International Drive

[MaleDisneyBeliever]

Hi guys,

We're staying on International Drive when we go in September and have hired a car. I hear I-Drive is a bustling place with plenty going on. Does anyone recommend anything there inparticular? Also, do you recommend we always take the car or a cab? Is it safe to walk along?

 

[Pegasus928]

I-Drive is perfectly safe to walk along - there is plenty of room on the sidewalks and there is a grass verge between them and the road, so if you want to go to somewhere close and not drive then you will be fine.
The main activities would be Pirate Golf, go-karts and other fairground type rides at FunSpot, Wet n Wild, Wonderworks and plenty of restaraunts and gift shops.
I'm not sure I would totally agree that there is always plenty going on, but there are things to entertain you for an evening if you don't feel like going too far away.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I would not recommend driving on International Drive unless you absolutely have to. It is seriously congested. Walking is fine and there is also the I Ride Trolley if your feet get tired. We have been to Orlando 8 times and all but the last stay were spent on International Drive. The mini golf courses are great. For shopping, you have Orlando Premium Outlets at the bottom of International Drive and Prime Outlets at the top. There is also Pointe Orlando with shops, restaurants and a multiplex cinema plus Wonder Works. Ripley's Believe It or Not, The Titanic Experience and Train Land are also on International Drive and worth exploring.

There are two dinner shows on or just off International Drive: Sleuths at Goodings Plaza and Pirates just behind International Drive near the Sandlake Road junction.

There are some fantastic restaurants. Our favourite is Salt Island Fishmarket and Chop House, but we also love Sweet Tomatoes (healthy buffet), Texas de Brazil (Brasilian Steakhouse) and Bergamos (great Italian food and singing waiters).

In what hotel are you staying?

Corinna

 

[orangetiggs]

depending on where you are staying its a long walk to orlando premuim outlets from the main idrive hotels and restaurants

We always drive up and down i drive but we stay at disney

 

[dolphingirl47]

I agree that Orlando Premium Outlets is not within walking distance from most places on International Drive, but having seen the utter chaos in the car park, I would strongly recommend the I Ride Trolley to get there.

Corinna

 

[Goofyish]

I-Drive is a very lond road and it's character changes depending where you are. The northend near Universal is narrower, without a central reservation. The south end below Sand Lake Road is wider with a tree lined central reservation.

It's fine to walk along I-Drive, although you really need to be careful when cross the road. Even if you get the Walk sign cars can still turn into the road!

The I-Ride Trolley is a good way to get up and down I-Drive without a car. It's not the quickest mode of transport but it fun and cheap.
You can buy weekly tickets from most hotels.

http://www.iridetrolley.com/

You can get a great maps of Orlando that includes a detailed map of I-Drive showing hotels, restaurants and attractions from here:

http://www.orlandomaps.co.uk/author.html

 

[Pegasus928]

Speaking personally we have never suffered with any congestion on I-Drive - other than the usual stop/start at traffic lights. It's always been pretty much free flowing from one end to the other. In fact the only time we seem to come to a standstill is when we get stuck behind another Brit tourist who doesn't realise you can turn right on a red light

We generally tend to be on I-Drive at least once a day during our holidays, whether it is for a particular restaraunt, attraction or shopping mall and can honestly say we haven't seen any of the congestion or chaos others have mentioned. As a result we would never think twice about jumping in the car and heading down there.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I think the congestion used to be really bad many years ago, at busy times of the year like Easter it still can be pretty crowded.
I just believe more people are staying in different areas now, we haven't stayed on I drive for many years, Holiday Inn, Quality Inn Plaza, Rosen Plaza and Rosen Center being the hotels we have been to.

I think it's perfectly safe walking down there, however and this is kind of a contradiction I prefer the quieter south side where I suppose things are more spread out a bit, you couldn't walk from the Rosen to Premium Outlets for example.

 

[Latel]

I have been to Orlando about 8 times now and have never even bothered hiring a car. I always stay on I-Drive. It is safe to walk around at any time, day or night. It is a long road but as others have mentioned the I-Ride trolley takes you from one end to the other. There is also the Lynx bus. It can get congested but this is usually at rush hour.

 

[wayneg]

I think Idrive congestion must vary with time of year, as we only travel school holidays we get caught in it every time we attempt to go up or down. Its somewhere we avoid wherever possible. Stayed North Idrive and South Idrive but only at hotels where we can get to without travelling up or down it, central Idrive is not type of area we like but others do.
Easter 2 years ago got stuck on Idrive for over 1 hour for a usual 15 min journey, that was worst we have experienced.

 

[Cochise]

The only thing I didn't really like when we stayed and walked along I Drive was crossing around the Sand Lake, it was a little sometimes with people close to being hit a couple of times that i saw.

 

[Hbabe78]

we went last year for the first time, we stayd just of i drive beside the sand lake junction

crossing the road was scary but i think driving it looks worse, we diddnt have a car, the first night when we arrived after nearly getting knocked down i think i wanted to go home, but after a sleep and learning how to cross the road it was fine, we used the i trolly its really in expensive, and gets you up and down it no problems

 

[Lisa x]

I love stayin in the I-Drive area....depends where u stay on there though, as most people say, its a long stretch of road!

We always hire a car but when on ID we would usually walk or use the trolley...another fun way to travel it is the pedi-cab....they are also free and the riders of the bike earn a living on tips so u pay whatever u want to!

We usually stay at the Universal end of I-Drive and walk to CityWalk & Universal for the bars, Bubba Gumps (YUM) and Jimmy Buffets, there are some really nice restaurants on ID too....Salt Island, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Outback Steakhouse....our faves!!

 

[martinrmn]

We have always stayed on I-Drive and to be honest love it. There are loads of restaurants and we also enjoy the golf. We tend to park all day and, providing we have the energy we hit a restaurant. Our son who is now 8 would sometimes fall asleep and I would carry him back to the room or use his buggy. We have never felt at risk and see it safer than our own home town. We are due to go back December.

 

[Boodle]

Hi guys,

We're staying on International Drive when we go in September and have hired a car. I hear I-Drive is a bustling place with plenty going on. Does anyone recommend anything there inparticular? Also, do you recommend we always take the car or a cab? Is it safe to walk along?

You can get a deal on the I-ride trolley by going to internationaldriveorlando.com - great for a cheap ride to Wet N Wild, Aquatica, Seaworld, Universal, belz mall etc - also for dinner shows like Pirates if you want to have a beer or two!

 

[PudseyChancer]

I've never really seen the i-drive packed, but that maybe because I tend to go in September. I think that with choice of restaurants and other attractions, it's a good place to spend some time, easily walkable, indeed I walked from Universal to the Sheraton (opposite Seaworld) which was a good way of getting bearings and seeing where everything was. I don't ever get taxis in the UK, so don't mind getting them whilst on holidays and they're easily available on i-drive, the i-ride is a good if not necessarily reliable alternative. The Outlets are at the extreme ends of the i-drive so are not realistically within walking distance.