To drive or not to drive

[LJP]

Honest answer now - how easy or not, is it driving in and around Orlando. DH and I are planning to hire a car for our 2week trip leaving next Thursday, but I must confess to being a bit scared. Neither of us are particularly nervous drivers, although I get nervous when DH drives anyway!!! We fly into Sanford, plan on spending several days on I Drive then the coast before hitting WDW.

Thanks

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Driving is extremely easy. Speeds are generally lower, roads and junctions are spacious, other drivers are generally courteous and most places are well sign-posted. I'm sure you'll have no problems.

Regards

Rob

 

[vernon]

As Rob said, most Brits find driving in the US easier in many ways than driving in the UK. There are a few differences that sometimes catch you out. Turning right on a red signal, is allowed if there is no traffic coming, as you're not going across traffic I think this is a pretty safe and sensible option, although I am always wary that no one is hairing down the "slow" lane . The American road systems tend to be laid out in "grids" and once you get the hang of it it's pretty simple. On some of the interstates if you miss your turn ( or take an earlier exit) there can be long distances to the next exit but almost all of them are set up in such a fashion it's easy to get off the motorway and re-enter it in the opposite direction to retrace your steps. I-Drive is a good place to start as there are several exits off the I-4 so it's REALLY difficult to miss it completely and usually the traffic is pretty slow along I-Drive so it's hard to miss your hotel/themepark/restaurant completely.

 

[peewakio]

I drive the best part of 20,000 miles per year and one of the highlights of our Florida holidays is the fact that we dont need to drive. With a bit of forward planning, ensuring that our hotel provides complimentary transport to the parks using the Benghazi express to Busch Gardens and staying on or around I-Drive enabling us to take advantage of the I-Ride trolley, it suits us (well me) down to the ground. We always start and finish our holiday in style with stretch limo transfers and generally budget around $200-$300 dollars for taxis and coach transfers to out of town parks, hey but if it means no driving, fantastic. People tend to make a big deal of driving in the states, I personally believe that it's foreign to us hence potentially hazardous. Anyway why get worked up, your on your holidays, let somebody else do the driving.

 

[Penny12]

As someone who's done both (our first few trips we didn't get a car pretty much because we didn't fancy driving on strange roads), it's a doddle

I'm not much of a driver over here, but even <b>I</b> find it easy over there! Most of the junctions have dotted lines for your lane so you can't forget what side of the road you're supposed to be on when turning (something I was worried about but in reality never happened) - they don't have roundabouts or anything like that, most everything is traffic light based so you ordinarily just follow the person in front or you have time to think thru what and where you are going next.

My only tip would be to really study a map now and memorize your route(s) and all the place names you'll be looking for - there is nothing worse than seeing a sign for somewhere and having to find out where it is on your map quick with about 3 seconds to do it in... it makes the prospect of getting lost far less scary when you 'know' the area, and I've always found that familiarity does <i>wonders</i> for your confidence

 

[Rooster]

We returned last week from our first trip. I was a little concerned as I had never driven outside the UK before. My fears were unfounded. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Nice big, open roads. Comfortable automatic car. Considerate (by UK standards) drivers. Ok, we got stuck in traffic jams a couple of times and on one occassion during a thunderstorm it was like driving in a river! However, overall I found the driving easy. Get a good map and keep your eyes on the road signs (not much warning of turns/exits) and you'll be fine.

When we got back to the UK I was stressed within minutes of joining the M25. 'We' drive too fast with no consideration for others. Give me Florida anytime.

 

[JANNYANS]

try to get in your mind which directoin you are going N S E W as the road signs are all labelled as such and it is quite easy to go in the wrong direction.

 

[stevefry]

Personally, I find driving in Florida extremely relaxing, - and we've covered many thousands of miles there over the years. Strangely, I'd find it much more stressful if someone else was driving us around!
Steve.

 

[Mike Jones]

ditto most of the above... it's easy after the first few miles. Have a great time.