Driving in Florida

[GaryNorris777]

Our first trip to Florida is fast approaching.only 30 days and counting....I will be driving in the USA for the first time and am a little nervous especially after travelling form the uk on a 9/10 hour flight and then straight into a car in a place that i don't know.....also i have been told to expect a long wait in airport security? Upto 3 hours........that means it could also be dusk/dark.....are the signs/directions into WDW pretty easy to understand? I'm going to have two kids 10 & 5 who i'm sure will be excited but tired....and my otehr half who hates flying so will probably be a little tipsy or extremely stressed out?
Thanks for any help and advice....from an excited but apprehensive male....

Gary

 

[maelstrom]

Well, I have never personally driven the car from the airport (I just recently got my license), but I've been "backseat navigator" for many trips. There is probably a sign once you get out of the airport that tells you to go that way to get to WDW. Most of the road signs in the WDW area just say right on them "Exit 295 - Epcot, MGM, Downtown Disney" (that's a made-up sign!!). I'm sure someone else can give you the specifics on coming directly from Orlando. We haven't flown into MCO in years, so I don't really remember. But most road signs going the way to Disney say it right on them.

If I made no sense, sorry, it's 7:38a and I just woke up.

 

[504ellamae]

Hi Gary

We're off in 5 days...yippee!!!

It can seem a little daunting driving in a strange country...but the people at the car hire depot will sort you out...give you maps and the like.

Just make sure you have either change or small dollars for any toll roads you may use.

If you're staying at WDW itself, from the airport you need to head for the 528 North (this is a toll road) this will take you out of the airport grounds. Then take the 528 west sign posted "Walt Disney World and South International Drive" this will eventually take you to the I-4 west (sign posted Tampa). From here on in you will start to see signs for Walt Disney World.

Hope this helps...and have a great trip. :wave:

 

[The cat]

We've driven from Orlando airport to WDW and other places in Florida many times. Its straightforward and should not be scary. Signposts are clear but exit 'ramps' (slip roads to us Brits), can appear v. quickly after the sign and unlike UK motorways can be on either side of the carriageway. Should you become confused and get in the wrong lane my experience is that US drivers (well at least in Fla), are more considerate and courteous than British drivers and let you move in and out of lane easily. Please note however that its perfectly legal for cars to overtake either side, - this can be disconcerting at first.
Airport security (unless they've ramped it up in the last couple of moths), is ok getting in to the country (waiting for the bags to arrive off the plane is the longest wait), just make sure you've got your green visa waiver cards filled out and the white customs declaration. Leaving Orlando Intn'l can take a long time however, - do leave plenty of time for check in and security on the way home.
You and your family will have a great time. When we first went, in 1993, our youngest (of four), was 3 and the eldest 10. They were excited on day 1 and still excited day 14 - as was I! Enjoy your holiday!

 

[Number_6]

I have to agree. I've rented cars the last two trips down and found that it is very easy to navigate around there. Everything has signs that point you in the exact direction you want to go. Getting from the airport to the Disney property has already been explained, so I don't need to repeat it, but I will say it is next to impossible to get lost unless you decide not to pay attention to the signs and miss a turn. If that were to happen though, it's so easy to find your way back to where you want to be that really won't make much of a difference. Where are you staying once you get to Disney? If it is a Disney owned resort, then there will once again be plenty of signs pointing to where you want to go. If it is one of the hotels on Hotel Plaza Blvd(such as The Grosvenor, which I have noticed a large number of folks from the UK stay at) then it will likely be one of the first hotels you come across.

 

[ogryn]

Our first trip to Florida is fast approaching.only 30 days and counting....I will be driving in the USA for the first time and am a little nervous especially after travelling form the uk on a 9/10 hour flight and then straight into a car in a place that i don't know.....also i have been told to expect a long wait in airport security? Upto 3 hours........that means it could also be dusk/dark.....are the signs/directions into WDW pretty easy to understand? I'm going to have two kids 10 & 5 who i'm sure will be excited but tired....and my otehr half who hates flying so will probably be a little tipsy or extremely stressed out?
Thanks for any help and advice....from an excited but apprehensive male....

Gary

Are you arriving at Orlando International or Sanford?

My mum always found it quite hard to get used to on the first day, and it can be quite easy to miss a turning and have to carry on driving for MILES in order to turn round again.

It does help to have a good navigator, with good eyesight to re-read the roadsigns to you. And tell you what lane you should be in, so you can concentrate on the actual driving (on the wrong side of the road, in a automatic with a massive engine) part.

 

[walts son 1971]

What ever you do dont take the north exit at the airport take the south exit much faster way to WDW.I have been driving this way for years,it takes you to interstate toll way #417 central florida green way.Its around $2.50 in tolls to WDW but its way faster and you can see all the hurricain damage on the way.

 

[GaryNorris777]

Thanks for all the info.....I'd actually forgot they are all Automatics aswell arn't they.....oh god haven't driven one of those either!!!!
I am staying at the Pop Century hotel for 4 days then we have a villa in Kissimmee for 2 weeks.....

 

[The cat]

Yup, South Exit is best. keep to right hand side, exit onto South Access rd, 4 miles brings you to Boggy Creek Rd (you're in the countryside by now). Keep right and exit onto 417 'Greeneway' (toll rd, you'll need about $2.50 in change), following signs couth to I-4 Tampa. Keep going for approx 11 miles, exit onto the 536 World Drive and follow the WDW signs.
I can practically do it in my sleep now. How sad is that?

 

[tenchu]

Get a decent map of the area before you leave if possible, and get some change for toll roads.

On our first visit, we were informed to ' go down that road a bit and its on your right, you can't miss it' being shown this on a 3 inch square map. In the middle of a thunderstorm.

Needless to say we got lost. Hideously lost.

If that should happen to you and it's getting to be late at night, go stop at one of the motels if need be. Everything is much easier once it's light.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Gary - Firstly greetings from a fellow Brit :wave:

OK - down to business, firstly DON'T drink alcohol on the flight - keep a clear head for your drive. You don't say whether you're flying into Orlando Int or Sanford. But never mind, driving in the USA is easy.
1) Clearing customs and immigration usually takes about an hour (unless things have changed since I was there last in April '03).
2) Collect your luggage and find you car rental provider (if you need to upgrade (size / luggage) do it in the UK - its cheaper).
3) BEFORE you set off familiarise yourself with the car (lights, indicators, wipers etc) If it is dark, its far easier to locate these items while reading the handbook instead of trying to drive, navigate and argue with the wife all at the same time !! (not a good start to the hols :lol: ).
4) If you're not used to automatics keep your left leg tucked up near your seat away from the pedals until driving with one leg becomes second nature.
5) Still not sure about driving in the dark ? Get a taxi and return the next day to collect your car in daylight (just notify the rental people first or your car may be rented to someone else)
6) If you're landing at Orlando Int, exit onto The Beeline Expressway, head west (it is a Toll Road but you can get change) - this will take you directly to I-4 . If you prefer, exit The Beeline onto McCoy Road - this will still take you to I-4, its slightly longer but avoids the tolls.
7) Never landed at Sanford so can't help here - just look for I-4 west.
8) All Disneys exits are clearly signed, ensure you know which exit you require for your hotel as it will save time negotiating Disneys roads.
9) Get a good detailed map before you leave (or search the web for driving instructions). Most rental car firms and tour operators will provide you with instructions / maps to your destination.
PM me if you need further.

 

[waltdisny]

Don't for get the most important piece of advice:

DRIVE ON THE RIGHT SIDE!!

Don't forget to look LEFT when crossing a street!

I had some bad experiences in Glasgow involving cars and a bus or two, so I know how intimidating it can be at first. Have a great time! :wave:

 

[trdisneyfan]

If you've never been here, I found FL a weird place to drive in because it's soooo flat and the roads seem to go on for ever. When you arrive, getting to your hotel that first night can be a little difficult, especially if you're suffering from jetlag.

Plus, it's a safe bet that a fair amount of your fellow drivers in the Disney area are also tourists, so don't rely on their driving skills to help out either.

But if you're nervous about getting lost or your navigation skills being diminshed by a long flight, you could consider renting a car with a GPS navigation system in it. Most systems are really good (I think Hertz' is called NeverLost, but I could be off on that one) - and most are designed to recalculate your route of you miss an exit or take a wrong turn.

 

[GaryNorris777]

Cool thanks guys.........a great help most people seem to think it's easyish so i should be ok......I'm flying into Orlando. I have to say this board is absolutely fantastic you find out so much valuable information it's scary!!!!! Perhaps someone even knows the lottery numbers for whilst i'm there aswell??? Thanks a lot & have a nice day!!

 

[GaryT977]

It seems that you guys have covered just about everything, so I'll just throw in a few observations about driving in Orlando. On I-4, for some reason, the exit signs don't seem to come up until almost immediately before the exit itself. The result is that you sometimes get people making extreme lane changes (ie jumping across two or three lanes) to make their exit.

Also, there are alot of tourists from all over the world in rental cars on the highways trying to get to the theme parks quickly, and they all seem to have different driving rules. So, I'll offer three sanity saving tips to you:

--> Memorize your route and exit numbers before you leave the airport.
--> Take your time. An extra 5-10 minute travel time is preferable to an accident.
--> Take the toll roads. They're always less hectic.

Have a great vacation!

 

[riversidedave]

Hi

Just thought I'd tell you about a good website that can plan your route for you and even show you pictures of what you should be seeing along the way. It helped us. Although we somehow always manage to get lost coming from the airport, it still only takes us about 40 minutes to get to Int Drive. The website is www.orlando-maps.info. It can give you directions from Sanford or other Florida airport. Hope it helps.

If I can drive out there anyone can.

 

[forbidden donut]

I dont know if you have seen this web site yet, its made just for Brits traveling to Disney world.
Thedibb.co.uk

They have many travel tips (and will even tell you the finer points of driving an automatic!)

 

[GaryNorris777]

Thanks guys those websites are very good and just what i needed!!!!!