Any toll road from MCO to universal studio?
 

I am wondering if there is any toll road from the Orlando International Airport to the Universal Studio?

Is the toll road a lot faster (both distance and timewise) when compared to the non-toll road? Thanks

Yes, the one you should take is State Road (SR) 528 (AKA The Beachline). You pick it up right by the airport. Take a look at this map of Orlando area toll roads: https://www.oocea.com/Portals/0/Imag...essMap2009.pdf

It is faster timewise and there are fewer traffic hassles. Just have cash handy including some quarters. Stay to the far right hand lane to pay in cash.

I second Orlando Vic's recommendation. From the airport, all the signs will point you toward Disney (& Universal) DON'T GO THAT WAY. Follow the signs to the other exit. It will lead you to S.R 528 (the Beachline). You want to take it West to I-4 toward Tampa.

You will hit 2 tolls - one immediately after entering the roadway, and it is for $1. The second is not that far away and is $1.25.

FWIW - for some reason I always get confused leaving the airport. I think after about 10 years, I finally got it straight. My clue that I went the wrong way was if I did NOT hit the toll plaza almost immediately :) If you do that, it's easy to turn around :)

To answer your question - if there is a non-toll road, well, I haven't found it, and it is going to take you a lot longer.

The primary non-toll option would be Sand Lake road to Universal Blvd. Leaving the airport, getting to Sand Lake road is a bit convoluted, the 528 is a lot easier to find.

As a follow up and to answer this question, the non-toll route is shorter, but will take longer. Google maps says 21 minutes toll, 30 minutes non-toll. My estimate before checking Google was 20 vs. 35 minutes. Here is the non-toll route.

Thank you all for your advices, I really appreciate them.

However, I do have a question for Mary2e, When you say "From the airport, all the signs will point you toward Disney (& Universal) DON'T GO THAT WAY." Why?

Because normally if I see signs directing me to a particular destination, I would think that must be the most efficient route. Am i wrong in the thinking?

I do believe it was because Mary was agreeing with Orlando Vic's directions of how to find a non-toll alternative. All the signs will be directing you to a toll road alternative. So if you follow those, you will pay the toll. If you don't want to pay a toll, then don't follow the signs.

There are TWO toll roads leading from the airport. The Greenway, which is the road that was built to get tourists from the airport to Disney and off of 528 and I-4, and the Beachline (528) to I-4, which is the old way to get to Disney before they built the Greenway.

The signs to Disney lead you to the Greenway, which is a longer drive and the tolls are higher.

If you go the other way, and make sure you drive West, you will go to 528 and I-4 and pay a lower toll and not drive as far.

So, while I agree with you that in most cases, following the signs to your destination is usually the fastest and most efficient route, in this case, it is not.

Follow the signs for the NORTH exit, which goes to Beachline/Semoran blvd. Beachline west is what you want, if you get it right, first thing is toll plaza as others have said. If you get it wrong and get on 528 east, first thing you'll see is goldenrod rd exit.

The greenway, which you don't want, is the SOUTH exit out of MCO.

528 is the way to go, Sand Lake, while it has a lot of shops and such, is a road to avoid unless there's something on it that you really must visit (Corona Cigar, in my case) because the traffic can be brutal