Nervous about renting a car

[teach22180]

This is my first time to rent a car "out of town." I love the Disney buses and am usually very happy to use them, but this time I'm taking my 19 year old animal-lover to Discovery Cove and Sea World, as well as Disney. So, I'm renting a car and rather excited about being able to go shopping at DTD on the day we fly out (because we will have a trunk to put our luggage into!)

I'm just so worried about getting lost; we aren't going until August, and I'm already checking out maps and trying to feel comfortable with the driving!

Any hints for driving a rental car from the airport to ASMo, to and from DC and SW, and to DTD?

Thanks in advance! I don't normally post on this forum, but this is really making me more nervous than excited.

 

[goofy4tink]

I drove for the first time last spring, and I was nervous as well. I don't like driving in unfamilier places. But, I was really surprised to find how well marked the roads are in Florida. I drove from WDW to Tampa, and had no problem at all. Then in Jan I rented again, drove from MCO to the Swan and then on to Tampa where I continued driving all over the place with no problems.
Take your time, don't get all flustered and you should be fine.

 

[castleri]

We used to rent at the airport but after one trip where it took us 3 hours to rent the car and get out of the parking garage I now take DME to WDW and then rent the care either at the Dolpin or at the Grosvenor Resort. I do not like driving in traffic but for some reason have no problems in the area around WDW. Getting to SW is not hard at all and if you do your research before you go you will be okay. If you rent at the airport I suggest taking 417 which is a toll road but has much less traffic and if very easy to follow right into Disney. I look up maps on the internet and plan my routes based on them before I go. I don't always follow the directions provided by the map makers however. I did that once last year and kept saying - I think the way I looked at the map it would have been easier to go the other way - They don't always give you the best way and I would have been better to follow my own mapping directions. While you are on Disney property just follow the signs. You can also ask at the hotel desk and they can often give you good directions. If you elect to return the care with a full tank of gas ( the best way to do it IMHO) you can gas it up at the station across from DTD just before you go shopping that last day. The prices there are usually better than those outside Disney. Also ask the rental company for a map and if they have any preprinted directions to specific places. And last but not least stay off I 4 . That is the one highway I do not like to drive on. You can get places without getting on it.

 

[Evil Princess]

We used to rent at the airport but after one trip where it took us 3 hours to rent the car and get out of the parking garage I now take DME to WDW and then rent the care either at the Dolpin or at the Grosvenor Resort. I do not like driving in traffic but for some reason have no problems in the area around WDW. Getting to SW is not hard at all and if you do your research before you go you will be okay. If you rent at the airport I suggest taking 417 which is a toll road but has much less traffic and if very easy to follow right into Disney. I look up maps on the internet and plan my routes based on them before I go. I don't always follow the directions provided by the map makers however. I did that once last year and kept saying - I think the way I looked at the map it would have been easier to go the other way - They don't always give you the best way and I would have been better to follow my own mapping directions. While you are on Disney property just follow the signs. You can also ask at the hotel desk and they can often give you good directions. If you elect to return the care with a full tank of gas ( the best way to do it IMHO) you can gas it up at the station across from DTD just before you go shopping that last day. The prices there are usually better than those outside Disney. Also ask the rental company for a map and if they have any preprinted directions to specific places. And last but not least stay off I 4 . That is the one highway I do not like to drive on. You can get places without getting on it.

Join the Emerald Club at national. You just head to the Emerald Aisle, pick a car, drive it out and show them your card. NO lines. The paperwork is done in advance, it's fabulous

 

[mmessler]

Relax. It is virtually impossible to get lost on Disney property, it is so well marked. As for driving to ASMo from the airport, we did just that a few years ago and not a problem at all. There are several WDW exits, and the worst thing that can happen is you accidentally get off the wrong one, but even then you're not lost, you just maybe haven't taken the most direct route. Every WDW exit is listed next to it what parks, hotels, etc. that you can get to from there. I'm neurotic about having directions whenever I travel, so I went armed with mapquest directions on how to get from anywhere to anywhere, but I rarely needed them.

 

[swillis]

There are several rental companies that have cars equipped with GPS devices. I know Hertz for instance has "Never Lost" Just plug in your destination address, and the unit gives you step by step directions as you drive.
It's a great tool if you're nervous about driving in unfamiliar areas.

 

[WillCAD]

Just so you know - you WILL get lost, at least once. You WILL make a wrong turn. I make wrong turns sometimes even at home!

The roads on Disney property are well marked with big signs.

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To get to ASMO from the airport:

Getting from the airport to Disney is pretty easy. There are two major roads that you can take:

1) The north airport exit will take you to State Road 528, the Bee Line Expressway. Take this West to I-4, take I-4 West, and get off at Osceola Parkway West. Exit onto W. Buena Vista Drive, heading West; W. Buena Vista Drive. dead-ends at the All-Star resorts (all 3 All-Stars have one guard shack/security gate). There will be signs directing you to the All-Star resorts.

2) The south airport exit will take you to State Road 417, the Central Florida Greenway. Take the Greenway West until you get to Osceola Parkway. Exit onto W. Buena Vista Drive, heading West; W. Buena Vista Drive. dead-ends at the All-Star resorts (all 3 All-Stars have one guard shack/security gate). There will be signs directing you to the All-Star resorts.

Both the Bee Line and the Greenway are toll roads; you will need about $3, preferably in quarters, for either of them.

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To get to SeaWorld and Discovery Cove from ASMO:

Take the exit road from the All-Star resorts out to Osceola Parkway (pass the guard gate, the entrance ramp is on the left just before McDonalds). Take Osceola Parkway East to I-4. Take I-4 East for 6 miles to exit 71, the Central Florida Parkway, East. SeaWorld's entrance will be on the left, about 3/4 of a mile.

The entrance to Discovery Cove is just past SeaWorld, but on the right side of the Central Florida Parkway.

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To get to Downtown Disney from ASMO:

Take the exit road from the All-Star resorts. Do not turn onto Osceola Parkway, keep going straight; W. Buena Vista Drive takes you all the way to Downtown Disney with no turns. It's about 3 miles, and Downtown Disney will be on the left.

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General hints:

Make a snack stop on the way from MCO to ASMO. Pick up whatever snacks you will want to keep in your room, and also pick up a cheap folding cardboard sunshade for the car's windshield - and USE IT! The Florida sun in August will turn your car into an oven, and the sun shade will help. You can also leave the windows open by 1/2" or so to let the heat vent a little; this can let rain get into the car, so don't leave them open very far.

When you first get into a hot car, roll all the windows down for about 5 minutes while the A/C gets cool; this allows the hot air inside the car to escape so that the cool air from the A/C will be able to take its place.

Take a streamer of some kind with you, and tie it to your car's radio antenna. This will mark your car and make it easier to find in those huge WDW lots. Also take a notebook and a pencil, and write down where you park every morning so you'll know which parking lot tram stop to get off at!

When checking in at ASMO, ask for a room near the parking lot. It doesn't matter if it's far away from Cinema Hall, because you can drive around to Cinema Hall in the mornings, park in the Check-In lot while you have breakfast, then drive to the parks.

Resort hint: The Love Bug and Mighty Ducks sections of ASMU are actually closer to All-Star Music's Melody Hall; you can walk or drive there for breakfast or to fill your mugs if you like. When staying at an All-Star resort, you are free to go into any of the three main Halls (you're also allowed to swim in any of the All-Star pools).

Google Maps has the best coverage of the area, as well as aerial maps. Use them to get familiar with road names and decide routes. You can also use Local Live to get a better idea of what specific places look like. Click the link in my signature to go to my Maps page, which has maps of all the WDW resorts and parks, and links to both Google Maps and Local Live maps of each place as well.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Those Local Live updates are great, Will, did not know you had those on there. You sure have put a lot of work into your site, thanks.


I do a lot of driving in my everyday life, yet find it relatively easy to get 'lost' (at least in the past, I know my errors now) at WDW. I think the main thing to know is that the signage at WDW initially directs you to a theme park area, then, after you are going towards that park area, you will see the hotel signs.

Example....If you were going to to the Polynesian, you would first see signs directing you towards MK. Once in that area/direction, you would start seeing signs for Poly, CR, GF, WL, etc. having that concept down helps a lot, as least for me.

However, even if 'lost', you will most often wind up in a park parking lot entrance, like MGM, Epcot, etc. Just pull up to the CM at the entrance, (they know you are 'lost', they can tell, LOL), tell him/her where you want to go and they will help you out just fine.

 

[teach22180]

Wow, you guys are GREAT!! Thanks for all the good advice. I felt better as soon as I realized that even if I'm lost, I'm still at Disney World, and someone will know the directions! How bad can that be?

I especially appreciated the advice about bringing something to tie to the car, as I suspect we'll forget what the car looks like after a full day playing in the sun.

I am so happy to have found this discussion board. I think the nicest people hang out here.

 

[mmessler]

I especially appreciated the advice about bringing something to tie to the car, as I suspect we'll forget what the car looks like after a full day playing in the sun. QUOTE]

I've also heard people mention taking a photo of the section they're parked in the parking lots - like the pillars with characters and lane #s on them - with their cell phone or digital camera. I usually just try to pick something easier to pick out of the crowd when we get to the car lot, like don't pick silver or black, etc.

 

[WillCAD]

I've also heard people mention taking a photo of the section they're parked in the parking lots - like the pillars with characters and lane #s on them - with their cell phone or digital camera. I usually just try to pick something easier to pick out of the crowd when we get to the car lot, like don't pick silver or black, etc.

Actually, the vast majority of rental cars in Orlando are either silver or gold tone, so if you can find a black rental car (very unlikely), it would stand out pretty well in the lot!

But really, I've been to WDW enough times to know that NO car really stands out in those huge lots from more than 50 feet away.

 

[mmessler]

Actually, the vast majority of rental cars in Orlando are either silver or gold tone, so if you can find a black rental car (very unlikely), it would stand out pretty well in the lot!

But really, I've been to WDW enough times to know that NO car really stands out in those huge lots from more than 50 feet away.

I suppose you're right, esp. after a long day of walking. I was lucky enough last time I rented form MCO tho, to find a maroon car - and the same car I drive at home, if you can imagine that! I don't think I'll be so lucky this time. But I just always seem to forget the ribbon trick.