Using GPS- how to avoid "backstage" areas

[Gabe's Mom]

Hi All,
We are driving to WDW from IL on Saturday. We drove last December, we used the Mousesaver's download for our GPS and it brought us in through a back residential way, ultimately entering Disney property via the cast member parking lot behind the MK. Yuck.
Any suggestion of what to put as our destination to avoid this? Would mapquest directions be better? We are staying at the Grand Floridian. I would really like to drive under the welcome arch, and just come in the "regular" way.
Thanks,
Michelle

 

[Ed J]

My guess is you had your GPS set to avoid highways or tolls or something like that if it took you in the back way, you might check that .

 

[Gabe's Mom]

no, I wish that was it. We have a choice to avoid toll roads but we didn't choose that. Any thoughts on if we will have the same trouble with mapquest directions?

 

[Ed J]

Maybe you selected shortest distance than? If you try most use of highways, maybe that will take you in through the arch.

 

[BigTigger]

I assume you used the Mousesavers POI's for a Garmin GPS? I've found them to be inexact in a few cases. I've found better luck by getting the exact latitude and longitude of Disney locations off Wikipedia and creating my own POI's. This works especially well for the Wilderness Lodge on Tall Oaks Drive which the Mousesaver POI's just couldn't get right (wanted us to go through the woods from Fort Wilderness).

 

[mom2aiden]

I'm glad you posted this. We have downloaded and planned on using the Mousesavers POI files. I may try the Wikipedia suggestion instead.

 

[Gabe's Mom]

Thanks for the ideas. Our GPS is a Tom Tom, we were going to the Wilderness Lodge too. Somehow we ended up driving through neighborhoods and then the cast member areas, coming out beside the MK. We had never driven before so I was really dissapointed. In the grand scheme of things I know this is a small complaint, but I would love to get it right this time .
Michelle

 

[Nutz4Dsny]

OK .. this post has caught my eye as I too was planning to just use the POI's provided by Mousesavers. We will be staying at Pop Century and driving to the four parks. What is the best idea for getting accurate directions to/from the airport and to/from the parks?

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, there is more than one welcome arch, but I presume that you mean the big one on World Drive?

I would think that the simplest way would be to put in an intersection as a waypoint. The arch is approximately 1/2 mile north of US192 on World Drive, so if you put in the location of the intersection of US192 @ World Drive as a waypoint, then it should take you around that way.

 

[Brian Noble]

Some TomTom models don't have waypoints.

If you're coming in from the airport, put in Epcot as your destination, and after you cross the arches, reprogram to navigate to your ultimate destination. The problem is that the Grand and WL are both sort of tucked up back under the seven seas loop, so that entrance up top by MK may well be the fastest way from the airport.

 

[seashoreCM]

The "biggest" entry is on World Drive off 192 but for most guests it is a shorter distance to their resort using another entry.

The GPS company (Tomtom, Garvin, etc.) is doing a disservice to its users by routing them via private roads. Each time this happens the user should write to the company to have that road flagged as ineligible for routing directions.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/disney.htm