Entrace gates

[Goldie111]

We are planning our first visit to Disneyland this year and looking around for places to stay. With 2 young kids (2 and 4) we want to minimize walking times. So many hotels seem to state they are close to DL but is there only one entrance? I can see the main entrance on the maps but is this the only way to get into the park? Some hotels look close but if you have to walk all the way around to get to the front entrance I guess they are not really that close!

Thanks

Goldie111

 

[MNFootballMommy]

Nope--even if you take a shuttle or stay at one of the DL hotels, there is quite a bit of walking for little legs to get to the park entrances. I would suggest bringing a stroller from home to help with that. They may be fine in the morning, but after a day at the parks, they will want to be pushed or carried at the end of the day.

 

[Goldie111]

Thanks for the quick reply - I was just coming back to edit by terrible spelling of Entrance in the title!!

It makes it easier to work out where to stay knowing that. We will definately bring the stroller too.

Thanks again.

 

[Roandlilsmum]

Hi there, we are staying at the Hojo, first time for us staying there, and apparently only like 7 mins to walk to DL, but we wont know for sure till we get there. i have a 2 yr old and a 5 yr old, and are bringing a stroller for each of them, my son (5yr old) has terrible asthma and cant walk long distances. even if he was well we would still probly use the stroller, as any kid that age would get tired from walking around all day!
enjoy your planning

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Welcome to the DIS, Goldie111.

In answer to your question:

Disneyland has 2 entrances: The main entrance, and the entrance via the Monorail from Downtown Disney that takes you to Tomorrowland.

California Adventure has 2 entrances: The main entrance, and the private entrance via the Grand Californian Hotel.

There are several properties that claim to be across the street, from the Disneyland Parks, and technically they are. But, as you have stated, some are on the backside, and so they are not really right across the street.

If you are looking for properties that are REALLY within walking distance (less than 10 minutes, and some less than 5 minutes), then you want to look at such places like:
Best Western Park Place Inn
Camelot Inn
Carousel Inn
Fairfield Inn
Tropicana Inn
Ramada Inn Maingate
Desert Inn & Suites
Park Vue Inn

Howard Johnson is a little farther, with great pools and indoor corridors. I walked to the parks in less than 10 minutes from there, and was not in a hurry.

Candy Cane Inn is also a little farther, and has its own dedicated shuttle.

Anaheim Sheraton is not walkable, but also has its own dedicated shuttle.

There are some others, but they escape me at the moment.

 

[raftislander]

You can reach the main entrance gates to either DL or DCA (they are directly across an esplanade from each other) from Harbor Blvd entrance or through DTD. There is also a monorail station in DTD that will take you into Tomorrowland at DL. This station is toward the DLH end of DTD, but still a short walk from DLH. The GC has an entrance directly into DCA, but to get to DL main gates you walk through DTD. The walk to the main gates from motels on Harbor across the street from the entrance are shorter than the walk from either DLH or PPH. There used to be some shortcuts from the motels on Katella that would save you from having to walk around the block, but I am no longer sure that this shortcut still exists due to the construction of Carsland at DCA. Perhaps someone who has stayed on Katella recently can indicate the shortest route now. I have never stayed on the Disneyland Drive side of the resort (other than at DLH) so am unsure what is the quickest way yo he entrance from that side of the park. Which hotels are "closest" is a matter of great debate on these boards and is often dependent on where your room is located at a particular hotel. Last October my family had a wonderful stay at the Candy Cane Inn. It is a 5-10 minute walk to the front gates and is on the same side of the street as the entrance, so you will not have to cross the very busy (and wide) Harbor Blvd with your kids. But what we loved is the motel has a dedicated shuttle that runs regularly throughout the day.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Most of the Harbor hotel/motels are within walking distance ~ we love HoJo's - definitely bring a stroller for both your little ones, DD still uses a stroller @ Disney and she's 6!

 

[bumbershoot]

If you're looking at a map that shows the hotels on Harbor, look at where Tropicana, BW Park Place Inn, even Carousel, are located. Those are just about as across from the entrance plaza as you can get.

And if you really map it out (I did using mapmyrun), even DLH and PPH are further away from the center of the Esplanade than, for specific example, Tropicana is. Not to mention, the lines at the ticket booths and bag check on the Harbor side are, in my experience, much much shorter (especially before and for about an hour after parking opening) than the DTD side!

HoJo is my fave, so far, of the offsites, it's nowhere near as far away as it seems on the maps, and it's maybe just a couple minutes further away than the Carousel is.


OH, and if you get the *wrong* room at the Grand, like we did last October, you'd be closer staying on Harbor!

 

[HydroGuy]

Helpful Hotel Links

"How Far Is It?" (shows actual distances in feet from hotels to DLR entrance plaza) www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=mm060329as

"Walking Distance Accommodations" (shows hotels within walking distance) http://www.mouseplanet.com/dtp/maps/...g_distance_map

"Accomodations Near Disney" - http://www.accommodationsneardisney....nd/default.asp

Anaheim Resort Map - http://www.disboards.com/showpost.ph...84&postcount=1

Interactive Map of DLR - http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.809...2&z=19&l=0&m=b