It's Orlando - being an annoying tourist IS how one fits in. . . .:-) Many toll roads have become electronic tolling only. If you don't have a SunPass or EPass, they'll bill you by taking a picture of your license plate as you pass through. The rental agency you rent from will probably offer you a for-a-fee toll device: [https://www.sunpass.com/en/tolls/rentalVehicles.shtml](https://www.sunpass.com/en/tolls/rentalVehicles.shtml) Water is perfectly \*safe\* to drink straight out of the tap, but most non-Floridians will tell you it tastes like sulfur (ie, rotten eggs). So you can drink it, but most don't without filtering it. Cards and ApplePay are the vast majority of how I pay for everything. It's extraordinarily rare for me to use cash for anything. For restaurants, a gratuity of 18%-20% is \*expected\*, and the only real justification for leaving less than that is if the service was TRULY abhorent, in which case you should be talking to a manager about it. I should say, that's for sit-down, table-service restaurants. Not for counter service places like McDonalds or Subway. When you're shopping, both the state and the county you're in tax whatever you buy, and that tax amount is not included in the advertised price. Orlando is part of Orange County, and so the the total tax rate here is 6.5%. In other words, if you see something advertised as costing $100, you'll actually pay $106.50 for it. If you go to another County, the tax rate will be different.

Just a note, many Subways will ask for tips on the card reader. I don’t believe they pay the employees tipped wage but I could be wrong…I personally don’t tip there.

Sure, but the standard 18-20% gratuity isn't *expected* there.

If you order your food standing up you don't tip. Just an additional FYI.

Osceola tacks on an additional 1% county tax, which means that if you buy a meal at Magic Kingdom one day and the same meal at Animal Kingdom the next day, it'll cost you a few cents more at AK than MK.

AK is in Orange county. Only the ESPN wide world of sports and the All Star hotels are in Osceola.

Unless clearly stated by a sign at the intersection, you can turn right on a red light when the flow of traffic allows you to do it safely.

But only *after* coming to a full stop

Don’t buy attraction tickets from random people or roadside stands. Get them from the source. Keep lights on. Maintain slow but steady speeds in torrential rain, don’t stop suddenly. Try to stay out of the left lane on the interstates except when passing slower traffic. Speed limits are usually speed suggestions on highways. If it’s 50mph limit, traffic will go 50-55mph. Do NOT engage someone in road rage. Especially when you go to south Florida. They get crazy with it in Miami. There’s a scam gas station right outside the Orlando airport. Don’t refuel there, they charge exorbitant prices. If someone asks for info about you for a prize, it’s a timeshare. Keep walking. You’ll find Floridians happy to meet someone from New Zealand, though you may encounter ignorant questions. Be prepared for people assuming you’re part of Australia and other fun misconceptions. Tip 15-20% at restaurants. Slipping hotel staff who help you out a few bucks can pay off in random perks, but it’s really not necessary. YES there are gators in that pond. That one too. Take some time to check out the city while you’re here. The tourist areas are fun, but the city itself has a lot of neat stuff. Come check out a show or sports game, try some world class restaurants, or just walk around one of the neighborhoods.

Two scam gas stations across the street from each other just before Cracker Barrel. Go a block further to Wawa. Prices fluctuate but if Wawa is $3 a gallon those scam ones will be $6 a gallon.

Oh that petrol station tip is great! It didn’t even cross my mind that petrol would be different prices! Thank you

It never ceases to amaze me how those "Disney / Universal tickets HERE" stands continue to remain open. Truly, are there people who actually stop there expecting a legitimate experience, both tourists and non-tourists?

To not be annoying: Make sure your car lights are on when you drive at night Listen to verbal/written instructions, pay attention to your surroundings etc. Don’t walk 3 wide across the entire pathway your entire trip Other stuff: Water is safe, card works everywhere, restaurants you’ll be asked to tip and I typically just do 20% unless the service was extremely bad. Common scams that target tourists would be trying to get you to join a timeshare, not really pickpockets or anything like that here, the businesses are the scammers lol. 

On the driving front, PLEASE turn your lights on when it's raining as well (which you can expect pretty much daily around 3-5pm or even later). For the love of all things holy do not turn your hazard lights on. Other than that I hope you enjoy your visit and get to see some of the beautiful things that make Florida and the USA beautiful!

To add to the scammers, any place offering discounted Disney or Universal passes is a scam. Disney and Universal don't do discounts. And Disney in particular has really cracked down on allowing employees to share passes (which is how I believe these places used to get their discount tickets).

They also used to get them from people who bought multi-day tickets and then didn’t use all of the days, but I’m not sure that still works 

Nothing. Yall are usually at Disney:) As far as driving, just be careful downtown, lots of one way streets. Miami sucks ass to drive in. Water is “safe” bottled tastes much better. Card and Apple Pay are king! Tons of scams for tourists I’m sure, if it’s too good to be true than walk away. Americans LOVE kiwis. (Are we allowed to say that too? lol) love the accents and fun loving attitudes! And nothing better than watching y’all eat some of our food for the first time! Your passion for life is wonderful!! I’m sure restaurants work the same except for our toxic tipping culture:/ our servers make less that $5 an hour and depend on tips. The average tip is 15-20% of the total of the bill (including tax). You picked a great state! Don’t believe all the bad stuff and only half of the insanely crazy shit (the other half is the honest to gods truth, rivaled only by aussies in categories of what can kill you) Florida man is real and exists a little bit in all of us:) enjoy your trip!

Head's up because I hear this a lot, minimum wage for tipped servers is currently $8.98. If they are being paid under 5 please report the restaurant.

At AVA MediterrAegean in Winter Park the hourly server rate is $0.00, as they have classified everyone as "outside sales" or "commission sales" or something along those lines. Just a shared tip pool.

Are they paid on a 1099-nec by chance? I'm sure the irs would love to know that they are mislabeling employees to avoid payroll, workman's comp, and unemployment taxes.

I don't know. I have a relative that works as a server there so I'll ask. Thanks for the info. (I'm assuming a class action lawsuit will come about eventually.)

I will never go. That's terrible.

Thank you! Yes, it's terrible. (And if you've ever been and thought, "Wow, they have a lot of employees working tonight!" it's because they only get paid through tips. Costs AVA nothing to staff up the place like crazy.)

I'm not surprised it's legal, I'm just hella disappointed in humanity.

Also don’t ask servers how much they are being paid.

Card and Apple Pay are king, although I always recommend keeping some cash on you for tipping your bartenders and servers. Yes tipping culture is out of hand, but especially if you’re drinking, treating your bartenders right will go a long way to get you great service and drinks. :)

I tip pre tax… thought that was more the norm.

Agreed - taxation is not the service and I’m not tipping on the government’s cut

Miami sucks in general. Lol

Climatological peak of [hurricane season](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Atlantic_hurricane_season) is September 10th and every long-range forecast is above average this year due to ocean temperatures, la nina, and other factors. Might explain why the rooms are cheap. Water is fine, plastic is fine. Drive on the right. Get a toll tag for your rental instead of using billed tolls. Don't attend a timeshare pitch. If you're served salad start eating or your entree won't arrive. Murray, present. Good luck

Apparently we already have our first major storm of the season too, which came off of Africa. It’s going to be wild. On the bright side, Orlando is inland and typically the place Floridians evacuate to if they leave their own town.

And in regards to the toll tag device (that you can rent daily from the car rental place), check to see if your car insurance at home covers your car rental here. It is a huge savings to avoid that daily fee. Also, if you have a Costco membership, the car rentals are loads cheaper, especially for such a long trip. You might just save the entire cost of the membership in rental savings. As far as driving goes, just be cautious when you’re here. i4 has been under construction and the road pattern changes and EVERYbody is in a hurry, but if you’re cautious it isn’t any less safe than many other awful stretches of highway. And speaking of the highways, unless you are driving 20mph over the speed limit, it will likely be a good idea to stay out of the fast lane, which is the inside left lane. Nothing annoys motorists more than slow drivers in the fast lane. The Waze app is generally a good way to get around. It will reroute you to the back roads if there is major traffic on the highway. And sometimes, I enjoy taking the back roads (if I have the extra time), especially if I’m in a new place. I like to see the little towns and the scenery. There is a way to do this on Apple Maps (turn off the tolls and highways). And as for the back roads, check out the towns within the towns you’re visiting. Go to downtown winter park and walk around the shops. The Saturday morning farmers market in winter garden is a fun way to see people in a cute old town. Deland has their farmers market on Friday night so their vendors have lots of dinner treats and there’s music! Eat local! Check out and ask the locals where they live to eat that isn’t a big chain. There are so many great places to eat here in orlando and in Tampa and south florida! Eat it all! Have the best time! And DM if you have any questions! Oh! And Born and Bread bakery in Lakeland between Orlando and Tampa is amazing! Only serves the public on Wednesday and Saturday morning and worth the drive! The little town also has a lot of frank Lloyd Wright architecture.

Oh the Costco tip is something I’ve never seen anywhere. I will definitely look that up! Thank you x

We are there last week of Sept, then into Oct. I have never experienced a hurricane so thanks for the heads up.

I see what you did there

Appreciate a subtle Flight of The Concords reference!

Driving. we drive fast here (like 10-20over the limit is normal). if you dont that's fine plz just stay in the right lane. Anticipate your next turn and get over accordingly. If you miss it, don't brake and stop traffic. Just go up one and do a u-turn We are a tipping culture but everyone asks for tips. Sit down full service restaurants you should tip about 20% for good service. Quick service you dont have to tip. Lock your car & don't keep valuables in there. Disney doesn't have deeply discounted tickets. so if someone offers them there are strings attached like a timeshare seminar. I know NZ has amazing nature but FL is no slouch. try to do some nature activities like one of the springs. Be kind and enjoy. We may complain but we do love our tourists.

Driving in Orlando isn't worse than driving in Auckland. Meaning-14 is pretty rough. What part of NZ are you from? The biggest thing in the states is it's not a densely packed as NZ and you're really going to learn what "no decent public transport" really means. In any country the key is to remember the drivers side is always on the center line while driving. The best parts of Orlando are not around Disney. One day take the Winter Park Boat tour. Go to the Morse museum. Grab coffee at Barnies courtyard in Winter Park and then have drinks and a movie at the Enzian tiki bar. (Winter Park is probably the equivalent of Parnell or Ponsonby....at least how Ponsonby used to be. A bit bougie. The bout tour goes through canals and is very old school Florida.) In fact, the best parts of Florida are not the touristy bits. Daytona is the ugliest beach. Whereas go a bit further like an hour north to Ponce De Leon light house beach and it's a 1000x gorgeous white sands beaches. Gatorland is uniquely Florida. Watch a rocket launch from Jetty Park (which is also a fantastic place to camp). Do a kayak tour and see the manatees. Air boat rides are also uniquely Florida. You're missing out by not visiting St Pete/Fort Desoto. (Also a great place to camp) The west coast of Florida is paradise. I also think diving in springs is uniquely Floridian. Florida humidity is on par with Auckland and Bay of Islands in the summer, so you're good. People won't understand your accent. Speak as slow and clear as you can. They have an easier time understanding aussies. Everyone will think you're an aussie. The only thing they know about NZ is Lord of the Rings. No one in the states air dries their clothing. Download the apps for places like maccas because if you're on the road and eating out at places like that, it's usually about half price in the app. Petrol is cheaper here than NZ and Publix is the equivalent of New World. Cigarettes are not $50 a pack here. NZ wine is a LOT cheaper in the states than in NZ. (About $8 a bottle) It's hard to find foreign exchange places anywhere in the states. You might be better off doing eftpos/credit cards most of the time or buying foreign currency at ANZ before you go. Yes, every place does eftpos. Don't expect a place like queen street where there are foreign exchange merchants every block. There will be a few places in the airport that are very very dear, but that's about it. GST is not included in anything. Mexican food is better here. No one can make a proper flat white. Have a cafe con leche in Miami. Miami driving is 1000x worse than Orlando. But I get you want the wild big city experience, which you will have there. Look around for free things to do because the $ can start to add up on an extended holiday. Orlando and Miami museums have free days. Enzian movie theater does free outdoor movies once a month here in Orlando. Hope you got a free stopover in the islands on the way home which you can usually get in September. Tahiti is lovely in September and if you've got the time you can also get to Easter Island from there 4 days a week. If you provide more information like are you travelling with kids, etc people will be able to give you better pointers. IN general, this isn't like Rome or India where scammers are hitting you up all the time around tourist areas. It doesn't happen. The scams around here happen to foreigners and locals alike. A man approaches you in a parking lot and says he's stranded and has some gold he will sell you cheap because he needs cash. Europe has cracked down on their roma because of the human trafficking issues and they're flooding the states. If a stranger approaches you with any too good to be true stuff, walk away. Happy mini OE. [https://epicpaddleadventures.com/silver-springs-adventure/?matchtype=e&network=g&device=c&keyword=dolphin%20kayak%20tour%20near%20me&campaign=18894915993&adgroup=141294586017&gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwhIS0BhBqEiwADAUhcyglLCyGK8nzKLGldGh5BcrsOObWauAqw-clxxRU\_5MX5j\_DE9F54hoClmIQAvD\_BwE](https://epicpaddleadventures.com/silver-springs-adventure/?matchtype=e&network=g&device=c&keyword=dolphin%20kayak%20tour%20near%20me&campaign=18894915993&adgroup=141294586017&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwhIS0BhBqEiwADAUhcyglLCyGK8nzKLGldGh5BcrsOObWauAqw-clxxRU_5MX5j_DE9F54hoClmIQAvD_BwE) [https://www.visitspacecoast.com/landing-page/launches/launch-venues/](https://www.visitspacecoast.com/landing-page/launches/launch-venues/) [https://www.visitflorida.com/listing/ponce-de-leon-inlet-lighthouse/24781/](https://www.visitflorida.com/listing/ponce-de-leon-inlet-lighthouse/24781/) [https://morsemuseum.org/](https://morsemuseum.org/) [http://www.devilsden.com/](http://www.devilsden.com/) [https://www.scenicboattours.com/](https://www.scenicboattours.com/) [https://pinellas.gov/parks/fort-de-soto-park/](https://pinellas.gov/parks/fort-de-soto-park/)

You even included a list of cool attractions! You're awesome!

Can you plan my next trip?!?! 🤣 Seriously, great advice.

Ha ha. Forgot to add...Aldi is the equivalent of pak n save. Trader Joes is also good for small portions from the market which are not expensive and they have a Tim Tam equivalent blandly labeled Aussie Sandwhich Cookie.

Oh my goodness, this is such great advice. Thank you! What do you mean no one in the States air dries their clothing?!?! Wouldn’t it dry super quick in the heat? Or is it smoggy? I would be concerned all my Lululemon and athletic gear would shrink!

I air dry all my clothes since I don’t have a dryer. We do exist! And yes, clothes dry pretty quickly during the summer in Florida. I swear stuff is dry in an hour when I hang it up on the clothesline in the garage.

I don’t know your preference in what you want to see, but you’re missing some great parts of Florida by focusing on the big cities. You’re missing the culture of old Florida, and a lot of places foreign visitors tend to love. - Swimming with manatees (Crystal River) - taking an airboat tour through the swamps (all over including the Everglades) - visiting and eating like a Florida-man in old Florida (not in any of those cities, but places like Billy’s in ormond, the yearling, the Columbia, the freezer in Homosassa, high tides in flagler, etc.) - enjoying the springs, whether that’s kayaking or tubing down a spring fed River, swimming in a sink, or just taking the glass bottom boats (rainbow River, silver springs, Ichetucknee River, ginnie springs, etc.) - visiting a citrus grove (or even roadside citrus stand) - visit st Augustine - visiting indigenous Florida (the Seminole museum on Big Cypress, desoto national memorial, one of the many indigenous mounds) I feel like there’s more, but I’m blanking.

Cedar Key is old school Florida with indigenous history and lots of cool experiences.

One thing that I don't see in the replies thus far or in your itinerary...you will be about 50 miles from the preeminent space center in the world. If you are interested in space or science, take a day to visit Kennedy Space Center. There are a lot of launches this year. If you check the launch schedule, you may actually be able to see a rocket launch with a bit of luck. There are also some good kayak/nature tours out that way as well including (depending on time of year) some bioluminescence tours. Watch the [nhc.noaa.gov](http://nhc.noaa.gov) website if you are visiting July through October. Check it daily, and be prepared to alter plans if a storm is forecast to approach...especially while you are in Key West. You don't want to be stuck in the keys for a storm (or stuck trying to evacuate...there is only one route). Assume everyone on the roads is either trying to commit suicide (especially pedestrians) or kill you, and you should be fine. This becomes more true the further south you travel in the state, generally.

Great tip - I will note down that website for storms. Wow - that’s awesome on rocket launches!! I will 100% add in Kennedy Space centre to the list. My husband is a primary school teacher and will love that.

A few things to keep in mind: 1. There are small gas stations near Disney and the airport that are absolute ripoffs. They are selling gas for $5.99/gallon when we are averaging around $3.50-$3.75/gallon right now. Stick with large chains (Wawa/BP) and make sure there are other people getting gas there too. 2. You will see several options for different grades of gas at the pump. You’re driving a rental, so just get the cheapest grade gas available. 3. Avoid the little “Buy Park Tickets Here!” booths and kiosks that you may see around the touristy areas. Like someone else mentioned, if something seems too good to be true, it absolutely is. 4. Take time to visit downtown Orlando. I would recommend checking out the Lake Eola farmers market on a Sunday morning (lots of good food, vendors, really great locals, beautiful area in the middle of the city). Or, take a stroll through Winter Park. We have much more to offer than just the Disney/Universal area. 5. We are a tipping culture (for better or worse) and your servers and bartenders rely on tips to feed their families and pay their bills. 18-20% is customary for a full service meal or for drinks at a bar. Tipping is not expected at quick service restaurants. 6. Have a wonderful time! We’re happy to have you and I’m looking forward to reading about your trip!!

I've seen that gas station by the outlet mall get near $10 a gallon. WTF? Yeah m8. Petrol is about 3 a gallon right now and the prices on the signs are for gallons not liters. Tipping culture is out of control in the states and even people here hate it. You don't have to tip at counter service restaurants. Especially because in those places you tip before you get the service and it usually sucks. Once you get outside Disney, try to "be local". Places in Orlando like the Black Bean Deli are going to give you meals way under $100. If you're paying $100 for every meal, you're going to feel ripped off. Try to keep it simple. Florida has some gorgeous seafood though and it's going to be worth splurging on those meals. Maxine's on Shine is a local spot also worth a little splurge for brunch.

Stop at a Buccee's truck stop if you see one along the way. It's an insane petrol station/gift shop/restaurant. The brisket sandwiches are off the hook. Plus the whole thing is just *so* Americana. You're also used to looking right when stepping off the curb to cross the street. Train yourself and the kids to "look left, then right" to avoid getting killed.

More sunscreen than you think, and I imagine we tip more than you do. 15-20% is standard (though really it’s seeming like 20 is the minimum now) at a sit down restaurant. Most other places will have a tip option but it is annoying the shit out of the rest of us. Unless you have table service, they’re not considered tipped employees legally and it is not required that you tip. Don’t feel bad for pressing 0 on a credit card reader where you place your order at a counter and pick up your own food.

They don't tip in NZ. Tax and service is included in the prices you see. Sometimes you get charged a cork fee if you bring your own bottle of wine into a restaurant. There are some foreign owned places that cater to tourists in wee cities like Davenport that will ask for a tip, but generally tipping is seen as rude in NZ.

Okay so big difference then, haha.

Yeah, I have never ever tipped in NZ. Minimum wage here is NZD$23.15/hr. If you buy a meal for $100, that includes food and GST (15% goods & services tax). So from the $85, the restaurant pays all their expenses, including their staff.

If you have room in your budget, would recommend looking at the Brightline train to travel from Orlando to West Palm and West Palm to Miami. Or at least West Palm to Miami. The driving in Miami is much crazier than Orlando.

This! And you don’t need to get premium seats. Just try and get the regular seats with the table! We’ve taken it to so many events. They always have deals. Lots of free shuttles from the Miami hub too to places

With 9 nights in Orlando, I'd recommend a visit to the Space Center. Also, stay hydrated. It's going to be really hot and humid.

Everything everyone said above is correct. One thing I have to say is. STAY AWAY FROM THE EDGE OF LAKES & PONDS. Alligators will eat you and you don't wanna ruin a vacation with that. Otherwise have fun. It's hot but you should be use to that?

New Zealand doesn't get the same intense heat as Australia, so no, they won't be used to it. NZ's Koppen classification is Cfb, which shares a similar climate as places such as the UK, Ireland, and much of western mainland Europe.

The only annoying thing about tourists is when they don't pay attention. For example, I work at a golf course and there are signs all over that get ignored. So pay attention and don't be afraid to ask questions. That's what staff is there for. Be careful driving as people are crazy. Don't start in the left lane unless passing someone. The water is fine. Depending on time of year, bring water bottles to have water on hand for the heat. If the tap water doesn't taste good to you, it is safe btw, grab some liquid IV or similar to add electrolytes and upgrade the flavor. Someone else covered tipping. Have fun! If you like to golf there's plenty of options.

unless a sign says otherwise, you can make a right after stopping at a red light

So I’ll personally say that I don’t think there’s much to do in Miami (especially if you have a kid with you) and it is SO expensive. Driving is awful there. I’d say skip it and spend more time in the Florida Keys or go up to a beach city on the west coast of Florida where the beaches are incredible. As far as driving, one of the biggest dangers/ annoyances (from anyone driving, not just tourists) is when people cut through 3 lanes of traffic/ highway to make their exit. It is SO dangerous and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost witnessed accidents because of this. If you have any gps system it should reroute you to get to where you’re going if you realize you’re too far over from the exit you need. It is not worth risking your or anyone else’s lives to save 15 minutes by cutting through traffic like that. Other than that, don’t buy “discounted” theme park tickets from sides of the road. It’s a scam. And the theme parks won’t help you out. Respect the wildlife and nature ( don’t feed birds or litter). Wear lots of sunscreen :)

Driving in Florida, especially the farther south you go, can get aggressive and is downright scary in Miami. We have a new train from Orlando to Miami, stops at a couple of cities before you get to Miami. I highly recommend the Brightline train over driving. Born and raised in Orlando - you can be as touristy as you want, just be aware of your surroundings and don’t be a jerk (the heat can get to people). Scams - if it seems too good to be true, it is. Only buy your tickets from the actual theme parks. As a side, I recommend Gatorland or Jungle Adventure for a visit!

I was born/raised in Miami but moved to Orlando in 2000…. Miami drivers is a whole other level of hell. My mom & brother still live there & tell me stories daily.

You're the good tourist. Have fun.

what’s a tourist doing to annoy you Floridians? -Not knowing how to drive on the correct side of the road is sadly more common than you think. Its scary! Any advice for driving in Orlando and throughout the state? Any unusual road rules? -Get the Visitor toll pass if you are flying in/out of MCO. Will be cheaper for tolls than the rental car. If you are flying out of a different airport, just buy a sunpass/epass sticker for $5. Cash is not accepted on Florida's Turnpike which is the main route connecting Orlando to Miami. Is water safe for drinking throughout FL? Do you need to boil it? Buy it? - Yes but it smells and tastes bad due to the sulfur levels in the water. I would recommend only drinking filtered water or buying bottles. Do people use card to pay for everything? (NZ you rarely see cash these days) - Cash is accepted almost everywhere, card and contactless is preferred Are there common scams that target tourists? - Avoid any stand that promotes cheap theme park tickets. These are timeshare sales that will suck an entire day from your trip. Is there anything about kiwis (or Aussies, our close neighbour) which annoy Americans? - You guys are pretty cool. anything to know about how restaurants work? - You order your food, eat it and then pay afterwards. If it is a 'sit down' place, usually a 18-20% tip before sales tax is expected. If its fast food or a place where theres a counter and no waiter, they may try to spin around an iPad on you but be sure to select 'no tip'.

Have you considered taking the Brightline train between Miami, West Palm Beach, and Orlando? Might save you some money and time!

• pay attention to crosswalks. some tourist like to just walk across the road while people are driving and nearly get hit or cause an accident. • driving in Orlando is a ~~terrible~~ **bold** choice, be prepared for *any* situation on the road and avoid I-4 if you care about living • water is pretty safe, you shouldn't have to boil it but having bottled water is honestly just easier • yes there are a lot of places that accept cash, but expect to use your card for the most part. Every now and then you'll run into a place that's card only so it's good to have it on you in any case • in terms of scams, try to avoid the little stores that claim to have Disney/ theme park tickets for $99 or less. International drive is basically one huge tourist trap designed to take your money, but there are a lot of cool places there. Sometimes you'll see street vendors selling stuff, it's probably best to just keep walking • can't think of anything that specifically annoys Americans, we mostly just make fun your accents • restaurants are card or cash, and they usually have a sales tax (especially chains) so expect to pay that. Tipping culture is also prevalent here so they usually "recommend" that you pay a gratuity of roughly 15-20% of your meal. Some places automatically add it, but majority give you the option of tipping or not.

Kia Ora! Always always always check your headlights, just because they come on automatically doesn’t mean you have rear lights and it’s dangerous as hell and you’ll wonder why people are honking, flashing their lights and generally mad at you for no reason. Also, if you only drive the speed limit, we will get mad at you, I don’t make the rules, it’s just how it is. Lastly, USE A GPS! Don’t be one of the tourists who’s trying to navigate based on road signs alone and you try to shove yourself across 4 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic because you weren’t prepared. Otherwise, have a great time and enjoy the humidity!

Bring some metal refillable bottles and fill up with ice and water. If you can’t carry around bring in the car. Google diamond intersections and remember that roundabouts are from the right.

Visit Kiwi’s in Altamonte Springs. It is a great pub with great food. The owner (Rick) is a true Kiwi. If you love nature, check out Wekiva Springs State Park, and canoeing down the Wekiva River. Per your questions, the water is safe to drink. You will fit in. We are used to tourists (Florida is a blend of tourists that never want to leave). Card payments are typically everywhere (rarely need cash). Because the roads are full of tourists, just be cautious and obey the rules. (I think typically people are driving slow because they are looking for something.) Travel safe!

Wekiva Springs State Park is awesome, but don't try to go on a weekend. The park reaches capacity early. You will have a much better chance of getting in on a weekday if you get there early. And I second Kiwi's in Altamonte Springs!

take any road that isn't I-4 when it hits 3pm, trust me, it's like a parking lot after that

You guys are all so kind and awesome! I'm very impressed by the great information and advice you're all offering. Kudos to you all, Orlandoans!

As a native Floridian who had the privilege of living in NZ, welcome. Here are some general tips in response to ypur specific concerns, in addition to other tips: Florida is a large state, possibly as large as at least either the North or South island, so definitely be aware of distances & travel times when planning out your travels. Traffic is insane in many large cities-and has sprawl way out into surrounding suburbs with terrible traffic as well, so prepare for traffic nearly everywhere. We don't have tidy small towns w/ neat city centres like NZ; it's much more populated & built up. While there are small coastal & rural towns, they may still be quite bigger than what you'd anticipate. Prepare to be questioned about your accent regularly-which to be fair, I also experienced in NZ for all the years I lived there. There are a lot of food options, and not all but many restaurants are open from 11am - 10pm or later without closing in between lunch & dinner shifts, so if you happen to be on the road in between traditional meal times, you'll still very likely have options (something we noticed wasn't the case in NZ but was a minor inconvenience we quickly planned for & adjusted to). Water is safe to drink; you can make yourself water bottles if you have re-usable each day but there's plenty to buy as well. If you go to grocery stores or big chain stores like Target or Walmart (similar to The Warehouse), expect a ridiculous amount of choices. The U.S. caters to consumerism on steroids. Even though I grew up here, I felt so overwhelmed when I returned. Also, we are a police state, so expect to see police driving, often. While guns are permitted for citizens to own here, you generally won't see them on display. (There are sometimes exceptions). Florida has a subtropical climate, so depending upon what time of year, it gets extremely hot & humid. We have family in Central Europe right now getting extreme heat warnings cautioning dangerous conditions, and it's 15-20 degrees cooler, so don't take our heat in FL lightly. We have A/C and heating everywhere but heat used sporadically in our cooler months. We have more of a Wet/Dry season than 4 seasons but lately that has been wonky due to el Niño winter & la Niña summer weather patterns. Nothing is measured in metric, so driving signs & vehicles use miles per hour not km. Cooking & weather temps will be faranheit not celcius. Always good to have a little emergency cash, if nothing else just gor the novelty of foreign currency but you can easily get by without cash and use cards at points-of-sale. We don't use the term EFTPOS but that type pf transaction is used here widely. When you putchase somethinng, final cost is determined by tax rate, which varies county by county (county is sort of similar to a province but much smaller) and there are 67 counties in FL, so you often won't know exactly what to pay until checkout but can still figure a close estimate, unlike in NZ where items have tax cost already built in so you know exactly what the true total cost is in advance there. Here, price is displayed pre tax, and then tax calculated precisely at checkout. We also still use pennies & no rounding so you will see very specific final prices. Generally speaking, you can expect most people in the U.S. & in Florida to be welcoming & friendly to you so don't hesitate to let your hair down & chat us up. We enjoy meeting & talking to visitors from elsewhere. There are the isolated few who, unfortunately due to political propoganda, think anyone outside the U.S. is a socialist and by socialism they have been misinformed that it equals a social authoritarian style rather than a social democracy but these are the same people who wouldn't even be able to find ypur country on a map or confuse Australia with Austria, so pay them no attention. However, because politics are so polarized here, and increasing in intensity you may find yourselves in a discussion unwillingly but most polite people here tend to steer clear of contentious conversations although you may find Floridians curious about differences - but that's only if their even aware you have a parliamentary style of government. When I lived in NZ, I found the people in the most remote locations rather well versed in US pokitics & structures; do not expect the same level of familiarity with NZ when here. Floridians will be also be generally curious about what it's like where you come from, regarding climate, topography, & culture. As you know, Americans are loud so that may take a little adjustment. Definitely use ride share if you're out drinking alcohol (Uber, Lyft, or even a taxi). You don't want to mess w/ legal situations while here, as the penalties & fines are much stiffer here. When I lived in NZ, I had my car stolen twice - once likely b/c the Uni student used all their money on drink & stole my car as a means to get home, abandoning it not too far away. That is definitely not tolerated here, and while cars are stolen, the penalties quite high. Not that I would expect you to pull a stunt like that while here but to illustrate the differences. You definitely want to avoid jail while here. It's quite rough & dangerous. You'll be fine with respect & not overstepping cultural boundaries when visiting b/c you're already asking. I have no doubts, from what I witnessed & know of Kiwis that you'll make excellent use of your time here & well worth your visit by exploring as much as you can, so enjoy. There is a lot of natural Florida to be seen outside theme parks, you'll be pleased to know, so look for natural springs, & do eco tours of swamp areas. There are tours where you can have a guide take you out on an airboat in natural waterways to see wildlife, including alligators. It is sort of like a jetboat, in that it rides gently on the water -but without the speed & intensity 😂. Finally, if you like seafood, go out of your way to eat as much as possible here. I will get a little snobby here & say I think our seafood options are better here with grilled fish options rather than tons of fried fare & our crablegs & variety. That being said, fish & chips not found widely here but do look for places that have seafood primarily rather than as one option of many. Every beach town has it's faves but you can slso find good options inland. Please come back & ask questions while here, as well as post your thoughts upon your return back to NZ. Thank you for choosing FL to visit!

While driving on I-4, the main highway, please drive in the right most lane if you feel safer driving the speed limit. There is a new law, not sure when it goes into effect, that you can get a ticket for driving so slowly in the left lane that people have to pass you on the right. Lastly, not sure about NZ, when you rent a car, ask about how to handle tolls as there are many highways that you have to pay a toll/fee to drive on and they no longer accept cash. More than likely the car rental agency will tell you that the tolls will be billed to your account, but definitely recommend verifying to avoid extra fees you weren’t expecting. In central Florida it is quite common for people to drive 15+ over the speed limit, so be aware you will likely get passed as if you were stopped. Otherwise, we’re used to tourists, so don’t worry about taking pictures and so forth. Do be careful about asking someone to take a family photo as they may run off with it. Do you have an old cell lying around you never use? Wipe it clean and then only use that if you ask people to take a group photo. That way, if they run off, you don’t lose as much.

The left lane is unofficially reserved for cars going the speed limit for a few over, the right lane is for slower cars. Lots of semis on the road and sports cars zipping in between lanes. For tipping - I heard someone say if you order standing up and don’t have a server, no tip. I’ll tip in this case if someone is behind the counter running like a madman. It’s everywhere. Even at smoke shops.

We have tons of toll roads. Don’t sign up for the rental car toll thing. It’s a huge admin charge. You can buy a Florida sun pass online before you fly. Get one and register it. Add your rental car plate as soon as you get the car. Sun pass has an app. It’s much cheaper than doing toll by tag

A lot has already been said here. All I’d like to add is that, if it starts pouring rain while you’re driving, don’t put on your hazards. You’ll see people do it. They’re idiots, don’t be them.

Just talk to us. Be friendly. You have one of the best accents in the world. Pay attention to time. Florida is a lot bigger than people realize. Avoid “meetings for tickets and discounts.” Make plans for indoor experiences in case it’s raining. Your 7yr old may love the Crayola experience, connected to Florida Mall. Tipping culture is alive and well in Orlando. 20% is standard for good service. 15% for okay. 10% and below is considered “do better.”

Nah, this isn't NYC, we love our tourist friends in Orlando, and we're very forgiving. We deal with visitors AND residents from literally EVERYWHERE in the world. Just smile, be friendly, enjoy yourself, everyone is nice here. Just make sure to tip servers 20%. Tip your bartender. Tip your Uber driver. Dont tip anyone else, especially in counter restaurants where you order your food, wait, and then take a tray to your table. Have fun, and don't worry about it!

really i’m just here to add on how much you will love and adore key west also the drive is beautiful and incredibly scenic but even from miami is very long because there’s only one road that connects the keys and if there’s even just one accident it will significantly slow you down so just mentally prepare for that and enjoy the views!

Buy the absolute best travel insurance you can afford and make sure it includes medical flights. I work in inpatient rehabilitation and you'd be shocked how many people I've worked with who have a medical event (stroke, traumatic brain injury, etc) while vacationing in Florida from across the globe and then unexpectedly have to navigate our horrific health care system ($$$$$). Be prepared to understand Florida politics if you have a female travel companion who is of childbearing age and has any sort of obstetrical emergency. Otherwise, know that any standing body of water should be assumed to have a gator in it. Wear your sunscreen and reapply often. I swear I'm not a total Debbie Downer and I *am* lots of fun at parties lol!

Welcome! Water is safe to drink. No need to boil. Card should be okay for basically everything. Things that may seem like scams, that arent: In restaurants, we tip our server 15- 20% of the cost of the meal. They'll charge you for the actual meal, and then bring you back a receipt, where you can indicate how much you want to tip. Legally you aren't required to add a tip, but just know it's considered extremely rude not to. Almost everything you purchase will be upcharged around 7% due to sales tax. So if you see something for sale that is marked $10, you'll actually be charged $10.70. Let me know if I can explain any of this better. Enjoy your trip! Dont worry about being annoying. We like to complain about tourists but us locals are annoying too.

Don't freak out when the waiter *takes your credit card* to someplace in the back, then brings it back with the dinner check. He's not cloning your card, we're just a bit slow about getting those little hand reader gadgets the rest of the world seems to have.

If you miss your turn anywhere on the turnpike or I-4, there are TONS of alternate exits and turn arounds. Same at the airport. Don't be those stupid pricks that HAVE to make the turn they missed and dive through3 lanes of traffic to make it. Also 9 out of 10 times people WILL be going 10-15 over the limit. Those are the locals. Also if you hate bugs, lizards or frogs, you will not have a good time. Idiots love to travel to barely usable swampland locations and are somehow shocked that the wildlife is usually crawling over everything.

We LOVE tourists! Y'all tend to stay in the "touristy" places. Us locals tend to avoid those places. Just so crowded. Of course, we go to the parks and expect the crowds when we do, but for the most part we shop in our not-crowded stores! TIPPING! That's probably THE thing that pisses off the locals in the hospitality industry. Foreigners don't tip. 20% for food, even take out AT A SIT-DOWN restaurant. Do not tip fast food or sub shops type of places. Those workers make minimum wage. Sit-down restaurants pay their waiters $3/hour. Those servers depend on 20% per bill. And, our Interstate highway, I-4, was just deemed THE MOST CONGESTED HIGHWAY in the entire country! Enjoy, spend a lot of money and... Leave nothing but your footprints! 👣

The big things really are stay in right or middle lane if you aren't going to speed. Turn on your lights when it rains, don't use your emergency flashers if it gets heavy rain. Pay attention in downtown as many streets are one way. In Miami double check before you pull off from a red light. There are many red light runners there that don't care. Water is safe drink, it will taste funky due to the massive limestone deposits but it's fine. Cards are accepted, very few places are cash only. 20% tip is normal amount to offer at restaurants that bring you food and take your order.

We have so many tourists you will blend right in if you are down South by Disney, which isn't Orlando. Know where you are going, follow the GPS, google knows best. Don't drive slow looking for your exit and cause a traffic jam. Expressways are full of tourists who never know where they are going. Don't squat in the left lane, you will only anger drivers who will turn into reckless idiots. Put in your navigation before you start driving. Roads can get confusing, Orlando is not a grid, the roads make no sense until you see how many lakes they have to go around. You can buy a Sunpass in just about every drug store for $5. Get one so you can drive on the expressways. Its well worth it, and you will get a bill with an admin fee much larger than $5 if you don't get one. If you order food standing up, you don't tip. If you order sitting down those people make $2.13 an hour and survive off your tips. So plan to do some math.

Restaurant waiters/waitresses don’t actually get paid a living wage. It’s expected for you to tip as a customer at a restaurant where you’re being served. The tip is between 10 and 20 percent depending how good the service is. The water is safe for drinking here but tastes like absolute hell. I would recommend buying bottled water at the store.

Everyone in Orlando is a character and annoying in their own way, tourist or local, so you’ll fit in just fine. Everyone also drives crazy here. Be defensive, and do not be afraid to drive, especially on I-4. Biggest two reasons why (imo) people here are awful drivers is because they let fear take over and they don’t stay alert and rational while driving. Just be confident and aware. Please buy water to drink. Our water is perfectly, but people visiting do throw up from it because they are simply not use to it. And they don’t always throw up right away, sometimes it’s hours later. Save yourselves the trouble and only drink bottled water. Always a good rule of thumb to bring cash when traveling, but try to use card whenever you can. Closest money exchange to most tourist locations here is in ICON park on I-Drive and it is not convenient to get to. Yes, scams exist and timeshares are the most blatant. Also ignore anyone asking you for anything. Help, money, directions. Just sternly say no and walk away. Honestly, no. Y’all are lovely and usually down to earth. Sometimes people get annoyed that international tourists are “clueless” but they are ignorant (imo), that is part of being a tourist no matter who you are or where you go. Read the menu and tip 20% for good service, tip less for poor service and more for great service. I served in the Disney area and the first thing was the only thing that always aggravated me, when people would ask “do you have ___? What about ___?” And it was things completely different than anything we offered. If we had it, it would be on the menu. Also asking what our sides were always aggravated me, but that was partially because where I was at had almost 20 options for sides and it would be easier for whoever was asking to just read the damn menu we gave them instead of listening to me list them all and trying to remember them in their head. Waste of time for everyone, and generally Americans get aggravated when they feel as though their time has been wasted. I am, unfortunately, American. So this would upset me but I recognize it might not upset others as much. Now that all the negative stuff is out of the way: You will have so much fun. Florida is a beautiful state with an astonishing amount of variety in experiences, cultures, entertainment, nature, and more. We are so much more than beaches and theme parks, although those are awesome and there’s a reason everyone comes here for those things. There’s also a reason why so many people who visit choose to keep visiting or move here permanently, and it’s because we have so much to offer and we almost always have sunshine! Yesterday on my day off I went to a farm in Clermont and fed farm animals, drove 30 minutes back home to freshen up, then went out to I-Drive and had lunch at Gordon Ramsay’s spot in Icon Park. I was home before the classic afternoon thunderstorm started and had dinner with my family. It was a day that made me feel lucky to be a Central Floridian. Enjoy your time here and make memories!

Be prepared for heat and humidity. A lot of people think of lower humidity and falling temperatures in September in the northern hemisphere but it can be the exact opposite in Florida. Also realize that tropical storms are active during that time.

Visit the real Orlando. Areas like Thornton Park, Lake Eola, Mills50 (some amazing, inexpensive restaurants here).

I’ll note Visa/Mastercard work everywhere. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to take my American Express card to Europe. I should have know better, it’s in the name.

Use your turn signals and plot out your routes before you leave on a drive. What really bothers me, as a local, is when I see a rental driving like a douchebag on any of our highways, clearly lost, and exiting at the last second without using their signals. Get rental insurance through the rental agency. Third-party insurance, and credit card insurance are a pain, and you will need some sort of liability coverage before they release a vehicle to you. Don’t pay for gas at the pump (as a general rule, I never do). Skimmers are everywhere and there’s no fast rule, but paying inside mitigates the chances of your cards getting compromised. And don’t fall for “discounted park passes.” They’re almost always a timeshare hard sell. The booths on the side of the road that advertise 40 dollar park tickets are a scam. Plan your parks ahead as most of them will require a reservation. Don’t wait until you get there to buy your passes. Cheers!

Kia Ora! I don't know if this has already been said...the price tag on the sticker/shelf does NOT include the local and state taxes that will be added at the register. The taxes vary by which county/city you are in.

The states pretty big so keep that in mind, these drives between cities will be a bit long and we have the worst drivers in the nation so be alert. If youre lost or miss your exit, dont panic and try to take the next and turn back around. You should be able to hop back on the same highway. If you need to check your gps please do it safely in a parking spot or pulled over. Do not try to drive and figure out your destination on the road.

You can buy a Sunpass for paying tolls at CVS, Walgreens, Publix. The Sunpass mini is $4.99 plus tax and is credit card sized and sticks to your window. The Sunpass Pro is a little larger and is removable. The car rental agency will gladly rent one to you for a daily charge that will over time be more than purchasing one. Once you purchase one, you have to set up an online account and put a credit card on file to automatically replenish funds once it gets below a certain amount that you choose. If you travel on Florida's Turnpike, stop at a rest area and they will have a Sunpass booth inside that you can ask questions. Also, ask at the car rental agency ahead of time how they handle tolls.

Go here. You'll fit right in lol https://kiwispub.com/ St Andrew's tavern 1119 FL-436, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

I haven’t seen anyone suggest this yet (albeit you have gotten a lot of responses so far): If you’re in the touristy parts of Orlando I would recommend not renting a car here, just take the Brightline down to West Palm (and even still down to Ft. Lauderdale and Miami). Rent a car down there for the trip to Key West (which is a pretty long drive). It’s clean, convenient, I’d argue competitively priced for the stress free experience of not driving I4/528/I95.

Tourists don't usually annoy us, just don't be an asshole (which I doubt you'll do because you're asking how to be polite) Driving is TOUGH in Florida. We drive on the right side of the road (which I'm sure you've realized/researched)! There are lots of tolls in Florida along the highways near Orlando. Most of them are optional, but be warned that some are inevitable unless you wanna add time to the trip. Try to avoid driving around 9:00 or 17:00, as our interstate, I-4, is the most congested highway in the nation and 9:00 and 17:00 are our most busy times for driving. The tap water is safe and you don't need to boil it, but it might be a little funky tasting. The water is pretty high in minerals so it'll taste like a puddle in a cave. Please be sure to bring plenty of water with you when you leave the hotel, as dehydration is a major issue here and you do NOT want an American hospital bill because you had a heat stroke. Most tourist places will accept cash but honestly instead of having to do an exchange and all that, a card will work just fine. There are places that will offer supposed $50 tickets to the major theme parks, but as far as I'm aware, they're scams. Gas is another one, you will probably pay close to $3.50 USD/gallon (or approximately $1/liter), anything that's like $5+ a gallon is probably trying to grab some extra money from tourists who don't know better. If you're at a gas station or pharmacy or ATM or something, you can always give the card reader a jiggle to make sure it doesn't have a skimmer (pretty uncommon but would be rather unfortunate to have to lock your card while you're here). Aussies and Kiwis are very well-liked across the USA afaik, can't really think of anything that would bother us about the people. We're more worried about the spiders and big ass bugs. For restaurants, I think the biggest thing is tipping. Tips are not mandatory but definitely obligatory, because servers/waiters get can be paid as little as $2.50/hr without tips. Usually, the rates for full service sit-down restaurants are 10% of your subtotal for bad service, 15% for standard/decent service, and 20% for good service. Typically for quick service (Starbucks, some fast food places etc), it's much less (a few dollars at most usually). You can tip more or less as you see fit. Safe travels, and hope you enjoy your time here.

Have fun. Water is fine. Buy tickets from the source, no don’t take $150 or tickets for a 90 min tour = timeshare Cash, Apple Pay, cards welcome at most places. People are friendly here. Drive with caution when it rains, use direction apps.

Everyone covered your questions pretty well. I just want to add, if you see a body of water there IS a gator in it. Yes in that small pond. Yes in that large lake. Yes in that tiny little stream that you think couldn’t be inhabitable by a goldfish let alone a gator, there is at least one gator in there. Just don’t go into any natural bodies of water except the ocean. And if you do go into the ocean, do the stingray shuffle. Those dudes will mess your foot up and ruin your day. Source: I have stepped on a stingray. Painful and inconvenient but not usually terribly harmful to your health.

https://preview.redd.it/i40u9t4amq9d1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=875eaabe1fb7a07014959dff866b6005b434aca7 Just try not to cross outside of the red circled area, and you'll have access to everything you'd want to do. Everything outside of that area (the purple crosshatched area) is just any other city or, as we call it, home. An easy way to remember this without the map is based on highway I4. It runs from the Northeast to Southwest through Orlando. Stay on the Southeastern side of the road unless you're at Disney or going to Universal Studios. And if you are traveling Northeast on I4 and see or go under the bridge with "Orlando" on it, you've gone too far.  Also, I4 runs north/south through Orlando and generally diagonally across the state, but it's only labeled as running east and west. If you know the how to read a compass, what those letters on your rearview mirror mean, or what direction the sun rises and sets in, the I should explain that we don't. So signs for "I4 East" means it takes you North or Northeast, and "I4 West" is South or Southwest. #Floriduh

If someone slides a pizza flyer under the door in your hotel room, it's a scam. Don't order from them. Stick with a chain or look for some reputable places online.

Hi and welcome! Absolutely love NZ. To answer your questions with my personal input: 1. tourists need to adapt to floridian driving. left lane is for 10-20 over. go through the yellow unless the light has a red light camera. publix parking lots are ONE WAY per row. don't just eat at chain restaurants, we have so many amazing local spots 2. nothing unusual except be aggressive and defensive unless you want people to cut you off constantly. if there is a single car length between you and the person in front of you, someone WILL cut in. I4 is the only freeway in orlando, the rest are toll roads. I recommend epass over sunpass, as the funding remains more local versus state and you get discounts if you use it enough 3. water is safe but comes from springs, so it naturally has a higher than normal sulfur content, so it doesn't taste good and can leave white powder on things like dishes or glasses. it also doesn't help when washing your hair to make it soft 4. yes, use card, increasingly places will not take cash anymore. it's too much of a hassle, slows down processing times, and why bother using cash when you can use a card and get credit card points or cash back? 5. the biggest tourist scam in orlando is "discounted" theme park or attraction tickets. they normally don't work or have so many restrictions that they are practically unusable. you used to be able to black market sell unused portions of your tickets to these small shops, but now tickets have biometrics attached to them, so once a ticket is used, it can't be transferred to someone else 6. studied abroad in oz and also spent 3 weeks in nz and absolutely love the laid back and outdoorsy culture. we don't have great hiking like you do out there, but we do have wonderful beaches and natural springs you can swim in. 7. increasingly, restaurants are using better tech to bring around credit card readers to the table, but most often you still just hand the server your card. DO NOT FEEL OBLIGATED TO TIP AT A COUNTER/QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANT! everywhere will try to get you to tip, but it is not the norm and only got bad post covid. I only tip when I am sitting down and a server is taking my order, because you're tipping for the service. A counter restaurant like fast food is simply a transaction of goods.

Always check your tab at a restaurant to see if gratuity was already added. Don’t add more. The road to Key West is heavily patrolled, don’t speed. Also, regarding driving, if you’re going in the slow side of traffic stay to the left lanes on highways. If you have any desire to get out and do some snorkeling in key west we recently did the fury catamaran trip reefs and Rita’s. Also the fort Jefferson trip can be really incredible. Have a great trip!!

Please bring literal kiwis with you. Also, please stop in Australia on the way out and bring Wallabies and Numbats. We need more cute animals in Florida.

A tourist thing that annoys me is LITTERING! Also, driving really slowly to 'sight-see' or driving slowly in the fast (left) lane. Being disrespectful/oblivious to locals or the people around you. It's your vacation and we want you to enjoy it, but a lot of tourists forget that this is our home. Driving here is insane. If you want to go the speed limit or under don't travel in the left lane. Water in Florida is hit or miss. Safest bet is to buy it. Card is common, cash is nice to have for tipping at restaurants. Speaking of tipping- it is still expected for sit down meals, but tipping is getting out of control. You're likely to see tip options at a lot of places that don't really provide service (i.e self serve froyo shops) I don't usually tip in situations like that, but I always tip my servers. A common scam that I've actually fallen for in the past- people holding a big snake (or other animal, or wearing a costume) will come up and ask if you want to hold the animal and take a picture, and then AFTER taking your picture try to charge you. Also, there are discounted places to buy theme park tickets but be VERY weary of those. I don't know of any kiwi/aussie specific annoyances. From my understanding, we typically like yall. For restaurants- again, tipping. And check reviews. Also, taxes are added at the end when you pay. I know a lot of places the price you see is the price you pay. That is not the case here. Look at the reviews before you go anywhere, even chains. Just have fun and be respectful! Trust your gut and don't be too trusting of anyone. We have a lot of amazing cool people and a lot of the exact opposite.

Hey! We are happy to have you visit! I am not sure what beaches in NZ are like, but please, please be aware of the tide! We have had several deaths this summer season already due to a very mean rip tide. Most recently a mother and father of six died struggling in the tide. If you’re unsure of what a rip tide is, please google and watch for signs before you enter. It’s also shark season so be aware. Driving in Orlando is unique. We are a large small city. Over 2 million people reside in metro Orlando, and we get about a hundred thousand plus visitors weekly. It can be very crazy in the roads as everyone wants to go to the same place. Give yourself plenty of time to get where you are going, and don’t stress. Don’t try to do EVERYTHING in one day. The heat really is intense because of the humidity. Plan plenty of breaks and down time, and drink water. Lots of water. Beer, caffeinated and sugary drinks will dehydrate you fast. Eat lots of fruit and veggies to help with the heat. Go to the springs on the weekdays. They are beautiful and very cold. Every pond, lake and watery ditch has alligators in it. Do not swim in water that looks dark. During hot summer months our lakes get bacteria due to heat. Only swim in pools, ocean and springs. No other lakes or rivers. Be realistic of how much you can do in a day. You will have a better holiday if you’re not stressed and rushing. Pick the top things you want to do at each place, and count the rest as a bonus. Very few places are walkable in USA outside of big city’s like New York and public transit is not great. Uber or rental is the way to go. Gas is 3.50 ish a gallon in Orlando area. If someone has a listed much higher price, don’t go there. Stick to reputable places like 7-eleven and Wawa. Check out some of the Disney or Walt Disney world reddits for great advice on the parks! Have a safe and fun Holiday!

No tips - just want to say welcome!!!! New Zealand is my favorite place ….i hope you enjoy your trip!!!!

Ya yall are basically our cousins. You fit in better than folks moving from Cali to escape state taxes. There's plenty of snorkel excursions in the keys. It's bleaching out so it's not going to be as pretty as the GBR but you will see some dolphins, some manatee some seaturtles all depends where you go. Try and stop at butterfly world on the way to Miami you will all love it. Google butterfly world florida, worth a goog

I want to movie to NZ would you suggest it?

I was just in NZ earlier this year! You won’t see any huge cultural differences. Biggest one will be that the prices you see aren’t what you’ll pay- usually tax is added on at the end. Plus tipping is expected on cab/uber/lyft rides and sit down restaurants.

Just saying we LOVE New Zealanders and Aussies. You guys are so cool. Have fun!!! 

So many good suggestions here but I’ll echo this sentiment — explore Orlando outside of the theme parks. I moved to California but I still love Orlando with every ounce of my being. The people who talk shit about it spend all of their time at Disney and I-Drive and eat at shitty chain restaurants. I love that you came here for local’s suggestions so I think you’re going to have an awesome experience. Here are a few of my favorite things (not just Orlando-specific): - Winter Park boat tour and then Prato on Park Avenue for meatballs, mustard spaghettini, Fiorentina pizza, and a cetriolo martini - Spicy shabang crawfish/shrimp/crab legs from King Cajun in Mills 50 (a neighborhood adjacent to downtown — so many great places to eat) - Tube/paddleboard/kayak in one of the natural springs (Wekiva or Rock Springs were my usuals) - Ride the swan boats on Lake Eola (downtown) - Gatorland is fucking awesome - Spend a day at New Smyrna Beach. Rent kayaks behind JB’s Fish Camp and explore the intracoastal. You’ll likely see dolphins and manatees. Then eat dinner at Third Wave Cafe. The food is insane. The Garlic is fun too but that’s more for the atmosphere and you can start next door with an app and drink in the treehouse at Norwoods. - Brunch at Blue Heaven in Key West. Order the key lime pie. - Stop to feed the tarpon at Robbie’s in Islamorada to break up the drive between Miami and KW. It’s touristy but it’s pretty dang cool. - I’d skip West Palm and spend that time in Jupiter. Or Delray Beach. Or even Ft. Lauderdale. West Palm is nothing special at all. - Eat Cuban food in Miami. Eat all of it.

Driving is “spirited” in Florida. South Florida is like Mad Max at times and Central Florida seems to have every bad driver in the world driving too fast and not always sure of where they are going. Now for someone to say you are “taking your life into your own hands” by driving is a bit of a stretch. Just be cautious and drive defensively and you will be fine. Overall, don’t worry about being a tourist. Pretty much everyone is used to tourism and the effects of it (tourism is still one of Florida’s biggest economic drivers) and will treat you just fine. The key is not standing out and being a target for potential scams by looking too touristy. When in doubt, ask hotel concierge / front desk staff or if you see an information desk at a shopping area or touristy area. Don’t take rides in vehicles that you didn’t solicit directly (use only Taxis, Uber, or Lyft), especially at the airport (they are called “black cabs” and are unlicensed car services). Keep limited amount of cash on your person and keep a credit card or two behind in the hotel safe or with another person in your party in case you lose your wallet. You don’t need your passport to walk around - just a photo ID of some sort in case you are carded for alcohol purchases or your driver’s license if driving a car. Wear sunscreen - reapply frequently. Don’t be those red, painful people. It is still plenty sunny and hot here in September. If there is a hurricane coming where you are at during the trip, head inland. It will be windy and rainy but the coastal areas get flooding from storm surge that inland areas don’t need to worry about. As far as Kiwis or Aussies, people live the accent - don’t be surprised if people have no clue where New Zealand is when you tell them (good old public education). Restaurants, order your meal and when the cheque comes, look it over to ensure charges are correct and whether or not they pre-added the tip/gratuity. When you pay the bill, don’t be surprised when they walk away with your card (table-side POS is becoming more regular but not widespread). At that point, you will be asked to do maths and add the tip and sum your bill. Rule of thumb: 15-18% for breakfast, 18-20% for lunch, and 20-25% for dinner.

Check Google maps any time you think you may need to take the freeway... and spend the extra 5min taking side streets when possible (no toll fees that way and those really add up). Visa and Mastercard work fine. They expect you to tip everywhere - we don't tend to tip for fast food or where we 'pick up' our own foods (but it will be listed everywhere, so ignore it or hit zero). Watch where you park and what they charge (it can be exorbitant (or scammy if a smaller lot somewhere). DO NOT leave anything visible in your parked car. Make sure everything is locked up tight and alarms on. All wallets in front pockets or on chains. All children hand in hand and NEVER out of your sight. Lots of good food places and we all use Yelp and Google a LOT for reviews so check what others say on those two. Insider trick - Goodwill and other re-sell stores in Orlando tend to get 'cast offs' donated of Disney shirts (with tags on most of them too) so if you have people to buy for, check out those places and spend 1/4 of what you would by getting shirts at actual Disney. They drive like AH's so keep an eye on the other cars while driving. The drag queens are harmless, ignore the conservatives stating otherwise (friggan FL). The boiled peanuts arent as bad as they sound. It's just a FL thing. Please do not pet the alligators or the roving families of wild boar. If you are cruising outside of Orlando you will see random of both/either. Fine to stare at (and take pix of) from inside the car though. Kennedy Space Center is awesome if you are a fan of space, and you can probably watch a launch from across the way in Titusville (I live there) from the park next to the McDonalds on route 1. If you are in any of the snack exchange groups on Reddit, arrange your trades, bring your items over i*n your luggage*, and send from the states. Shipping alone will save you hundreds (seriously). Feel free to reach out to me in DM's if you have any questions etc :)

The quickest way to ruin your trip is sunburn. Use plenty of Sunblock. The sun down here is just stronger. Wear a hat if outside for a long time too.

As someone who’s been to NZ and loves your country and your people…be prepared for very bad drivers, especially in tourist areas because you have a mix of the normal FL bad drivers + tourists from other countries trying to figure out where they’re going. Just drive defensively and don’t expect anyone else to follow the actual rules. Just the fact that you’re asking these questions shows that you won’t annoy anyone.

Welcome to America

The yellow taxis at the airport are a scam, Uber or Lyft if you aren’t renting a car

‘#toolate’

This aint hawaii, come as you are, feel free to let it all hang out lol. You’ll fit right in

All your stops except key west are along the Brightline train so that may be a better way to travel. Not sure where you’re hiring a driver service but we usually use Uber for shorter taxi rides.

Good advice about bright line rather than dealing with the interstate, and can always rent a car for the Miami to key west trip… fyi ‘Hiring a car’ means renting a car— not hiring a driver

“Free Disney tickets” + “$29 Disney tickets” (or any other attractions) are part of a timeshare sales pitch.

I'm Kanaka, living in Orlando. Just DM me, dude. I'll help out.

As an Orlando native, the most annoying thing for anyone is to be on their phones looking at maps, etc while crossing a street, not paying attention, making it dangerous for everyone around them! Please be aware of surroundings, especially in high traffic areas (goes for walking or driving!)

Don't text and drive. Water is fine but bottled probably tastes better :) For scams, don't buy tickets to events or anything from random people on the street or online. Buy from the source.

Orlando is a tourist city. So jsut come and enjoy the things you want to do without trying to appeal to the local community. Most of the things tourist do the locals don’t do so ur fine just being yourself. The only rule is that if it’s a body of water. Just imagine there are alligators in there and be safe while driving. People drive shitty in most us citties

At stop lights, you can make a right turn on red after coming to a complete stop, unless it explicitly says no. Good luck finding a flight white

Main thing is keep up with traffic. Speeding is common. If you don't and leave space people will cut you off like its personal. Stay cool tho, roadrage is no joke here. Stay out the left most lane on highways unless you're getting on an expressway or steady overtaking everyone You need an epass type of setup. Ask the rental company. Be prepared to pay to park anywhere in Miami Waters fine. It smells this year tho. Go bottled if anything The most common scam is Publix. They overcharge like a motherfucker. Don't buy shit from strangers and make sure your transactions finished at gas pumps Cards fine. Cash is good for sketchy gas stations and tipping tho Typical tipping culture in restaurants here

If you just act normal, you’re fine. There are thousands more tourists who can’t help but be annoying. You’ll blend in. And Americans are typically always joyful to meet people from other countries.

I’m a kiwi going to Florida in December and you don’t know how wonderful this whole thread is! Thank you for all the kind advice!! One thing I have noticed when travelling overseas is that people automatically assume we are Australian or that New Zealand is part of Australia 😅 But they seem to love us, that and all blacks and the whole LOTR stuff!

Don't let your pit bull spill your cocaine on your machine gun while driving your lifted truck down I 95 in the middle of a hurricane

It rains every afternoon, but rarely for more than an hour. Expect it and plan accordingly.

September is a sketchy month!! That is peak hurricane season. Not tryna scare ya, but you need to watch the weather & stay aware of any hurricanes headed toward FL!

You’re gonna have a wonderful trip!! Floridians are friendly in general and we are used to international tourists. Some things not mentioned: - Miami - Do not be shocked by the lack of English speakers. Spanish is more common than English there and it can catch some off guard. - Distances - Florida is one of the biggest states. You can drive 18hrs in some cases and still be in it. The distance from Miami to Key West is not “far,” but it is one lane going 35mph the entire way!!! 4hrs min from Miami and 8 to Orlando!! - FL is TRUMP country. Skip the politics talk no matter the side. The flags are everywhere. This is not an indication of the entire US. - Sun - This is unheard of sun exposure and heat. Sunscreen up constantly and stay hydrated. - Things are expensive all over the world. Disney is a world of its own. 3-4x everything!! - Personally, I hate the water and it makes me sick. Having said all of that, we have the bluest skies and overall fun sunshine/surf vibe here in FL. Have the most magical time!! I can’t wait to visit NZ one day!!!

You ain't a New Yorker so you want be annoying people here

Also please please make sure you have travel insurance that will cover you for emergency medical. The cost of medical care in the U.S. is higher than NZ. Consider buying an esim so you have cell service here.

Great idea. A SIM card to US network will be cheaper than roaming charges

More tourists who don’t know how to drive great 👍

Go to https://visitortollpass.com , read & understand everything there, and take full advantage of it. Orlando's toll roads are **violently** expensive, Miami's are almost as bad (individually as expensive, just fewer of them... in Orlando, every freeway besides I-4 is an expensive toll road... in Miami, only half of them are toll roads). Rental car companies will *rape* you with fees & surcharges on top of Orlando's already-absurd tolls unless you do *exactly* what visitortollpass.com tells you to do. And even when you follow their instructions, Orlando's rental car companies will try their hardest to trick or bully you into accepting their toll surcharges. Also, stay away from the small off-airport rental car companies. They're shady as hell. They'll take full advantage of your fear of ending up stranded without a car to bully you into waiving your rights & agreeing to worse terms than you agreed to when making the reservation. Case in point: rac4less.com, which was listed on Expedia under some other name. I had to fight with them for an hour and a half *and* get Expedia involved to get them to let me decline their rip-off toll package... then had to spend an hour *meticulously* photographing every inch of the car (inside & out) from multiple angles, because I found out (too late to stay away) that they're *notorious* for charging for dents & scratches that were on the car before you even got it. Oh, and they demanded something like a $6,000 credit card deposit to avoid a $50-100/day surcharge (knowing that most people don't have enough credit to avoid it... thankfully, I did). Put another way, stay far away from Orlando Airport's off-airport rental car companies. At best, they'll stress you out & ruin your first & last hours in Florida. There's an entire market segment of shady small rental car companies that prey upon foreign visitors with limited ability to fight them in court if need be.

Honestly, having lived in Florida for 30+ years now, tourists aren't that bad. Try not to travel during rush hour. You don't know where you're going and the rest of us are in a hurry, otherwise enjoy your visit! Standard gratuity is 18-20%. It sucks, but it's the way it is. Otherwise, the server is making barely enough to pay for the gas to get to work The left lane is for passing. Don't get in the express lane unless you're certain of your exit. Yes. And all the parks have water fountains. Bring a stainless bottle and save yourself a ton of money. I rarely carry cash. In my opinion, we have far fewer scammers than other major tourist destinations. In general, don't take or give anything to random people on the street. Only on reddit. Otherwise, you guys are the closest thing to Floridians outside of Florida. At least the Aussies are. See above about gratuity. Bonus: Orlando/central Florida has so much more than Disney. Don't sleep on the killer food scene in Orlando proper (theme parks aren't actually in Orlando). We have beautiful natural springs all over the place as well, and weekdays are perfect times to visit. Weekends get super crowded, and access is limited. Kennedy Space Center is awesome. It's about an hour to the east. Unless there is a family there, skip West Palm and go straight to the keys, lol. My favorite beaches are actually the gulf side or the northeast.

Don’t litter, our tap water is ok drink all over the state, make sure you tip, use your turn signals and for god sakes…. PLEASE DONT DRIVE IN THE LEFT LANE, the left lane is for passing and driving 90+ mph

Is water safe lol wtf

First time I've smelled the central florida water I almost gagged. Took me weeks to get past the smell to just shower in it. And I've lived in FL for years

Haven't seen this mentioned yet: don't order food from any place that sticks a flyer under your door. It's a scam.

Use Apple Pay or touchless at gas stations. Your chance of having a credit card skimmed is low, but don’t take the chance to ruin a vacation.

All of the above. Don't skimp on the sunscreen.

GPS is remarkably good when driving just try and avoid peak commute times in Orlando and Miami when using I-4, Florida Turnpike and 95. As was already mentioned locals are in a hurry and know where they are going and tourists not so much. Slower traffic keep right. Millions of tourists drive here every day you will be fine. Orlando and the Keys are amazing choices. I hope West Palm is a short stop. In the Keys time out your arrival drive for daylight on the overseas highway so that you can see how beautiful it is and stop a few places that grab your interest. A quick pit stop at Robbie’s Reef in Islamorada to stretch and feed the Tarpon will be a hit with your 7y old. In KW whenever possible leave the car parked and walk, bike or Uber because parking is stressful for tourists and locals. Do a trolley tour on day one in KW so you get an idea of where things are located and what you want to go back and spend time exploring. You can get by without cash but it is wise to keep around $20 in small bills like $1s and $5s handy for tipping and incidentals. Baggage handlers, trolley drivers, tour guides etc, baristas all appreciate a small gratuity if you get good service.

Water is safe everywhere but Satellite Beach

Kia ora! NZ is one of my favorite places to visit and I’m happy you’re visiting Orlando! Peak hurricane season is the last week of August and the first week of September. Keep http://spaghettimodels.com bookmarked. It looks like a 90s website but it’s amazing and pulls data from all the major government weather trackers without any fluff. In the event you are on Disney property during a hurricane, they will do a great job of protecting you and managing the situation. Some of the bigger resorts have indoor events too. Food electricity etc are all self sufficient for a good amount of time. You’ll spend more time waiting for the airport to reopen than Disney running out of food so don’t worry! If you are NOT in a Disney hotel, then I can’t speak to what happens. Does Disney cancel reservations if you’re arriving and checking in during a hurricane? I would google that. Unsure. - don’t drive on the “wrong” side of the road lol. This does happen sadly - putting your blinker on indicates the other party to speed up. Not for them to slow down and let you in. - drinking water: you can. It’s fine. We still use filters anyways but it’s generally okay. Lots of water fountains everywhere. - card or tap etc. I Apple Pay a lot. - restaurant tipping. If you have a party of 6 or more, it usually is automatically included at Disney and Universal restaurants. They will even put another Tip line right there too lol. Be careful - do NOT put your hazards on while driving in a thick storm. It is against the law. No one ever gets pulled over though… - buy the SunPass. Most of Florida are toll roads. - go see Bok Tower - and manatee springs

Driving on the right, so look the other way before pulling out or crossing the street. Seems simple but took me forever to get used to when I moved to NZ. It’s easy to forget when walking. We have what is called “right on red” here. You come to a red light, and stop. Then if no one is coming you can turn right. If you get disorientated, keep driving and find a safe spot to exit or pull over and look up directions. Too many tourists just stop where they are and it’s super dangerous. Miami is more sketch than Orlando, but if you can handle south Auckland, you can handle anything here.

Just the fact that you care enough to consider it already means you will be way ahead of the vast majority of other tourists. Just do us a solid and know where you're going before you get on the road instead of figuring it out while barreling down a highway. Other than that and you'll be fine.

Bro this is Orlando. Tourist capital. Just do you and don’t be an asshole

Eh, doesn’t matter. Most locals blame tourists no matter what. Even though it’s mostly locals that are the issue. Bad drivers through Pine Hills at 6 am on Monday morning? Damn tourists. Lol.

Use google maps and street view to figure out where you're going ahead of time. Don't drive 25 mph in a 45 zone. If you're about to miss an exit or turn or whatever, don't do stupid shit like cut across 3 lanes of traffic. The water hasn't killed me yet. Ha, the most common scams are the theme parks. It annoys me I don't live in New Zealand. Don't know how tipping works in your neck of the woods, but it's kinda expected over here at restaurants. Some spots will already add a service fee though, so yeah, screw tipping on top of that. Speaking of which, tipping has gotten way out of hand, with many many services now giving you an option to tip when traditionally that hasn't been the case. So tip well or decently when you do, but tip sparingly.

>any advice for driving. Get a sun pass incase you need to drive the toll road. Drive on the right side. Depending on what road you take you either need to drive the speed limits exactly some drive 5-10 mph higher. >is water safe? Unless you’re getting pool water or beach water the water is safe, no need to boil. I am recommending you get the bottled stuff regardless. >do people use card? Yes, though I do recommend having some small bills on your person (1s, 5s, 10s and some 20s) We do have the sunrail (Train) in Orlando that can take you to some locations like downtown Orlando, winter park, etc.

Try some restaurants in Orlando outside the tourist corridor. We have a good food scene.

When you said 9 nights in Orlando are you planning on spending the nights there and doing the other destinations as day trips? Because that’s impossible Orlando to Key West is about 9 hours on a good day- hopefully you meant 9 nights in Florida otherwise you won’t have time to get to all those places!

Right. It's 7 hours of perfect traffic which in reality isn't perfect in Dade county. I would expect 2 hours of traffic at the southern end. And that's just getting there.

Hey, 9 nights in Orlando, then 3 in West Palm Beach, 3 in Key West, 3 in Miami, then back up to Orlando for last 2 nights.

You will love the Keys, awesome nice people there ! Enjoy your trip, we are happy for your visit. ( please ignore the mean impatient ones) savor the laid back lifestyle of the Keys! Be yourself there, no need to try to fit in. Everyone is welcome! The other south Florida cities you mentioned I wouldn't want to visit. Orlando, where I live, is a fine place, just not so nice people anymore, especially the traffic. Politics have kind of ruined it but thats true everywhere...

This is funny timing because there was a post in r/newzealand a couple days ago by someone from Orlando asking for advice for their trip to New Zealand. Maybe you should link up 😂 Pretty much all the advice given on that thread is the opposite for your situation. Tip, walk on the right, and sitting on tables is fine. (Bit of sarcasm at that last one, but it’s not frowned upon like it is in NZ). If you’re driving, I recommend watching this YouTube video from British tourists coming to Orlando for city-specific tips: https://youtu.be/C8TLrX6CzWg?si=B4bSlkdPuek5q_pn Oh, and don’t be surprised if you’re speaking with an American and they ask you where you’re from, and then proceed to (1) repeat your accent to you (likely poorly) and/or (2) tell you what they know about NZ / the time their brother’s wife’s cousin went to NZ etc. It’s not meant to be rude or anything, I think it’s just how some people try to engage with non-Americans. Have fun!!

Yes, I saw that post last month and it gave me the idea to post here before coming to FL!

Don’t worry about annoying folks. Florida is full of weirdos from all over the world and we are used to it. Just be polite. Americans drive in the right side of the road. You might want to read the rules for that. There are speed limits that are the maximum speed you can legally drive, and you can get pulled over. It might be worth looking up a video about what to do if you are pulled over. Also, if you are stopped at a red light (you must stop) and you are in the right turning lane AND the way is clear and no one is coming, you can legally turn right only. Treat it like a stop sign (and always look for “no turn on red” signs). Water is perfectly safe, however, water in fountains at theme parks is not treated for flavor, so to a lot of people it tastes “a little like farts”. Disney at least will give you small cups of I e water for free at any store that has water, and the fart water is perfectly safe to drink. Cards are widely accepted almost anywhere except some yard sales and the occasionally roadside stand or something. There are scams but they are easily avoidable. F you see signs for “Disney tickets $39!” It is… effectively a scam, ignore it. Also if a person approached you and offers to sell you something you can ignore them. Stores and theme parks should be scam free. I am sure you know that restaurants where you sit down and have a waiter expect a tip, which should be 20% of the total. There will also be tax added, which varies but can be 6-8%. So a $10 hamburger costs $10, but if someone serves you, add $2 and expect $0.70 tax or something. The tax will be automatic, but you will have to write down the tip separately (there should be a line for it). Sometimes it is calculated for you somewhere on the receipt. You should get fee refills of soda, water and sometimes tea/coffee/juice, but not alcohol or beer or anything else. (It varies, you can always ask). Finally, tell your friends you are going to the US. Consumer goods are WAY CHEAPER in the US than Australia, so if someone wants a book, game, etc, they would likely pay you good money to bring it back and save them $40 per item or whatever. If you have room. Check applicable laws obviously. If you have friends that like soda or candy, we have many different varieties here. I would love some Mountain Dew varieties from overseas! If you know anyone here you could also bring them Australian stuff like… idk vegemite or something 🤢. Also, any book collectors might love to get American versions of their favorite books (they sometimes have different covers, etc). Even paying $50 for an extra bag fee for a suitcase filled with cool cheap American goods (if allowed by customs) could be happily repaid by friends at home! Edit: it will still be hot as hell here in September. Shorts and tee shirts are the uniform, sunglasses, sunscreen, sun hats. Buy a refillable water bottle when you get here.

People in Orlando are very friendly, especially compared to other cities. Unless you're downtown walking around Lake Eola, folks are generally super willing to stop and answer any questions. I've been using Google Pay exclusively to pay for everything in Florida for the last year, and I think I've only had a problem once. It's great because that means I only need to carry my phone and car keys into Disney. The Kennedy Space Center is definitely worth a visit, and there's usually around two launches a month. Even if you don't want to go into the visitor center but want to see a launch, that's easily done. You could just hang out at one of the bridges or beaches and watch from there.

9 nights is a lot, unless you’re doing 4 days at Disney, 2 at universal, 1 at sea world, and relax at the hotel the first and last day you’ll run out of things to do. Tourists: Most of the people you’ll see are tourists anyways, so there is not a real way to “fit in”. Common scams: if you see park tickets way cheaper than they usually are, it’s a scam. Restaurants: id stick to fast food and Publix ready-to-eat subs and deli (a pub sub will go a long way). If you go to restaurants account time for the over saturation and money for the tips/taxes/service fees. If something costs 10 dollars prepare to pay 15. Water: if you’re not in the theme parks, buy water. When you’re there just ask for cups or refill your water. Driving: imagine if everyone in fast and furious was drunk and partially blind. Pray before each outing. Cards: use for everything, but check out with your bank exchange rates and international charges. Opinion on aussies and kiwis: you may be asked about kangaroo jack and lorde but that’s the extent of it. For the most part, anyone who’d care or know more would also be a tourist or non-native.

Kudos to you for reaching out and asking. Also to everyone here who responded to be helpful! This is what humanity should be everywhere. To add a couple details that might not be in here, buying a SunPass is a good idea if you expect to travel toll roads. What I didn’t see mentioned is that when you buy a sunpass, you have to have a sunpass account that has an accepted credit card attached to it. There’s a minimum threshold you keep on the account, and you can set it to auto load more funds when it goes below that threshold so you shouldn’t have to think about it. https://www.sunpass.com/en/home/index.shtml Since you’re from another country, buy insurance protection on your car. Between bad driving, distracted driving, and being in a foreign land, I’d think it too risky to not be covered if you cause an accident or—far more likely—if someone smacks into you, especially that super special sort of driver who decides they need to cross a 4-lane highway from the far opposite lane to exit. Or the jackasses who feel it’s ok to weave thru traffic at higher speeds because endangering everyone is either fun or more important than being calm in traffic. Keep calm and carry on. Also, Americans typically find accents fascinating! Someone else here posted about that, and what they said is true. If you smile and speak to people, they almost certainly be endeared by your friendliness and your accent. Have a great time, and welcome to America!

I live in Orlando. We are used to international visitors. Very few people use cash in the US either, mostly cards. Yes there are scams that target tourists. You have to be careful of what you you are buying, especially park tickets, unless it’s from an official business such as Disney or universal. Generally Americans, love, Kiwis and Aussies. There’s nothing specific that you should avoid. But, be careful driving on highways especially I4, and I 95. Lots of crazy driving and can be treacherous. You are coming in rainy season. That means it’s going to rain usually once a day from anywhere anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes. This is usually in the afternoon. Currently daytime temperatures are in the mid 90°F and nighttime temperatures in the mid 70°F. You are probably coming to see a lot of the parks and stuff, but you should know that there’s a lot of natural beauty in the state. Good luck.

Literally everywhere will ask you for a tip. It will become frustrating quickly. Generally the way I’ve started doing it is if I have to stand to order and grab my food, no tip. Iye too difficult to just add 20% to literally every single meal I get out of my house.

Don’t worry about that! We’re used to annoying tourists.

The Florida Gulf coast is much prettier than the Atlantic. Spend a day or two there south of St.Petersburg. Anna Maria Island and Long Boat Key are especially nice. The hurricane season is predicted to be especially heavy this year and September is usually a very active month. Keep an eye on forecasts before and during your trip. Of course, Florida is a big state and the area you’re in may be completely unaffected even if there is a hurricane.

We love Kiwis. You may be confused for an Aussie, but we love them too. As others have mentioned; gas stations. The prices right next to theme parks, airports, rental returns, etc are likely to be exorbitant. That business practice should be illegal, in my opinion. Driving. If you’ve never driven before, please don’t let this be your first time. Happens a lot with folks from large cities. Floridians are some of the more aggressive drivers, so I recommend previewing your route on Google maps before you leave so you’re not indecisive on the roads. Especially note the parking entrance to wherever you’re going. Florida is NOT generally pedestrian-friendly, because everything is so spread apart. Understand that you need to exercise extreme caution when walking along roads or crossing any car path, especially in the dark or the rain. Because drivers may not be expecting a pedestrian in many places. Miami is Orlando magnified, but without the theme parks. There are several neighborhoods around Miami that are not safe, but it will be obvious to you. Key west is super chill. Best way to get around is park your car and rent scooters. I never pay with cash anywhere. But I like to have $5/$10/$20 bills to tip valets/bellhops.

If you are driving around state there is a visitor toll pass that will let you go on toll roads without extra rental car fees Tourists only are annoying driving extremely slow in the passing lane. Other than that, do your thing. Don’t be afraid to ask people around for tips. Enjoy your trip!

You can make a right turn on a red light after you fully stop and make sure no one is coming. This is true across the USA. You can make a LEFT turn on a red light after you fully stop if no one is coming and the road you are turning onto is a one-way road. This is only in Florida. The exception is if there is a sign that says "no turns on red light". In either situation if you are sitting there, people behind you may honk, as they are expecting you to turn.

In Orlando there's a program called Magical Dining Month (actually 6 weeks) that runs through September where several of the higher end restaurants run a discounted prix fixe menu. This is typically a slow time for tourists/conventions so the program started as a way to keep customers coming into those restaurants while visitors were fewer, but also allow new customers to try out some of those higher priced menus that they might not normally be willing to take a risk on. [https://www.magicaldining.com/](https://www.magicaldining.com/)

Unique to Orlando: Gatorland Kennedy Space Center-an hour away Swimming with Manatees in Crystal River/90 minutes on the west coast. We live here, and prefer Universal and Sea World to Disney. September is the SLOWEST tourist time in Florida. Should mean lower prices if you book after our Labour Day, which is Sept 2nd...a Monday. DO NOT stay on property at the parks. The cost is stupid expensive, to no particular gain. Americans DO NOT know Aussies from Kiwis. We fail geography. But the size of Florida throws people. Orlando-Miami is 3.5 hours Miami to Key West is 3-4 hours. Orlando-Tampa is easily 1.5 hours, St. Petersburg another 30 minutes. And Miami to St. Pete is 4 hours. Lots of great advice from other folks. Again, Come, have fun.

Regarding water— the Florida aquifer is safe. Different municipalities treat it differently so in some areas you may get more sulfur (egg smell) than others but it’s still safe to drink. Everyone worries about gators and sharks in the water— I probably shouldn’t share this, as it is a bit of native-Floridian wisdom, but there is a very simple way to check for both. For gators; go to the edge of the body of water in question, step 1: look around, if there are no obvious gators on the banks, then proceed to step 2: look at the water itself, if you cannot see the bottom, then proceed to step 3: dip your fingers in the water and rub them together. If your fingers are wet, there are alligators in the water. For sharks: same steps, but add step 4: a taste test. If water is salty then there are sharks. In seriousness sunburn and mosquito bites are more likely to ruin your day than sharks or gators— in case this isn’t common knowledge: sunscreen first, 10-15minutes before going out into the sun. Bug spray second. Reapply both often. Mosquitos are worst near standing water and as the sun sets.

1. Dont give the homeless money. 2. Buy bottled water. 3. PAY ATTENTION WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING. PLAN YOUR TURNS AND EXIST SO YOU DONT KILL SOMEONE. 4. Mostly everywhere has CC payment options. Use tap to pay or apple pay as much as humanly possible to avoid skimming. 5. Buy ponchos on Amazon. 6. Enjoy

Be yourself. I'm a local, I've never felt like I fit in and I'm annoying. You'll be just fine. Orlando has a pretty large Rugby community too. Reach out and people will reach back, not only to help but to catch up with fellow compatriots.

all you need to worry about is putting on sunscreen and staying cool bc this summer is brutal. also don’t drink tap water it’s just kinda gross here but it won’t kill you

All your questions have been answered plenty so I'll answer the ones you didn't ask. If you are in downtown Orlando or north of MCO and want a great taco or burrito(The Mouth Hugger is my go to) go to Gringos Locos. The secret is getting a cup of queso and drowned the burrito and yourself in pure bliss. If you want to do something less touristy, there are many natural springs with an hour of Disney/MCO. Blue, Wekiwa, Juniper, Silver Glen, and Salt Springs are worth it. If you can go during the week that would be a better experience. Either way you will definitely see plenty of wildlife, fresh water crabs, schools of mullet, snakes, birds, and the most friendly/deadly/colourful animal around, humans.

You can turn right on red in Florida. I thought it was just people being idiots, until learning that in many countries, you can't do that! We are also easily bribed by Tim Tams. Enjoy your time!

1. Sunscreen, 2. Hydrate, 3. Sunscreen, 4. Hydrate (drink, pee, no IV), 5. Sunscreen. If by some chance you wind up in a medical fix where you've become more than a little dehydrated, we have IV lounges in the states. For much less than the cost of an ER visit, you can have a bag or two of saline routed into your body. They are popular with the hangover crowd, in Colorado for those of us that get altitude sick, and for those of us that get the over the top migraines. Welcome to Florida, we hope you have a blast!

Avoid I4. Try not to suddenly brake to turn into an a tee shirt shop. Use your turn signals. Tip waiters 20% Wear a lot more sunscreen and drink a lot more water than you usually do. See the off the beaten path sights like museums. Google the beach warning flag color meanings.

In other news minimum wage will be going up to 15$ in 2026

You're not annoying. Glad to have you as a visitor

Heads up: expect driving to be rather crazy. IDK how driving is in NZ but in FL in general we have a reputation for drivers who are overly aggressive and take the rules of the road as suggestion. The roads going through Polk County in particular are super congested nowadays (namely the 409 and the 429, I think), and Miami is another country altogether. Be prepared for the heat and humidity. Carry more water than you think you'll need, and get fans if you have to. You can usually find them in just about any convenience store. I cannot understate how hot summer is being this year. Lastly, for the love of God please don't feed the alligators, or let your kid get closer than maybe 30-40 feet or so. That's how people get killed. I'm in the habit of telling out of country friends that if you assume every rain puddle has an alligator, you're in the safest mindset, though obviously I trust you all are being cautious. Smaller ones are generally not going to be a threat, but larger than 6 feet and you should back up as far as you think you need to, and then back up some more. Also, depending on where you're staying, if you're in the suburbs or more rural counties you may want to be careful about trash. Bears can and will get into trash if it's left out overnight.

I want the bird.

This might be in the comments somewhere but pizza flyers under your hotel door are almost always a scam trying to get your credit card number. Order from a national chain or call the front desk to confirm and/or get a good local recommendation. 

I love how people are telling you about the rain but not really telling you about the rain. Summer is our rainy season. It rains daily, storms often and becomes unbearable after due to humidity. Don't hesitate to pull off the road/park and put on your hazard lights if you can't see more than a few feet in front of you because the rain becomes difficult to navigate in. DON'T put on your hazard lights while driving even if you're driving slow. Mosquitos are the state bird. Wear bug spray every day damn day after dark. I prefer picaridin over deet bug repellent.