Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SELECTING AND BOOKING A HOTEL OUTSIDE WALT
DISNEY WORLD
THERE ARE FOUR PRIMARY
out-of-the-World areas to consider:
1. INTERNATIONAL DRIVE AREA
This area, about 15-25 minutes northeast of Walt
Disney World, parallels I-4 on its eastern side and offers a wide selection of both ho-
tels and restaurants. Accommodations range from about $56 to $400 per night. The
chief drawbacks ofthe International Drive area are its terribly congested roads, count-
less traffic signals, and inadequate access to westbound I-4. While the biggest bottle-
neck is the intersection with Sand Lake Road, the mile of International Drive between
Kirkman Road and Sand Lake Road stays in near-continuous gridlock. It's common
to lose 25-35 minutes trying to navigate this 1-mile stretch.
Hotels in the International Drive area are listed in the
Official Vacation Guide
,
published by the Orlando-Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau. For a
copy, call 800-972-3304 or 407-363-5872, or go to
visitorlando.com
.
2. LAKE BUENA VISTA AND THE I-4 CORRIDOR
A number of hotels are situated along
FL 535 and west of I-4 between Walt Disney World and I-4's intersection with the
Florida Turnpike. These properties are easily reached from the interstate and are near
a large number of restaurants, including those on International Drive. Most hotels in
this area are listed in the
Official Vacation Guide
.
3. US 192 (IRLO BRONSON MEMORIAL HIGHWAY
)
This is the highway to Kissimmee,
southofWaltDisneyWorld.Inadditiontoanumberoflarge,full-service hotels,there
are many small, privately owned motels that are often a good value. Several dozen
properties on US 192 are closer to the Disney theme parks than are the more expens-
ive hotels in the Downtown Disney Resort Area. The number and variety of restaur-
ants on US 192 has increased markedly in the past several years, easing the area's
primary shortcoming. Hotels on US 192 and in Kissimmee can be found in the
Kis-
simmee Visitor's Guide;
call 800-327-9159 or check
floridakiss.com
.
