Parking

[Mom2Joce]

Is this just silly/stupid?
We are staying at HoJo and I don't mind the walk but the kids are always complaining (especially at the end of the day).
We will have a rental car as I like to go to the grocery store, Disney Oulet's, beach, etc.
What if we parked and took the trams? I've NEVER done this but is it totally ridiculous?

 

[Rescue Pooh]

My dad and I parked in the structure one day and took the tram. The tram drops you off around the middle of Downtown Disney. Just be prepared for a little wait as there are a lot of people that take the tram to and from the parking structure. The price to park in the structure was $17.

 

[gary1955]

no reason why you can't use the parking lots. I do this if I know that I will buying something and I don't want to carry it back to the hotel. or if I want to use the car as a "locker"

keep in mind that if you park in the Mickey and Friends structure and you get the farthest corner of the floor from the escalators, the walk to the to the tram and from the tram to the entrance is probably longer than the walk to HoJo.

the Toy Story lot has less of a walk to the farthest parking spot to the bus loading area but not by much.

also, if you arrive or leave during peak periods there will be a wait to load the trams or buses. the buses do seem to be a little quicker.

 

[hjgaus]

Is this just silly/stupid?
We are staying at HoJo and I don't mind the walk but the kids are always complaining (especially at the end of the day).
We will have a rental car as I like to go to the grocery store, Disney Oulet's, beach, etc.
What if we parked and took the trams? I've NEVER done this but is it totally ridiculous?

Why would it be ridiculous? Unless paying for parking is more of a problem than hearing some tired & whining kids.

It is really whatever works outs best for your family!
We live local but on occasions we stay close off property but never walk.
Also we have AP's which include parking fees so this is not an issue for us just
pure laziness !!
I'm sure you'll make the best choice for you and your family!!
Have a great time!!!

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Is this just silly/stupid?
We are staying at HoJo and I don't mind the walk but the kids are always complaining (especially at the end of the day).
We will have a rental car as I like to go to the grocery store, Disney Oulet's, beach, etc.
What if we parked and took the trams? I've NEVER done this but is it totally ridiculous?

I've done HoJo a lot. Easier/cheaper/(probably faster) is to take the ART bus which stops right out front. You can purchase day or multi-day tickets from the front desk.

 

[Mom2Joce]

no reason why you can't use the parking lots. I do this if I know that I will buying something and I don't want to carry it back to the hotel. or if I want to use the car as a "locker"

keep in mind that if you park in the Mickey and Friends structure and you get the farthest corner of the floor from the escalators, the walk to the to the tram and from the tram to the entrance is probably longer than the walk to HoJo.

the Toy Story lot has less of a walk to the farthest parking spot to the bus loading area but not by much.

also, if you arrive or leave during peak periods there will be a wait to load the trams or buses. the buses do seem to be a little quicker.

Thanks, I've never used TS lot, will have to try that

 

[Mom2Joce]

I've done HoJo a lot. Easier/cheaper/(probably faster) is to take the ART bus which stops right out front. You can purchase day or multi-day tickets from the front desk.

Will look into that. Have you actually used this method? Is there a ton of waiting?

 

[Mom2Joce]

Why would it be ridiculous? Unless paying for parking is more of a problem than hearing some tired & whining kids.

It is really whatever works outs best for your family!
We live local but on occasions we stay close off property but never walk.
Also we have AP's which include parking fees so this is not an issue for us just
pure laziness !!
I'm sure you'll make the best choice for you and your family!!
Have a great time!!!

Oh thanks so much You get me...I thought I'd get a ton of "OMG, why would you do that!!!" responses!! Thanks!!

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Will look into that. Have you actually used this method? Is there a ton of waiting?

We have. The ART buses run about every 20 minutes. There's a pair of nicely shaded benches in front of HoJo to wait. The ride is about 5 minutes. We haven't taken it back from the parks, though, just to the parks.

 

[Mom2Joce]

We have. The ART buses run about every 20 minutes. There's a pair of nicely shaded benches in front of HoJo to wait. The ride is about 5 minutes. We haven't taken it back from the parks, though, just to the parks.

PERFECT!!! We are there 5 days so lots of time I'm going to do this!!!
Thanks a ton!!

 

[superlarz]

Parking can take a long time and can be a long walk. You dont get much choice in where to park early in the day. I would consider a cab is your party is 2-4 people

 

[Mom2Joce]

I did not know cabs would take us so close...hehehe...unless they take the longest possible route to get there...lol
Are there cabs waiting at night to get back?
How much is it?
Lol, I'm seriously laughing right now!

 

[GatorChris]

It seems like the walk to the tram, then being on your feet waiting for the tram, then walking from the tram to your car and then from your car to the room...all seems like even more time on your feet. I'm not sure how long a walk it is, but I'll know this November.

 

[Mom2Joce]

I'm actually curious about a few of these scenarios and might try them all this trip. I have 5 park days and only 3 nights at HoJo so I'm still in a mission to find lodging for sat, sun and mon nights

 

[samserena]

We've never parked at DLR before, what do you recommend for our first time parking?
Is there a particular lot we should park in? (Don't mind walking). What street is it off? Should we pre-purchase on way.com?

Thanks!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

@OP: if you haven't already purchased your tickets, try AAA. Multi day tickets through AAA come with parking included (and often have a nice discount price, too).

@SamSerena: which parking lot is best for you depends on where your hotel is located, whether escalators and elevators will be a problem (e.g. multiple strollers, or guests with vertigo or mobility issues, etc.). If you want to avoid escalators and elevators, then Toy Story is the answer. TS has shuttles and Mickey & Friends has trams. If you will be coming to DLR from south of the parks, then TS will be closer for you. If not, then M&F might work better.

You might want to ask your question about first timers in a separate thread so that you get more answers. Your question might get overlooked in this thread.

 

[samserena]

@OP: if you haven't already purchased your tickets, try AAA. Multi day tickets through AAA come with parking included (and often have a nice discount price, too).

@SamSerena: which parking lot is best for you depends on where your hotel is located, whether escalators and elevators will be a problem (e.g. multiple strollers, or guests with vertigo or mobility issues, etc.). If you want to avoid escalators and elevators, then Toy Story is the answer. TS has shuttles and Mickey & Friends has trams. If you will be coming to DLR from south of the parks, then TS will be closer for you. If not, then M&F might work better.

You might want to ask your question about first timers in a separate thread so that you get more answers. Your question might get overlooked in this thread.

In oct we'll be staying at Super 8 on W Katella - i wonder if we can leave the car there... if not, that would be on the TS side?

In nov we'll be coming from LA so that would be the Mickey & Friends side?

Not fussed re escalators and elevators etc

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Is your hotel (Super 8) on the ART line? If so, I would use that since walking to TS would take you in the opposite direction from the parks, then you would have to board a shuttle to get to the parks. Depending on how you define a short or long walk, your hotel is not unwalkable. Coming from L.A., you would be on the M&F side.