Getting Around Disney with a Rental Car

[manfred4247]

Is there a website that will give you directions on how to get around Disney with a rental car? Most posts seem to focus on busses and we will have a rental car for our September trip.

 

[minnie mum]

Google maps?

 

[willowsnn3]

Lots of big purple directional signs on Disney property pointing the way to resorts & parks. You can't miss them!

 

[Brer Chump]

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/web_images/maps/WaltDisneyWorldRoadMap.pdf

 

[kj2mom]

I am driving for the first time and the only adult with my kids. I have done a lot of studying Google maps and printed out the map above. I hope I am good to go. The 4th of July is our first day and we are going to MK. I figure once I get that first day under my belt I should be able to conquer anything !

 

[rwdavis2]

google is your friend.

 

[bumbershoot]

There is truly no reason to have a map or gps for wdw property travel. Know where you are. Epcot area? AK area? Etc. know where you are going. DTD area? MK area? Etc. Follow the signs from where you are to where you want to go. Big huge purple and red highway type of signs. Almost too much info on the signs. I tend to say out loud where I'm going as I read the signs just to stay clear.

GPS steers people wrong sometimes; I had to backtrack completely when I came out to a one way road going the opposite direction I wanted to go. I should have followed the signs instead.

 

[kj2mom]

It is great to hear how well things are signed but I also think it doesn't hurt to try to get a lay of the land prior to traveling. Being the only adult in the car with children can be nerve wracking when you know the area and don't have to worry about signs never mind having no idea where you are/which way you need to go on roads with potentially thousands doing the same thing (we are going 4th of July). I am the kind of person who likes to know which lane I need to be in when and minimize surprises so studying maps/printing out old fashioned directions gives me a bit of confidence of course we will see how much it truly helps when we arrive !

 

[CarolAnnB]

If you wanted to bring your own GPS, Mousesavers has a file you can download to many GPS devices that lists Disney Points of Interest.

 

[bumbershoot]

I am the kind of person who likes to know which lane I need to be in when and minimize surprises so studying maps/printing out old fashioned directions gives me a bit of confidence of course we will see how much it truly helps when we arrive !

For me the maps, except for when I'm going off property, don't help at all. There are gigantic cloverleafs (which I have run in rundisney events lol) that mean you're turning one way to go the other, etc. for me the ahead of time studying is lost in the moment of taking that exit there. And my google maps has been wrong, so just be aware of the drawbacks.

If any of the kids are of reading age have them help you spot the needed info. Magic kingdom, Saratoga springs, etc, what you're looking for can be spotted by the eagle eyes in the car if they are reading.

 

[richmo]

I understand the anxiety, but try to relax. The Disney road system is quite well marked and the major roads on property are mostly divided highways, much like a typical limited access highway, except the speed limit is 50 instead of 55/65/70 and the signs are purple, not green.

 

[Eighty8Keys]

If you wanted to bring your own GPS, Mousesavers has a file you can download to many GPS devices that lists Disney Points of Interest.

I did this for our trip in 2008 when we rented a car for the first time. It was super helpful. I have a very poor sense of direction and it gave me great peace of mind to know no matter where I was I could always find my way back to our resort.

 

[DebbieB]

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/web_images/maps/WaltDisneyWorldRoadMap.pdf

If you look at this map you will see that World Drive, Vista Drive, Bonnet Creek Parkway and Buena Vista Drive form a square. If you remember that, you'll find your way around.