Driving from Miami to Disney World

[Donaldswife]

We are taking a cruise over Thanksgiving and have decided to rent a car after the cruise on Saturday, November 30th and drive up to Disney World, spend the night, then fly home from Orlando airport on the evening of December 1st. Has anyone ever driven from Miami to Disney World, how did you find the drive to be?

 

[gatour]

I haven't driven from the port of Miami to WDW. We have driven to and from Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale) to/from WDW. You pretty much get on the turnpike and head north. Easy drive. A few months ago we cruised out of port of Miami for the first time in years. I imagine the experience would be similiar.

One thing to keep in mind, the weekend after Thanksgiving is a very busy travel period. News media like to say that a day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year. Actually it is the Sunday after Thanksgiving. People "drible" out during the days before Thanksgiving, but all return on Sunday.

 

[Donaldswife]

I haven't driven from the port of Miami to WDW. We have driven to and from Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale) to/from WDW. You pretty much get on the turnpike and head north. Easy drive. A few months ago we cruised out of port of Miami for the first time in years. I imagine the experience would be similiar.

One thing to keep in mind, the weekend after Thanksgiving is a very busy travel period. News media like to say that a day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year. Actually it is the Sunday after Thanksgiving. People "drible" out during the days before Thanksgiving, but all return on Sunday.

Thanks for your reply! We know Sunday will be crowded and crazy coming home and are prepared for that! We are annual pass holders and fly frequently so that part I am not nervous about, and with annual passes we are pretty relaxed with our touring...just a little concerned about the drive from Miami to WDW since we have never done that before. Glad to hear it is overall an easy drive. We will definitely make sure we are prepared for traffic and crowds, and go with the flow.

Thanks again for your input, it is much appreciated.

 

[Darcy03231]

We did it a couple of years ago. Same thing, we did a cruise and then tacked a few days on at Disney. The drive was pretty easy. We didn't have much traffic (the end of August). We stopped once at a rest area and I want to say it took us about 3.5 hours.

 

[Donaldswife]

We did it a couple of years ago. Same thing, we did a cruise and then tacked a few days on at Disney. The drive was pretty easy. We didn't have much traffic (the end of August). We stopped once at a rest area and I want to say it took us about 3.5 hours.

Thanks! We will plan on about 4-5 hours with stopping for lunch somewhere along the way. I appreciate your response.

 

[linzjane88]

I've done the drive from Fort Lauderdale to WDW and thought it was alot of fun. Keep in mind the tolls--I want to say we spent about 20$ in them.

Honestly doing 4-5 nights at a beach condo and then a few days at Disney was great and probably the trip we have the most warm and fuzzies over.

 

[Donaldswife]

I've done the drive from Fort Lauderdale to WDW and thought it was alot of fun. Keep in mind the tolls--I want to say we spent about 20$ in them.

Honestly doing 4-5 nights at a beach condo and then a few days at Disney was great and probably the trip we have the most warm and fuzzies over.

We are getting a rental car, do they come with the pass so you just drive through and they bill you? Are there toll booths where we need to stop and pay?

 

[JimMIA]

The first little bit is a little tricky, because you don't rent a car at the port itself. You rent either in downtown Miami or at the airport -- most renters use downtown. There is a free shuttle from the port to the rental car offices. (If you are going to rent at the airport, let me know and I'll give you a different route from below.)

From downtown, you just get on I-95 North. Watch for signs, and get on the Turnpike, and then Turnpike all the way to Kissimmee or WDW. Use Google Maps or similar and you'll be fine.

Once you get out of Miami, the drive is easy and it gets easier the further north you go. There are rest areas every 40 miles or so, and they all have good food options.

 

[Donaldswife]

The first little bit is a little tricky, because you don't rent a car at the port itself. You rent either in downtown Miami or at the airport -- most renters use downtown. There is a free shuttle from the port to the rental car offices. (If you are going to rent at the airport, let me know and I'll give you a different route from below.)

From downtown, you just get on I-95 North. Watch for signs, and get on the Turnpike, and then Turnpike all the way to Kissimmee or WDW. Use Google Maps or similar and you'll be fine.

Once you get out of Miami, the drive is easy and it gets easier the further north you go. There are rest areas every 40 miles or so, and they all have good food options.

We are actually renting from the airport from Alamo, it was about half the price of the downtown locations so we went with that.

 

[OKW Lover]

We have done the drive from the Miami (and Fort Lauderdale) cruise ports to WDW several times. Once on the FL Turnpike its an easy drive. The portion from the Miami cruise port to the turnpike can be a bit confusing so be sure to read the signs carefully.

 

[linzjane88]

We are getting a rental car, do they come with the pass so you just drive through and they bill you? Are there toll booths where we need to stop and pay?

We just used coins and did fine. I do now have the sticker type transponder ($4.99) because we go to Florida enough but having said that sometimes it doesn't read properly and the transponder in the rental car activates anyhow if your reader doesn't pick up. It depends on your rental company how the do it. I just used Enterprise and the 2 tolls that my reader didn't register were charged the toll (about $1 each) plus a $3.95 "service charge".

Depending on how often you go to Florida it may or may not be worth it to get your own. In hindsight I wish I would have just gotten the portable transponder for $19.99 which is meant to go car-to-car because the sticker type (which I fix to my windshield with tape) has failed a couple times and the amount I have paid for the "service charges" would have just paid for the real one!

Now that I think about it -if you are driving at a busy time I think it would probably be worth the convenience to just buy your own. We drove out to Cocoa Beach to watch a rocket launch which meant lots of crowds going to watch the same thing and the lines for the coin tolls were pretty backed up. I think I would pay for the convenience!

 

[Darcy03231]

We are actually renting from the airport from Alamo, it was about half the price of the downtown locations so we went with that.

At the time we did it (2017), Alamo had a free shuttle from the cruise port to the airport. We were going to take a taxi ($30) but the driver was really nice and let us know about the free shuttle. We had to wait about 15 minutes for it, but saved $30+

 

[OhDannyBoy]

I'll be doing almost that drive tomorrow.

I live west of Port Everglades in Ft Lauderdale and drive to Orlando at least once a year.

It's pretty much a straight shot up the Turnpike for 4ish hours. Thanksgiving weekend may add a bit but you should be ok.

 

[Donaldswife]

We just used coins and did fine. I do now have the sticker type transponder ($4.99) because we go to Florida enough but having said that sometimes it doesn't read properly and the transponder in the rental car activates anyhow if your reader doesn't pick up. It depends on your rental company how the do it. I just used Enterprise and the 2 tolls that my reader didn't register were charged the toll (about $1 each) plus a $3.95 "service charge".

Depending on how often you go to Florida it may or may not be worth it to get your own. In hindsight I wish I would have just gotten the portable transponder for $19.99 which is meant to go car-to-car because the sticker type (which I fix to my windshield with tape) has failed a couple times and the amount I have paid for the "service charges" would have just paid for the real one!

Now that I think about it -if you are driving at a busy time I think it would probably be worth the convenience to just buy your own. We drove out to Cocoa Beach to watch a rocket launch which meant lots of crowds going to watch the same thing and the lines for the coin tolls were pretty backed up. I think I would pay for the convenience!

Thanks for the tip, I will look into that!

 

[Donaldswife]

At the time we did it (2017), Alamo had a free shuttle from the cruise port to the airport. We were going to take a taxi ($30) but the driver was really nice and let us know about the free shuttle. We had to wait about 15 minutes for it, but saved $30+

Thank you! I will verify when we get there that there is still a free shuttle from the Port. I appreciate the advice!

 

[carol48b]

We just used coins and did fine. I do now have the sticker type transponder ($4.99) because we go to Florida enough but having said that sometimes it doesn't read properly and the transponder in the rental car activates anyhow if your reader doesn't pick up. It depends on your rental company how the do it. I just used Enterprise and the 2 tolls that my reader didn't register were charged the toll (about $1 each) plus a $3.95 "service charge".

Depending on how often you go to Florida it may or may not be worth it to get your own. In hindsight I wish I would have just gotten the portable transponder for $19.99 which is meant to go car-to-car because the sticker type (which I fix to my windshield with tape) has failed a couple times and the amount I have paid for the "service charges" would have just paid for the real one!

Now that I think about it -if you are driving at a busy time I think it would probably be worth the convenience to just buy your own. We drove out to Cocoa Beach to watch a rocket launch which meant lots of crowds going to watch the same thing and the lines for the coin tolls were pretty backed up. I think I would pay for the convenience!

Do you recommend Sun Pass, EZ Pass, or EPass?

 

[linzjane88]

Do you recommend Sun Pass, EZ Pass, or EPass?

We did SunPass. I didn't even realize you could get them through different companies. After a brief look I think the E-Pass looks better---the transponder is cheaper anyhow. I am not sure of the benefits beyond that.

 

[joelkfla]

Do you recommend Sun Pass, EZ Pass, or EPass?

E-ZPass does not work on the Turnpike.

The E-Pass sticker is free, but the suction cup portable unit is also cheaper than SunPass.

For a few dollars more, you can get E-Pass Xtra, which is supposed to also work in E-ZPass states, if you expect to have use for that (regular E-Pass does not.)

 

[JimMIA]

We are actually renting from the airport from Alamo, it was about half the price of the downtown locations so we went with that.

Note Miami Driving tips:
Miami has heavy traffic, wide multi-lane expressways and frequent interchanges. Therefore lane position is important. You never want to be in the far right or far left lane unless you are positive you are exiting to another expressway.

Also be aware that Miami drivers typically do NOT signal for lane changes -- because some cowboy will cut them off. So be alert for people suddenly cutting into your lane.

*****
When you come out of the Rental Car Center, you want to take FL 112 East (the only way it goes). Also look for signs saying to I-95 and Miami Beach. You do NOT want FL 836, which goes downtown or out west.

From the Rental Car Center, you will come out on LeJeune Road, the main N-S thoroughfare past the airport, and you will turn RIGHT onto LeJeune and go NORTH. Stay in the second from the right lane. The road will fork, with the right lane going to South River Drive (don't go there).

Continue straight and you will see FL 112 bear off to the right. Signs should say to I-95 and also to Miami Beach, and you'll be heading EAST. Watch your lane positioning because there are other roads merging and lanes ending.

Stay in the right 2-3 lanes as you move east. Eventually, the exit for I-95 will bear off to the right. Once you get on that exit, stay in the left two lanes The right lanes will go to I-95 South, and the left lanes will feed you into I-95 NORTH.

One caution -- FL 112 becomes I-195 to Miami Beach when It crosses I-95. You want I-95 N, not I-One Hundred Ninety Five!

Stay toward the middle lanes on I-95 because left lanes will become Express Lanes which you do not want. Watch the exits and when you go past NW 135 Street, start looking for the Florida Turnpike. Watch carefully to get the right exit. You want the Florida Turnpike North (the only direction it goes at that point).

Once you get on the Turnpike headed north, just stay on it all the way to Orlando.

One minor detail about tolls. There are no toll booths in Miami-Dade County -- everything is either SunPass or bill-by-plate. There are no tolls on I-95 unless you wander into the Express lanes, but FL 112 has tolls and obviously the Turnpike does too.

 

[Donaldswife]

Note Miami Driving tips:
Miami has heavy traffic, wide multi-lane expressways and frequent interchanges. Therefore lane position is important. You never want to be in the far right or far left lane unless you are positive you are exiting to another expressway.

Also be aware that Miami drivers typically do NOT signal for lane changes -- because some cowboy will cut them off. So be alert for people suddenly cutting into your lane.

*****
When you come out of the Rental Car Center, you want to take FL 112 East (the only way it goes). Also look for signs saying to I-95 and Miami Beach. You do NOT want FL 836, which goes downtown or out west.

From the Rental Car Center, you will come out on LeJeune Road, the main N-S thoroughfare past the airport, and you will turn RIGHT onto LeJeune and go NORTH. Stay in the second from the right lane. The road will fork, with the right lane going to South River Drive (don't go there).

Continue straight and you will see FL 112 bear off to the right. Signs should say to I-95 and also to Miami Beach, and you'll be heading EAST. Watch your lane positioning because there are other roads merging and lanes ending.

Stay in the right 2-3 lanes as you move east. Eventually, the exit for I-95 will bear off to the right. Once you get on that exit, stay in the left two lanes The right lanes will go to I-95 South, and the left lanes will feed you into I-95 NORTH.

One caution -- FL 112 becomes I-195 to Miami Beach when It crosses I-95. You want I-95 N, not I-One Hundred Ninety Five!

Stay toward the middle lanes on I-95 because left lanes will become Express Lanes which you do not want. Watch the exits and when you go past NW 135 Street, start looking for the Florida Turnpike. Watch carefully to get the right exit. You want the Florida Turnpike North (the only direction it goes at that point).

Once you get on the Turnpike headed north, just stay on it all the way to Orlando.

One minor detail about tolls. There are no toll booths in Miami-Dade County -- everything is either SunPass or bill-by-plate. There are no tolls on I-95 unless you wander into the Express lanes, but FL 112 has tolls and obviously the Turnpike does too.

Thank you for the detailed information and tips, this is very much appreciated!!