Fast Facts

American Express There's an American Express Travel Service Office at Epcot's main gate (tel. 407/827-7500). The one nearest to Universal is at A Time to Travel, 7512 Dr. Phillips Blvd. (tel. 407/345-1181).

Babysitters Many Orlando hotels, including all of Disney's resorts, offer babysitting services, usually from an outside service such as Kids Night Out (tel. 800/696/8105 or 407/828-0920; www.kidsniteout.com), or All About Kids (tel. 800/728-6506 or 407/812-9300; www.all-about-kids.com). Childcare rates usually run somewhere between $10 and $15 per hour for the first child and $1 per additional child, per hour. Several Orlando resorts have good child-care facilities with counselor-supervised activity programs right on the premises. The Disney resorts' programs -- offered at its expensive-category properties -- run from 4:30pm to midnight and include activities and movies. They are only for kids age 4 to 12; cost is $10 per child per hour. Reservations are a good idea; call tel. 407/939-3463.

Business Hours Theme park operating hours vary depending on the time of year, even on the day of the week. While most open at 8 or 9am and close at 6 or 7pm, you should call or check a park's website for its most current schedule before arriving. Other businesses are generally open from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. Bars are usually open until 2am, with some after-hours clubs staying open into the wee hours of the morning (though the alcohol stops flowing at 2am).

Doctors & Dentists There are basic first-aid centers in all of the theme parks. There's also a 24-hour, toll-free number for the Poison Control Center (tel. 800/282-3171). To find a dentist, call Dental Referral Service at tel. 800/235-4111 or go online to www.dentalreferral.com.

Disney offers in-room medical service 24 hours a day (tel. 407/238-2000). Doctors on Call Service (tel. 407/399-3627) makes house and room calls in most of the Orlando area. Centra-Care lists several walk-in clinics in the Yellow Pages, including ones on International Drive (tel. 407/370-4881), and at Lake Buena Vista near Disney (tel. 407/934-2273).

Hospitals Sand Lake Hospital, 9400 Turkey Lake Rd. (tel. 407/351-8550), is about 2 miles south of Sand Lake Road. From the WDW area, take I-4 east to the Sand Lake Road exit and make a left on Turkey Lake Road. The hospital is 2 miles up on your right. To avoid the highway, take Palm Parkway (off of Apopka-Vineland near Hotel Plaza Blvd.); it turns into Turkey Lake road. The hospital is 2 miles up on your left. Celebration Health (tel. 407/303-4000), located in the near-Disney town of Celebration, is at 400 Celebration Place. From I-4, take the U.S. 192 exit. At the first traffic light, turn right onto Celebration Avenue. At the first stop sign, take another right. Note: Be sure to check with your health care provider or insurance carrier regarding regulations for medical care outside your home area.

Emergencies Dial tel. 911 to contact the police or fire department, or to call an ambulance. For less urgent requests, call tel. 800/647-9284, a number sponsored by the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation, the state tourism promotion board. With operators speaking over 100 languages, this source can provide directions and help with lost credit cards, medical emergencies, accidents, money transfers, airline confirmation, and much more.

Internet Access You will find a few local cybercafes listed at www.cybercafes.com or www.netcafeguide.com.

Kennels The major theme parks offer animal boarding usually for about $6 per day. For information on Disney's kennel facilities, call tel. 407/824-6568. Resort guests can board their pets overnight for $9 ($11 for those not staying at Disney) at the Transportation and Ticket Center's kennel on Seven Seas Drive near the Polynesian Resort. SeaWorld and Universal also offer kennels where you can leave your animals during the day but not at night (though all Universal Orlando resorts welcome pets). A current vaccine record is a must at all kennels.

Liquor Laws The minimum drinking age in Florida is 21. No liquor is served in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Alcoholic drinks are available, however, at the other Disney parks and are quite evident at Universal Orlando's parks (even more so at its seasonal celebrations).

Lockers You can rent lockers at all Disney, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld parks. The cost varies but averages $7 a day, including a $2 refundable deposit. Many other attractions, such as the water parks, also offer lockers, sometimes at a lower fee. Inquire at a Guest Services desk. For safety purposes, it's better to keep valuables, such as camera equipment or other electronic equipment, in a locker rather than in your car.

Lost Children Every theme park has a designated spot for adults to be reunited with lost children (or lost spouses). Ask where it is when you enter any park (or consult the free park guide maps) and instruct your children to ask park personnel (not a stranger) to take them there if they get separated from you. Point out what park personnel look like so they will know who to go to. Children 7 and under should wear name-tags.

Lost & Found Be sure to tell all of your credit card companies the minute you discover your wallet has been lost or stolen while in Orlando and file a report at the nearest police precinct. Your credit card company or insurer may require a police report number or record of the loss. Most credit card companies have an emergency toll-free number to call if your card is lost or stolen; they may be able to wire you a cash advance immediately or deliver an emergency credit card in a day or two. Visa's U.S. emergency number is tel. 800/847-2911 or 410/581-9994. American Express cardholders and traveler's check holders should call tel. 800/221-7282. MasterCard holders should call tel. 800/307-7309 or 636/722-7111. For other credit cards, call the toll-free number directory at tel. 800/555-1212.

If you need emergency cash over the weekend when all banks and American Express offices are closed, you can have money wired to you via Western Union (tel. 800/325-6000; www.westernunion.com).

Identity theft or fraud are potential complications of losing your wallet, especially if you've lost your driver's license along with your cash and credit cards. Notify the major credit-reporting bureaus immediately; placing a fraud alert on your records may protect you against liability for criminal activity. The three major U.S. credit-reporting agencies are Equifax (tel. 800/766-0008; www.equifax.com), Experian (tel. 888/397-3742; www.experian.com), and TransUnion (tel. 800/680-7289; www.transunion.com). Finally, if you've lost all forms of photo ID, call your airline and explain the situation; they might allow you to board the plane if you have a copy of your passport or birth certificate and a copy of the police report you've filed.

Newspapers & Magazines The Orlando Sentinel is the major local newspaper, but you can also purchase the Sunday editions of other papers (most notably, the New York Times) in some hotel gift shops or bookstores such as Barnes & Noble or Borders. Don't count on finding daily editions of West Coast papers, such as the Los Angeles Times, without making special arrangements. The Friday edition of the Sentinel includes extensive entertainment and dining listings as does the Sentinel's website, www.orlandosentinel.com. Orlando Weekly is a free, alternative paper that has a lot of entertainment and art listings focused on events outside tourist areas.

Pharmacies There's a Walgreen's 24-hour pharmacy at 7650 W. Sand Lake Road (tel. 407/345-9497). Other 24-hour locations can be found near Universal Orlando and Kissimmee by logging on to www.walgreens.com. You'll find numerous other pharmacies in the Orlando area listed inside the Yellow Pages.

Photography Two-hour film processing is available at all major parks. Look for the PHOTO EXPRESS sign. You can buy film in all of the theme parks, but you'll save money on both if you go to discounters or drugstores in the free world, such as Kmart or Walgreens. They often provide coupons for half-off photo processing, which could save you a significant amount of money. They're listed in the Yellow Pages under "Photo Finishing." The parks also carry a small selection of memory chips for digital cameras, though if you need rechargeable batteries for a digital camera you will need to go to one of the many camera shops found off park property.

Post Office The post office most convenient to Disney and Universal is at 10450 Turkey Lake Rd. (tel. 800/275-8777). It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, Saturday from 9am to noon. If all you need is to buy stamps and mail letters, you can do that at most hotels.

Safety Don't let the aura of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy allow you to relax your guard; Orlando has a crime rate that's comparable to that of other large U.S. cities. Stay alert and remain aware of your surroundings. It's a good idea to keep your valuables in a safe. Most hotels today are equipped with in-room safes just for that purpose. Keep a close eye on your valuables when you're in public places -- restaurants, theaters, and even airport terminals. Renting a locker is always preferable to leaving your valuables in the trunk of your car, even in the theme-park lots. Be cautious, even when in the parks, and avoid carrying large amounts of cash in a backpack or fanny pack, which could be easily accessed while you're standing in line for a ride or show.

If you're renting a car, carefully read the safety instructions that the rental company provides. Never stop for any reason in a suspicious or an unpopulated area, and remember that children should never ride in the front seat of a car equipped with air bags.

Special Diets Kosher, salt-free, and other dietary needs can be arranged at sit-down restaurants inside the Disney parks and resorts with 24-hour or longer notice. Call tel. 407/939-3463.

Taxes A 6.5% to 7% sales tax (depends on the local county you happen to be in) is charged on all goods with the exception of most edible grocery-store items and medicines. Hotels add another 2% to 5% in resort taxes to your bill, so the total tax on accommodations can run you up to 12%.

Telephone Because of its growth spurt, Orlando has had to go to 10-digit dialing. If you're making a local call in Orlando's 407 area code region, even across the street, you must dial the 407 area code followed by the number you wish to call, for a total of 10 digits.

Time Orlando is in the Eastern Standard Time (EST) zone, which is 1 hour later than Chicago and 3 hours later than Los Angeles. Call tel. 407/646-3131 for the correct time and temperature.

Weather Call tel. 321/255-0212 for the local weather forecast (they answer as National Weather Service in Melbourne, FL, but after that you get an option to punch in 412 from a touch-tone phone, which plugs you into the Orlando forecast). A local 24-hour news station, Channel 13, offers weather forecasts several times an hour. You can also check out the Weather Channel on your hotel TV or at www.weather.com for the most up-to-date information.