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Thinking about renting a car for your Orlando holiday? Discover why private transportation could be a simpler, more comfortable and stress-free way to get around Orlando.
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Planning a trip to Orlando usually comes with a long list of things to organise. Flights, vacation homes, theme park tickets, restaurants, airport transfers and, of course, how you are going to get around.
For many visitors, renting a car seems like the obvious choice. You land at Orlando International Airport, pick up your vehicle and have the freedom to drive wherever you want.
But do you actually need one?
For a lot of Orlando holidays, the answer is no. In fact, once you take into account parking, fuel, tolls, traffic and the time spent driving, a rental car can sometimes create more work than it saves.
Private transportation can be a much simpler option, particularly if you are travelling to Orlando for the theme parks, staying at a vacation home or resort, and already know the places you want to visit.
The advertised rental price is only part of the cost.
Once you have picked up your car, there are several other expenses to think about. Fuel is an obvious one, but there can also be toll charges, rental company toll fees, parking at malls and attractions, and additional insurance depending on your circumstances.
Then there is the time involved.
You need to collect the car when you arrive, find your way out of the airport, navigate unfamiliar roads, find somewhere to park when you reach your destination and remember where you left the car at the end of a long day.
None of these things are particularly difficult, but they can add up over the course of a holiday.
Orlando also has a number of toll roads, and many visitors are unfamiliar with how Florida's electronic toll system works. If you are driving a rental car, it is worth checking exactly how the rental company's toll programme works before setting off.
When you add everything together, the daily rental rate can look very different from the final cost of having a car for a week.
Orlando is a driving city, and the roads around the main tourist areas can get very busy, not to mention the ever-changing roadworks and diversions you have to navigate.
If you are travelling between Orlando International Airport, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, International Drive and other popular areas, you can spend a surprising amount of time behind the wheel.
After a long flight, or after spending ten hours walking around a theme park, the last thing many people want to do is get back into a car and concentrate on the journey home.
With private transportation, you can simply sit back and let someone else deal with the driving.
That can make a bigger difference to your holiday than you might expect.
One of the biggest advantages of arranging private transportation in advance is knowing what is happening when you land.
Instead of making your way to the rental car centre, completing the paperwork, collecting your keys and loading up your luggage, you can arrange for your driver to meet you and take you directly to your destination.
For families, this can be particularly helpful.
After a flight, you may have suitcases, hand luggage, pushchairs and tired children to deal with. Having someone else take care of the driving means you can settle in and start your holiday as soon as you leave the airport.
It also means you do not have to work out an unfamiliar route while adjusting to Orlando's roads and traffic.
If your main reason for visiting Orlando is the theme parks, you may spend less time travelling than you think.
If you are staying at a resort with its own transport, you may already have options for getting to the parks. But there are plenty of situations where private transportation is useful too, particularly when you want to travel between different resorts, visit restaurants outside your hotel or combine different attractions during your stay.
Having a private car and driver also means you are not tied to someone else's timetable.
You decide when, and where, you want to go.
Parking is easy to overlook when you are comparing rental car prices.
You might find a rental car at a reasonable daily rate and think you have found a good deal. Then you start adding the cost of parking at malls, theme parks and other attractions.
Theme park parking can add a significant amount to the overall cost of driving, particularly if you are visiting several parks during your stay.
There is also the practical side of parking.
Orlando's theme park car parks are large. After a full day in the Florida sun, walking back to your vehicle, remembering which section you parked in and loading everyone back into the car is not always the most appealing part of the day.
With private transportation, you are dropped off and then collected when you need to leave - simple as that.
For families travelling with children, convenience is often worth more than having your own set of car keys.
You can avoid the stress of driving in an unfamiliar city, and the adults in the group can spend the journey relaxing rather than concentrating on the road.
You can always arrange child seats in advance, which saves you from having to work out how to transport young children safely once you arrive.
Choosing private transportation does not mean you have to stay in one place.
You can arrange journeys between your vacation home and the airport, theme parks, restaurants, shopping areas, attractions and other destinations around Central Florida.
This can work particularly well if you already have an idea of what you want to do during your trip.
At Acre Cars, we also pride ourselves in our option for day trips, so no matter if you're going to Tampa or Miami, we can make it happen.
Rather than paying for a rental car to sit outside your hotel for much of the day, you can arrange transportation when you actually need it.
For occasional journeys, that can be a much more practical approach.
There are certainly Orlando trips where renting a car makes sense.
If you are planning a road trip around Florida, visiting several destinations outside Orlando or spending a lot of time exploring areas that are difficult to reach by other means, having your own vehicle can be useful.
But if you are visiting Orlando for a holiday based around the theme parks, your vacation home rental, restaurants and planned attractions, you may find that a rental car is something you can comfortably do without.
Private transportation gives you a straightforward way to get where you need to go without taking on the extra responsibilities that come with having a rental car.
For many visitors, the best way to get around Orlando is simply to let someone else do the driving.
If you are travelling to Orlando and would prefer to leave the driving to a professional, Acre Cars can provide private transportation for airport transfers and journeys around Orlando and Central Florida, but that's not all! We also accommodate day journeys and unique trip destinations - just let us know, and we'll work with you to make it happen.
Book your journey in advance and enjoy a more comfortable, relaxed way to get around during your stay.