard (800/551-0181. www.orlandoinfo.com/magicard) offered for free by the Orlando-Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau provides discounts for many area attractions, restaurants, and shopping-mall stores. Download it from the Web site or order it over the phone.

Tipping

Whether they carry bags, open doors, deliver food, or clean rooms, hospitality employees work to receive a portion of your travel budget. In deciding how much to give, base your tip on what the service is and how well it's performed.

In transit, tip an airport valet and shuttle driver $1 to $2 per bag, a taxi driver 15% to 20% of the fare.

For hotel staff, recommended amounts are $1 to $2 per bag for a bellhop, $1 or $2 per night per guest for housekeeping, $5 to $10 for special concierge service, $1 to $2 for a doorman who hails a cab or parks a car, 15% of the greens fee for a caddy, 15% to 20% of the bill for a massage, and 15% of a room service bill, unless gratuity is already included, so be sure to check.

In a restaurant, give 15% to 20% of your bill to the server, and about 15% to a bartender.