Parking!

[MichaelaMouse]

I hope this is the right place to post this!
For our trip in March, we are staying off-site and renting a car for the first time. I'll be the driver, and I'm a little uneasy about it because I've never driven in a strange city and so I want to be as prepared as possible!
For parking at WDW, is it cash only or do they take credit cards? Want to make sure I have enough US cash on me if I need it!

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

I'm not sure about the cash/credit card thing as we have annual passes, so park for free. But we rented a car on our trip this past November and just booked a rental for our trip in 2 weeks. We live in a town of about 10K people, and drive in Orlando/WDW was no problem for me. We mapped on our phone how to get from OIA to WDW and chose the north entrance. Going back to OIA, we went to the south entrance. It was much easier because you didn't have to get onto Ih-4.

All of that being said, I wouldn't worry about driving in and around Orlando/WDW.

 

[MichaelaMouse]

I'm not sure about the cash/credit card thing as we have annual passes, so park for free. But we rented a car on our trip this past November and just booked a rental for our trip in 2 weeks. We live in a town of about 10K people, and drive in Orlando/WDW was no problem for me. We mapped on our phone how to get from OIA to WDW and chose the north entrance. Going back to OIA, we went to the south entrance. It was much easier because you didn't have to get onto Ih-4.

All of that being said, I wouldn't worry about driving in and around Orlando/WDW.

Thanks so much!! Happy to hear the driving isn't too bad!

 

[LM412]

I'm pretty sure you can pay with either. we've always just done cash though.

 

[MichaelaMouse]

I'm pretty sure you can pay with either. we've always just done cash though.

Thank you!!

 

[richmo]

Ditto the comments on using the South exit out of the airport...much better than North, especially during rush hour.

When you're onsite, the WDW road system is quite good and is generally well marked. Just pay attention to the signs. The good news is that even if you miss where you're supposed to turn, just keep following the signs and you'll recover...there's almost always a catch-all "All Guest Areas" sign. Going to the theme parks is generally quite simple. It's a little trickier when going to specific locations...for example, if you were going to a specific resort, say Wilderness Lodge, you'd start by looking for signs for Magic Kingdom, then when you get closer, Magic Kingdom Resort Area, then finally Wilderness Lodge.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you can use credit cards and Disney gift cards for parking.

 

[kj2mom]

You can definitely use gift cards/credit cards. I had an envelope for each day with $20 in it but if we go again I will just put the amount needed on a gift card and have a card designated just for parking. I was soo nervous renting a car and staying offsite for the first time. I spent a lot of time studying the roads online and I feel like it did help because I had my bearings a bit. The signs are all great and we never had any trouble but it helped my confidence to have that vision in my head of the general locations of everything and where we needed to be!

 

[bumbershoot]

I find it best, when driving in an unfamiliar area, to have ONE navigator and ONE driver. The navigator trusts the driver and gives the driver good info. The driver trusts the navigator and trusts that even if a mistake is made it can be fixed (especially true on Disney property).

Important to note, if you'll be hitting Interstate 4, that during the portion of the highway that goes through Orlando and Celebration, it LOOKS like it's a north/south road. It's actually an east/west road. So you're coming from the airport and trying to get to WDW, you're actually going *west* towards Tampa on it. If you're going towards the airport, or towards Orlando proper or up to Universal, you are going *east* towards Daytona on it (though really the signs will likely just read "Orlando" until you get past downtown, but you likely won't be doing that).

But that's for the navigator to deal with.

Are you just using the rental car's toll pass option, or taking some ones and quarters with you to pay by cash along 417 and/or 528 (both go to and from the airport)?

 

[NH-to-FL]

I found the driving around Disney to be easy with lots of good signs. The trip to/from the airport will be a bit busy, especially right around the airport. I second the recommendation to use the south exit from the airport and take 417 towards Disney. Be prepared with some dollars and quarters for the tolls on 417. Or many of the rental car companies offer automatic toll payment for a fee which would allow you to go through the Sunpass toll lanes.

My suggestion is to take a few minutes and study Google Maps for the route from the airport and the area around Disney. Depending on where you are staying you might get off 417 at exit 6, 3, or go all the way to I-4.

Wishing you a magical trip!

 

[dreiwhit]

I've paid with cash, credit cards and with Disney gift cards.

Driving around Disney isn't hard, just pay attention to the signs. The only area where I have had problems is going to DHS using Epcot Center drive because of the road construction - I coudn't get over in time to take the exit for Buena Vista Drive. Driving in Orlando, I use my GPS heavily.

Also, I study maps in advance of the trip and will print out paper maps I create from images on Google Maps. That helps me get a good mental lay of the land.

 

[cigar95]

My experience with years of WDW driving is that road signage is quite good for getting you to the parks, but anywhere else, the signs are incomplete. Definitely recommend checking our a road map ahead of time to see what route you want to take.
And be aware - lots of road construction right now.