Tips for Driving Around the "World"

[robinb]

I would recommend that you stay very aware of the other cars around you when driving around WDW. People get excited and just don't pay proper attention and I see a fender bender on Disney property probably every day of my vacation. I keep an especially good eye out at exits when people suddenly cross lanes of traffic because they realize wanted that exit. Worse yet, they will STOP just past the exit and try to back up! The other problem that catches people is that Epcot Center Drive and World Drive narrows 1-2 lanes and people don't realize that the lane they are in is going away until it's almost gone and then they swerve into the lane next to them without looking. When you got off of Disney property it's almost worse because the distractions are more numerous!

We usually stay onsite but we also usually have a car. We drive everywhere except the MK (or Epcot/DHS if we're staying at an Epcot resort).

 

[wisblue]

Granted, we stay off-site, but I couldn't imagine anywhere for it to be easier to get around in your own car. Signage is everywhere and traffic light as long as you're not trying to leave one of the parks after closing. Driving around my hometown of 12,000 people is more challenging, and I've been doing that for 30+ years.

To me, the hardest part about driving around WDW, until you have a little experience with it, is driving on resort property itself. Part of the challenge is that there is so much signage, so you have to be alert to the signs that are relevant to you and recognize that there is a difference between "Animal Kingdom" and "Animal Kingdom Resorts" and things like that. If you miss that distinction you'll end up at the Animal Kingdom parking lot instead of All Star Sports and at the Boardwalk instead of Epcot. You also have to recognize how the signs differentiate between turns and ramps and to figure out which of them is the second (as opposed to the next) right.

It really helps if you have a good navigator who can watch the signs while the driver watches the road and the other clueless drivers. But, because my wife admits to being the world's worst map and sign reader, I never had that tool. It also helps to pack your patience because, especially when the resort is busy, you may need it.

 

[puffkin]

We've never gotten lost or missed a turn, it's pretty straightforward. One tip, when it says next turn, they mean like now, not as much earning as I'm used to at home.

This is so true. There is one particular turn near POR that gets us every stinkin time

We drive almost exclusively there. I HATE the busses and being tied to a schedule, standing, dealing with hot, cranky kids and the stroller. I like having my own seat and airconditioning and the kids being guaranteed a seat.

Disney parking lots are amazing. Extremely efficient and you never hit any traffic getting out of them like our local parks. Usually you can walk in if you are near rope drop. We usually end up driving to MK too because my kids think riding the monorail or ferry is a treat, so to them it is an extra ride.

Driving on property is pretty easy too, especially if you have another adult to watch the signs. My best tip is just to know what park a resort is near and then head in that direction. You'll find signs shortly for your destination. There is hardly any traffic (or lights) on property except around Downtown Disney. I'd say we beat the busses 95% of the time....we save hours and hours every trip by driving.

Finally, if you miss a turn, don't panic or cut across lanes or anything like that. Just keep following the signs and you will eventually get there. There are a million routes to each place that you may have to loop around a little but you will end up where you wanted to go shortly. And also keep your speeds down, the cops are always out and they pull people over left and right. Tourists are easy pickings I guess.

 

[linskypens]

Im with everyone else here I think.
Car is the way to go. You go on your schedule, not the bus schedule, you can drive from park to park. You can drive to DTD. If you are staying at a bigger resort, it is even more valuable.
When we stay at movies, its no big deal to walk to the food court, or the bus stop.
When we are at CSR, ill drive from building 5 (all the way in the back) to the front so I can get a coffee, or breakfast.
It is true that the one park i do not drive to is MK. The amount of time to park, take the tram, then the boat or the monorail, is a lot more than getting off the bus at the front gate.
The car also gives you the freedom to get off property if you wish.
We went for a late night(10 PM) run to steak and shake often.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Drive everywhere, except:

Magic Kingdom

I'll drive the car to any park except Magic Kingdom. On our MK days, the car stays at the resort and we take Disney Transportation. I really, really, really hate the whole Ticket & Transportation Center experience. We always try to avoid that, and find the buses to be much less of a hassle. The only exception is when we have an early morning start, like the day we did the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains tour and had to be at the gate by 7:15 AM.

Park Hopping

The other time we might leave the car behind and take Disney transportation is days when we know we're going to be park hopping. It's usually easier to deal with the buses than back-tracking to the first park to get the car.

Booze

And finally, on nights when I know I'll be drinking, we'll obviously leave the car behind. An example of this is on our next trip when we have the IllumiNations Sparkling Dessert Party booked at Epcot. With an hour and a half of all-you-can-drink wine, I know we'll be on the bus that day.

 

[gatechfan99]

One tip about parking at Hollywood Studios that it took me about 10 visits to figure out.

Wherever you park, if you don't take the tram (and you would probably need to be way back in the parking lot to make the tram really needed), walk to the front entrance on the left side of the tram lane. That pathway will take a much shorter, direct path to the entrance where you can go through a small bag check area that only has 1 or 2 people at most. It greatly cuts down on your entry time because 99% of the people arriving go to the main bag check from the trams, buses, or boats.

Otherwise, like others said, we always drive everywhere. We do stay at BLT usually, so MK is just walking. But to anywhere else, we drive. One time, we stayed at Swan and Dolphin. My wife was 7 months pregnant, had 2 small children, and a stroller. I was in a meeting and not going to the park at the moment. After 20 minutes, the packed bus pulled up, she wedged all of them and the stroller inside, and was miserable for the whole ride. She swore she was never riding buses again after that.

 

[poohj80]

We always drive ourselves, even if we fly. We have been stuck waiting in long lines for buses too many times especially on EMH mornings. Buses typically have to make multiple stops and can be packed. I like the flexibility of having my own car where I can store stuff during the day (if necessary) and drive wherever I want when leaving the park - like Downtown Disney or Winter Summerland or wherever.

 

[skylizard]

There's a Drop Off area for MK. It's the parking lot that is next to the Lost and Found building. It's situated between Lost and Found and the Poly.

For Epcot, you could always drop someone off at BWI or Beach Club and they could enter through International Gateway.

Actually, the drop off between the Poly and Lost and Found is the ticket and transportation center. That doesn't really help since you'd still have to take either the monorail or ferry over to the MK.

And the one for Epcot, not much of a time saver either. It's a bit of a walk to the back of Epcot. Plus, if it's morning, the world showcase would be closed anyways (before 11) so you'd have to walk even farhter to get to the front of the park.

 

[Itinkso]

Actually, the drop off between the Poly and Lost and Found is the ticket and transportation center. That doesn't really help since you'd still have to take either the monorail or ferry over to the MK. And the one for Epcot, not much of a time saver either. It's a bit of a walk to the back of Epcot. Plus, if it's morning, the world showcase would be closed anyways (before 11) so you'd have to walk even farhter to get to the front of the park.

If a driver doesn't want to park and is just dropping off other people, the lot next to Lost and Found on the road that leads to the Poly Main Entrance is where drop offs occur. Actually, dropping off at the Contemporary is closer. I don't recall the OP saying he wanted to drop off and then park, OP asked if there were drop off locations.

 

[DisneyWisher]

I guess I'm one of the few that will drive to MK. We'll go early to get an upfront parking. We leave for an afternoon break and will take the bus to the resort and the bus back to MK. This way we are guaranteed a seat. Can buckle baby in her car seat. No one has to worry about holding her if we have to stand. Plus at the end of the day I can't stand in the same spot for 15 mins for the ride back to resort. I'd rather walk and then drive. Plus the walk from parking lot to room is less than from the bus stop (depending on where you're staying).

 

[kickash]

For five visits, we stayed on property and took the busses. Then, on our sixth visit we had our own car and I swore I would never take the busses again! We were two adults and two children and found it very easy to navigate the world.

We drove to all of the parks, including MK. My kids enjoyed taking the monorail to the MK and we wouldn't have been able to ride it any other time (no park hopping for us). Even at the end of the night after a show, I felt like we were back at our condo before most of the people were even on a bus!

We are renting a car on our next visit and plan to do so from now on, even if I stay off property and have to pay to park.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

 

[sailbill]

Thanks for the great tips everyone. Looks like there are positives and negatives to both transportation options. We will definitely use the buses for MK, but may use our van for other park's RD and to have a place to put the stroller and have cold drinks and snacks in a cooler when we leave for a mid day break.

 

[puffkin]

Thanks for the great tips everyone. Looks like there are positives and negatives to both transportation options. We will definitely use the buses for MK, but may use our van for other park's RD and to have a place to put the stroller and have cold drinks and snacks in a cooler when we leave for a mid day break.

If you have a stroller, I'd try to take your snacks and drinks in with you and just find a quiet area in the park to take a break (you can take in any food/drink you want as long as it's not alcohol or glass bottles). The parking lots are hotter than the surface of the sun and no way would I spend any time out there for a break.

 

[Straughn]

Add me to the list of people who always has a car at WDW. We enjoy going to the restaurants in a number of the resorts. Getting from one resort to another (say WL to AKL) can be a frustrating and time consuming experience because it involves changing buses in DTD. Secondly, at the end of the day, the lines for the buses can be long, the buses are packed, and you often end up standing. There have been comments about finding your car in the parking lots. Before I board the tram, I use my cell phone to take a picture of the row number. I also take a picture of the license plate on my rental car. You would be amazed at the number of identical cars there are at WDW.

 

[sb682]

We always drive to WDW and stay offsite. We are generally RD people so we can always park pretty close and not worry about it. The only park where taking your own car is semi-inconvenient is MK, but I feel like half the fun for kids is the monorail, which you would avoid altogether if you are taking a bus from a resort. It only takes 30 minutes out of our day round-trip, so we don't mind. Like PPs mentioned, we take a picture of the row number after we park so we remember where we're at. Nothing is more stressful to us than waiting in line for transportation, so we would rather just walk back to our car than stand in line for a bus.

 

[livinlife25]

We just got back from a trip where we had a car for the first time and we absolutely loved it! We only took the buses once on the last day and it just reminded us how much we missed the car. Navigating around the area was easy.

 

[PeterPanic]

I think it's faster to drive to everywhere except MK. That said, I think it's worth the small loss of time to use the buses. There is something about not having to get into your car and drive. That's something you do in the real world, so it takes you out of the experience in my opinion.

There is absolutely no difference between driving in WDW then driving around the city or town that you live in. It is well signed and easy to backtrack if you miss a turn, it is faster and more convenient then taking the bus and allows more flexibility then the buses do to bring stuff with you especially strollers and snacks.

Riding a bus in the real world isn't exactly what most people strive for. It is sometimes filled with tired, sweaty and grumpy people and not at all a magic moment.

We almost always have our car since my sister will not fly.....we take the Amtrak Auto Train from Virginia to Florida and back....

We use the buses to go to all the parks and save the driving for going to FW and to DTD (or whatever it is called)

Who wants to track down a car late at night after wandering around a park all day? Not me!! And sometimes the walk to the car takes quite a few steps...I am done walking at that point usually

You make it sound like while your gone they hide your car. Anyone with an IQ higher then a rock has no trouble finding their car. Everyone has a cell phone, usually with a camera, that can be used to photograph the lane and lot that you are in. As far as walking to it, well the tram takes you almost to it and it is no more hard on your feet then standing in a line waiting for the third or forth bus to arrive and take you back to your hotel at closing.

Drive everywhere, except:

Magic Kingdom

I'll drive the car to any park except Magic Kingdom. On our MK days, the car stays at the resort and we take Disney Transportation. I really, really, really hate the whole Ticket & Transportation Center experience. We always try to avoid that, and find the buses to be much less of a hassle. The only exception is when we have an early morning start, like the day we did the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains tour and had to be at the gate by 7:15 AM.

Park Hopping

The other time we might leave the car behind and take Disney transportation is days when we know we're going to be park hopping. It's usually easier to deal with the buses than back-tracking to the first park to get the car.

Booze

And finally, on nights when I know I'll be drinking, we'll obviously leave the car behind. An example of this is on our next trip when we have the IllumiNations Sparkling Dessert Party booked at Epcot. With an hour and a half of all-you-can-drink wine, I know we'll be on the bus that day.

Magic Kingdom... I don't understand why people always want to skip two of the best attractions at WDW. Either the Monorail to MK or the Ferry ride to MK. The ferry, in particular is a restful relaxing scenic ride where you can watch yourself approaching the Castle instead of being dumped off like a herd of cattle from a bus. Takes a little longer, but, not near as much as you think. The time is made up by the fact you don't have to wait for a bus to arrive. You go to the parking lot, jump in your car, crank up the AC, if necessary or the CD player and be on your way.

Park Hopping... Has never been a problem with my own vehicle. It is actually faster then the buses and it is really easy to organize especially if you are hopping between Epcot and MK. Simply park in the place that you expect to be at the end of the day. For example, if you plan to be in Epcot at closing, park there in the morning and take the Monorail to MK, returning later and then you are where your car is.

Booze... I don't mean to sound obnoxious here, but, I do not go to WDW to drink. I go there for the entertainment. I am not a teetotaler, just someone that separates one activity from another. I am lucky, I guess, I don't need booze to let me enjoy stuff.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

Booze... I don't mean to sound obnoxious here, but, I do not go to WDW to drink. I go there for the entertainment. I am not a teetotaler, just someone that separates one activity from another. I am lucky, I guess, I don't need booze to let me enjoy stuff.

It's perfectly fine that you are able to separate one activity from another, but it's also perfectly fine the PP wants to enjoy the 1 1/2 hours of wine and desserts. I say "kudos" to the PP for being responsible and planning ahead and knowing he might be above the legal limit so he's taking the bus.

I know a PP stated not to use GPS. Anyone know if there an app that has good directions? I'll be onsite for my stay in Oct, but we'll have a vehicle and planned on driving to parks except for MK.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Magic Kingdom... I don't understand why people always want to skip two of the best attractions at WDW. Either the Monorail to MK or the Ferry ride to MK. The ferry, in particular is a restful relaxing scenic ride where you can watch yourself approaching the Castle instead of being dumped off like a herd of cattle from a bus.

It's not going to the park that's the issue. It's trying to get anywhere near either the monorail station or the ferry dock at closing. Only then to have to get in line for the tram. Then you need to wait in the traffic to get out of the parking lot.

The bus lines are long, too, but at least it isn't a line to get to a line.

Booze... I don't mean to sound obnoxious

You didn't succeed.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

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