Staying at Dolphin’s Cove Resort 9/28-10/5, walk to park or drive?

[Cinerama261]

We will be staying at Dolphin’s Cove Resort 9/28-10/5. I'm just wondering if we should walk to the park or drive (we will have a car)?

If walking, I don't know how long it will take to get to the park.

If we drive, that saves the time of walking but, it does take time to drive to the parking entrance, stop to pay for parking, park the car, wait for a tram/bus to pick you up and leave, time on the tram/bus ride. How long will all that take? Also when leaving the park, how long will it take to walk to where the tram/bus picks you up, wait for the tram/bus to arrive, time on the tram/bus, time walking to the car, driving the car back to the Dolphin's Cove Resort.

 

[Ashlotte]

We have stayed there in the past and have driven (because we had free parking with our pass) or taken the ART. I would not walk just because I'd want to save all that walking energy for the actual park.

 

[Jperiod]

We stay there a lot. Whatever you do, don't drive, not worth it at all. Walking would be about 20 min and we've done it when we wanted to get there and not wait for the ART. But many just take the toy story lot buses around the corner down harbor now. Free!

 

[tink2dw]

dophin cove is way to far away for me! not just abock but miles away! Desert Inn & Suites is right near the cross walk into Disneyland. USE your car !! After a day in the parks your feet will be screaming to get home Fast!

I would never stay past Katella ave or Ball Ave!! Just my opinion!

google map this,
from; Desert Inn & Suites, 1600 South Harbor Boulevard, Anaheim, CA 92802
to; Dolphin's Cove, 465 West Orangewood Avenue, Anaheim, CA

Just another observation, Dolphin's Cove, DOES NOT back up on to the ocean, they are land locked in the city!!

Then google map from; Dolphin's Cove, 465 West Orangewood Avenue, Anaheim, CA
to; Huntington Beach, CA

I hope this helps you.

 

[Jperiod]

dophin cove is way to far away for me! not just abock but miles away! Desert Inn & Suites is right near the cross walk into Disneyland.

Just another observation, Dolphin's Cove, DOES NOT back up on to the ocean, they are land locked in the city!!

Dolphin's Cove is one mile to the cross walk into Disneyland. I'm totally confused how the proximity to the ocean is relevant to OP's questions.

Anyway, check out this map: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=33.8065376&lon=-117.9193922&z=15&l=0&m=b
Dolphin's Cove is south of the toy story lot labeled in the map (close to Harbor, just hover over it).

And you can check out this thread with more details about catching the tram from there. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2929641

Trams run all the time, there's no wait for toy story. Plus, there's no other stops along the way. I've timed my car (even parking in the lower level of pinochio) vs. the ART and ART is faster and easier (and cheaper). But from what I've heard of the TS lot, that's even better, though a bit further walk than the ART stop which is right outside of Travelodge on Harbor.

We used to stay in the hotels across the street all the time until we discovered Dolphin's Cove. Having the extra space and full kitchen has been worth the slightly extra time (we always go back for naps too). It's cheaper for us than the hotels too! We've never looked back.

 

[barbaraann]

I stayed there in May, and I used the ART to get back and forth to the park. The walk is a long one, and you won't want to do that each and everytime you go to the park. You actually have two bus route options with the ART. I believe the two routes I used were #1, and #3. the one is around the corner on Harbor near the Travelodge, and the other is across the street by the Doubletree. The Travelodge stop is more convenient for going to the park, and the Doubletree stop is more convenient for coming back to Dolphin's Cove. I love the fact that there is a huge sign inside the Bus Terminal, near the security tents, that lists all the ART stops, and what hotels they service.

 

[mariezp]

We stayed at Dolphin's Cove last November... loved it... but the walk is not actually all that close. We walked a couple times but decided that there is no way that we would want to walk that far everyday. The morning walk is not so bad but the evening walk is just too much after having spent an entire day on your feet inside the park.
We considered taking the Disney bus but unless we did something wrong although the Toy Story lot is just around the corner it appears to be a fair trek just to get into the lot to catch the bus. What we did end up doing most nights was to just call a cab. Not necessarily the least expense route but in our case we did not have a car and felt it was money well spent.

 

[barbaraann]

I ordered my ART Pass online before I left Chicago. I paid for the number of days that I was going to be in California. The small amount of money that I paid was well worth it. My pass arrived in the mail a few days later, and they included a brochure of the ART system and routes. It was very helpful and informative. It's nice knowing that when you leave the park late, like 11 p.m., there will be a bus to take you back to the hotel. The stops for Dolphin's Cove are just a short walk away.

 

[khertz]

We stayed there in May and never attempted the walk. It just seemed too far to walk, and knew that we'd be gung-ho in the morning and dreading the walk back in the evening. Plus we were going back for a break every day, so that would have been 4 walking trips a day! It probably takes about the same amount of time vs. driving/parking/tram, but your feet will thank you for taking the car!