Once you have decided to make Central Florida your vacation destination, there is just one little thing left to conquer – how to get there. Luckily for you, however, is the fact that the Walt Disney World Resort is in one of the most accessible locations in the entire country. With the Orlando International Airport operating nearby and a plethora of major highways surrounding Central Florida, getting here may be the easiest part of your entire trip!
If you are flying into Orlando, you have many transportation options available to you to help you get here. If you decide that you would like to have a rental car to enjoy your stay in Orlando, OIA has six different rental car services on-site to get you going. They are:
Alamo Rent A Car (the official rental car of the Walt Disney World Resort, located both at the airport and at the Car Care Center near the Magic Kingdom Park)
Avis
Budget
Dollar
L and M Car Rental
National
There are an additional 15 car/van rental services that are located off-site of the Orlando International Airport, but they do have courtesy shuttles that will take you from OIA to pick up your rental vehicle. Other transportation options from OIA include shuttle and limousine services. The Mears Airport Shuttle offers direct service from the airport right to your Walt Disney World Resort hotel. And, as mentioned in the transportation section, the Walt Disney World Resort does offer resort guests the opportunity to take advantage of Disney’s Magical Express Service, which is a free air-conditioned motor coach ride to and from the Orlando International Airport for both you and your luggage.
If you are traveling in by rental car, or taking a 10-hour drive in from another state, it is comforting to know that the Walt Disney World is easy to find, conveniently located directly off of Interstate 4 and just a few miles from the Florida Turnpike. Here are some common directions to follow from the major highways surrounding the Walt Disney World Resort:
- If you are coming southbound on the Florida Turnpike, take I-4 West to the appropriate Walt Disney World exit.
- If you are traveling southbound on I-75, take the Florida Turnpike South (this connects just south of Ocala) to I-4 West (approx. 60 miles), then on to the Walt Disney World exits.
- If you are traveling north on the Florida Turnpike, take the Osceola Parkway, which connects with U.S. Highway 192 and the Walt Disney World Resort.
- If you are traveling on I-4 from either side of the state, you will encounter about an hour drive coming from Tampa (take I-4 East) and about an hour and a half from the Daytona area (take I-4 West).
- If you are traveling north on I-75 from south Florida or from the Tampa/Clearwater area, get on I-4 East just north of downtown Tampa and drive approx. 60 miles to the Walt Disney World Resort exits.
- If you are traveling on I-95 on the east side of the state, you can either take the I-4 exit (near the Daytona area) West to the Walt Disney World exits, or you can take 528 West as well, which intersects I-95 around the Cape Canaveral/Melbourne area.
- From the Orlando International Airport, you have two options. You can either take 528 West (Toll) to I-4 West and then drive approx. 3-5 miles for the Walt Disney World exits. Or, you can take the OIA South exit (FL 417S – Toll) to Osceola Parkway West (exit 3) and then on to the Walt Disney World exits.
Now that you have general directions on where you are going, it is important to know which of the three Disney exits to take to reach your destination. The exits we suggest are as follows (but don’t worry, you can access anything on property by taking any of the three exits. Directional signs are posted everywhere!).
Exit 67:
Epcot, Downtown Disney area, Disney's BoardWalk, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Disney's Yacht Club and Disney’s Beach Club Resorts, Disney's BoardWalk Inn and Villas, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, the Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotels, Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course, Disney's Old Key West Resort, Disney's Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, Lake Buena Vista Golf Course.
Exit 65:
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, Disney's Blizzard Beach, Disney's All-Star Movies Resort, Disney's All-Star Music Resort, Disney's All-Star Sports Resort, Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney's Pop Century Resort, Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course.
Exit 64:
Magic Kingdom Park, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Eagle Pines Golf Course, Magnolia Golf Course, Osprey Ridge Golf Course, Oak Trail Golf Course, Palm Golf Course, Disney's Wedding Pavilion.
Safe travels to everyone!
