Walt Disney World is located in Central Florida which means its a pretty quick drive for people who live in Florida or Georgia. Coupled with the close proximity to drive and the amazing transportation available at Walt Disney World why bother paying for a rental car while you are there when you can use the Walt Disney World Car Care Facility.
For those who rent a car and drive over Walt Disney World has a great option for you, its called the Walt Disney World Car Care Facility presented by Alamo. So what does that mean? Well basically if you rent a car from either Alamo or Enterprise (which are part of the same company) you can drop the car off right on property. Alamo will provide you with a drive back to the parks (or hotel if you want) for free.
When we did this last time it was very simple. We dropped the car off and walked into the main facility, handed in the keys and they had the shuttle bus ready for us. The facility has washrooms and a little waiting area. If you need a car when leaving, ensure you book a car online (or by phone) and you can call for the shuttle to pick you up.
Drop your bags / luggage off at your hotel first, the bell hops will give you a ticket to call bell services to get your luggage brought to your room
If you arrive before checkin (3:00pm) ensure you pack a day-bag with everything you need for visiting a park so they can drop you off and you can start you vacation as quick as possible. The shuttle will drop you off at the Ticket and Transportation Centre (TTC) and you can take the boat or monorail from there. If you need to go to a hotel they will drop you off right there.
We found this a very easy, convenient service. Additionally the employees are part of Disney so service is very good and friendly. If you need to take a car over to Walt Disney World we highly encourage you to use Alamo or Enterprise and leverage the amazing service and convince of the Car Car Facility.
One note however, as of this posting (Oct. 2016) I couldn’t find the car care facility on enterprise website however on Alamo its listed as Orlando, FL – Orlando Disney Car Care or zip code 32830. You can find it if you just type in Walt Disney World however its the 3rd or 4th option down.
Good friends never say goodbye, they say see you soon! So, after saying “see you soon” to everyone in Sydney it was back up to Cairns to say hello to my old friend Andy Redhead. Andy used to live on Pittwater, he is an incredible guitarist and master guitar tutor.
I stayed with Andy for nearly a week and he eats, lives and breathes music. Students of all ages, shapes and sizes are flowing in and out of the house all day and night.
Being surrounded by all this music rubbed off on me a bit, even though I have never played a musical instrument in my life, I thought to myself (in true Mick Miller style) I can do this! So after I learnt how to spell the word ukulele……I went out and bought one! Andy gave me a couple of short lessons and now I’m on the road with my new ukulele. Believe it or not!!
I went to a couple of Andy’s gigs, and yes his playing lives up to his reputation, he is really talented.
Andy had a gig playing at a wedding in Port Douglas so I went along for the ride. We dropped into Karnak Playhouse- Rainforest Sanctuary and Amphitheatre about an hour north of Cairns, close to Port Douglas with the backdrop of the Daintree National Park, to see some of Andy’s friends. Karnak was established by Diane Cilento in the 1980’s as part of her search for self expression and spiritual fulfillment, it is a unique spot. We stayed the night at the homestead and our host Delini cooked us a magnificent Sri Lankan curry and shared stories of Diane Cilento’s life and the history of Karnak.
The weather has been wet, wet, wet – good name for a band, but seriously did I tell you how wet it’s been. The windscreen wipers on the rocket have been working overtime, a couple of times I had to pull off the road as the rain was so heavy the wipers couldn’t keep up. It’s rained day and night.
The rocket needed a couple of new tyres and rocket tyres are not an easy thing to come by in Cairns, but luckily I met Marcus from Cairns Tyrepower who got me sorted. Thanks Marcus and John from Edge Hill Service Station touched up the rocket with a quick oil change. Ready to hit the road to Port Douglas, ukulele in hand.
Port Douglas had a bit on, there was an extra 3003 people in town. If you add 3000 extra people in attendance for the triathlon and me that makes 3001, plus if you add in Nicole and John who were in Port Douglas celebrating their 27th wedding anniversary that’s 3003.
I had a great dinner with Nicole and John at a fantastic restaurant On the Inlet it was so good to catch up, have a great meal and lots of laughs.
Driving to Cape Tribulation was amazing especially when the sun came out, the dark green lush vegetation such a contrast to the rich red soil.
From Cape Tribulation I drove over some of the most brutal and biggest speed bumps I’ve ever seen, they are literally piles of boulders in the middle of the road towards Laura- a town named after my big sister.
I decided to attempt the drive to Weipa, I knew that this was going to be a challenge, but I thought I would give it a go. 2kms down a wet road with rain threatening, I decided not to take the rocket any further. Unfortunately the weather gods were not in my favour and after speaking to some 4WD enthusiasts who had just returned from Weipa, it just wasn’t going to happen in the rocket.
Undeterred, the rocket and I were now heading to Cooktown. On the road to Cooktown there were cows, kangaroos, snakes as big as my forearm, crows on the side of the road and the odd aboriginal in the middle of the road, 4WD’s, trucks, the rocket, me and my ukulele. The road was congested.
I had to slow down every now and then as there are cattle grids in the middle of the road. The road trains power through them, but I took my time. The roads are long and straight.
Cooktown is an absolutely amazing town, there are lots of little pubs, crocodile hunters, big wide roads, a great atmosphere, lots of history and incredibly hungry sandflies. A really nice town and well worth a look. I stayed at the Cooktown Seaview Motel.
The rocket is loving the long straight roads, sitting on 70 km per hour I’m getting 460 km to a tank, on my calculations that’s 13 – 14 kms per litre of fuel. How good is that?
Heading south again on my way to Charters Towers I bypassed Cairns this time and got to Gordonvale. I stayed the night at the Ye Olde Gordonvale Pub $60 for a room, it was a great night.
The next morning after ukulele practice and a visit to the local bakery-which just happened to be next door to the pub, I was back on the road again travelling towards Charters Towers.
I’m just loving my ukulele, it’s been so much fun. I might not be the best player in the world but I don’t care, its so relaxing strumming away, its really rewarding, really healthy. So the uke’s in the back of the car and I might be ready for a few gigs myself soon. Book in early to avoid disappointment.
Hi Mick, Just suggesting we could start up a gig!!!!!!! I to have bought a ukulele & just love it Took myself off to a class which is much fun. Don”t know if our neighbours would be saying the same thing!!!!!!! Pleased you are still motoring on with your mission to see Aussie land. All well here & weather PERFECT !!! Cheers Helen