My friend and I, who are planning our first trip to
Disneyland (!!!), are trying to figure out the deal with transportation. At WDW, if you stay on-site, you can board one of their shuttle busses. However (and please correct me if I'm wrong), it seems that there are no shuttles at the on-property hotels at the Disneyland Resort (although there are at some of the Good Neighbor hotels in the area??). If I'm reading this correctly, it seems that both of the parks are within walking distance from the hotels -- is this right? It also seems that the Disneyland Hotel is closer ... although Paradise Pier is cheaper. Is the time and accessability difference between Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier that different? Is there one you would recommend over the other? How far is this walking distance? And what do you do if it's raining?
Sorry to ask so many questions, but I'm really trying to get a feel for things in advance! Many thanks to all for your help!
There are three DLR hotels - DLH, PPH and GCH. They are all walkable to and from the parks, especially the GCH, which is the most expensive. That hotel has the best location with the closest proximity to the parks' entrance, but all three are walkable. No transportation necessary. When it's raining, people put on their ponchos or their warm gear and bring their umbrellas! It is not far - it's nothing at all like the layout at WDW. You will see. The entrances to DL and DCA literally face each other and are a two-minute walk across the esplanade.
From the GCH, you would turn at Libby Lu and onto Downtown Disney and walk through there to the parks. It's a nice walk because you get to soak in the atmosphere of DTD. From the DLH, you would walk straight onto DTD and all the way down, but it is a longer stretch of DTD than the stretch you turn onto from the GCH. Now the PPH is the furthest away
only IF you follow their signs to get to the parks. Don't do that unless you want the longer walk. However, if you take the "short cut" and walk through the front entrance/valet area of PPH, turn left and then cross the street directly to the GCH, you can cut through the GCH lobby, go to DTD and shave off time. None of the walks take any longer than 15 minutes, I would say, and no shorter than maybe 8 or 10 minutes. Totally manageable!
I like all three hotels for different reasons, and have stayed in all three. PPH is a good way to get a dose of the Disney magic at the cheapest rate, but it doesn't have the spacious, pretty grounds that DLH has, nor the elegance of the GCH. PPH is a really cute hotel, and it's bright, clean and shiny, but just very basic. There is a Surfer Goofy statue in the lobby, in keeping with the beach/surf/sun theme of the PPH. DLH is a bit worn, but for your FIRST stay at one of the hotels, I think you should go to DLH because it is the original. It has waterfalls, koi fish, a topiary Mickey bush, some Mickey statues here and there, Goofy's Kitchen, a nice gift shop or two, mini-remote controlled Jungle Cruise Boats, etc. GCH, again, is the closest and most conveniently located to the parks' entrances, but it is very expensive. It has its own entrance into DCA, which you can access even if you stay at DLH or PPH. GCH is the least Disney of all three hotels, and has the fewest Disney touches, but it is a beautiful hotel.
In my trip report (the link is in my signature below), I have pictures of our PPH room from December, as well as a recap of our bad PPH experience in October, and the good experience in December.
I have never taken the Disneyland Express or gone to DLR from the airport, but have heard the same things - that it is relatively inexpensive to take the Express. I didn't know about catching it at John Wayne, only LAX, but maybe it leaves out of both. Hopefully someone else who has used it can chime in here and fill you in on the info about the Disneyland Express and other transportation from the airport. That is not my area of expertise and I don't want to give you the wrong info!! All I know is that once you arrive at one of the DLR hotels, you won't need any transportation!! No buses or boats to worry about once you are there!!
