Getting to Orlando

MCO has three terminals. Terminal C is the international hub. MCO lists 19 airlines there: Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, Air France, Avianca, Azul, British Airways, Caribbean, Copa, Discover Airlines, Emirates, GOL, Iberia, Icelandair, JetBlue, Norse Atlantic UK, Porter, TAP Air Portugal, Virgin Atlantic and Zipair.

Terminal A has Air Transat, Avelo, Frontier and Southwest. Terminal B has the rest, including American, Delta, United, Alaska, Allegiant, Breeze, Air Canada, WestJet and LATAM. Check your terminal before you arrange a pickup: C is a separate building from A and B.

MCO publishes sample fares. Taxi prices are ranges for the ride; shuttle van fares appear as two figures that the table does not explain, so confirm one-way or round trip with the operator when you book:

Mears Connect is a shared shuttle to Disney hotels and other resorts: $16 one way for ages 10 and up, $13 for ages 3 to 9, free under 3, plus a 3% fuel surcharge that it says applies until further notice. It runs from MCO's main terminal and Terminal C. Four people pay $65.92 one way to a Disney hotel with the surcharge, which is inside MCO's $52 to $68 taxi range, and the taxi goes straight to your door.

Rideshare (Uber and Lyft) prices move with demand and neither company publishes a fixed airport fare, so use the taxi table as your benchmark and compare in the app. The local LYNX bus costs $2, according to MCO, but is slow with luggage.

Brightline's Orlando station is at 10705 Jeff Fuqua Boulevard, linked to Terminal C by a pedestrian bridge; trains leave from Level 5. It runs 16 round trips a day with hourly departures, and the station opens at 4:30 a.m. Brightline gives the journey as about 2 hours to West Palm Beach and 3 hours 30 minutes to Miami, with stops at Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura.

Fares are dynamic. Brightline's own footnote puts its lowest fares at $39 SMART Saver, $59 SMART and $89 PREMIUM, subject to availability, on trips that include Orlando and are booked at least 7 days ahead. Busy trains cost more and Brightline does not publish a top fare, so price your date before you plan around it. Parking at the station's surface lots is $20 a day.

If you are visiting Miami first, flying into Miami and taking Brightline north can replace a connecting flight into MCO.

Sanford's airport is at 1200 Red Cleveland Boulevard in Sanford, north of Orlando. SFB itself quotes drive times of 30 minutes to downtown Orlando, 45 minutes to Universal and 55 minutes to Magic Kingdom, and about an hour to Kennedy Space Center or Daytona Beach. It offers rental cars, taxis, shuttles and ride services.

It is a smaller airport with fewer routes, so check which airlines fly your route before assuming it is an option. Use it when the fare saves more than the extra transfer: a longer taxi or rideshare, or an extra rental day. For a Universal or downtown trip the difference is small; for a Disney trip with no car it is harder to justify.

If you drive in, you will almost certainly use toll roads. The Central Florida Expressway Authority's roads, including SR 528, SR 417 and SR 429, are cashless: no cash is accepted. With no transponder you are billed by plate at higher rates; CFX says its E-PASS customers save up to 50% on those rates. SunPass and E-PASS work on all Florida toll roads.

Renting a car at the airport? Each rental company runs its own toll program with its own daily fee. We list them on getting around Orlando, along with whether you need a car at all (see also Do you need a rental car?).

Once you arrive, parking at the theme parks is $35 a day at both Disney and Universal (see parking fees).

• Check the terminal on your booking. A pickup arranged at Terminal B is no use if you land at C.
• Decide on tolls before the rental desk. The daily fee on a rental toll program can exceed the tolls you pay; the options are on getting around Orlando.
• Price the taxi against the shuttle for your group size. Shared shuttles win for one or two people; a taxi often matches them for four.
• Book Brightline early if you need it. The lowest fares need 7 days' notice.