Driving the Florida Turnpike to Disney -- Where do YOU exit?

[disnut8]

Question for SlightlyGoofy, do your directions apply if you are staying at Pop Century? If not, can you tell me what would be the way.

I will be traveling with my 77 yr mother, and I tend to get a bit nervous in unfamiliar territory.

You can laugh, but I got lost LEAVING WDW in 2000 when I last took my mother .

As long as you are coming south on I75, yes (and you should be from Ohio). Follow the directions on this post and when you do get to Disney World (on Hartzog Road/Western Way), you will go under the purple signs. Continue straight until the road ends. Coronado Springs will be on your left. At the light, make a right. This will be Buena Vista Drive. You'll go by Blizzard Beach on your left. You will then get to the intersection with Osceola Parkway (at the big McDonald's). You will want to take this east. Follow the Parkway until you get to Victory Way. The entrance to the Wide World of Sports will be on your right. At that light, make a left onto Victory Way. The entrance to Pop Century will be on your right.

As an alternate route (but more lights and traffic), you can turn left when Western Way ends at the light for Buena Vista Drive. Stay on the Drive over World Drive, past the Swan and then the Boardwalk on your left and the entrance for The Studios on your right. Make a right onto Victory Way and then the entrance to Pop Century will be on your left.

 

[zackiedawg]

We come from the east (get on I-4 @ Daytona Beach from I-95). Is there somewhere I can pickup 429 from I-4?

Unfortunately for you, I-4 is the straightest route. However, if you really wanted to get away from orlando and the I-4 through Disney area (such as if there was word of a serious traffic jam or accident), you could exit I-4 at the East-West expressway and head west. You end at the Turnpike in about 9 miles, then hop on the Northbound turnpike for 2 miles to 429 exit.

It adds about 10 miles total to your trip - not awful - and would certainly be a more relaxed route since E-W, Turnpike, and 429 all have alot less traffic than I-4. But if you're coming in during low traffic time on I-4, it's still faster.

Also, looking at Mapquest, it doesn't appear that I can access 436 from I-4 in order to get on 429 near Apopka. Or am I wrong?
I would love to be able to get off I-4 well before hitting downtown Orlando.
Any Suggestions??

You can exit on 436/Altamonte Drive off I-4. But that's not going to be any kind of time-saving drive. You'd have to deal with 9 miles of normal city road, stoplights and all, on Altamonte drive before you get to 429...then 24 miles on 429.

ok, I'm confused and I can't find the AAA envelope. I know I'm taking 95 down from SC. Once I'm in FL what road do I want to get on? Do I take 95 to I=4 and get off on 429, or is there another road that you're calling the turnpike? Please help!

For you, I-95 all the way to I-4 is going to be the fastest route by far...then take I-4 in. You can take I-4 right to the Disney exits, or you can try the route I listed above where you exit on E-W Parkway to Turnpike to 429. But your only other choice coming into Florida besides I-95 would be to track across I-10 to I-75, then down to Turnpike...that would add about 80 miles to your trip!

 

[stm61]

[QUOTE
For you, I-95 all the way to I-4 is going to be the fastest route by far...then take I-4 in. You can take I-4 right to the Disney exits, or you can try the route I listed above where you exit on E-W Parkway to Turnpike to 429. But your only other choice coming into Florida besides I-95 would be to track across I-10 to I-75, then down to Turnpike...that would add about 80 miles to your trip![/QUOTE]

Thanks! I tried both the AAA site and mapquest and they both told me to take I-4 and get off on 536. I have no idea what that's near since neither site let me put in the Poly, just WDW. We'll be arriving the Sat. of Labor Day weekend, hopefully around noon. Not sure the exact arrival time since I'm the only driver with a car full of kids It's a little over 8 hours according to AAA, but I'm worried about holiday traffic. Given the holiday and time of day, it sounds like I might do better taking the E-W Parkway to Turnpike to 429. Does that sound like a good idea or would I do better to stay on I-4 even with the holiday?

 

[Dismom55]

Thanks to everyone who answered my question, printed it all out for future use.

One of the reasons we like to stay on Disney property is because of the Disney transportation, once my car is parked, it does not move until repacked and we are ready to leave.

About my getting lost, the worst part was after driving about an hour, we were back where we started, thought we were going to have to ask for someone to escort us out of Florida. This coming from someone in my younger days who drove from Ohio all the way to the Mayo clinic by myself. I would not do that now.


SlightlyGoofy, if you see one old woman, one not as old woman wondering around like lost lambs next Sep 2009, you can bet it is me. Just point me in the right direction. See you!

 

[zackiedawg]

Thanks! I tried both the AAA site and mapquest and they both told me to take I-4 and get off on 536. I have no idea what that's near since neither site let me put in the Poly, just WDW. We'll be arriving the Sat. of Labor Day weekend, hopefully around noon. Not sure the exact arrival time since I'm the only driver with a car full of kids It's a little over 8 hours according to AAA, but I'm worried about holiday traffic. Given the holiday and time of day, it sounds like I might do better taking the E-W Parkway to Turnpike to 429. Does that sound like a good idea or would I do better to stay on I-4 even with the holiday?

Actually...I-4 in your case shouldn't be too bad. Holiday traffic, yes - but not rush-hour traffic. That's more of the problem in the Orlando corridor - coming in around 4-7pm can be a nightmare, especially on a weekday. You're coming on a weekend so I'd expect though I-4 will be crowded, it'll still be moving at a decent clip. If you hit any holiday traffic slowdowns at that time of day, it would probably be the kind that slow you down to 45-50...but not likely a full traffic jam unless there were an accident.

And exiting on 536 is fine for Polynesian - 536 west of I-4 actually becomes Epcot Center Drive...and Epcot Center Drive is a Disney expressway that will take you past Epcot Center's entrance before essentially dead-ending at World Drive - signs will prominently guide you to follow the ramp onto World Drive for Magic Kingdom...that's where you want to go. Once you get to the main gates at Magic Kingdom, stay to the right and you'll see one little road that heads straight while all other lanes head into Magic Kingdom's parking area. Go straight, and you'll come to an intersection for Seven Seas drive, and just a few hundred yards to the left is the Poly.

 

[tiggerx3]

Unfortunately for you, I-4 is the straightest route. However, if you really wanted to get away from orlando and the I-4 through Disney area (such as if there was word of a serious traffic jam or accident), you could exit I-4 at the East-West expressway and head west. You end at the Turnpike in about 9 miles, then hop on the Northbound turnpike for 2 miles to 429 exit.

It adds about 10 miles total to your trip - not awful - and would certainly be a more relaxed route since E-W, Turnpike, and 429 all have alot less traffic than I-4. But if you're coming in during low traffic time on I-4, it's still faster.

Thanks for the info! I think we'll hold on to this tip in case like you said - there's a serious traffic jam or accident.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dismom55, you do not want me to point you in the right direction. I am from Athens County and only made it to Athens two times a year, if that so I did not grow up with a direction gene. Still have problems when I go back to visit.

The worst I have ever done, in recent memory, is when we got to DW a bit early and there was no room at the inn so we stayed off site. I was comfortable with it as it was a familiar road. I knew every restaurant on the road. We checked into a motel and then went out to eat and I got turned around and ended up driving for hours and hours, sometimes ending up out on the interstate !

If it had not been for the fact that we had unpacked our luggage in the room I would have found another place and check in. Turned out that I was not on the road where Crossroads is, as I had thought, but another road with the same restaurants and such.

I stay in Ocala now if I get close by and there is no room at DW.

There will be two of us middle aged women, both fluffy and with dark curly hair and glasses.

See ya!

SG

 

[Dismom55]

SlightlyGoofy: Apparently you and I suffer from the same lack of a certain gene. When taking my now hubby to meet my grandfather, a house I had seen my father drive to for over 17 yrs, I got lost. When we moved onto Ft Dix when hubby was AF, I went to the commisary, I got lost trying to come back to our home. I get lost everwhere we lived. I even got lost trying to pick up hubby at the airport in NY

My mother will be 77 at the time of the trip, so you should look for a gray haired lady, slightly overweight with another, hopfully not as overweight as she is now, not so gray (I refuse to ever have gray hair) lady with or without the 21 yr old daughter with long, very long dark brown hair, and maybe another friend.

It is a mother/daughter trip, my mother, myself, and my daughter. She may be having one of her friends go along so she has someone to ride the wilder rides with.

While the directions are very good and in reading them I feel confident I will get to my destination, I assure you it will not be without sweating some bullets until I actually put the car in park and walk into the building to check in. See any moisture, bullet sized laying around, you will know I have arrived.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

DisMom55, you and I might both flood DW as I am a nervous wreck until I pull in and see the purple and red signs. The way we became addicted to Disney was because I did not want to drive on vacation and we could park and I could truly have a vacation.

We stay at the AS most of the time simply, and truly, because it is at the end of Buena Vista so I cannot possibly get lost. If I see Marketplace I know I have gone the wrong direction.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are both Buckeyes (worthless nuts according to my dictionary)?

Do you take 65 down or at least 24 at Chattanooga? We could follow each other but that might not be a good idea.

If you use Lake Buena Vista as your main road you can easily find your way to many places on site. If you turn left at the DVC pagoda you find yourself at POR and PFQ. If you turn left at the gas station you are at Boardwalk. If you turn right you are at POP. etc. Works for me. I also love the fact that they redid the road down by Marketplace so that it gently curves around to Crossroads and I can even find my way up and down that road to several places too. Just have to remember which lane to be in. Only took me 20 years to accomplish this!

SG

 

[Dismom55]

We live only a couple of miles from I-75, I take it straight down, only getting off for what we call pit stops (gas ect). Then in GA, I found it better to get off 75 and take 475, bit shorter, then it reconnects with 75. Take that the rest of the way until I have to get off and the nervousness begins. We have always stayed at one of the AS before, this will be our first time in Pop.

We don't leave until 18th of Sep 2009, so following you would be a bit tricky wouldn't it

Apparently we are the true definition of a Buckeye! Just had to share that one with hubby, he enjoyed the definition too!

Thanks for all the help with directions, believe me when I say it has all been printed and put in my folder for the driving part of the trip. I will be adding the last paragraph too, very helpful for this useless nut wondering around WDW.

I will have to make myself a t-shirt now showing a pic of a buckeye, then with the dictionary definition underneath. I am sure other Buckeyes in WDW will get a laugh too. You may have started something here.

From one nut to another, Thanks.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

What a bummer! I will be just getting home as you head down. Lucky you being so close to 75, only one road to remember.

The 475 is the Macon Bypass. I just love that and wish they would make one for Atlanta and then the trip would be a breeze!

Please post a picture of that t shirt. I might have to make up one for myself. I sort of like my Goofy shirt and it is my trademark now.

Do you not use the turnpike past Ocala? If so those instructions will be very useful. Just have to remember to stay in the proper lane when getting off on Hertzog/Western Way.

We have always stayed at Sports but am staying at POP to be with my friends this time. That way I can stay round the pool later without worrying about getting lost driving back.

Watch out for the construction around Atlanta. They shut down lanes starting Friday night through the weekends from all reports. I will be going through on a Friday night naturally. At least the speeds should be lower.

SG/Linda

 

[cherylp3]

FYI 436 west - does connect to Apopka and the 429, its about an extra 20-30 min on to your drive.

 

[Dismom55]

We ahve stayed at AS Movies when my kids were younger, then last Christmas we stayed at AS Music in one of the suites, it was great by the way. We were a party of 5 for that trip as a friend came along.

Since I have never stayed at Pop, and I think my mother will enjoy the theme, we will be staying at Pop next year. Yes I do take the one bypass as it is better than staying on 75, then in just a short time I am back on 75.

Cheryl, thanks for the info, I really must find a good Florida map so I can actually see these things.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

DisMom, what was your take on the suites? From what I have read about sofa beds and all it seemed that getting two rooms and having two TV's and bathrooms would work better for me. The suites have a kitchenette?

If you go to Mapquest.com they will give you step by step directions to get anywhere you want to go.

As another person said the Transportation link on the DIS has a great GPS link for Disney properties. I plan to try that one out myself. I like being told where to go, sometimes.

SG

 

[BCV2002]

You can take the Clermont exit off the Turnpike. It will put you on Hwy 50. Go east on Hwy 50 until you come to CR535. Take CR535 to Disney. It is back roads, but it is much quicker than taking I-4 or 429. If you take CR535, you will pass by a lot of neighborhoods. It twists and turns a bit. You will end up at the entrance to WDW across from The Crossroads.

I'm going to have to disagree with this one. We used to take the Clermont route all the time, and now we go 429. What a difference!! We cut at LEAST 30 minutes off of driving.

 

[Dismom55]

The AS Music Suite was great for us. We were a party of 5, myself and hubby took the queen bed in the separate room. My DD age 19 and DS age 15 along with a friend age 21 all slept in the fold out sofa/chair etc. They did not complain that anything was uncomfortable. Yes, to the kitchenette. That being a microwave, small under counter fridge, coffee makere and small sink. There was a stock of paper plates, bowls, cups and plastic eating utencils. The paper products were restocked each day.

What made this room perfect for us was the friend did not want to stay in a room alone nor a connecting room. Really wanted to be a part of the family. Having the suite also gave us two full bathrooms and safes. I let our friend know that one safe was thiers and we used the other. We had plenty of room and two tv's so while hubby and I were catching up on weather and such the kids (I include the 21 yr old as one of the kids) could watch tv, whatever.

I just really liked it and would not hesitate to do the suite again, just with they would put some suites in the other AS's and Pop.

The only drawback was the cost, but we talked about our options and the suite seems to be the best fit.

I have done mapquest and others and they do not seem to direct me to 429, did not even know it existed until this thread. Maybe they will in the future, meantime I have the info now.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dismom55, I can see where the suite would work for that situation as the young people can sleep on almost anything. I am like The Princess and the Pea and cannot abide nary a wrinkle let alone those hard rods across a sofa bed.

When we had our children with us we used to stay over where they have Shades of Green. It was nice.

To keep on track, talking about Atlanta. You can log onto the GA transportation site and they give you up to the minute details about which lanes will be closed and when.

SG

 

[Dismom55]

Thanks, I found a web site that deals only with I-75 from Michigan to Florida, all I typed in my search was I-75.

I too can not sleep easily on the fold out beds, but luckily I did not have to, the kids did. Now the fold out chair and the ottoman that converted to two twin size beds were a bit more comfortable, my son, the tallest of the group, slept on the fold out sofa. He, the youngest, at 5'10", the other two, my daughter and her friend both around 5'3" did not complain on lack of comfort.

But, hey it is still a great room situation and most younger people will not have a problem with the fold out. Heck, I have slept on many in my younger days.

Thanks for all you help, looking forward to NOT getting lost on my next trip, well I can dream can't I?

 

[stm61]

And exiting on 536 is fine for Polynesian - 536 west of I-4 actually becomes Epcot Center Drive...and Epcot Center Drive is a Disney expressway that will take you past Epcot Center's entrance before essentially dead-ending at World Drive - signs will prominently guide you to follow the ramp onto World Drive for Magic Kingdom...that's where you want to go. Once you get to the main gates at Magic Kingdom, stay to the right and you'll see one little road that heads straight while all other lanes head into Magic Kingdom's parking area. Go straight, and you'll come to an intersection for Seven Seas drive, and just a few hundred yards to the left is the Poly.

Thanks for all the information ya'll! I've been trying to see the route using on-line maps, and I'm having problems finding 536. It's not showing up on AAA or mapquest maps! Does anyone know what I should look for so that I know I'm getting close to 536?

 

[cherylp3]

Look for the Jungle Jims/Crossroads sign on the right - on the left look for a Outlet mall with a Church.