Disney and Horizons Questions

We are a family of 5 traveling to Orlando May 10-15. I have a couple of questions and I hope you can help!!!

What is the best/quickest way to the parks and how long does it take?

Where is the local supermarket for grocery shopping?

Is there a shuttle to the parks?

What will the weather be like? Very hot? Rain?

We have 3 small children so I'm trying to plan/organize things well before our trip! Any other advise/suggestions would be well appreciated!

Thanks!

Erica

Horizons by Marriott is pretty close to Disney property. Your best route may depend upon the time of day. You'll be close to I-4, but traffic can be heavy at times and you'd be best to avoid I-4 during heavy commuting times.
However, if you go left from the Horizons driveway and continue to the stop light at Central Florida Parkway then turn left just follow the signs to I-4 West (Tampa). Any of the next three exits will take you to Disney. Exit 68 will get you to Downtown Disney and Typhoon Lagoon. From Exit 67 follow the signs to the various theme parks (Epcot, MGM, Magic Kingdom). Exit 65 (Osceola Parkway) is convenient for MGM and Animal Kingdom.
I prefer skipping I-4. I would generally go right from Horizons on Westwood Boulevard to International Drive, turn right onto I-Drive at the second set of traffic lights (about 4 - 5 miles from Horizons) go straight across the intersection. This route (Route 536) proceeds to Disney property and becomes Epcot Drive. There will be lots of signs to direct you to the theme parks. For most of the parks I think it would take you fifteen to twenty minutes to get to the parking lot from Horizons.

There are two Publix grocery stores that are close to Horizons. One is on Central Florida Parkway about two miles from the resort. This store is smaller and older than most Publix stores in the area. The other is a relatively new store on International Drive, maybe a mile and a half or so from Horizons.

Dick Taylor