International Drive - New-look ATD forums!

enjibenji · #1 03-02-2010, 09:37 AM

Hi, we are goin 4 the 1st time in october & staying at quality inn plaza, international drive, we are not having a hire car. From what i have read there are plenty of shuttle buses etc to get to & from parks so shouldnt have any probs there (I hope) but what is it like walking up & down (& across) I drive. If you just want to pop over the road (or motorway) as soom describe it 2 go 2 the shops are you risking your life or do they have crossings etc. any info would be great

Mc Fluffy · #2 03-02-2010, 09:54 AM

We stayed at the Quality Inn Plaza in 2004, and although they do offer shuttle's to the parks they went via 5 different hotels on the way collecting ppl as we went making a 25 min trip nearly a hour. Not sure if still is still the case but now we stay at the Econo Lodge Inn & Suite's which is 2 mins down the road from QIP and offer direct shuttle's. (have stayed there 3 times before)

Both our hotels are in a prime location on I Drive, perfectly located for all the resturant's, shops & entertainment. As long as your careful crossing the road you shouldn't have any problems in this area, there are plenty of crossing around to use....just remember that in America drivers can make a right turn even when the lights are on red, so just be aware of this when crossing the road.

We are heading back out this year last week of Sept, first week of Oct so will be interested to see what the parks are like, as we normally do last 2 weeks of Aug. If you need anymore help let me know

enjibenji · #3 03-02-2010, 10:04 AM

Thanx 4 the info, do u go out & about around i drive or jump in a car, are there alot of ppl walking about. From the info i have we havent got 2 walk far 4 restaurants, entertainment, shops etc

Mc Fluffy · #4 03-02-2010, 10:14 AM

I have to be honest, the roads are a lot buisier than the pavement's over there and you don't tend to see a lot of ppl walking (except in the parks). We got some rather strange looks the first time we went when asking for information about buses & walking to place's of interest it was like most of ppl we asked had never heard of walking....lol

We never have a car as it's pretty easy to get around when you know how, what i would suggest is if you do find the shuttle's are time consuming with the route they take, you can get to Universal & IOA easy enough by getting the I-Trolly down to wet n wild, crossing the road and then a 10 - 15 min walk to the parks.

Same for Aquatica & Seaworld, just get the I-trolly in the other direct and it takes you straight there around 10 - 15 mins. To get to Disney get the I-trolly or Lynx bus down to Seaworld cross over the road, and get the Lynx directly to Disney transportation centre. We opted for these options when staying at QIP due to the time the shuttle's took and this way you can choose when to get to the parks.

enjibenji · #5 03-02-2010, 10:21 AM

Oh great tht sounds good, we tend 2 walk quite abit so 10 or 15 mins 4 us not a prob, mind u we got the parks 2 walk around as well lol, i think we will be living in our crocs lol. thanx 4 the info thou, anymore would be welcome, i cant wait 2 get going now, only another 8 months lol

Mc Fluffy · #6 03-02-2010, 12:28 PM

Your welcome

I'm also counting down.....this time it's going to be a little strange for me, i always take my daughter to Florida but she's opted out this year...so i've persuaded the lads to come along and were gonna have a jolly boy's outting this time instead.

Doesn't matter how many times i go, i always get a little excited once i know i'm going back.
The first time i went there was just too much information to take in, but if you need anymore advice on anything me or the rest of the ADT's will be only too happy to help you out

dmrevis · #7 03-02-2010, 12:58 PM

For a Brit everything along idrive is within walking distance. You will be fine walking to shops and restaurants. As said many free hotel shuttles go via many other hotels first making it a long trip. Look out for the Lynx busses which we use on our trips. They are just public transport but are quick and efficient. Www.golynx.com
i'll lend any info i can if you require it. I always use them on my trips and never take a car.

**Susan Veness** · #8 03-02-2010, 01:18 PM

I-Drive is the ideal place to be if you prefer to walk. Bear in mind, the main tourist area is massive, so you won't be able to walk everywhere, but I-Drive is safe, convenient, and most people do walk it (though you can certainly use the I-Ride Trolley or Lynx bus).

Pedestrians have the right-of-way in the States, but with so many out of town drivers (who are gawking and over-tired) it's best to really watch the cars, even at the intersections, when you cross. The point about right-turn-on-red is a good one. And don't forget to look left, then right, then left (as we teach our children

). The cars will be coming at you from the opposite direction to what you're used to!

dmrevis · #9 03-02-2010, 04:24 PM

Really good point about keeping an eye on traffic when crossing. The whole "you can turn right on a red light" makes crossing very tricky at some intersections. Also remember to use a crossing. Im sure there is some sort of law against crossing where you like in the USA - jaywalking or something. Im sure someone will clarify. I remember getting shouted at by a lady on the street for just crossing when there was a break in the traffic! She was screaming "jaywalker!" at me!

**Susan Veness** · #10 03-02-2010, 04:44 PM

Yeah, there is such a thing as 'jaywalking', and it's kind of a gray area. Technically, you can't cross the roads except at a designated crossing. If you want to get REALLY technical, you have to cross within the lines. But....most places don't enforce it. Having said that, I'm not advocating crossing just anywhere, but I'm betting you probably will, and you'll probably see plenty of other people doing it too. That's the reason for the warnings about watching traffic.

Ideally, cross at the cross-walk, bearing in mind there won't be a cross-walk in some areas. In those instances, use extreme caution, look left-right-left, then cross when the traffic clears. And if you're travelling with young children or impulsive people take their hand to cross because they probably won't be thinking about the right-on-red, and may dart out when they think it's safe to go.