off-site & avoiding traffic?

CdnMom2

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 20, 2001
We will be arrriving in Orlando late Mon. Dec. 30. We want to be at IofA first thing Dec. 31. I'm looking for recommendations of where to stay or what areas/streets to avoid in order to minimize our traffic snarls trying to get into IofA that busy day.

We will have all our stuff with us as we will be checking in somewhere else on Dec. 31 to stay. So we don't necessarily need to stay across the road i.e. within walking distance. We'll be driving! I just don't want to end up in a traffic snarl because we unwittingly picked one side of the city to stay at over another.

Thank you!
 
Avoid the Kissimmee/192/Lake Buena Vista area as you will probably need to use I-4. There is congestion almost daily between the Universal and Disney areas and it gets worse during the Christmas-New Years week.

Some areas you may want to look into include across from Universal on Kirkman, Major Blvd and Windhover Rd. Most hotels are in the moderate range and include Holiday Inn, Sleep inn, Amerisuites, Hampton Inn, Wingate, Comfort Suites and Red Roof inn etc. the hotels tend to be newer and most offer breakfast in the rate.

Another area you may want to look into is International Drive (I-drive). (Addresses in the 6000-8000 range). Overall I-drive can get congested, but you can still move quite easily to Universal which is on one side of the I-4 interstate while I-Drive is on the other. These hotels tend to be older and many have been renovated in the last few years. Some are value priced. Hotels include: Holiday Inn Express, Best Western, Quality inn, Days Inn Sheraton, Comfort Inn etc.

One other area you may want to look at is Universal Blvd. Universal Blvd goes directly to Universal and traffic is not too bad. Most properties are less than 3 years old. Properties include: Holiday Inn, LaQuinta, Crown Plaza, Hamton Inn,Sierra Suites and Residence Inn.

Other places that you may want to stay away from include Orange Blossom trail, 33rd st and Downtown Orlando.
 
I have to put in a good word the the Sheraton Studio City that we just stayed at. It is on the I-drive strip and very reasonably priced. It is a unique octagon shaped building built in the early 70's, but remodeled in '99 with decorations from 50's movie era. It has large rooms and windows giving a great view of the area. Universal was less than 5 minutes away on the other side of I-4.
 
If you don't want a traffic snarl, stay away from I-Drive. If you do stay on I-Drive, try not to stay between the area of Wet N Wild and Pointe Orlando. If you stay to the north of Wet N Wild or south of Pointe Orlando, you can avoid the I-Drive clutter and take the Universal Blvd. extension. This extension runs parallel to I-Drive at most points and goes directly to Universal Orlando.
 


I stay at the www.hojo.com at this address
7050 South Kirkman Rd.
Orlando, FL, 32819 US
407-351-2000
It's behind Wet N' Wild on Kirkman. Never any traffic. USF is 5 minutes away. There is also a Hojo north of USF at
4601 S. Kirkman Road
Orlando, FL, 32811 US
407-313-1000

The Radisson and Holiday Inn are across the street from the parking garage if you want something better. You could literally walk from them and save the parking fee. Here is the address and web site to the Holiday Inn across the street.
5905 Kirkman Raod
ORLANDO, FL 32819
UNITED STATES
Local Phone: 1-407-3513333
Reservations: 8003271364
http://www.sixcontinentshotels.com/holiday-inn?_franchisee=MCOUS&jrunsessionid=1028119892945315560

Type those addresses into maps.yahoo.com to get an idea of the area. Then decide on the hotel chain you want, type it into www.yahoo.com to find their web site, then go online and book a reservation. I usually have 2 or 3 browser windows open when I'm doing this. One to check rates, and the other to map the location.
 


Thanks robvia for the advice -- including the computer stuff! I've learned so much on these Boards. I also didn't know about IofA before I started researching my Disney trip here. But I also have learned more about internet browsing -- like "new windows"!
 
There are several fairly new hotels on Major Blvd that offer great rates. Among them are: Extended Stay America, Studio Plus, Ramada Limited, Red Roof Inn, Suburban Lodge and Best Western.

Major Blvd leads right up to Hard Rock as you cross Kirkman. It takes you about 4 or 5 minutes to get from these hotels to the Universal parking garages.

Last weekend we stayed at Studio Plus (the flagship of the Extended Stay America chain) and got a deluxe Studio with full kitchen, pull out couch, queen bed, recliner, and dining table for $55 a night. We've also stayed at Red Roof and the practically brand new Ramada Limited. All are quite pleasant.
 

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