Visitor Information

The best place to find information on Orlando and Central Florida is the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCCVB), 8723 International Dr., Suite 101, Orlando, FL 32819 (tel. 407/363-5872; www.orlandoinfo.com). Staffers can answer questions, assist you with reservations, help you find discounts, and send maps and brochures, such as the Official Orlando Fun Guide, Unexpected Orlando, and the Orlando Holiday Guide. The free packet should arrive in about 3 weeks and includes the new and improved Premium Orlando "Magicard," which is good for more than $500 in discounts on hotel rooms, car rentals, attractions, and more -- the website also details all of the latest discounts. If you don't mind talking to a machine, you can get all of the above by calling tel. 800/643-9492 or 800/551-0181. Tip: Keep the Magicard handy so you won't lose out on any available discounts once you get into town. You can stop by once you've arrived and pick up additional brochures, excellent maps, and other information, too.

British visitors can get specific travel information for the U.K. office of the OCCVB at tel. 0800/018-6760 or www.orlandoinfo.com/uk. Canadians should try tel. 800/646-2079 or www.orlandokissimmee.com/Canada.

Another good site worth checking out is www.flausa.com, which includes plenty of useful information on the entire Central Florida region.

For information specific to Walt Disney World, including vacation brochures and videos or to ask questions, you can write to Walt Disney World, Box 10000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000; or call tel. 407/934-7639, 407/824-4321, or 407/939-6244. On the Internet, visit www.disneyworld.com.

For information about Universal Studios Florida, CityWalk, and Islands of Adventure, call tel. 407/363-8000, or write to Universal Orlando, 1000 Universal Studios Plaza, Orlando, FL 32819. On the Internet, visit www.universalorlando.com.

For information about SeaWorld, call tel. 407/351-3600 or visit online at www.seaworld.com. For Discovery Cove information and reservations, call tel. 877/4-DISCOVERY or 407/370-1280. For online information, visit www.discoverycove.com. Information on Aquatica can be found by surfing over to www.aquaticabyseaworld.com, or by calling tel. 888/800-5447 or 407/351-3600.

Note: The theme parks all have some form of interactive maps on their websites. Good detailed guide maps are obtainable once you arrive at the parks.

You can also visit the Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1925 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy. (U.S. 192), Kissimmee, FL 34744; or write to P.O. Box 422007, Kissimmee, FL 34742-2007 (tel. 800/333-5477 or 407/847-5000; www.floridakiss.com). The folks there will send a packet of maps, brochures, coupon books, and the Official Kissimmee Vacation Planner, which details area accommodations and attractions.

For information on the International Drive area, call tel. 407/248-9590 or head online to www.InternationalDriveOrlando.com. The staff can provide information on hotels, restaurants, attractions, shops, and the I-Ride Trolley. Be sure to request their detailed map of the I-Drive area -- it's very useful.

For information about places to stay, eat, and visit north of the Orlando metro area, contact the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center at tel. 877/972-4262 (www.winterpark.org).

Online Information

The websites listed above also provide a great abundance of other helpful and necessary information. Disney's www.disneyworld.com has theme park maps; current ticket prices; driving directions; park hours for specific days; and information on attractions (including refurbishment schedules), special events, recreational activities, resorts (including pricing and photos), and dining. There's also Disney Cruise Line information, an online booking service, a new online tool for vacation planning, and much, much more.

Deb's Unofficial Walt Disney World Information Guide (www.allearsnet.com) is an excellent information source and arguably the best unofficial Disney guide on the Internet. While Disney doesn't own or operate it, it's run and written by true-blue fans of Mickey. Though not entirely objective, the site's information is almost always right on the mark. There's even a section devoted to travelers with special needs. Tip: The site tackles the Universal Orlando parks as well, but not to the degree that it focuses on Disney.

Another good site that includes insider information on everything Disney, including the parks, resorts, restaurants (including menus, many with prices), as well as Universal, SeaWorld, and more is Travel Insights (www.travel-insights.com).

The sites operated by Universal Orlando (www.universalorlando.com) and SeaWorld (www.seaworld.com) lack the thoroughness of Deb's and the Disney sites, but are definitely worth a look. You'll find maps, ride descriptions, ticket prices, restaurant descriptions, upcoming events, resort information (for Universal), available guest services, and photos galore. Be prepared, however, for a bumpy ride, as navigating the sites can be challenging at best. You may have to dig pretty deep to find just exactly what it is you're looking for as neither site is as easy to maneuver as Disney's.

The city's newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel, produces an online site at www.orlandosentinel.com. It has a variety of entertainment information. If you go to another Sentinel-produced website, www.g020rlando.com, you'll find the focus on attractions, accommodations, restaurants, discounts, and other things important to visitors. Also visit www.insidecentralflorida.com for information about dining, clubs, performances, theme parks, sports, and special events.

If you're looking for the best tips and insider information on saving some cash on your Disney vacation, go to www.mousesavers.com -- the website includes a list of discount and reservation codes for the Disney resorts, as well as special discounts and offers of their own.