Just got back from BWV, anyone else find WDW driving not as easy as one would expect?

[montessori]

Hi Luckytso!
I laughed when I read your post too. I'm glad you kept a good attitude about it and started learning your way around as time went on.
We know our way around DW but I do believe the signs are confusing. Sometimes the sign is far ahead of the intersection and then there are no signs at the intersection.
There are often easier ways to get from Point A to Point B than the way the signs direct you.
You'll soon be an expert!

I'm glad you fell in love with The Boardwalk!

As you know, it's my favorite Disney Resort.

Did you get to go on Buzzlightyear? Did you see Buzz in the park?

Your May vacation will be wonderful. May is a beautiful time in Florida!

Looking forward to reading more about your trip!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Well, all you directionally challenged people, DH and I are just fine! It takes an hour to get from WL to Epcot, right? And aren't there about 8 Tower of Terror billboards on property that look just alike?

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Well, all you directionally challenged people, DH and I are just fine! It takes an hour to get from WL to Epcot, right? And aren't there about 8 Tower of Terror billboards on property that look just alike?

ROTF!!!! Actually, there are 16 TOT billboards that are EXACTLY alike. And...you made GREAT time from WL to Epcot, tell me your secret.

 

[kdonnel]

The intersection that is the most fun is the one right after entering the MK. I like the people who are all the way to the left who want to go the the WL or camp grounds. They have to cut off A LOT of people on their way to the right.

 

[luckytso]

Whew, I thought I was the only one who got lost at WDW. Now it makes sense, no wonder we see signs that don't make sense to us. For example, coming back from MK to BWV, we saw signs saying going straight to MK, while we thought it should be going the other way (since we just drove from there, not to keep going..) I guess this is Disney's way of traffic control.

Montessori, yes, we made it to the Buzz ride on Sat (1st day since refurbishment), and DH went on the ride 6 times, he got over 850,000 points, he was quite proud. We saw Buzz, Jesse, and even Bull's Eye (sp?). Lots of characters. I wish they have the live Buzz show like the one in Disneyland. BWV is now definately our favorite. Thanks

Can someone give me some easy short cuts to the parks? For example, we realized on our last day that coming out of BWV, if you cross Buena Vista Drive, you will be going directly into MGM's parking lot, while if you follow the signs, you would be turning at the intersection for a detour.

 

[Zurg]

I don't jhave much trouble in WDW. - Orlando is another story.

 

[crisi]

LOL, Been there. I'm really not fond of driving - even places I know well. So driving places I don't know is horrible.

I love the "Is it better to rent a car than take Disney transportation?" debates - obviously, the ones that get there faster in their rental car aren't the one's that have discovered all sixteen Tower of Terror billboards.

 

[Pig Pen]

Reading this thread was the best thing I did all day! DH and I practically get a divorce everytime we drive around WDW. We got lost going from AK to AKL last time (somehow we couldn't get out of AK parking lot and twice ended up going back towards Epcot - I kept saying WE SHOULD NOT BE SEEING SWAN/DOLPHIN IN FRONT OF US!!)

Then we got lost going from MK to CSR. The biggest hint that we were heading the wrong way was when we had to pay that darn toll....

And, at least once per trip, we end up on I-4 when we are trying to get onto 192. We have also ended up on a road to nowhere east and south of Celebration. It ended at a lake. We could actually SEE the interstate, but we just couldn't figure out how to get ON IT!

Needless to say, in May we are flying and taking towncar service. Disney buses rule.

 

[trainfun]

We left at 4 AM to get an early start on the long drive back to NY. "We just go thru downtown Disney and I-4 will be right there, right?"
"Where are all of the DD hotels?"
"Why is it so dark?"
"We're lost. Great start, huh?"
"There's a street sign. I can just make it out. What the heck is Vineland Apopka Road?"
"I can't find it on the map".
"Oh well, I'll make a right and hope for the best".
Lucky choice, it took us to I-4. Arrived back on Long Island 22 tired hours later. (Would have been 20 hours, but of course there was late night traffic at the Verrazzano Bridge, and parts of the LIE and Northern State were closed...)
I bought an Orlando street map the next trip.
Worth the $5!

 

[Paul in CT]

Although it seems that there are new "roads" every time we go to WDW, one of the things I like about WDW is that even when you get "lost", it's not too difficult to find your way back. One of the advantages of being a DVC member is that you get plenty of practice at getting around.

 

[sueg]

We always get a car & I am the driver. But DH is the best navigator. He know one way to get everywhere & if we just stick w/ his "one way" we are fine. It's when we start to get creative that we get lost. Whenever he is not in the car, DSs & I get lost. Their line is: "That was good Mom, we only made ____ u-turns".

 

[nezy]

I can identify with all that everyone has said and have come to some conclusions:

*The concept of "shortest distance btwn 2 pts is a straight line" is somehow lost to Disney

*This is what happens when "imagineers" design the roads instead of "enginees"

*Take Bonnet Creek Pkwy. to get to MK

*Everytime we go we have to re-orient ourselves according to the resort location

*The best map we got, for very local streets, was from the Medical Bldg(I think Medquest or something-it is the free standing emergency room. on Apopka-Vineland)

*To avoid tolls from the airport take Sand Lake Road
*If all else fails-get On-Star or some navigational system for your car.

 

[MinnieMe2]

This thread is making me feel soooo much better. I get lost everywhere, WDW is no exception. At least I'm not the only one!

 

[Pig Pen]

This is my favorite thread right now and I keep checking for new stories. This just cracks me up.

 

[lsyorke]

OK I don't feel so stupid now. It got to be a standing joke "Do we really have to get on I4 to go anywhere??" My saving grace for finding OKW was the lighthouse on the corner of whatever that street is. After 4 days I got a little better and at least stayed off I4. LOL on the Epcot parking lot deal, I did that at least three times !!

 

[anniet]

Originally posted by buzz5985
LOL I drive in Boston every day. I am used to no signs, bad signs, changed roads. To me Disney World has the best signs. Just don't miss one. LOL

I have to agree....driving around Disney is a piece of cake compared to Boston.


I'll take WDW signs over the Big Dig ANYDAY!

 

[Buzzsgramma]

OMG...i feel so much better...i usually am the navigator..DH bad sense of direction...one problem is we just get oriented and then may move to another resort......had a new Dodge Durango from Dollar ..so he want ed to drive everywhere....we ended up a AKL too often....one night i said" As long as we're here we might as well go in"...i wish i could see the grounds from a plane......

 

[pwwhitehead]

From a Brit over the pond you a;; make me feel so much better. I thought only the Brits got lost having to cope with driving on the wrong side of the road as well LOL. yes I do get lost but you have made me feel so much better now.

 

[spiceycat]

sometimes - but I have a back route into WDW and generally use back routes -

In 1993 WDW had great signs- but a couple of years ago 1999? they decided that all hotel guest should use the same exit -WHAT!

So I know generally where I want to go and how to get there - but WDW signs are silly at times and misleading at best - sorry you got lose.

for the off property
www.floridakiss.com
you have to send off for their vacation guide - this includes several maps - with hotels on one, theme parks and other shows on another - it now goes up to where Universal is so it is real helpful. It is free.

Have you send the AAA map of Orlando - it acts like people are only interested in where the theme parks - not hotels, restuarants and the other stuff. I can't believe a travel company put out such a map.

 

[travelbug]

Boy, am I glad I'm not the only one! On our Christmas trip, we were at Ft. Wilderness and the Poly to eat out and check out the decorations, etc. I still don't know what happened, but I had the WORST time finding a way to get going in the direction I needed to go from there to get back to BWV. I wound up going in circles a few times, thinking "How can it be this hard?"

The sad part is that I'm usually very good at getting places and have a natural inner compass. But that experience of circling around and around without knowing what I was doing wrong was really humbling. Guess that's what they call "character building."