Is it me? Driving around Disney is confusing!

[Gizmo74]

It might just be me but one wrong turn and you are on a freeway forever! My WAZE wasn’t working (must have been in dead zone.)

I wanted to pull over to put in new address and every time I wanted to exit it was either another highway or a toll road. In Houston we have exits after exits so if you miss the exit no biggie.

There is no way I would be able to navigate around here without the maps on my phone and having Apple play in the rental car.

 

[RanDIZ]

it can be pretty brutal. Finally realized how good the preloaded map app on iPhone is. Literally got us everywhere step by step flawlessly.

 

[gharter]

Google maps is a must.

 

[Timandalicia]

It might just be me but one wrong turn and you are on a freeway forever! My WAZE wasn’t working (must have been in dead zone.)

I wanted to pull over to put in new address and every time I wanted to exit it was either another highway or a toll road. In Houston we have exits after exits so if you miss the exit no biggie.

There is no way I would be able to navigate around here without the maps on my phone and having Apple play in the rental car.

It was like they brought in M.C. Escher to plan the roadways. I swear that was part of the plan to trap you in the bubble. Magical Express and confusing roads.

 

[iheartglaciers]

I had my car at Disney for the first time a couple of weeks ago (usually fly and do DME). I drove to the parks every day and thought that navigating would be worse than it turned out to be (based on what I read online). But one morning on my way to Animal Kingdom, I made a wrong turn and ended up at Hollywood Studios! There was no way to make a U turn, so I had to wait until the park opened to enter and exit . It ended up being a 30 minute detour—whoops!

 

[Ross Kratter]

I've always found that the best way around Disney property is just to follow signs, and not bother with a GPS. If you make a wrong turn (other than into a park's entrance), there's usually a quick and easy way to turn around, or another route you can take that might just take another couple of minutes.

 

[tobikaye]

I really do not find it that confusing. It could be because I remember driving around the area in the late 90’s and early 00’s without GPS. I also tend to not rely fully on the GPS wherever I travel. Granted, anytime I plan to go to WDW with a break of more than six months, I spend at least 15 minutes to refresh my mind if the roads, even when I do not have a car.

 

[sam_gordon]

GPS *CAN* get you into trouble, no matter where you are. Roads that are there that the GPS doesn't have, Roads that aren't there that the GPS think are, and in Disney, roads the public isn't supposed to be on.

As PP said, pay attention to signs (Disney does a really good job with signage) and know what "area" you're going toward (ie: Epcot Resorts, Disney Springs, etc), and you shouldn't have a problem.

Do people not look at maps before driving in unfamiliar locations? Not to memorize the route, but to have a general idea of what you're looking for?

 

[Bullseye]

Actually we always drive in WDW and I find the place is so well marked that it's easy to navigate. Plus, if you make a wrong turn it's very easy to recover.

 

[_19disnA]

Our first time at Disney many years ago we found the on-property road signs VERY confusing. We had no idea the Contemporary where we were staying was considered part of the 'Magic Kingdom resorts'. We expected to see a sign for the 'Contemporary' but there wasn't one. Signage seems to be designed for those who have been there many times and are already familiar with the general layout of parks/hotels. If you are a regular, you probably know where most things are and don't need maps/GPS. There are LOTS of multi-lane roads on the property, usually with a lot of traffic so you often need to make a decision before reaching the exit. A printed map of the Disney property that shows the locations of parks & hotels is always a good thing to have if a first time visitor. Disney has also modified the roads/exits over the years, so you might find it looks different then your last visit if a number of years has passed.

Even with GPS, I find it helpful to have some general idea of where you are going regardless of where you are traveling. My new GPS unit will still occasionally send me off 'into the weeds' for no apparent reason, so I just ignore it and eventually it self-corrects for my intended destination. GPS also seems to have problems if there are many freeway exits close together and sometimes provide bad advice on which exit to take.

 

[loves to dive]

I've been driving down for nigh on to 35 years and still get lost at least once every trip. We park the car at the resort and don't get in it again unless we are doing a split stay. We do mostly use the Disney signs and not GPS but it seems every time we turn too soon or too late for the resort. It's all part of the experience for us, wouldn't be a trip without getting on the wrong rode.

 

[goofy4tink]

I had an issue years ago trying to get from MK to MCO!!! I listened to my gps, found myself at the gates to Epcot. Now I realize what I did wrong, but then? So confused. Good thing I had an AP, so entered and just turned around and exited. The road I wanted ran parallel to the entrance to Epcot!!
Using gps can be tough. I always suggest that people familiarize themselves with the area before trying to drive there. Then, just try to follow signage! If you have no idea of the area, it can be very difficult driving.

 

[shafke]

Even with GPS, I find it helpful to have some general idea of where you are going regardless of where you are traveling. My new GPS unit will still occasionally send me off 'into the weeds' for no apparent reason, so I just ignore it and eventually it self-corrects for my intended destination. GPS also seems to have problems if there are many freeway exits close together and sometimes provide bad advice on which exit to take.

I will also do this when traveling to an area I have never been.
Before even getting on the road I will plug in a destination on google maps to get a general idea of how to get there.
For longer trips I find that GPS is only really useful for about the last 5-10% of the trip when you get off the major highways/interstates.

As for driving around DW. The only part I find confusing is driving to/from the Animal Kingdom area. This is really the only park that I have to pay close attention to the signs... although getting in and out of the Epcot parking lot area can also be confusing.

 

[OKW Lover]

Very curious that Waze didn't work for you. I live very close to WDW and regularly drive to the parks/resorts or drive through WDW on my way elsewhere. I always use Waze (for traffic info) and its been very reliable.

 

[keishashadow]

Use waze primarily at home & in Orlando. No issues, well, other than I can no longer find Cookie Monster.

 

[JimMIA]

I much prefer Google Maps to Waze, but I don't think Waze was your problem. Who is your cellphone carrier? No GPS is going to work if you lose cell signal.

Several other posters have offered good advice.

• You MUST know where you are going, and where it is relative to other prominent places. If you're staying at an Epcot resort, you MUST know that or you will miss your exit. Same with MK and DS resorts -- KNOW where you are going, both specifically, and generally.
• I'm like Ross Kratter above -- I'm a sign-reader! But you have to pay attention because your destination may only show on one sign out of 3-4 for the proper exit.
• I do NOT like downloaded maps. They're fine if they are up-to-the-minute, but not many are and that can be a big problem. Also, not all roads on the map are open to the public. Quite a few are Disney-only.

 

[Spunky946]

Use waze primarily at home & in Orlando. No issues, well, other than I can no longer find Cookie Monster.

I"m very sad they took away the cookie monster voice. I loved that.

 

[kanerf]

Whoever thought purple signs with yellow text was a good idea?

 

[Ross Kratter]

Whoever thought purple signs with yellow text was a good idea?

The text is all white, but I do agree that sometimes the purple signs can be difficult to read.

 

[Gizmo74]

Very curious that Waze didn't work for you. I live very close to WDW and regularly drive to the parks/resorts or drive through WDW on my way elsewhere. I always use Waze (for traffic info) and its been very reliable.

I was actually between Disney and Universal trying to get to outlet mall. I drove past Vineyard outlet and couldn’t figure out how to get back. My was was set for outlet on International road and knew once I passed Universal exit I went to far. I pulled off into parking lot and had no cell connection. (T-Mobile). As soon as I left the parking lot, I had cell service but found my self on a toll road. I am not going to pull over on shoulder of road so I finally manage to get off toll road and get into a business parking lot. I was able to put in right location and it worked.

we must have been in a dead spot because both my phone and daughter phone would not work in the first parking lot. I have no had any other connection issues while here.