Driving at WDW

[potc]

We will be staying onsite at CBR, but we plan to drive our own car everywhere. Are there signs that tell you where to go to get to the parks? We weren't sure if we should just plug in addresses to our GPS or print off maps before hand?

What does everyone else do?

[Cherinva]

The signage is very good at WDW....you shouldn't have any problems getting around property.

[MHSweb79]

Ask at CBR for a map- the resorts have very simple ones and there are signs to follow as well.

The last time I tried using the GPS to get to Animal Kingdom, it put us onto a cast members only road and we had to turn around. (I think this is pretty common.) Then I looked at the map we got from the resort and it was ridiculously easy.

We stayed at POFQ and it was something like 6 minutes to drive to Animal Kingdom, the furthest park away. The bus was close to 30 minutes, not only because I think they take bus roads, but also because they stop at one of the water parks. So it's much, much quicker to have your own car. The only exception is Magic Kingdom, where it's better to take the bus.

[autismgoesdisney]

Good question! I leave in 8 days and was wondering the same thing!

[W.E.D.]

Everything is really well marked. You shouldn't need GPS or maps.

[hearts8701]

driving around disney is easy everything is easily marked with purple & red signs the only place i take disney transportation is the magic kingdom because the bus stop is closer to the entrance than taking the monorail or boat from ticket & transportation here is a youtube video showing the signs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqgivbcDoIU

[goofyernmost]

The signage is very good, but the secret I used to do before I became familiar with WDW was if I got there early and had a little time to kill, I would drive around and see where everything was in relation to where I was staying. It made things much easier when I was ready to go to a specific place and took away all the anxiety of getting there.

Once you have done it with your own vehicle you will never go back to the bus system. It's so much easier and way less stressful driving yourself to the parks. It offers flexibility and, in a lot of cases, speed to the process contrary to what you may have heard or read. I found that many times the amount of time waiting for transportation would have had you at your resort and probably even in the pool by the time the bus even gets there.

In other words, don't worry. Even if you don't use my "pre-trip" procedure, it is very simple, just pay attention to the signs to be sure you are in the proper lanes. Even if you aren't, there isn't much to getting back on track again.

[BrownHP800]

If I can offer 1 tip, when you see a sign that has your destination and says "Next Right" it means exit now. To me it would mean not this coming exit but the next one after that. Its probably just me. HAHA

[CAStevens218]

We rented a car for the first time on our most recent trip and LOVED it!

You will have no problems getting around, everything is very well marked. We would use our GPS to get us going in the right direction, but the signs took care of us from there!

[T1gger]

We drove last time as stayed offsite and had no problems at all getting anywhere in the World - signposting was fabulous

We had GPS as well (thankfully or would probably still be driving round MCO ) but didnt need to use it round Disney

[Senator Tressel]

Originally Posted by BrownHP800

If I can offer 1 tip, when you see a sign that has your destination and says "Next Right" it means exit now. To me it would mean not this coming exit but the next one after that. Its probably just me. HAHA

That's so funny you mention that. There is a sign going to Animal Kingdom on Lake Buena Vista that says it is "Next Right". The right turn is literally a foot after the sign, so any reasonable person would think you take the right turn after that one. Nope. I missed rope drop the first time I drove to AK and I was not a happy camper.

[mickeysgirl17]

Originally Posted by gpeters93

Well I must be the exception becasue I don't think it's all that easy to drive around the World.

Yes, there are very large and colorful signs with lots of information on them, but sometimes that is not enough (for me). It's not as if there are no distractions. And if you miss your "exit" ... there are no signs to help you get back. If you follow the signs strictly you'll be fine. But once you get lost is can be really hard to figure out where you've got to go to fix your mistake. There's no street grid convention and it's hard to figure out which direction you're headed at any given time. An on board compass doesn't really help becasue you're always switching direction. Turns come up quickly becasue every road is curved. The roads can be crowded and prevent you from changing lanes when you need to. And the locals drive pretty fast.

The path from the main gate to Poly and GF is particularly tricky. You need to know in advance that you should be in the far right lane when you go through the parking booths becasue you need to take an immediate exit (single file lane) on the right to reach the access road. If you didn't know that in advance, you may have to cut accross about eight lanes of incoming guests.

Yes. after I made these mistakes a few times it got easier. But the first time can be a challenge. Good luck!

I am with you! I have always had problems driving around disney and would rather take disney transportation. Even after a few trips, I still get lost. I was even 30 min late for my Chef Mickeys ADR on my first trip because I kept ending up at MK instead of the Contemporary. I am actually surprised at how many people say its so easy but if you miss your turn as you say, its not that easy to get back on track...this year, I will be traveling to disney alone for the first time ever with my only my 2 kids and even tho I plan to take the buses for the most part, I will have no choice but to drive a few times as well and it worries me.

Originally Posted by BrownHP800

If I can offer 1 tip, when you see a sign that has your destination and says "Next Right" it means exit now. To me it would mean not this coming exit but the next one after that. Its probably just me. HAHA

Its great that you mention this because I have had this issue before and its not easy to find your way back.

[goofyernmost]

Originally Posted by SaraJayne

Since I'm also from the Midwest, I find driving in Florida to be a nightmare. There is no logic to how their roads are laid out and there is no easy "oops, missed the turn, turn around and go back" option.

Yes, it's easy to get to the parks/DTD/water parks in the morning from your resort. Coming back at night in the dark is a totally different ball game.

I've driven a couple times around WDW and if at all possible, we won't be doing it again.

I realize that a lot of people have problems with direction and get lost easily. I have two daughters that until recently had the same problem. It didn't matter how many times they had been someplace they never knew how to go without a map or a GPS.

We had a discussion because I never was able to understand why. I never had that problem. If I had been someplace once, I never needed a map again. What I found out was that they were driving by following the road only. I always worked with landmarks. My eyes and my brain locked in certain visual things that told me where I was. They never did that. When I explained how that was done, their ability to navigate improved dramatically.

That said, I recently moved to the Raleigh, NC area and for the first time in my life...I had no idea where I was. It took me close to a year before I could go out to different places and easily find my way back. This area is designed in circles. Without the sunshine you have no way of knowing what direction you are driving in. You can get on a highway and drive for miles and without leaving that highway you will find yourself back where you started. WDW isn't like that, but it can be confusing. The signs very seldom repeat themselves. You may be driving along and see a sign that says Epcot Next Exit and the next sign you see will have things like Dolphin Resort, Downtown Disney, etc. exit here. It doesn't repeat Epcot but it is the exit that you were told about a few yards back. Take the first sign literally and don't let a second sign that doesn't reaffirm throw you.

I still find it easy to get around WDW but to be honest I also enjoy exploring. At some point in time I have been on every road in WDW. I have found other entrances that I never knew existed and I would imagine most do not. A lot are used by Disney Cast Members and not by the public generally.

[hakepb]

Originally Posted by goofyernmost

The signage is very good, but the secret I used to do before I became familiar with WDW was if I got there early and had a little time to kill, I would drive around and see where everything was in relation to where I was staying. It made things much easier when I was ready to go to a specific place and took away all the anxiety of getting there.

Once you have done it with your own vehicle you will never go back to the bus system. It's so much easier and way less stressful driving yourself to the parks. It offers flexibility and, in a lot of cases, speed to the process contrary to what you may have heard or read. I found that many times the amount of time waiting for transportation would have had you at your resort and probably even in the pool by the time the bus even gets there.

In other words, don't worry. Even if you don't use my "pre-trip" procedure, it is very simple, just pay attention to the signs to be sure you are in the proper lanes. Even if you aren't, there isn't much to getting back on track again.

Not worrying about a car is a one of those things I also enjoy about a cruise. Plus I hate lugging a stroller on trams.
I suppose the driving is not that bad. If I lived in a major urban area i would think WDW was a comparative drive in the park. WDW is a bit stressful driving if you are used to rural traffic, though.

[gpeters93]

Well I must be the exception becasue I don't think it's all that easy to drive around the World.

Yes, there are very large and colorful signs with lots of information on them, but sometimes that is not enough (for me). It's not as if there are no distractions. And if you miss your "exit" ... there are no signs to help you get back. If you follow the signs strictly you'll be fine. But once you get lost is can be really hard to figure out where you've got to go to fix your mistake. There's no street grid convention and it's hard to figure out which direction you're headed at any given time. An on board compass doesn't really help becasue you're always switching direction. Turns come up quickly becasue every road is curved. The roads can be crowded and prevent you from changing lanes when you need to. And the locals drive pretty fast.

The path from the main gate to Poly and GF is particularly tricky. You need to know in advance that you should be in the far right lane when you go through the parking booths becasue you need to take an immediate exit (single file lane) on the right to reach the access road. If you didn't know that in advance, you may have to cut accross about eight lanes of incoming guests.

Yes. after I made these mistakes a few times it got easier. But the first time can be a challenge. Good luck!