If you were staying one mile to DL, would you walk or drive?

[bumbershoot]

One issue, which lot do you park in and where do they send you to park?

The walk from a far parking space at Mickey & Friends can be 1/3'rd of a mile each way to just get to the tram loading area, so say around 1/4 of a mile on average. And then about .15 of a mile to the tram loading area.

Toy Story is better but you could still be walking about 1/4 mile to catch the bus, and then the .15 of a mile to get from the drop off to the center point of the Entrance Plaza.

So I prefer walking to save time and hassle with the loading and unloading.

I agree!

Which hotel? Not all claims of "one mile" from DL are created equal!

Definitely.

1 mile away from the point where you would have to jump over the fence isn't 1 mile away.

 

[MillauFr]

Anyone who got stuck one of those traffic jams where it took them 45 minutes to get from Ball & Harbor to Mickey and Friends would never drive again. I can't see where driving would ever be faster than walking a mile.

 

[MillauFr]

1 mile away from the point where you would have to jump over the fence isn't 1 mile away.

Yes by that definition the Candy cane is 50 feet from California Adventure.

 

[Darkbeer1]

1 mile away from the point where you would have to jump over the fence isn't 1 mile away.

FYI, whenever I quote distances, I use a measure that a fellow reporter came up a long time ago, that is the walking path (not as the crow flies, but using well known paths/crosswalks, etc.) from the Front Lobby of the Hotel/Motel/Restaurant to the center star of the Esplanade/ticket booths. Now that can be a bit misleading, as some larger properties have multiple towers, etc. and you can get almost an extra 1/4 mile of walking if you are in the far back building.

Same as the parking lot distances I used, it looks at the actual pathway/sidewalk needed. For example, the Mickey and Friends structure has a large gap in the middle, so you have to walk around on the sides, to avoid the incoming cars and stay on walkable paths.

Walking distance is always hard, as what one person says is walkable, others say is too far, I do think the "about a mile" is a fair average definition.

Also, you have to take into consideration issues such as the walk from the Hotel Menage to the DLR, while it is 8/10th of a mile, you have to take into consideration, that you are going to walk over a bridge with a grade over the I-5 freeway, and even cross a couple of crosswalks without a traffic light control through a freeway on/off ramp. It makes the walk seem longer than most, since you do have the climb up the grade, and that there is basically nothing on the walkway, just the freeway and a Disneyland border fence, nothing really to see and take your mind off the walk. (Say compared to the PPH walk through Downtown Disney, where you can stop and grab a bite to eat, etc. Or just sit down and relax.

 

[bumbershoot]

FYI, whenever I quote distances, I use a measure that a fellow reporter came up a long time ago, that is the walking path (not as the crow flies, but using well known paths/crosswalks, etc.) from the Front Lobby of the Hotel/Motel/Restaurant to the center star of the Esplanade/ticket booths. Now that can be a bit misleading, as some larger properties have multiple towers, etc. and you can get almost an extra 1/4 mile of walking if you are in the far back building.

No worries, I wasn't referring to your measurements. Just the ones on hotel websites.

 

[MillauFr]

Now that can be a bit misleading, as some larger properties have multiple towers, etc. and you can get almost an extra 1/4 mile of walking if you are in the far back building.

Like the 1/2 mile from our room at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas to our car in the parking structure. Those resorts are YUGE...

 

[DizMe]

Definitely.

1 mile away from the point where you would have to jump over the fence isn't 1 mile away.

My sister and I discovered this the hard way when we tried to walk to a convenience store from DLH. The CMs told us all we had to do was "cut through that parking lot {pointing with 2 fingers}". Turns out the parking lot was for employees only and off limits to pedestrians like us. When we FINALLY found the store, we made the poor decision to go back to the hotel via Walnut--you can see the hotel right there!--but you can't actually ACCESS the hotel from that side. Suffice it to say it was a very, very, very long walk and not worth the money we saved on resort drink by buying our own bottle of rum

 

[jason41483]

Uber or drive. You'll walk anywhere between 6-12 miles going between parks or DTD, so save your feet!

 

[Darkbeer1]

Let's see, even in a decent case scenario, you have about a half mile of walking between the Tram and parking space if you drive.

So the same distance as staying at the Park Vue Inn or other nearby hotel.

So driving doesn't really save you much as picking a "walking distance" Hotel/Motel, all you are doing is wasting time and hassle and the parking fee.

IMHO, driving is not the answer, opt to walk or take a ART Shuttle (or similar), then also look at Taxis/Uber/Lyft, and the Theme Park parking lots as a last resort.

Even though I live less than 4 miles from the DLR, I will sometimes opt for a walking distance Hotel for a special event I am attending at the park. Much nicer, especially in the evening and opt to buy a couple of alcoholic drinks, no worries about getting a DUI.

 

[KeKy4]

I'm going to third using Uber! Probably $5 each way! Will drop you off right up front!

 

[Darkbeer1]

I am going to say a Taxi is easier, no need to book or use an app, just walk to Harbor and grab a cab and tell them your hotel. It might cost an extra dollar or two, but no waiting. Easy Peasy.

 

[hsmamato2]

Yeah, I guess it depends on which area the hotel is located.... last time we just walke up Katella, thru Gardenwak,and up/across south harbor to front gates.... to me anything from katella-south harbor is an easy walk, but crossing freeways,etc is another story

 

[Pamela M]

That's a good point. Last time, we were at Hampton Inn in Garden Grove which is a straight walk down busy Harbor. Next, I'll be at Peacock Suites which isn't as busy of a pedestrian walk and I'm not sure how sketchy it is at night. The shortest walk on google maps would take me past Motel 6, so maybe it isn't too bad.

You might want to look into using the ART Shuttles. That will be a walk from Peacock suites. I stayed at Marriott Residence Inn Maingate last year and for the $5 shuttle a day it was worth. I think Peacock suites is behind the Marriott I stayed at. It is walkable though. You might also want to check where the parking lots are for Disneyland- I think there is one close to those hotels.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Yeah, I guess it depends on which area the hotel is located.... last time we just walke up Katella, thru Gardenwak,and up/across south harbor to front gates.... to me anything from katella-south harbor is an easy walk, but crossing freeways,etc is another story

Yes, safety or at least the feeling of safety is important.

The city of Anaheim spends a lot of police dollars in the Resort Area (Heck, Hotel Taxes pay for it), so I personally wouldn't be worried.

But the feel of it can be just as important.

For example the walk on Disneyland Drive south of the PPH can be somewhat dark, and the sidewalk isn't straight in the area, so I can see not wanting to walk that way late at night.

Harbor Blvd is busy 24/7 and well lit, Disney Way and Katella are also good, though I would walk on the South side of Disney Way, and the north side of Katella due to the heavier traffic nd better lighting.

I have never counted the Hotels/Motels north of HoJo's and the I-5 freeway due to the "nothing is there" issues.

The Quality Inn on Manchester has become good due to the addition of the Courtyard and Holiday Inn Express adding traffic and lighting. It was a bit isolated when it was the Penny Sleeper Inn.

The good news, there are less Motels that I would say "don't stay there no matter what" over the last few years. About the only area I would say no to, the few Motels on the north side of the Katella CM parking lot, they just haven't kept up on remodeling. But there was a couple on West that used to be bad, but surprising got new owners/management and some are now highly rated.

 

[MillauFr]

I am going to say a Taxi is easier, no need to book or use an app, just walk to Harbor and grab a cab and tell them your hotel. It might cost an extra dollar or two, but no waiting. Easy Peasy.

After my last Taxi ride where they "tunneled" me and charged $28 from the McCarran Airport to the MGM I'll never take a taxi again. They are absolute crooks. I do not know why the taxi authority doesn't clean up the long hauling nonsense.

 

[Darkbeer1]

After my last Taxi ride where they "tunneled" me and charged $28 from the McCarran Airport to the MGM I'll never take a taxi again. They are absolute crooks. I do not know why the taxi authority doesn't clean up the long hauling nonsense.

Oh come on, we are talking about a couple of miles or so of driving, no long detours.

A taxi is sitting at the taxi stand on Harbor, or in front of many Hotels. You get in, say where you are going, and you are of.

If I want to take Uber/Lyft, first I have to get to the pick up point, then use my smart phone to order one, and then wait for the,

If I used a taxi, I am more than likely back at my Hotel before the other person is picked up.

It is one thing to look at long distances, but for a very short trip, a taxi is easier, and what is the fare difference, a dollar or two?

Then you have things like Flat Fares, such as a taxi from Long Beach Airport to Disneyland. Since you know you won't be overcharged, I would rather just jump in and go, instead of waiting.
I have also heard of Uber/Lyft horror stories, such as people missing their flights and not picked up as promised, and then the stuff you see on the news. I want my driver to be fingerprinted and have a security check, why does Uber/Lyft refuse and fight proposed laws to make that happen?

 

[MrJT]

DRIVE. You already walk so much while you are there. When I was there in July, when I would leave DL park, I would wish that there was a tram to the Grand Californian. My feet hurt that bad.

 

[egritz]

We did this 3x and walked each time (2 of the trips were 5-6 days in the park, 1 was only 3). The reason we chose to walk was bc my husband didn't want to deal with breaking down the stroller with the 2 kids since I don't pack light to save on food/water in the parks (though our option was using the ART bus, not driving and parking).
Also, some hotels have really crappy parking, so I wouldn't want to risk losing a parking spot at the hotel if we were returning late.
Can't wait for our next trip, we return to Harbor and a QUICK walk to/from the motel!

ETA one of the trips was Peacock Suites, that was 5 days in the parks, they only offer valet parking which will alleviate the worry about finding a parking space upon your return. The walks were LONG but I had some great shoes and surprisingly, it was the trip where my legs/feet hurt the least!

 

[Angel Ariel]

If you were staying one mile from the entrance plaza and you had a car and a signature AP (includes parking), would you walk or drive? Last time I walked because I figured it would take just as long to drive and park and shuttle in. The walk back felt really long after a long day at the park, though.

Staying somewhere else next time, but it's a mile away in a different direction.

Personally, I would drive or use ART. We stayed about a mile away back in 2009, and 2 days or so into our trip that walk back to the hotel at night just felt like it went on forever. I'd rather spend my time/energy walking in DLR, not back and forth from the hotel

 

[goooof1]

Driving adds layers of time and energy......traffic, parking, walking to the tram, walking from the tram, and of course waiting, etc. And that walking can be a considerable length depending on where you end up parking (and the trams do not pull up at the gates!) Do not underestimate the amount of time that will take up!