Help a British girl out!!!

LOL...Well I've never driven in Florida, and probably never will..I have however in Los Angeles and it was a old
Dodge Charger that belonged to my wife's sisters hubby..Apart from the overhead traffic lights, I had no problems, tho I did get the occasional beep from other drivers..Now when we hired a Lincoln Continental for the six of us and I had to drive from L.A. down the coast to San Deigo...That was scary...That damn thing was so big it was a nightmare...Just get a small car and you'll be fine...P.S...Remember..Keep to the right..LOL..

I've driven the past 3 times I've been to the States with varying degrees of luck...

GPS - you can use the zip code or you can enter the full address. I've been able to find my way using both, although I have to say that a place as mahussive as Disney World only seems to bring up one or two of the parks. I tend to use the GPS to get to the property then use the location signs once there. It's very easy once you're past the gates.

Alamo - I believe they allow you to have your choice of car from what is available. Unfortunately, you're not going to be able to request a pink cadillac, for instance unless they happen to have one for rental. Most rental cars are pretty boring colours. The three I've had in the States were: white (Dodge Magnum), black (Mazda van thing) and grey (Nissan Murano). They're all auto so easy to drive. All you have to remember is they drive on the wrong side to us and you must try to remember to drive more toward the centre line than you would normally do (that's the left of the car on the right of the road...!) It took me about an hour to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road and you must watch out for the 4-way stops and remember which way round they give way to - I believe it's to your left you give way...?

Dropping off the car - I can't help with. I've only ever driven from the airport and dropped back at the airport with the exception of SF where I'd driven from Vegas via LA. In that instance, they didn't offer a lift anywhere but then we were only a 5 block walk away from our apartment.

Generally speaking, it's fairly easy to drive over there. The roads are wide and long with few bends. You'll be fine - just don't let anyone else get you nervous when you're driving.

I find that if you drink first, Orlando driving is much more palatable...

amy1989 wrote:

also anyone driving around Florida roads between 9/29 and 10/1 you have been warned!!!!!

I don't have specific knowledge to answer most of your questions, but here's what I've got. On the GPS, you can often start typing in points of interest (Like "Universal Studios" and it will sometimes find the address for you. As far as codes, we do have route numbers, but only on major roads. I-4 is the main road through the area.

(It sounds like you're renting the car once on property, so you can probably disregard the following: If you're renting at the airport...be prepared for the tolls from the airport. Maybe someone can confirm for me, but I'm thinking that there's a $1.00 toll out of the airport and a $1.25 toll on route 528 before you reach I-4 and the same when returning to the airport. You can avoid these toll booths, but you have to drive WAY out of the way through higher traffic areas and may experience significant delays, especially during rush hour. You do not need the toll pass that the rental company will try to sell you.)

We find it very easy to navigate Central Florida. Most attractions are large and have excellent signage. Probably the most difficult thing is finding the outlets. The are on Vineland Rd. off of route 535. It's not really hard to find, but you'll want to GPS it because you can't just drive past them on I-4 and just figure out how to get there on your own. You'll drive through a very residential looking area on Vineland before arriving at the outlets. It's somewhat odd.

Navigating on Disney property can be slightly confusing, but there's always a sign to get you back on track if you mess up.

We usually rent from Dollar (I don't like them, but they're super cheap) at the airport. They let us pick any car in the row that matches the class of car that we paid for. When pass the booth at the end of the parking garage, they note the make and model that we selected.

Just stay calm and stay on the right hand side of the road and you'll be just fine!

It isn't at all bad driving over there.As you are sitting on the "wrong" side of the car anyway it is a good reminder to stick on the proper side of the road.
If i can do it (never having driven in the UK before) then i am sure you will be good

amy1989 wrote:

I think what I'm most concerned about is the turns specifically the left hand turns (where you have to cross oncoming traffic am I right????) because I understand and cars coming straight ahead take priority over me or do I get my own turn????

Yes for left hand turns you do cross oncoming traffic but there will either be a light that will give you a green arrow telling you its your turn to go and the oncoming traffic will have a red, or you will have to yield to them if there is no arrow option on the light. And if its a four/three/two way stop sign then all the cars will come to a stop and as long as you have your signal on you just wait your turn (rule of thumb is the car to your right has the right of way) and make the left. Don't worry, its not as scary as it sounds. You'll be able to see all the traffic coming if you don't have an arrow and you don't have to go until you have enough space/time to make the turn.

amy1989 wrote:

Thanks Sid Man that's great advice!!!! not going to lie I'm a little upset they may not be able to provide me with a pink cadillac!!!!

on a serious note as long as I can have a choice of say black, red, white and silver I'm good with that I know when I booked the example it gave was a Jeep Grand Cherokee but there are many other styles in the same range I'm sure I will find one!!

I'm so confused with the left and right things not going to lie but am I right in understanding I drive closer to the middle line than the barriers???

also about the GPS - personally I don't like the things and they stress me out but seen as my mam is navigator and I'm driver she said she will use the GPS/maps/instructions given to her and just verbally give me the instructions rather than listening to anything!!!!

wish me luck!!!!

Alamo allowed us to pick any car in the rental class, so when I was in Vegas, I had a choice of 2 cars but dithered too much on which was bigger and lost out on a Chevy Blazer which would have been so much better to drive...

the middle line is a lot closer to you as you'll be on the left side of the car. If you drove as you normally did in the UK and went closer to the barrier on the right, then you'd be very close as you have at least 3 ft of space between you and the barrier instead of inches. (I hope I haven't confused you more...it sounded complicated even as I was typing it! >_<) I do know you have to look left instead of right and you can turn right on most stop signals...there will be some you can't turn on but I don't think they exist in Florida.

in terms of having a navigator, that's a good thing. When I was in the States, my friend took over all GPS duties to allow me to concentrate on driving and keeping us alive. She worked out all the routes, including standby routes where possible, and punched in all the addresses needed. It was awesome! All you have to do is listen to the not-so-soothing voice of the GPS as it barks out instructions on where to go!

Good luck!!

amy1989 wrote:

EmFord wrote:

amy1989 wrote:

I think what I'm most concerned about is the turns specifically the left hand turns (where you have to cross oncoming traffic am I right????) because I understand and cars coming straight ahead take priority over me or do I get my own turn????

Yes for left hand turns you do cross oncoming traffic but there will either be a light that will give you a green arrow telling you its your turn to go and the oncoming traffic will have a red, or you will have to yield to them if there is no arrow option on the light. And if its a four/three/two way stop sign then all the cars will come to a stop and as long as you have your signal on you just wait your turn (rule of thumb is the car to your right has the right of way) and make the left. Don't worry, its not as scary as it sounds. You'll be able to see all the traffic coming if you don't have an arrow and you don't have to go until you have enough space/time to make the turn.

sounds like ours a bit (just on the other side of the road!!!) so if its just a green light I have to yield but if there is a green arrow I can just go???

thanks so much I must sound so blonde!!!!!!

haha yep! Don't worry, you don't sound stupid. I would have the same questions if I was coming to your side of the pond

Just remember when you come to this light, wait for the green.

A word on right turn on red and 4-way stops:

Often, when people come to a stop sign, one person will motion to the other person to go ahead by waving their hand or flashing their headlights. Don't stress too much about the right of way rules at the stop signs because you can always motion for the other people to go ahead if you're not sure.

You can turn right on red unless it is specifically not allowed at a particular intersection and if it is not allowed, there will be a prominently displayed white sign that reads "no turn on red".

Not sure if there's a solid answer about the left turn arrow--yes, a green arrow means that you can just go ahead and turn left because the oncoming traffic is stopped. A green circular light means that you can turn left if there is no oncoming traffic. At some more "dangerous" intersections, you may have a red light in the left turn lane while the the straight lanes have a green light. This means that you cannot turn left even if you can't see any oncoming traffic.

No worry about "silly" questions. I don't think I would ever even attempt to drive in another country. Any of the little things that we take for granted could be different somewhere else. I think you're brave and if you have any other questions, ask away!!

Also, do you know about this?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/us-usa-florida-driving-idUSBRE91J00920130220