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Driving in Florida

scotland
Level Contributor
67 posts
Driving in Florida
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Is it easy to drive in Florida. I feel I dont have the confidence plus would I get lost easily going from the airport to international drive and then onto the theme parks, is the place well signed. I know I am asking so many questions, just dont know whether to arrange a hire car or slum it for local transport.

Does it cost you money to park the car at these theme parks

Scotland
Level Contributor
352 posts
1. Re: Driving in Florida
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Firstly it costs you $10 to park at disney parks and $11 to park at universal; however, I have heard that many people who are going to disney, park there cars at Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon water parks as there is no car parking charge for this, they then get the free transport shuttle to the theme parks saving themselves money!

As for driving, I wasn't going to hire a car as I didnt like the idea of driving, however I relented the week before my holiday, and trust me it was the best thing that I did, I found the driving to be really pretty straightforward, the area is very well signed, and we didnt get lost at all. Personally, it is reallyw worthwhile in hiring a car.

Newcastle, United...
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443 posts
9 reviews
6 helpful votes
2. Re: Driving in Florida
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First of all, you are driving in a strange, new land, in a strange new car on the wrong side of the road, so unless you are a super confident driver, no, it will not be easy to drive in Orlando.

However, dont let this put you off. To start with, you already know how to drive a car so you wont be starting from scratch. It will feel a little odd sitting and driving on the wrong side of the car, and YOU WILL, at least once during your holiday get into the passenger seat through force of habit and wonder where the steering wheel has gone.

My biggest problem on my first driving trip was getting lost. We were lucky enough to hire a villa that had easy access to the Osceola Parkway, so getting to Disney was no problem however coming home was always an adventure! Make sure that you use the maps provided by the car hire companies to plan your journeys in advance and remember that when you approach a road junction the name plates slung across the junction show you the name of the road that you are crossing, not the road you are driving on.

There are some excellent sites on the web that give fantastic advice, I am sure if you Google "driving in Orlando", or enter that in to the TA search engines it will come up with oodles of advice.

Dont worry about it, it will get easier the more you try and you will even enjoy the experience of driving in a foriegn country. Think of it like s*x, even if its bad its good!

london
Level Contributor
1,142 posts
1 review
2 helpful votes
3. Re: Driving in Florida
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pay bit extra and get sat nav perfect!!

Scotland
Level Contributor
352 posts
4. Re: Driving in Florida
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Forgot to say..whatever you decide to do have a fab holiday.

birmingham
Level Contributor
312 posts
5. Re: Driving in Florida
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firstly; yes, its a piece of cake driving in florida, as rental cars are autos, u dont even have to bother gear changing, the roads are wide and mostly straight, no traffic islands to contend with. in a big city its always easy to get lost, i m an expert at it,whether it be manchester or miami. what i do is go to Google Maps U.S., put orlando in the search box and up pops great maps of the whole area or u can zoom into indivual streets; print them out , and back them up with written instructions for your passenger to follow, that way u can concentrate on the driving.there are signs for I-drive and the parks everywhere, all roads lead to disney don t u know !. costs about $8 to park on average i think. when u do though, pay particular attention to exactly where u parked, those car parks are the size of a small central american country. handy tip i learned on here, find something to attach to the cars ariel, not a mouse though too many do that; st andrews flag perhaps would stand out well. if u want any more tips etc i may be able to help with, just get in touch. i did 2,550 miles last year so i m pretty much aquainted with most things i think; have fun, james

Liverpool, United...
Level Contributor
1,975 posts
28 reviews
53 helpful votes
6. Re: Driving in Florida
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it very easy to drive around orlando. it a bit scary when you pick up you car at the airport, but after that you'll be fine. its well signposted and you'll find it very hard to ge lost especially once you get to international drive.

Liverpool, United...
Level Contributor
1,975 posts
28 reviews
53 helpful votes
7. Re: Driving in Florida
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it $10a day to park at disney.

scotland
Level Contributor
67 posts
8. Re: Driving in Florida
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Thank you all who took time to reply but I must say whoateallthepies - you are legendary mate, you gave me agood chuckle especially about getting into the car and wondering where the steering wheels was, I am still laughing at the thought of it.

THANK YOU ALL

scotland
Level Contributor
67 posts
9. Re: Driving in Florida
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The sat nav is an idea, maybe feel a lot more comfortable than trying to read a map, I get lost here going around roundabouts lol (only kidding).

aberdeenshire
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652 posts
5 reviews
14 helpful votes
10. Re: Driving in Florida
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is it better to arrange car hire here before we go or find somewhere on Int Drive to do it.Only want a car for a few days to do the beach etc . Thanks Angie

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