The Smiley Faced Bus (I-Ride Trolley (Orlando, USA))

Member Name: adambrown400

Product:	I-Ride Trolley (Orlando, USA)
Date:	18/05/09 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap

Disadvantages: Slow

Getting around Orlando without a car is a tricky business. Unless you choose the right cab company, you can get seriously fleeced. Luckily enough theres an easy way to get from one end of International Drive to the other without breaking the bank.

For those planning a trip to Orlando then International Drive is a good option of the budget conscious traveller. There are many hotels that populate the long stretch of dual carriageway from the top near the Prime Outlets to the bottom of International Drive at Sea World.

Our experience of the I-Trolley was varied. On some days as it is usually with busses quite a number turn up one after the other, on some days though we were kept waiting well over half an hour.

A single ride on the I-Trolley will set adults back a dollar and twenty five cents. OAPS can ride for twenty five cents which is excellent value - even better kids ride for free, especially as Orlando is such a child-ridden experience. The trolley runs from 8.00am until 10:30pm, although we saw the busses running much later than this.

There are over a hundred stops on the I-Trolley route - Wet n' Wild, Festival Bay Mall, Pointe Orlando and Sea World are just some of them. However, we would have liked the I-Trolley to have made a slight detour and taken us to Universal Studios. Its not too far away, but the I-Trolley's nearest stop is quite some distance away.

We bought ourselves a 14-day pass for the I-Trolley, which as it worked out was quite a bargain. There were quite a few days where we clocked up three or four separate trips on the bus and it was handy just to slide the ticket through the drivers change box. A day pass costs four dollars, a three day pass is six dollars and a fourteen day pass was seventeen dollars.

The actual look of the bus is quite unique. You can't really miss it in fact, its green with a white roof and emblazoned on the front is a smiley face - patronising in the extreme when you've had to wait ages for the damn thing- -Oh look, he's smiling at me - well done! The interior is predominantly made from wood. Wood panels, wooden seats and wooden handles to hold onto. Its quite a quaint sort of experience, almost like something from The Truman Show.

Next time we are in Orlando we will definitely be renting a car, as public transport is a nightmare. The I-Trolley was good, don't get me wrong, but it was limiting. America is the place to experience the 'great wide open' and you don't get that without your own transport.

Summary: Good way to get around International Drive