Parking @ DL: Toy Story Lot or Mickey & Friends?

[VandVsmama]

Hi DIS gang!

I'll be at DL for the day next Friday (11/4) and am driving in from Riverside. Does anyone have any preferences in terms of which parking lot - Mickey & Friends or the Toy Story lot? I'll be driving in from the 91 W freeway to the 57-S. I remember a DIS Unplugged podcast awhile ago in which Tony Spittel (I'm probably misspelling his last name) compared the parking lots, but I don't remember what the conclusion/recommendation was from that podcast.

I'm going to leave Riverside at 9:00 am, so I can avoid rush hour traffic, so the plan is to get to a DL parking lot at 10:00 am. I've parking in Toy Story before and our family thought it was really easy to get in and out of and we didn't have to wait for any buses or anything.

For any of you who have parked in Mickey & Friends, what are the pro's and con's in your opinion? Have you ever had instances in which you were redirected to Toy Story? Just curious.

 

[VandVsmama]

I found the podcast! http://www.disunplugged.com/2015/02/23/dis-unplugged-podcast-022215-disneyland-show/

According to the podcast, Mickey & Friends took 30 min, Toy Story took 20 min to the park entrance. And at the end of the day, Toy Story took a lot less time to get to the lot. I'm curious what other people's experience has been.

 

[ashley0139]

I prefer Mickey and Friends personally. The flyover from the 5 south makes it easy to get to. I find the tram to be a much more pleasant ride than the Toy Story buses when you are at the mercy of traffic and the route the bus takes. Plus, with M&F you have a good chance of being able to park in covered parking (unless you get the top). TS is all uncovered parking. Parking at M&F just feels like a Disney way to start a Disney day.

 

[Albort]

Are u single person going or with a group? The beauty of M&F is that you can walk it if it gets too crowded. Toy story lot is just too far. Last time i went to Toy Story lot, it took awhile for me to get to the park. :\

If your going by yourself, its quite easy to hop on to M&F tram.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I also prefer Mickey & Friends because I like to walk in through Downtown Disney.

 

[VandVsmama]

Going by myself, not with a group.

 

[Albort]

Going by myself, not with a group.

if that the case, hopping onto the shuttle will be super easy, there will always be a party of 4 and a seat next to them. You just might hit some traffic getting into the structure but thats about it.

 

[Darkbeer1]

OK, the main points.

The Mickey and friend Structure offer shade to most vehicles, and you would access it from the 91 west to the 5 south.

Toy Story is a single level lot, but as mentioned above,has fast entrance and exit times, and the Bus system (shuttle) is more efficient.

To access this lot from Riverside, I would take to the 91 to the 57 south to Katella Blvd west, and then a left on Harbor.

So Toy Story has better and faster access, and better Bus service (and easier to get to the pick up point).

So one a really hot day, I would opt for Mickey & Friends, otherwise Toy Story.

 

[disneyxica20]

we like that mickey and friends is a closer walk than toy story in case we don't feel like waiting for the tram. but generally, toy story is usually our first choice and we have been redirected there multiple times. Pros: it's one level, so no escalators to deal with, you just park and walk right over to the shuttle- fast and easy. it drops you off closer to the parks. you don't have to navigate through the downtown disney traffic on your way in if you don't want to.

 

[lalasmama]

I never drive, but have a soft spot for M&F as that's how I see the progress of Star Wars Land

 

[VandVsmama]

Parking out in the blazing sun isn't a big deal. I live in Arizona and getting into your car here at home in the summer is like stepping into the 7th circle of Hell. LOL. I can live with the uncovered parking. I really like DTD, so that's definitely a plus for parking at M&F.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Here are two marked maps, using the center area of each to the Main Entrance Plaza for comparison, for walking...

From Mickey and Friends... 0.82 of a mile...

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6978744

From Toy Story, 1.1 mile....

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6978745

 

[Mysteryincorp]

I like Toy Story better but I park in M and F if I feel like walking in and not waiting for tram/bus.

The toy story lot drops you off on the harbor side of the esplanade and i find the security line much quicker (unless you are there close to park opening) on this side.

 

[mousecrazy]

All the parking at Toy Story is within a reasonable walking distance to the bus stop. Can't say that about M and F...you're looking at a loooong walk if you are unlucky enough to be parked at the far end of the structure. I think I walked at least 15 minutes once just to get to the tram. I like Toy Story.

 

[only1mouse]

I like TS, however it's much easier to get to M&F because of the direct overpass...

 

[Darkbeer1]

I like TS, however it's much easier to get to M&F because of the direct overpass...

Well, that depends on where you are coming from....

From the main LA area going Southbound on I-5, and especially if you use the carpool lane, yes, exiting Disneyland Drive is great... AKA, Flyover.


Now if you are coming from Southern Orange County or San Diego going northbound to Disneyland on I-5, getting to the Mickey & Friends is a major pain it the butt, and using Toy Story is much easier. The special carpool lane places you on Disney Way.

From the west area (say the ocean) the average route is the 22 freeway, and most folks will then go up I-5 (northbound) and access to Toy Story is easier and what the signage says to do. Some opt to get off the 22 at Harbor and head north,which will take you to the Toy Story Lot.

From the inland area, a typical trip is the 91 freeway to the 57, and then taking Ball or Katella west to the parks.

So for those coming from the north of the DLR, the direct Flyover is great, but it isn't easy to access if coming from any other direction.

 

[only1mouse]

Well, that depends on where you are coming from....

From the main LA area going Southbound, as especially if you use the carpool lane, yes, exiting Disneyland Drive is great...


You are correct Darkbeer and I should have clarified. I come from Ventura County and south on the 5, so it's VERY easy from that direction, I've not come in from the NB direction.

 

[wowsmom]

I think another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes, they will close off access to Mickey & Friends to save spaces for later. I drove by there Friday morning on my way to Downtown Disney and it was just a bit before 11:00 and they had it blocked off and were diverting to Toy Story. This happened to my niece's friend back in August as well - and he'd come from the south, tried to go to M&F and got diverted to Toy Story and that was around 10:30-11:00 on a summer weekday.

 

[DLRExpert]

Toy Story Lot

Only use Mickey and Friends if you are there before the park opens or have an electric car.
I would also recommend walking to and from MnF as the tram line can be quite long.

ME

 

[cruisehopeful]

I like the Mickey and Friends lot. They have clean bathrooms there and if you don't feel like using the tram (which to me is like a park ride), you can easily walk. If you decide to go to Downtown Disney before or after the parks, it's much easier/quicker to get to your car.
Con: When you are first in line for the tram, everyone will shove ahead of you when the tram begins boarding and you can be stuck waiting for another tram.

I've been diverted to the Toy Story lot several times when trying to park at Mickey and Friends. I haven't had any problems catching a bus right away from that lot. I will stand in the bus coming and going - that gives me "cuts" in line past the people who only want a seat when the seats are all full. There are no public bathrooms here. If you need to use the bathroom when you park here, you have to take the bus to the parks, go through security and then walk to the other side of the entrance plaza where the restrooms are. That has been a real bummer for us after spending a couple hours in the car.
Cons: I've had long waits for the buses at the end of the day, even though they are running constantly. The parking lot feels sketchy late at night when there aren't any employees standing around.