Shuttle to park from hotel?

[ClaraOswald]

We have always stayed within walking distance to bear with me here....

If were were to stay at a hotel NOT within walking distance...when the hotel website mentions a "shuttle"...are they referring to ART?

I went to the ART website and I have to admit...I found it confusing. Maybe because I have basically no experience with public transit.

If I were to stay at the Homewood Suites on Harbor (near Target)...how exactly would taking the shuttle to and from the park work?

Does it arrive/depart at certain times?
How long is the ride?
Does it make a million stops?

I am just trying to figure out how big of a hassle this would be with a 3 year old and a stroller. Especially if we are wanting to take a mid-day break.

Would have have to store the stroller under the bus or what?

Any help would be appreciated. I know I started a thread about this last year but I am still confused. Ha!

 

[seth_r]

It really depends on the hotel. If the hotel offers it then it's usually their own shuttle. Which would have their own departure times and arrival times. Usually every 15 minutes or so. As far as strollers goes, I understand as long as you fold it up and out of the walk way it's fine.

 

[tlovesdis]

Very few hotels have their own shuttle anymore, most use ART. If it's a hotel on Harbor, ART is easy, you just hop on and it will eventually get to Disneyland. There will be stops along the way as it is a city run bus and it stops at other hotels. ART is $5 a day, I believe, at least it was last time we used it in January.

I'm not sure about the stroller on ART.

 

[Angrose]

I would call the hotel and ask them specifically if their shuttle is ART or their own. I have only seen a few hotels that have their own shuttles, Candy Cane Inn and the Majestic hotel.

I have contemplated staying at the new Homewood Suites as well. I think a lot of people walk to the Toy Story parking lot and take the shuttle from there. On google maps it looks like it's a very short (5min?) walk to the shuttles, which apparently run continuously.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[ClaraOswald]

I was actually looking at the Homewood Suites that is farther south (Chapman and Harbor) because it's cheaper than the one by the Toy Story lot.

 

[gareth125]

If it is the Homewood Suites, the shuttle show ups up at 15 minutes and 45 minutes after the hour. It is a shuttle that only has Homewood and the Marriott Suites next door on it. The ride is probably about 10 minutes. As for strollers, the buses normally leave an empty seat to put them in. They have to be folded up though. This shuttle is run by PCA. They do most of the routes for Garden Grove hotels. I have stayed at Homewood many times, and this is how it was when we went.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Thanks. That ride doesn't sound too bad at all. Probably shorter than using ART then, I imagine.

What are your thoughts on the hotel, itself? The good, the bad, and the ugly?

 

[gareth125]

I don't have many complaints about it. Sometimes the breakfast can be limited, but as we try to get to rope drop, that isn't a big deal. The elevators can be a little slow. Otherwise, no major complaints at all. We like staying there.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Thanks. That ride doesn't sound too bad at all. Probably shorter than using ART then, I imagine.

What are your thoughts on the hotel, itself? The good, the bad, and the ugly?

We've stayed at a hotel with a baby that had the 2x an hour shuttle. It was terror for us. So hard to work around kids schedules. Toy story they're no stop from what I understand. Or you can walk for 10 min.

You can check out Camelot as well. 7 min walk.

 

[ClaraOswald]

We actually have the Desert Inn booked right now which is where we stayed in 2015. But we're exploring other options as well. I just can't decide where I want to stay. Every place seems to have their own pros and cons.

Our son will be 3 on our trip and we don't really have any set schedule, per se. I suspect it will all be out the window on vacation anyway.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Desert Inn
Pros - walking distance, good past experience
Cons - uncomfortable beds (which concerns me more now that I have been diagnosed with RA), not great breakfast

Homewood Suites
Pros - possibly better beds, full kitchen (not sure we'd use it though), better breakfast
Cons - shuttle, layout iffy with toddler (not sure I trust him sleeping in a room with a full kitchen), smidge more expensive

 

[smartlabelprint]

Desert Inn
Pros - walking distance, good past experience
Cons - uncomfortable beds (which concerns me more now that I have been diagnosed with RA), not great breakfast

Homewood Suites
Pros - possibly better beds, full kitchen (not sure we'd use it though), better breakfast
Cons - shuttle, layout iffy with toddler (not sure I trust him sleeping in a room with a full kitchen), smidge more expensive

If you're going Homewood suites that's so far away I might just look at the doubletree orange. We've stayed there and they have a private decicated shuttle. They're cheaper. I've stayed at another I think crowned plaza with shuttle. Didn't like it.

 

[row]

I remember reading that shuttle service is limited for the DoubleTree. Something like it only runs once an hour and the first shuttle back in the afternoon isn't until 2pm.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Good to know about the Double tree shuttle. That wouldn't work for us. I believe the shuttle at Homewood Suites is a dedicated one. Not sure how busy or crowded the buses would be though.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Row, which DoubleTree? There are many in the area.

As for the shuttle system in general, here are the basic points. As part of the agreement made by Disney with the city and others in the 1990's, many changes were made to an area that became the "Anaheim Resort District". Improvements in signage, landscaping, roads and yes, shuttles. The city formed something called the "Anaheim Transporation Network". This runs the ART system, which is designed to reduce traffic in the area, and improve air quality. Hotels/Motels had a choice, either join and stop your own shuttles (preferred) or be grandfathered with the fact that any major Building Permit request would require them to switch and pay additional costs. Only two hotel in the district opted for the Grandfathering, the Candy Cane Inn and the Magistic (former Sheraton Anaheim). That is why they get to run them. Any new hotel built has to use ART in the District. Those located in other cities such as Garden Grove can opt to join ART or operate their own shuttle (or share it with a few other Hotels).

And Disney got an agreement that so long as they do not run Shuttles on city streets, they wouldn't have to join ART, and one of the reasons why they don't offer shuttles from their Hotels. Ironically, they did agree to join ART, as the Toy Story Shuttle Buses is actually ART Route 20.

ART's goal is to have most routes run on a 20 minute cycle and tries to group Hotels/Motels near the park in groups to meet that goal. Alas, some routes have to be longer due to the longer distances involved.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Ok, the Double Tree on Harbor, just south of the Convention Center in Anaheim is part of ART Route 1, and runs every 20 minutes, from prior to park opening to after park closings.

It seems like it is the DoubleTree in the city of Orange on City Drive near the Outlets of Orange that runs its own shuttle and is limited.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Ok, the Double Tree on Harbor, just south of the Convention Center in Anaheim is part of ART Route 1, and runs every 20 minutes, from prior to park opening to after park closings.

It seems like it is the DoubleTree in the city of Orange on City Drive near the Outlets of Orange that runs its own shuttle and is limited.

I'd ask the hotel the schedule before ruling it out. It's nice being by the orange mall or whatever it's called now.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Row, which DoubleTree? There are many in the area.

As for the shuttle system in general, here are the basic points. As part of the agreement made by Disney with the city and others in the 1990's, many changes were made to an area that became the "Anaheim Resort District". Improvements in signage, landscaping, roads and yes, shuttles. The city formed something called the "Anaheim Transporation Network". This runs the ART system, which is designed to reduce traffic in the area, and improve air quality. Hotels/Motels had a choice, either join and stop your own shuttles (preferred) or be grandfathered with the fact that any major Building Permit request would require them to switch and pay additional costs. Only two hotel in the district opted for the Grandfathering, the Candy Cane Inn and the Magistic (former Sheraton Anaheim). That is why they get to run them. Any new hotel built has to use ART in the District. Those located in other cities such as Garden Grove can opt to join ART or operate their own shuttle (or share it with a few other Hotels).

And Disney got an agreement that so long as they do not run Shuttles on city streets, they wouldn't have to join ART, and one of the reasons why they don't offer shuttles from their Hotels. Ironically, they did agree to join ART, as the Toy Story Shuttle Buses is actually ART Route 20.

ART's goal is to have most routes run on a 20 minute cycle and tries to group Hotels/Motels near the park in groups to meet that goal. Alas, some routes have to be longer due to the longer distances involved.

That seems to contradict what others have said about Homewood Suites having a non-ART shuttle. And what their website says as well...(slightly more expensive than ART)
http://www.homewoodsuitesanaheim.com/disneyland-information.html

ETA - Oh wait. Just realized that the Homewood Suites I am looking at is technically in Garden Grove.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Yes many Hotels in the area that is not in the city of Anaheim like to use the words Anaheim and Disneyland, sometimes something like "near". So the Homewood Suites is one. Weird, but right across the street (Harbor Blvd) is the city of Anaheim. The border is actually in the middle of Harbor Boulevard, and if you go look, you will see a series of blue "Botts Dots" on the roadway that let law/fire enforcement know what city they are in. (West is Garden Grove, and East is Anaheim). This lets them figure out who is in charge in case of an accident, and since it is a very popular intersection (Harbor/Chapman) accidents do happen on a regular basis.

Also interesting to note, the city of Garden Grove recently raised its Hotel taxes to cover improvements in the area, and also gives some of it to the city of Anaheim and its tourist bureau to promote the area along with Anaheim.

Also, if you look at the official name of the DoubleTree located in the city of Orange, they call it "DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Anaheim-Orange County" and agree confusing.

The much closer DoubleTree's official name is "DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Anaheim Resort - Convention Center".

But then there are also many other Hotels in the area with multiple locations, such as Sheraton.

You need to double check and reserving the specific location you want to stay at.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...You can check out Camelot as well. 7 min walk.

Isn't the Camelot closing for the new parking structure/pedestrian bridge project? The OP isn't going until 2017 and the Camelot isn't taking any reservations past mid-October.

I think the Hilton hotels in Garden Grove (Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Embassy Suites) don't use ART, but share their own shuttle.