How to get to Disneyland from Grand Californian

[44disney]

Hi! I am a WDW veteran but have never been to DL. We are going for 2 days in June, spending the day we arrive at CA and then the next at Disneyland. I was wondering if you can get there from the Grand Californian Hotel by taking the monorail at downtown Disney to Tomorrowland BEFORE the park opens, so we can be there at park opening.

Any other advice would be great!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I think it is closer to walk to Disneyland from the Grand Californian than it is to walk to the Monorail. The map below isn't to scale, but it includes Disneyland, and across the Esplanade is California Adventure. The green roofed buildings would be the Grand Californian Hotel. The tall building above the words Disneyland Drive is the Paradise Pier Hotel, and the complex next to the tall "wizard hat" entrance is the Disneyland Hotel. The walkway with the shops from the two parks all the way to the Disneyland Hotel is Downtown Disney - the monorail station is next to the temple like building - Rainforest Cafe.

 

[lark]

Hi! I am a WDW veteran but have never been to DL. We are going for 2 days in June, spending the day we arrive at CA and then the next at Disneyland. I was wondering if you can get there from the Grand Californian Hotel by taking the monorail at downtown Disney to Tomorrowland BEFORE the park opens, so we can be there at park opening.

Any other advice would be great!

I don't know how it works every day, but when we were there last, the official park opening time for DL was 9:00. They did not start letting people even up to the monorail platform until 9:00, and they do a regular park entrance procedure at the monorail gate (checking bags, scanning passes, etc.) so it took about 10 minutes for the train to fill and depart the station. The turnstyles opened at 8:40, though, so by the time the monorail pulled into the station, others had already been in the park for a half hour.

As I said, I don't know if it works like this every day, but I think if it's crucial to you to be part of the very earliest crowd to get to tomorrowland, you're better off waiting at the turnstyles and high tailing it over there.

 

[momzilla59]

Hi! I am a WDW veteran but have never been to DL. We are going for 2 days in June, spending the day we arrive at CA and then the next at Disneyland. I was wondering if you can get there from the Grand Californian Hotel by taking the monorail at downtown Disney to Tomorrowland BEFORE the park opens, so we can be there at park opening.

Any other advice would be great!

Don't let your experiences with WDW distances throw you off. Things are Very much more compact at DL. It would be a longer walk to get to the monorail station than to walk across the way to the DL gates from GC. At DL the monorail is an E ticket attraction and the exit is inside of the park itself. I have read posts on other boards that have said they were not allowed to dispatch into the park until after the official opening time, sometimes not getting to leave the station until 10 minutes after the front gates opening.

Hope that helps somewhat. (miceage.com seems to be a bit more DL oriented, check them out too! )

 

[BriarRosie]

I'd say it'd be better to walk it. The distance is equivalent of walking
to Epcot from the Epcot resorts.

The DL monorail isn't meant to be a form of transportation as WDW's monorail
system....more of an attraction.

I'm staying at the GC for the 50th celebration. I'm really looking forward to
it!

 

[Itinkso]

It's much faster to walk. From the lobby of GC, follow the signs to DTD/DL and you will exit right into DTD without having to walk around the front of GC. When DL gets busy then walk over to DCA. You can exit DCA directly into GC.

 

[DonnettaR]

What do you suggest from DLH?

 

[diznefan76]

We go to DL almost every year and stay at the Grand California.....we find it easier to just walk to DL in the morning....plus I love to walk through the front gates and see that Mickey head full of flowers beneath the Railroad station....and then walk down Main Street. It's the perfect way to start the day at DL!!! Plus, there are more characters out by the Main gate versus Tommorowland.....

Side note to that.....if you want to go to Mickey's Toontown early in the morning (lots of characters are out in the morning, one time we were there just as Toontown opened and Mickey was playing with Pluto! It was sooooo cute!) I would take the monorail. I find it quicker than running down Main Street, through Fantasyland and into Mickey's Toontown!

 

[Itinkso]

From DLH, I would still suggest getting to the Maingate before the park opens and walking quickly to your first choice ride. It takes a while to load/unload the Monorail which would put you a few minutes behind the Maingaters.

 

[Mom2Joce]

Regarding Toon Town do you think this would work?

I was thinking about getting to the front gate before the park opened of course, then getting on the train, taking us over to toon town, think that would be a good way of getting over there quickly?

 

[Itinkso]

I would still walk. Go down Main Street and turn right onto the walkway before you get to the castle. It's the walkway that runs between Alice and the Matterhorn. This way you don't have to walk through all of Fantasyland. The train takes awhile to load and then will stop in New Orleans Square.

 

[kimkatmom]

First, you walk out the Downtown Disney gates of the hotel. Then you have two options, left to the Monorail, or right to the main entrance of Disneyland. Either one will take less than a minute to get to.

Hope this helps,


P.S. If you feel the need to take a taxi, go out the front door of the hotel.

 

[sierranevada]

Walking to DL is faster. One hint, depending on where your room is, it may be quick to go down the stairs than all the way to the elevators to the lobby. Especially true if you are DTD side.

 

[Mom2Joce]

Wow, I thought the train would really be the fastest!! Thanks for the tips