So if i want to be lazy.....

[msdaisy]

If we are PPH guests, and are paying $15 per day to park our rental at the hotel can we drive to one of the downtown disney parking lots and ride a shuttle or tram to the gates??? Or will we have to pay parking twice?

 

[junmatno]

I'm nit sure but you can walk right to the monorail and ride it in if u r feeling lazy? Also, cross the street to GC and walk through to the DcA entrance.

 

[sonnyjane]

If we are PPH guests, and are paying $15 per day to park our rental at the hotel can we drive to one of the downtown disney parking lots and ride a shuttle or tram to the gates??? Or will we have to pay parking twice?

I'm guessing you haven't been there before, have you? The PPH parking lot is basically the same distance as the parking garage (might even be closer)! From PPH, you'll want to walk (cut through the Grand Californian Hotel) and go through DTD to the esplanade (or you can go straight into California Adventure through GCH).

BUT if for some reason you still wanted to move your car, you would have to pay again.

 

[Geemo]

So if i want to be lazy.....

The distance is minimal to the amount of walking you'll be doing through out the parks.

Once you're there check a map. There are a few different ways to get to and from the parks. Look for the short cuts through the GC lobby. You can also save a few steps for DCA, using the GC entrance.

The monorail will be a life save when you want to return to the hotel from Tomorrowland.

To move from one land to the next in DL remember you can use the train.

There are many ways to save on steps throughout the day.

Geemo

 

[msdaisy]

I'm guessing you haven't been there before, have you? The PPH parking lot is basically the same distance as the parking garage (might even be closer)! From PPH, you'll want to walk (cut through the Grand Californian Hotel) and go through DTD to the esplanade (or you can go straight into California Adventure through GCH).

BUT if for some reason you still wanted to move your car, you would have to pay again.

No, we haven't been! All of this seems really easy at WDW!

I will have my elderly mother and two kids with me so I am trying to plan the logistics. We will either be at PPH or Sheraton Park. I am beginning to think it may be easier on my mom to stay at the Sheraton and ride ART?

Any advice would be great!

 

[DharmaLou]

I am beginning to think it may be easier on my mom to stay at the Sheraton and ride ART?

There would still be a decent walk from Harbor to the Esplanade with ART.

 

[scoker]

I agree with the pp that said that the walk from the hotel will be minimal compared to the amount of walking that is required throughout the day. The walks from the DLR hotels and most of the close hotels on harbor is about 10 minutes. The closest hotels on harbor are about a quarter of a mile walk. The DLH and PPH just over half a mile. I've ready posts of people that have worn pedometers in the park and report walking 10-13 miles a day in the parks. If mobility is an issue maybe a wheelchair or ECV rental might be a good solution.

Hope you work everything out for a great trip.

 

[msdaisy]

Well it seems to me that it is hard to be lazy at Disneyland! LOL

I know it sounds funny, but she does well in the park because she can stop and rest or take a break while waiting in line. I'm just thinking about a solid walk, and how that will pan out. I guess we could stop in downtown disney or in the grand if she needs to rest!

 

[sonnyjane]

OP, given the other current thread that discusses how many miles on average we walk in the parks each day, have you considered renting an ECV to make the trip easier?

 

[msdaisy]

OP, given the other current thread that discusses how many miles on average we walk in the parks each day, have you considered renting an ECV to make the trip easier?

I may consider it. She has made each trip with us to WDW, and she has done fine so far. But, that set up is so different. We usually stay on property and ride the bus to the park so she is not worn out before we get there. Then she is able to take her time once we get in the parks. She may sit at a bench while we ride then she will join us for the next ride. Maybe this will be about the same. Maybe I am just being a nervous Nelly.

 

[Geemo]

Well it seems to me that it is hard to be lazy at Disneyland! LOL

I know it sounds funny, but she does well in the park because she can stop and rest or take a break while waiting in line. I'm just thinking about a solid walk, and how that will pan out. I guess we could stop in downtown disney or in the grand if she needs to rest!

You might consider an off-site rental for a scooter or wheel chair. I have heard Deckert's has rentals. I've never used them so I can't speak to their services.

If staying on-site renting a wheel chair or scooter might be nice. If she gets tired during the day it would be easier to return to the room for a break.

Walking to PPH.... There are several places to sit and take a break. The chairs in GC are very comfy. On your first trip to DL from the PPH take note where the rest stops are.

I think you'll see it's manageable. Have a great time.

Geemo

 

[mouseymommy]

OP, if you rent an ECV your Mom may just like using it to get to the park, and then between lands. This is what we are hoping to do with my Dad in February. DH and I walked by the PPH on our way to Tiffy's restaurant. We walked through the GCH, and it was a very pleasant easy walk, though it may be long for somebody who has difficulty.

 

[8timesblessed]

The walk from where the buses drop you off at the Magic Kingdom is probably about the same walk from the Grand to the gates. Its not that much farther to cross the street to the PPH. It's an easy walk. If you think WDW is easy you will think DL is a piece of cake!

 

[msdaisy]

When you exit the Grand Californian into Downtown Disney, what shops or restaurants are you close to?

 

[Disney Dreams]

...All of this seems really easy at WDW!

Okay, I think it's a case of the familiar seeming easier. DH and I just returned from WDW about a month ago. All week long we kept commenting about how spread out and complicated WDW is compared to DLR. Of course it's much larger, but it just was so complex to get everywhere and everything is sooooooo spread out. DLR is not like that at all. Trust me, it's very easy.

I will have my elderly mother and two kids with me... I am beginning to think it may be easier on my mom to stay at the Sheraton and ride ART? Any advice would be great!

The walk from where the bus will drop you off is only slightly less than the walk from PPH. Really.

Well it seems to me that it is hard to be lazy at Disneyland! LOL

Again, it's NOTHING compared to WDW. Ex: When you get off a bus at the Magic Kingdom, you have to walk quite a distance still to get to the Main Entrance of the Park. That's from the shuttle drop off! I'd say the distance from the Grand CA, through DtD, to the Esplanade, to the Main Gate at Disneyland or DCA is the same distance. The PPH is just a bit further.

I know it sounds funny, but she does well in the park because she can stop and rest or take a break while waiting in line. I'm just thinking about a solid walk, and how that will pan out. I guess we could stop in downtown disney or in the grand if she needs to rest!

Doesn't sound funny at all --- and I think it's a great plan! How does she get from the bus drop off location at MK to the Main Gate?

...She has made each trip with us to WDW, and she has done fine so far. But, that set up is so different. We usually stay on property and ride the bus to the park so she is not worn out before we get there....

Again, that is a l-o-n-g walk compared to the layout at DLR.

The walk from where the buses drop you off at the Magic Kingdom is probably about the same walk from the Grand to the gates. Its not that much farther to cross the street to the PPH. It's an easy walk. If you think WDW is easy you will think DL is a piece of cake!

100% agree!

You'll be fine. Once you see it, you will realize everything at DLR is much closer and easier to get around than at WDW.

HTH,
Dreams

 

[msdaisy]

Thanks for all the input! I agree that this only seems difficult because it is a new adventure! I do believe DL will be seeing quite a few WDW faithfuls so that we can check out Carsland! I super duper want to stay at PPH, and I know we will manage. Maybe WDW is tainting my perspective since it is so spread out - I must keep visualizing walking from an on site hotel there to Magic Kingdom

Another thing that will help is out is that we always go to Orlando in June or July when it feels like 156 degrees! I am looking forward to June Gloom in California!

 

[rangermom]

We are WDW and DL vets and I think it is much easier to be " lazy" a DL than at WDW. The walk is minimal. We have stayed at all three of the DL hotels and have always walked from the hotels. I think once you get there you will be plenty surprised at how easy it is to move throughout the resort.

If you want a comparison o WDW, I would say it is less of a walk from PPH to DL than the CR to MK and walking through GCH and DTD is just like walking through a park. There are plenty of seating and resting areas and lots to see. You will probably spend more time walking to your car and driving to DTD than walking from hotel. It always takes me awhile to get to my car in the hotel parking lot.

Try not to compare DL to WDW. They really are two different vacations. We have visited both about the same. They are both magical in its own way.

Have a great time!

 

[Lucille1963]

I agree with those who said it is much easier to be "lazy" at DL than it is at WDW. I wouldn't worry about driving or moving the car. There is so much less walking in DL. If you need to take a little break, the lobby at the Grand Californian has tons of cushy chairs and couches, and when I was a bit worn when I was pregnant, I liked stopping in DTD at the Marceline candy shop for a "rest"

Disneyland is so compact, its nothing to hop from one side of the park, or even from park to park, without burning up a lot of time and energy. Our family has done multiple trips to both WDW and DL. While at DL, when we've returned to our room, we often comment, "If this was WDW, we'd still be waiting for a bus!" Not to mention what we call, "The Epcot Death March", which is when you're in the World Showcase, and decide you want to be back at your room, and it takes forever just to walk from WS to the Bus Stop, and then you still have to wait, ride, and walk to your room. There isn't anything like that at DL to compare it to if you're staying on site. (Out of curiosity I wonder what the difference is between the walk from the American Adventure at Epcot to the bus stop vs. the walk between Toon Town and PPH....)

Even if it takes you a little extra time to take your park to hotel walks, just remember, you could be standing and sweating on a WDW bus instead!
You're going to have a great time!

 

[msdaisy]

Epcot Death March! Haha! One of the funniest things is the look on my little girl's face while trying to avoid that very March. We had walked over to World Showcase, and it was hot and we were tired. So we decided to take the ferry back to Future World to save some steps. The line was long so we would not be on the ferry until the next go around. The captain started and then stopped the ferry. A woman somehow convinced him to let her and her little girl off for a bathroom break and HOLD the ferry! I've never heard so many moans and groans, but the look on my youngest daughter's face as she crossed her little arms was priceless. Well that and the look on the captain's face as someone suggested we stop and all get a churro! Good times!

 

[Lucille1963]

I've been goofing around in Googlemaps for walking distances. It is still under beta testing and all routes aren't available, but it does seem like even taking the route from PPH, north to the end of DTD by ESPN Zone and walking to DL that way, is still shorter than walking out of Epcot. The route through the Grand Californian would be even shorter than that.