Drive to DL?

[mom24boys]

Hi everyone, I have been reading this board all morning. Great information! Thank you. Here is my dilemma, after reading all the tips I am concerned that we planned to drive our own car to DL. This is our first time to DL and I do not know if driving is such a great idea now. We are going in July for two days. I tried to squeeze more days but it is not possible. We are staying at Hampton Inn and Suites but not Garden Grove. I think it is Buena park area. Am I crazy to drive? Is it a nightmare to find parking and get in and out of there? Any advice or experiences would be great. Thanks so much

 

[sand2270]

Where are you driving from? I always drive, I am from Tucson. I was there in March and getting into the parking garage, parking and taking the tram (even during Spring Break) was very easy. The parking situation is very organized. We were in Long Beach and it was an easy 20 minute drive.

I am not sure where your hotel is but you may be within walking distance or you can always use the transportation shuttles they have there for a fee (it's not too expensive).

 

[pixiewings71]

We always drive, it's 6 hrs (give or take 20 min) for us. We usually stay close enough to walk or take the ART to the parks but if you're in BP you won't be able to do that. I've never actually parked at the parks but we will....we are going to get the full on DELUXE AP's for next year so we will be staying farther away and parking in the lot every day....I'm so excited!!

so I can help with part of your post....where are you driving from?

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

We used to always drive, this time were flying in. For us it's about a 10 hour drive. So, I think I'm going to start flying from now on. LOL It's a long haul.

But even though we drive in, we always stay very close to DL. Walking distance is best. Driving in and having to pay for parking (which is not cheap), taking the tram ect... takes up a lot of time. Even though were flying this time we'll still be renting a car. Since were doing Universal Studios one day, plus I like having a car to give me more food options!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Parking at DL is not like at WDW. Once you park your car, you are there for the rest of the day. You can access both parks and Downtown Disney without having to move your car. Considering where you are staying, I would consider driving to the parks.

 

[sand2270]

Regarding the time it takes to park and get into the parks, I have to say when we were there during Spring Break it maybe took us a total of 15-20 minutes to park, walk down to the tram (there was always one waiting and we never had to wait to get on) and get transported to DL. I didn't consider this bad at all, I never felt like we were really waiting and felt like we were "moving" during the whole process. Trying to catch a monorail from DTD to DL, that was another story, faster to walk. I paid for parking but I believe if you have an AP or a Disney credit card you get free parking.

 

[kaoden39]

We always drive down. We are in the same area as Pixie and it takes us a little longer because our DD 14 has a love affair with bathrooms so we stop at every road side rest. When it is just DH and I it takes far less time. We only stopped twice and we were in the LA area much closer to Pixies time.

Michele

 

[avalon451]

You might want to review Hydroguy's tips, and especially the ones about "driving to DL" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1381580 and "Hotel rule" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862... He's got some pretty good insights about it all. Could you check into maybe switching your hotel, and staying at one of the close properties across the street? Because it's really much handier to be in walking distance, and leave the park during the heat of the day to take a midday break.

But otherwise seems like driving to the DL area is a matter of choice and the cost of gas