Monorail and Grand Californian

[dudspizza]

Can I ride the monorail if I am not staying at a Disneyland hotel? If so, can anyone get into California Adventure through the Grand Californian or would we have to go to the main gates if we ware staying off site?

Thanks.

Duds

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Can I ride the monorail if I am not staying at a Disneyland hotel? If so, can anyone get into California Adventure through the Grand Californian or would we have to go to the main gates if we ware staying off site?

Thanks.

Duds

The only requirement for riding the monorail is valid admission to the park as you will be required to present your park tickets to board. Also, I have read that the monorail is restricted to only resort hotel guests when Disneyland first opens in the morning. I think that's supposed to be the first 1/2 hour to hour or so, but I haven't read any recent info on this. The monorail is an attraction more than a mode of transportation. It travels in a loop through Disneyland, DCA, and DtD but has stops only in Tomorrowland in Disneyland and at the end of DtD.

As for the Grand Californian entrance, that is restricted to only resort hotel guests in the early morning. Usually after 11 AM or so, non-resort hotel guests have been able to get into DCA through that entrance. They do have a permanent sign installed at that entrance though saying the entrance is for resort hotel guests only, so Disney always has the prerogative to enforce that if they choose to do so even if they haven't been before. I wouldn't be surprised if this entrance becomes a bit more restrictive at least for a while when the DCA remodel is complete and Carsland is open.

 

[gmi3804]

You can certainly ride the monorail, but you'll need park admission to do it.

The DCA entrance from GC can be used by anyone during regular park hours. It's reserved for DLR guests exclusively from 9AM to 10AM daily. Some have reported about non-guests being able to use this entrance during that hour as well if they produced a breakfast receipt from that morning from a GC restaurant. YMMV.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

The DCA entrance from GC can be used by anyone during regular park hours. It's reserved for DLR guests exclusively from 9AM to 10AM daily. Some have reported about non-guests being able to use this entrance during that hour as well if they produced a breakfast receipt from that morning from a GC restaurant. YMMV.

We have also seen them checking hotel keys still after 10 AM, so maybe this is inconsistent? We have successfully entered before 10 AM without hotel keys but with a receipt from the Storyteller's Breakfast. The first CM we asked didn't know whether we would be allowed to enter there but asked her lead who checked our receipt and was happy to let us through. This was last February; I don't know if this practice has changed since.

 

[dudspizza]

We are planning to start our day at DL and then hop to CA. We have never been on the monorail in California (though tons of times in Fla), so would like to try it. I was thinking we could ride it when we want to hop to CA.

Duds

 

[sonnyjane]

We are planning to start our day at DL and then hop to CA. We have never been on the monorail in California (though tons of times in Fla), so would like to try it. I was thinking we could ride it when we want to hop to CA.

Duds

The monorail doesn't stop in CA. It goes from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney and back. If you want to get from DL to CA, it's fastest to just walk across the esplanade... from gate to gate it's about 90 seconds

 

[blackjackdelta]

I have watched them check keys up until noon or so during our August stays, last year the line at 0900 went from the entrance, down to the pool gate and back to NR. You can exit thru that entrance at any time after opening.

Jack

 

[jdb in AZ]

The monorail in WDW is an important means of transportation from park to park. The monorail in Disneyland is a much smaller transport, basically just a ride from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney.

 

[Eclectic Goddess]

I'll say this for the Monorail...It's a great way to get into and out of the park when you know Main Street will be packed, such as before and after fireworks and parades. One year my friend and I split up so I could go on Space Mountain one last time. She got caught in the crowd, but I hopped the Monorail after riding SM and beat her back to GC by almost half an hour!

 

[DebbieB]

FYI - the monorail closes at park closing time. We watched the Memories show at Small World at park closing time and thought we would hop the monorail back to Downtown Disney but it was closed. It's not like WDW where it stays open after closing.

 

[Geemo]

If you are trying to save steps when going from one park to the next, there isn't a ride to get you there. We have decided to leave DL and go over to CA when we have been at the very back of DL. Knowing it's a long walk, we will hop on the train and ride it to the entrance of DL to save a little energy. Then it's a short walk over to CA.

 

[bumbershoot]

The monorail doesn't stop in CA. It goes from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney and back. If you want to get from DL to CA, it's fastest to just walk across the esplanade... from gate to gate it's about 90 seconds

Definitely.

If you take the monorail, you get off next to Rainforest Cafe (just one big building from the very end of downtown disney), walk more than halfway through DTD, go alllll the way through the Grand, through the lobby, through the winding outside passageways until you get to the DCA entrance....much much longer than walking from entrance to entrance of the parks.

Of course, if you want to go to Lego Store or RFC or ESPN Zone, it's a GREAT way to get from Tomorrowland to those places!

If you are trying to save steps when going from one park to the next, there isn't a ride to get you there. We have decided to leave DL and go over to CA when we have been at the very back of DL. Knowing it's a long walk, we will hop on the train and ride it to the entrance of DL to save a little energy. Then it's a short walk over to CA.

Yes, good idea! Though...it's important to take note if any stations are closed that day. On our recent trip they closed tomorrowland station the day after we'd just used it, and it was very frustrating!

 

[Dramamama]

A little known fact is . . . If you are staying at GC, PP, or, DLH you can use your room key as a kind of a "fast pass" to get on the monorail in tomorrowland. Just go through the exit and tell the cast member. It doesn't work the other direction.

 

[Eclectic Goddess]

A little known fact is . . . If you are staying at GC, PP, or, DLH you can use your room key as a kind of a "fast pass" to get on the monorail in tomorrowland. Just go through the exit and tell the cast member. It doesn't work the other direction.

Oh, I'm going to keep that in mind! Thanks for the tip!