Parking question

[DsnyTxn]

We are staying at Embassy Suites South and had planned to use the ART shuttle, however, the earliest time it shows leaving the hotel is 6:20 am on days when DL opens at 8:00. For our non EE days this will work fine, but on EE days if we need to be at the gates 30 min. prior to 7:00am, the ART shuttle will not meet our needs. I have looked all over and can not find the times the Mickey & Friends parking structure opens. Does anyone know the time the parking structure opens? Does anyone know the cost of Taxi service from the Garden Grove area to DL? TIA. Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated!

 

[MateasMom]

I'm pretty sure it's always open. I lost my keys at DL once and had to hitch a ride home and back down there and it was probably 4ish in the morning and I was able to get in and get my car. It was a couple of years ago so I don't remember exact details, but remember being stressed about it (even after security told me it would be cool) and being relieved when we got all the way back down there and were able to get into/out of the structure.

 

[HydroGuy]

M&F opens 30 minutes before the park opens. If there is EE, it is 30 minutes before EE. Unless everything goes just right, it will take you at least 30 minutes to get to the DL gate once you reach the M&F parking structure. Possibly over 60 minutes. This is one of the reasons I recommend against driving your car to DLR. See:

Hidden Time Losses When Using a Car At DLR
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1381580

Don't know how much a taxi will cost from GG. You should call a local GG hotel.

 

[DsnyTxn]

OK. Thank you for all your replies. Now we have another problem! So we finally decided to take a taxi for our EE day only and then remembered our 3yo DS (OOPS!) Can you call the Taxi company ahead of time and request a car seat or what? Does anyone know if car seats are even available in taxis? Since the embassy suites is quite a few blocks away, walking is not going to be an option. Any help/suggestions you can give us would be great!

 

[CalGal]

Awhile back - in peak busy season (early August), I hit Mickey and Friends a couple of minutes before opening (6:30 AM) -- made it to the gates in less than 15 minutes, and was one of the first guests through the castle and on to Peter Pan for EE. They may have opened the parking structure a few minutes early. As one of the first guests, we didn't have to park in the structure itself, but rather next to where the trams load. The tram loaded and took off quickly. Mind you, we walked fast from the car to the tram, and from the tram so we beat most of the other guests to the security area. I think the 30 minutes or more that HydroGuy warns about is more likely to be a bit later in the day when you end up having to park on a high level, far from the elevators, and aren't able to get on the first tram.

Nevertheless, you certainly won't be able to get to the gates by 6:30 and I'm not sure if the ART will get you there any sooner since it will be picking up a couple of other hotels.

 

[MateasMom]

You probably don't *need* a carseat in a cab. I've actually never taken a cab in CA LOL since I live here, but most states excludes mass transit (cabs, buses) from carseat laws. I still wouldn't do it, but I know most people would.

 

[KelsiesMommy]

When my brother and our family stayed at Embassy Suites last summer, he said ART didn't stop anywhere else but that hotel (and the 2 right next to it- but one stop). He beat us by a landslide (we drove with a van full of lunch and change of clothes and stuff for the day)