Difficulty of Driving From WDW to Universal? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I've never done this, but I'm considering renting a car this time as we are planning probably 3 excursions including 2 to Universal. This trip will be just me and my daughter who is not old enough to drive a rental car.
How difficult is it to drive from WDW (specifically the Boardwalk) to Universal? The last time we visited we took a cab to Universal and it was $50 each way. Fiscally it seems to be smarter to rent a car for around $250. I know there is gas/tolls on top of the price of the rental, but I'm more concerned about the difficulty of driving around Orlando.
I hope this is in the correct forum! Admin please re-direct if not.
Any input is appreciated!
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Can't wait for trip with DD August 2017!!!
Me&Hubby Daughterand Son
Last edited by Belle*; 07-03-2017 at 11:07 AM..
Reason: newsletter07202017
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It wouldn't be difficult at all. We've done it, and it's probably about a 15-20 minute drive on I-4, heading east from the WDW properties. Check on the price of parking at Universal. It's a bit more expensive than WDW (if you're off property), maybe around $25 per day. Also, Universal has tiered parking, general and preferred areas. Based on my previous trips, I wouldn't opt for preferred again, unless the locations have changed. It's not that much farther to the general parking.
The drive from WDW to Universal was pretty easy, though, and the Universal exits (72 maybe?) are well marked. You can do it.
I agree. We always rent a car as we usually do some other area attractions and it is easy to drive to Universal or SW. We have even driven to KSC. The rental company we use is Alamo. You can sign up to be an Alamo Insider for free and you get a discount when you sign in under that and book. Basically you pick if you want a compact, midsize, etc. You can skip the line if you pay online. Go right to the kiosk near the desk at the airport with your license and cc you used and then you can print out the documents and then go to the garage. Alamo is on the main level so just find the section that has the type you picked and select whatever car you want in that section. If you book and find the cost went down you can always call and get the lower rate. They are so nice and easy to deal with.
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We like to do Alamo from the Car Care Center at Disney. It costs less than the airport since there are no airport fees tacked onto the price and they offer a free shuttle to and from your resort. Doing that also allows us to take DME and have Disney handle all the luggage for us (a huge perk IMO).
As for driving on I-4, we've been to Sea World a couple of times and it was marked pretty well and it didn't take long at all. I can't imagine Universal being any more difficult, especially if you get your driving directions ahead of time like I did. I didn't really need them though as Sea World was a straight shot off the highway and impossible to miss.
We did drive fro Ft W over to universal and didn't find it all that difficult. They did offer some sort of preferred parking option and we made sure we were there in time to take advantage of it. Enjoy your trip
It's really, really simple - trust me, if the Brits can do it driving on the other side of the road, then anyone can. It's well signposted, so you don't even really need a GPS. All the theme parks want you to visit them, so they're always sure to direct you every step of the way.
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