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If driving, your car rental agency will help you with directions to the corner of Highway 4 and 192. Travel West on route 192 (also known as West Irlo Bronson Memorial Parkway) for about 4 sets of lights to Formosa Gardens Blvd. Take a left and travel South on Formosa Gardens a little less than 2 miles. You will go past one stop sign on your way, don't forget to stop though, police are often watching. The Windsor Palms Resort is located to the right, look for the signs. A guarded gateway is located at the border of the property.

Map to the Windsor Palms Resort:

Map To Property

What is the Traffic like?

Orlando is a large city and with any large city there comes the rush hour traffic. During the week there is traffic from about 7:30 until 9:00 and from 5:00 until 6:30 on route 4. Morning flows North towards the city, evening flows South.

In addition to the rush hour caused by the city workers, you will have park rush hours. These are typically for the first hour after the theme parks open and in the evening just after the firework shows. Check the times of at each park, there are deviations depending on the season, day of the week and special occasions.

Route 192 is a 4 lane local road with plenty of stoplights. The road is susceptible to the park hour traffic jams. East traffic is heavy every morning and West bound traffic is heavy in the evening. To stay a few steps ahead, please look at the next topic below.

How can we avoid the traffic?

There are a few things you can do to avoid some of the traffic. Here are our recommendations:

Get a map and learn the area roads.
When you get in, buy a map and study it. Most car rental agencies will have an adequate map, but not too details All of the 24/7 convenience stores carry local maps and to have a good map will save you lots of headaches and asking directions. Also note that the Disney provided maps will not show their back roads they are not meant for you but for the workers and Disney suppliers. The maps you pay for at the convenience stores will have those back road details.
Don't let the signs fool you.
The road signs on Disney are there for one reason; to get you into and out of the parks and resorts as quickly as possible. For this reason, when following signs to the exits you will be led the most direct rout possible.
Visit during the low season.
Sounds obvious, but this is one practical way to avoid the traffic on the roads AND inside the parks. At the peak times, you can expect everything to be crowded; The resorts, restaurants roads, theme parks and even the grocery stores.
Back Entrances do exist, avoid the cattle herds
There are service roads throughout Disney property that are not clearly marked for the typical tourist. These road will allow you to enter and exit the park through less traveled and congested routes. We recommend that you take the Sherberth road entrance from the resort area as the best way to avoid the major traffic areas. Here is how:

From the resort, travel north on Formosa Gardens on to192.
Take a right and travel west to Sherberth Road, just one light away. Make sure you are in the left turn lane and turn directly onto Sherberth.
This will take you directly to Disney Property and onto Osceola Parkway. You will find yourself near Disney's Animal Kingdom where you can park and take Disney transportation or drive to any of the other theme parks.

Map of back entrance to Disney

Park Information

What are the busiest and least busy times of the year at the Disney parks?

What are the current park hours?

Where are the characters?

What are the current ticket prices?

May I bring my own food and beverages in to the Disney Water Parks?

Where are the parades and fireworks?

What are the busiest and least busy times of the year at the Disney parks?

Although special events and promotions may influence Theme Park attendance levels, the following list highlights historic attendance trends throughout the year:

Lowest Attendance:
January (except New Year's Day) until just prior to Presidents' week in February
The week following Labor Day until just prior to Thanksgiving week
The week following Thanksgiving until the week prior to Christmas

Moderate Attendance:
After Presidents' week in February through early March
Late April through early June (except Memorial Day weekend)
The first part of Thanksgiving week

Highest Attendance:
Presidents' week in February
Mid-March through Late April ("Spring Break")
Memorial Day weekend
Mid-June through Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day and weekend
Christmas week through New Year's Day

Also, during regular attendance periods, the parks tend to be the busiest on the following days:

Magic Kingdom� Park: Monday, Thursday, and Saturday
Epcot� : Tuesday and Friday
Disney-MGM Studios: Sunday and Wednesday
Disney's Animal Kingdom� Theme Park: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

What are the current park hours?

Where are the characters?

Character dining is available all around the Walt Disney World� Resort. Click here to dine with your favorite Disney Characters!

Magic Kingdom� Park
Always get the latest Daily Entertainment Schedule at City Hall in the Magic Kingdom Park, and be sure to catch all the Characters!

Mickey's Toontown Fair
Mickey Mouse at his house, daily appearances. Minnie Mouse in the Toontown Hall of Fame, daily appearances. Toontown Hall of Fame, various Disney Characters appear daily.

Characters also appear daily at the following locations:

Adventureland Congoasis
Rafiki, Timon, Baloo, and King Louie.

Fantasyland
Mad Tea Party
Fantasyland Character Festival

Frontierland
Splash Mountain, Brer Fox and Brer Bear.

Epcot�
The latest Daily Entertainment Schedule is available at Epcot�: Guest Relations. Discover the Characters in a number of locations, including:

The American Adventure
Celebrate "I Love America" with your favorite Disney Characters in the America Gardens Theatre, daily.

World Showcase
Disney Characters appear daily at Germany, Morocco, the United Kingdom, International Gateway, and Showcase Plaza.

Disney-MGM Studios
Find out where the Characters are in action in the Daily Entertainment Schedule, available at Crossroads of the World in the Disney-MGM Studios.

Animation Courtyard
Featuring Mickey Mouse, daily, and other Disney Characters appearing intermittently throughout the day.

New York Street
Operation: TOY STORY. It's your chance to meet Buzz, Woody, and all of your favorites in special Character appearances held daily.

Disney's Animal Kingdom� Park
Visit Camp Minnie-Mickey, an old-fashioned summer camp where the characters go when they're on vacation. Throughout the day, this is where you'll find Mickey and his pals waiting to greet you!

*Entertainment is subject to change without notice. Performances may be delayed or canceled due to inclement weather