Parking vs Shuttle

[scrappingpickle]

I have searched the forum and can't really find the answer. We are staying way off site and using hubby's rewards points. Staying close to DLR isn't an option since we won't have enough points and I can't justify spending the money when we can stay for free. Which is a better option, driving and parking or taking the shuttle (art?)? I know that on an older thread someone said that it took them an extra hour to get into the park by parking at mickey and friends. Is that still the case?
TIA

 

[DahliaRW]

It probably depends on what shuttle route you are on and how far out you are.

We stayed at the RI down in Garden Grove a few years back. The shuttle went straight down harbour to the park and it wasn't bad. The only drawback was having to be on their schedule (it came every half hour I believe).

We drove one morning and it took us 15-20 minutes just to get from where you start to enter the garage to the person you pay and then to park. Plus then you have to take the tram. I don't know if this is typical or not, but it can eat up your time.

The other option, if you aren't with children who need car seats, is to just take a cab.

 

[scrappingpickle]

We will actually be at a Fairfield in Buena Park. We do have kids with carseats (4 of them) so I don't think a taxi will work.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

Thanks for this info. I was considering staying at the Ayers which is 2 miles away. They have a shuttle but it doesn't go back/forth all day. I can get free parking from AAA. I never would have thought it would take so long to park and then take the tram to the gate.

As for the taxi:

• None of the shuttle buses or ART have carseats either. During our visit in June my DS's were 2 and 6 months. They sat on our laps for the 1 mile drive to the park. I just told myself that school buses don't have seat belts or carseats either.
• One morning we took a town car because our breakfast w/ Minnie started before the shuttle could get us there. I may get 101 nasty grams about this but we didn't use a car seat that morning either. It made me nervous but my husband reminded me that we had been taking the shuttle for the last days w/o as well. The hotel made arrangements for the car. They had a contract and a special rate. It was a flat $8 to the park which I didn't think was bad considering if we drove our car it would have to pay $15 for parking. You could always call the hotel and see what they offer. Maybe you can get a discount if you make arrangements for every day.

 

[Pinocchio #1 Fan]

There is the Toy Story lot on Harbor blvd, across the street from the Hilton. It take much less time to take the bus from there to the park. My wife and I park there every time it's open, as it takes much less time than parking in the Mickey and Friends lot.

 

[DahliaRW]

Thanks for this info. I was considering staying at the Ayers which is 2 miles away. They have a shuttle but it doesn't go back/forth all day. I can get free parking from AAA. I never would have thought it would take so long to park and then take the tram to the gate.

As for the taxi:

• None of the shuttle buses or ART have carseats either. During our visit in June my DS's were 2 and 6 months. They sat on our laps for the 1 mile drive to the park. I just told myself that school buses don't have seat belts or carseats either.
• One morning we took a town car because our breakfast w/ Minnie started before the shuttle could get us there. I may get 101 nasty grams about this but we didn't use a car seat that morning either. It made me nervous but my husband reminded me that we had been taking the shuttle for the last days w/o as well. The hotel made arrangements for the car. They had a contract and a special rate. It was a flat $8 to the park which I didn't think was bad considering if we drove our car it would have to pay $15 for parking. You could always call the hotel and see what they offer. Maybe you can get a discount if you make arrangements for every day.

Busses are actually considered safer forms of transportation than cars, which is why they don't need seat belts or car seats. They use compartmentalization in crashes. We've ridden several busses and shuttles with our children and have never felt unsafe, and I'm super paranoid about car seats!

 

[Quinnie]

I would do the same thing, so this is not a tsk, tsk, tsk post. However ..... Along with safety, you need to think long and hard about liability. If there is an accident and your child was supposed to be in a seat, but wasn't, you are criminally liable for their injuries/death ... EVEN if the accident is someone else's fault! I only say this because it has happened now to two people we know and love. As terrible as it would be to lose a child, now imagine losing a child and going to jail!

You need to know what the laws are and know that If you don't follow them, you are taking both a safety and a liability risk. Here in L.a. Buses and shuttle vans are not required to use car seats, but a sedan would be. I dontknow about taxis,, but I would guess, yes. So if I had to choose, I would take this into consideration and use a shuttle instead of a sedan for that reason alone. Prime time shuttle is one that can take you from any point a to any point b but wouldn't require car seats because their shuttle vans fall under the same classification as a bus.

 

[MyYearWithTheMouse]

The Anaheim Resort Transit (ART) shuttle doesn't go to Buena Park. Many area hotels have their own shuttles, but I don't believe the Fairfield in BP does (call and check with them). If there's no hotel-supplied shuttle, your options from there would be the city bus (OCTA), a taxi each way, a private shuttle or town car each way, or your own vehicle.

The Fairfield is pretty far away from the DLR. I mapped it on the OCTA site and it looks like the trip would take 51 minutes and one bus transfer. Unfortunately there's no bus that goes directly from your hotel to DLR .

As far as taxis go, your hotel is located in the triangle between the 5 freeway and the 91, west of the 91/5 split. The most direct route to the DLR would be the 91 freeway to the 5 freeway to DLR, or surface street to the 5 freeway to DLR. The taxi will most likely take one or both freeways.

A private shuttle could get pricey, and if you're concerned about time, then know that shuttles will give you a ballpark range for when they will arrive, which they usually do but you could get stuck standing there for a few minutes.

If this were me, I would take my own vehicle and park in the Toy Story Lot. Mickey and Friends can get backed up at the trams and sometimes you have to wait one or two trams before there's room. I generally count on 30 minutes from entering M&F to entering the park, slightly longer if there's a lot of people and few trams. My average time from parking lot entrance to park entrance from the Toy Story lot is about 10-15 minutes. So that's what I would do.

Hope that helps!!

 

[jlp879]

I don't think you have much of an option based on where you're staying.

The benefit of parking is that you can enter and re-enter the garage multiple times in one day for the same price if you're wanting to leave for an afternoon nap and a swim.

And if you were planning a shorter evening visit you can always park at the Downtown Disney lot free for three hours. That is much closer and you don't need to take a parking lot tram from there.

 

[skiingfast]

If this were me, I would take my own vehicle and park in the Toy Story Lot. Mickey and Friends can get backed up at the trams and sometimes you have to wait one or two trams before there's room. I generally count on 30 minutes from entering M&F to entering the park, slightly longer if there's a lot of people and few trams. My average time from parking lot entrance to park entrance from the Toy Story lot is about 10-15 minutes. So that's what I would do.

This is what I would do. M&F can take a while because it's a long walk to the trams from your parking spot and trams get crowded.

TS lot in comparison is super fast. Short or no line to pay at the gates, in a parking spot in a couple minutes, riding on a bus in a couple minutes, 5 or 10 minutes later you are off the bus 100 feet from the security checkpoint.


FWIW, once you pay to park at Disney, you can leave and return in the same day with the one payment, just show your reciept. Also you can switch lots during the day as well, no problems, just show your reciept.

 

[laneymd]

Parking can be tricky because if your new to Disneyland you might have difficulty getting around. You also have to take a shuttle from the parking lot to disneyland. I would try Prime Time Shuttle. I've used them several times to and from Disneyland with my family. They'll drop you off on the main street in front of Disneyland which then takes like 5min to walk to the front. You can also just schedule a pick up time that way there's no need to walk.

 

[MyYearWithTheMouse]

Parking can be tricky because if your new to Disneyland you might have difficulty getting around. You also have to take a shuttle from the parking lot to disneyland. I would try Prime Time Shuttle. I've used them several times to and from Disneyland with my family. They'll drop you off on the main street in front of Disneyland which then takes like 5min to walk to the front. You can also just schedule a pick up time that way there's no need to walk.

I disagree. Taking the 5 freeway, if you exit at Disneyland Drive it takes you directly to Mickey and Friends. To park in the Toy Story Lot, simply take the Harbor Blvd. exit (one exit past Disneyland Drive), bear right on Harbor Blvd., and drive down Harbor to the Toy Story Lot, which is well-marked and on the left. I really think you'd have to try pretty hard to get lost, particularly on the Disneyland Dr. exit. Coming from South of Disneyland is a bit trickier, but coming from the North and down the 5 it's extremely straightforward.

From Mickey and Friends you will take the tram or you could walk (it's 1/2 a mile). From Toy Story, you will take a bus which will take you directly to the entrance plaza. Hiring a private shuttle is certainly an option, but a pricey one and you lose your flexibility to go anywhere during the day if you want to leave the property.

 

[scrappingpickle]

Thanks everybody. Luckily I have a while to figure this out. It sounds like TS lot might be our best options. I am trying to figure out how to stay closer, but I am not having any luck.