Do you ever get lost when driving at WDW?

[ipodluvr287]

Do you ever get lost when driving at WDW? This trip we will have our car because we drive to WDW and we plan on using our car to drive to the parks, etc., but I have read on here that it is easy to get lost when driving at WDW. What are your thoughts? Do the signs help at all and get you to the right place? If it is that bad at WDW we might invest in a small cheap GPS.

 

[vroomagain]

We did get lost a few times. However, we had a GPS and that was part of the problem. The GPS would tell us one way and the signs another. Next time, we will just turn the GPS off when we get to the Disney gates!

 

[sissy_42]

Do you ever get lost when driving at WDW? This trip we will have our car because we drive to WDW and we plan on using our car to drive to the parks, etc., but I have read on here that it is easy to get lost when driving at WDW. What are your thoughts? Do the signs help at all and get you to the right place? If it is that bad at WDW we might invest in a small cheap GPS.

A small cheep GPS will be just that, cheap. Many times my GPS will be off by up to a quarter mile. (and it wasn't cheap) Driving at Disney is just like driving anywhere else you have never been/driven before. You need to watch the road signs. I got turned around a few times last year, but always new right away I had missed or took a wrong turn. It is just like driving in any city. There are road signs for everything.

 

[CanadianPaco]

We did once last year... once we saw those purple Disney signs disaapear we knew we were heading back into "reality" so a quick turn around took us back home!

 

[Kay1]

Unfortunately, because I my vision, I have a hard time reading the signs until I'm right on top of them. (Not enough contrast, or something.)

The trick to using the signs is to read every sign. It's not the time to daydream; you really need to pay attention or you'll find yourself on 192 or something.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

yes, been lost at the World. That's just one of many reasons I prefer using the bus system. The main reason though, is that we have so much fun on the bus. Weird, ain't we.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I did get lost (wrong turn offs mostly) on some early trips.

The key to driving there is to know the parks and their corresponding resorts. Example....if you are driving to the Polynesian, you won't see guide signs for that resort before you see signs for the Magic Kingdom. Once you are on the road to the Magic Kingdom, you will see signs directing you to the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. You would not see signs there for the Yacht Club for example. You would see that one if you were on the road to the Epcot area.

And there are not a lot of repetitive signs directing you, so pay attention and get your correct exits or turnoffs.

Here is an overall guide......

http://allears.net/tp/wdwpropertymap.pdf

 

[doom_buggy_junkie]

Sure, when driving within the WDW Resort, it can be kind of daunting...after all, it is a HUGE property with multiple roads, a few of which are multi-lane freeways. But, of all of my visits to Disney, I have never gotten so lost that I cannot find my way back relatively easily. The overhead and road-side signage system is VERY well laid out (in my opinion), and navigating to pretty much any destination within the resort is relatively easy. Just follow the signs.

Oh, I almost forgot one tip...when you first enter the property, pay especially close attention to the signs there...they will help you decide where to go for your destination.

 

[ipodluvr287]

I did get lost (wrong turn offs mostly) on some early trips.

The key to driving there is to know the parks and their corresponding resorts. Example....if you are driving to the Polynesian, you won't see guide signs for that resort before you see signs for the Magic Kingdom. Once you are on the road to the Magic Kingdom, you will see signs directing you to the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. You would not see signs there for the Yacht Club for example. You would see that one if you were on the road to the Epcot area.

And there are not a lot of repetitive signs directing you, so pay attention and get your correct exits or turnoffs.

Here is an overall guide......

http://allears.net/tp/wdwpropertymap.pdf

That's a good startegy! Thanks What park is All Star Music associated with? That's where we will be staying.

 

[TaylorsLoveDisney]

yes, been lost at the World. That's just one of many reasons I prefer using the bus system. The main reason though, is that we have so much fun on the bus. Weird, ain't we.

Hey Donald T Duck!!! we will be at the World at the same time!!! see u at the MNSSHP!!! LOL!!!! enjoy!!

 

[BYC]

PLEASE! If you have a GPS, got to Mousesavers, and download their POI for Disney and the entire area (Universal, Seaworld, etc.). We did, and the directions were dead on! Each one took us exactly where we want to go! Also, one mistake many people make is to have their GPS set to shortest route instead of fastest route. ALWAYS keep it set on fastest route, or you will be taken on really weird back road routes (everywhere...not just Disney). We have a Garmin, so I can't speak for the other brands, but I won't leave home without it! Mosesavers POI worked GREAT!! And, it's FREE!!

 

[Dan Murphy]

All Star is associated with Animal Kingdom. And yes, as BYC said, get Mary's GPS poi's at her site, http://www.mousesavers.com/gps.html

 

[loriandmatt]

Do you ever get lost when driving at WDW?

i will answer your question with a thought and by transcribing a typical conversation that takes place in our car at least once every trip....

did you ever notice that every road leads to Animal Kingdom?

"where's daddy going? aren't we supposed to be going to (insert any park name other than Animal Kingdom) today?"
"that's where we are going"
"how come i just saw the (insert any park name other than Animal Kingdom) sign and it pointed that way?"
"crap!" (well, actually it is that other word that means the same thing.)
"oh look, we are going to Animal Kingdom again."

 

[Beauty & the Best]

Yes. I've been there as a passenger many times but last Sept when I was the driver, it was like, wait, Epcot is around here somewhere!

 

[ipodluvr287]

How come none of the parks have actual addresses so that I can type it in to Mapquest and get directions from place to place?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

We have never got lost because the road signs at WDW are very easy to follow. There was one time when we made a wrong turn, however it was very easy going back to the way we were supposed to go.

 

[Dan Murphy]

How come none of the parks have actual addresses so that I can type it in to Mapquest and get directions from place to place?

http://www.hotelfun4kids.com/hotelandresort/ushotels/florida/disney.htm

 

[DebºoºS]

We usually don't have a car but when DS was going to college there we used his car a few times. We got lost at least once each time. Which caused fits of laughter mixed with frustration as we drove in the same circles. Always around AK GPS would've been a great help.

 

[book_junkie]

Only time I've ever had an issue driving around Disney property was trying to find Port Orleans-Riverside. I don't know WHAT it is, I can never find the signs and I go in circles- it's like a Bermuda triangle or something! (Or my brain is forever wired for Dixie Landings- it's original name....)

Last trip, I wanted to show my hubby the food court there, so we started out from what was then MGM, and I'm looking for signs left-right-sideways, all over the place... We pass the Boardwalk, we end up back at MGM. We pass the actual Fire Station, end up at DTD. We finally spot a bus headed that way so I follow it, and darn it all if it, if I had just turned left at Albuquerque....

And it's the one time I locked the GPS up in the resort safe. *sigh*

We didn't have a car on our 2004 trip, and it took an average of about 2 hours to get anywhere that wasn't the Magic Kingdom (we were at WL); ever since then, we've made sure to have access to a car and it's made a world of difference. Not only in travel time and access to the parks and restaurants in other resorts, but our sanity. When we get back to the car, I can crank up the A/C, have a seat, and not worry about someone's ice cream dripping on my leg. Nothing against the buses, but after a day in crowds, I like my downtime.

 

[southcarolinagirl]

If you have a gps go to www.poifriend.com or www.poi-factory and download the custom points of interest for all of Disney World. It is awesome, has resorts, parks, etc.