Half the fun of a trip to Walt Disney World is building up your expectations for it before you even arrive. For some, a countdown clock near the front door will suffice. For others, there’s a weeks-long ritual involving Disney movies, music, and even clothing.
But the pinnacle of Disney hype-building often comes once you’ve arrived in the central Florida area and begin to see some of the familiar sights in the immediate vicinity of Walt Disney World.
Whether you road trip down to the Sunshine State or you arrive by airplane through one of the busiest airports in the country, you likely have a few signs that, upon seeing them, make you feel like your Disney vacation is finally underway.
Here are a few signs you’ll see on the way to Walt Disney World that will finally make you feel like you’re really there.
Disney’s Magical Express Signage
Image: aloha75, Flickr (license)
Airports can be dizzying places. Yes, they’re often built specifically to help aid the unfamiliar in navigation, but even still, it’s easy to find yourself lost and looking for the exit door.
Orlando International Airport is, on this front, fairly well-designed. It’s people-mover-style trams take guests from isolated airside terminals to the main terminal area rather swiftly. And, once inside, guests are treated with can’t-possibly-miss-it signage pointing the way to Disney’s Magical Express.
For millions of guests, this is the first encounter they have with Disney upon the beginning of their vacation, and so they view with a familiar fondness that is unparalleled. The signs for Disney’s Magical Express are etched into the memory as the signs of fun up ahead.
Amway Center
Image: jrg1975, Flickr (license)
For those who drive down south, there are countless other examples of signage that let you know you’re approaching Walt Disney World. Most road trippers drive south through Georgia and north Florida before arriving in Orlando. But, Orlando is really a bit of fool’s gold, for real Disneyphiles know that Walt Disney World lives beyond it closer to Kissimmee in a town called Lake Buena Vista.
Orlando, then, is just the last checkpoint in a rally that stretches from your home to your Disney resort — and one major sign that you’re passing through Orlando is the unmissable-from-I-4 arena known as the Amway Center, where the Orlando Magic call home.
It’s not a particularly beautiful building, and the Magic aren’t anything to write home about necessarily, but their stadium is so large and so conspicuous that it’s hard not to make a mental note as you pass it. You’re so very, very close.
Disney Attraction Billboards
Image: lorenjavier, Flickr (license)
The closer you get to Walt Disney World on I-4, the more its presence becomes clear and obvious. Once you get through Orlando proper, the tourist attractions start to appear — and the billboards advertising them.
For Disney, only the newest and best attractions are worthy of roadside highlighting. Mainstays like Splash Mountain or Spaceship Earth traditionally don’t make the cut, while new attractions and lands like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land have their visage splashed 30 feet in the air for all to see.
It’s funny — the billboards are likely only preaching to the converted. How many people really make it that far without being aware Walt Disney World is right there? How many people see those signs and say, “wow, I wasn’t going to go to Walt Disney World but I sure will now!”?
Who knows? But, they certainly do add to the excitement when driving to Walt Disney World.
Sea World Icon
Image: formulanone, Flickr (license)
Yes, Universal Orlando being visible from the highway is a nice treat for those theme park nerds looking to indulge in a bit of window shopping while en route to Disney. However, it’s not the only competing theme park on the way to catch the eye.
Sea World, for all its faults, does have a pretty nifty icon outside its gates near the highway, and it adds to the uniquely-Florida aesthetic of the area. The Sea World logo, rendered in 3D, is something to see — as is the massive Renaissance Hotel nearby. Those factors all combine for a fun diversion to keep your eye occupied in the final few minutes of your journey.
Walt Disney World Exit Sign
Image: elaws, Flickr (license)
The peak of excitement usually comes at this moment — when the first official highway road sign arrives announcing that any of the following exits will vector you straight into the Walt Disney World Resort.
There’s something welcoming and nice about knowing that if you miss one exit, you still have a few more tries. Plus, the official interstate highway road signs provide an trustworthy source telling you that the trip is over. You’re finally here.
Main Entrance Sign
Image: drdeer, Flickr (license)
Guests traveling to Walt Disney World for the first time usually aren’t expecting to see the sign, and when it first pulls into view, they freak out in an attempt to grab a quick photo. That, obviously, is essentially impossible — and, stopping your car for such a photo is against Disney policy.
And so, as veteran guests will tell you, simply appreciating the moment as you drive beneath the Welcome to Walt Disney World sign will do wonders. Whether you’re alone, with friends, or with family, it’s impossible not to feel butterflies as you regard it.
First Purple Road Sign
And then, for first timers, there’s the biggest surprise at all: The road signs are different! Yes, there’s truly nothing quite as reassuring as the feeling of seeing those purple road signs.
Disney loves reminding you that you’re in the bubble it has created for you, even as the goal of that bubble is to remain as invisible as possible. There are few examples of this tension that work quite as well as the purple road signs. You’re able to use them to navigate, yes, but they look friendly and special — highly unlike the real world.
It’s small touches like this that make Disney what it is, and that remind you that you’ve finally arrived in the Vacation Kingdom.
Tower of Terror Billboard
For over 20 years, guests driving into Walt Disney World have been greeted with an intermittently-moving custom-built advertisement for the Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror. Located in the middle of a highway median on one of Walt Disney World’s main arteries, this 3D sign has somehow stood the test of time and lasted longer than many attractions themselves.
It is also one of those small things that lets you know exactly where you are. It builds hype, it reminds you of your childhood, and it seemingly never changes. It’s everything that makes a Disney vacation great, rolled into one silly sign.
