Toy Story Lot for APs and directions to get there?

[LavenderPeach]

Can you go straight to the Toy Story lot to park if you have an AP or do you have to park in M&F if there are still spots left? I'm assuming they let APs park there but wasn't sure since it says somewhere that the parking is valid for M&F.

Also can someone give me specific directions on how to get to the toy story lot from the 5 north? I can't quite picture where it is. To get to M&F we usually get off on the Ball exit, turn right at the exit, left on ball rd and then left on whatever street that is that takes you into the garage.

Thanks!

 

[DLR29]

I have parked in the Toy Story lot with an AP without having to go to M&F first. But I did come from the 5 coming South. I don't know if from the North side you can get off at Katella?? But if you can, you can go down Katella (towards the resort) and turn left onto Harbor to get to the lot.

 

[Alinasan]

I have a semi-related question....Is that lot always open?

I'm staying at a hotel next to it, and am wondering how easy it would be to use the bus that goes from there to the entrance without parking there. We have a free parking pass from AAA, though I'm not sure if that is for the Mickey and Friends lot.

 

[skiingfast]

I have parked in the Toy Story lot with an AP without having to go to M&F first. But I did come from the 5 coming South. I don't know if from the North side you can get off at Katella?? But if you can, you can go down Katella (towards the resort) and turn left onto Harbor to get to the lot.

You can exit I-5 going south or northbound onto Katella, the TS lot if a left onto Harbor and the left at the next light into the parking lot. There are signs directing you there once you exit the freeway. If the TS lot is full or closed the signs will direct you elsewhere.

From Northbound I-5 in the carpool lane there is a offramp, from the carpool lane so you don't have to cross traffic into the other lanes, it drops you onto Disney Way. At the end of Disney Way where it makes a tee with Harbor is a sign directing you to go right to M&F or left to TS.

I have a semi-related question....Is that lot always open?

I'm staying at a hotel next to it, and am wondering how easy it would be to use the bus that goes from there to the entrance without parking there. We have a free parking pass from AAA, though I'm not sure if that is for the Mickey and Friends lot.

I don't know that this lot is ever closed. I have seen the signs directing you, as mention above, on Disney Way. On slow off season days it said park at TS. Only once on a Saturday around noon did I see the sign directing people to M&F. I've never heard that this lot has been closed since it opened as the new TS lot last spring.

Can you go straight to the Toy Story lot to park if you have an AP or do you have to park in M&F if there are still spots left? I'm assuming they let APs park there but wasn't sure since it says somewhere that the parking is valid for M&F.

That an AP is only good at the M&F garage appears to be a wide spread misconception. An AP with parking is good at any Disney pay on entry parking lot.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Thanks everyone! We might try that this weekend and see how it goes.

That an AP is only good at the M&F garage appears to be a wide spread misconception. An AP with parking is good at any Disney pay on entry parking lot.

It's not really a misconception - it's what it actually says on the info that came with our APs and you never know what "rule" DLR might want to enforce. I was assuming that the AP parking would be good at any of the lots but I just wanted to see if anyone had experience parking there with an AP so we wouldn't have any surprises.

 

[kirkson]

I've only ever parked at M&F. Is there some reason to park at TS instead?

 

[LavenderPeach]

I've only ever parked at M&F. Is there some reason to park at TS instead?

I've just heard it's easier and quicker to get in and out of and I think it will probably be crowded at DLR this weekend when we're going so I thought it might be better to try going right to the TS lot instead of the garage.

 

[skiingfast]

Thanks everyone! We might try that this weekend and see how it goes.



It's not really a misconception - it's what it actually says on the info that came with our APs and you never know what "rule" DLR might want to enforce. I was assuming that the AP parking would be good at any of the lots but I just wanted to see if anyone had experience parking there with an AP so we wouldn't have any surprises.

I found this really quick, take a look where it has the chart to compare Annual Passports. If you go to TS and they don't let you in refer to this information that says you may use your parking priviledge there.

https://secure-disneyland.disney.go...ated/landing?name=AnnualPassholderLandingPage

 

[sonnyjane]

Lavender, I have an AP and have never had any problem using the TS lot. What lot I use pretty much depends on what traffic patterns look like that day and what signs are saying. If I see a lot of people heading to M&F, I head to TS or vice versa. I have absolutely no preference between the two.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Thanks everyone! We might try that this weekend and see how it goes.



It's not really a misconception - it's what it actually says on the info that came with our APs and you never know what "rule" DLR might want to enforce. I was assuming that the AP parking would be good at any of the lots but I just wanted to see if anyone had experience parking there with an AP so we wouldn't have any surprises.

You're right. It always said Mickey and Friends. We don't usually need parking so don't care. I do remember reading somewhere though that Disney changed the AP Mickey and Friends only parking rule to just AP parking in a Disney lot once the Toy Story lot opened, so you should be good to go. I think it was either MousePlanet or MiceAge that reported something about this.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Thanks again everyone! Yeah, when we got our APs the TS lot wasn't open yet so obviously it wouldn't have been listed as a place for APs to park. I'm glad they changed the wording to state that it's valid in any paid parking area.

Sonnyjane, what street are you on when you're looking to see where people are going? I guess I'm just picturing that I would have to decide which parking lot before I could see where everyone was going.

 

[sonnyjane]

Sonnyjane, what street are you on when you're looking to see where people are going? I guess I'm just picturing that I would have to decide which parking lot before I could see where everyone was going.

I know I'm telling you crappy information, because I never pay attention to the roads so much as "heading toward the Matterhorn" lol, but I usually take the Katella exit from the 5 and then you can either go straight to Disney Way, or turn left on Katella. There is an electronic sign at that point that usually says "Theme Park Parking Left" or something like that. That usually takes me to the TS lot (there are signs along the way, you turn left on Harbor). Getting on Disney Way takes me to M&F if that entrance is open (again, don't use me for directions lol!). If it's the middle of the week, early in the morning, and during the off-season, I usually assume that M&F will have availability so I head there first. If I'm running late, it's a weekend, or it's a busy season, I'll head straight for TS. There very well may still be spots available at M&F, but I prefer to just go straight there rather than try M&F and find that it is full and have to be re-routed. I think Ball Rd. is the fastest way to get to M&F when you're coming from the 5, but I have a bad habit of forgetting to take that exit, as it is two exits down from Katella.

 

[LavenderPeach]

I know I'm telling you crappy information, because I never pay attention to the roads so much as "heading toward the Matterhorn" lol, but I usually take the Katella exit from the 5 and then you can either go straight to Disney Way, or turn left on Katella. There is an electronic sign at that point that usually says "Theme Park Parking Left" or something like that. That usually takes me to the TS lot (there are signs along the way, you turn left on Harbor). Getting on Disney Way takes me to M&F if that entrance is open(again, don't use me for directions lol!). If it's the middle of the week, early in the morning, and during the off-season, I usually assume that M&F will have availability so I head there first. If I'm running late, it's a weekend, or it's a busy season, I'll head straight for TS. There very well may still be spots available at M&F, but I prefer to just go straight there rather than try M&F and find that it is full and have to be re-routed.

lol, I know where you're talking about. We're going on sunday and we can't go at park opening so I'm getting nervous about how crazy it's going to be. That's why I was thinking it might be a good time to try out the TS lot.

 

[sonnyjane]

lol, I know where you're talking about. We're going on sunday and we can't go at park opening so I'm getting nervous about how crazy it's going to be. That's why I was thinking it might be a good time to try out the TS lot.

I say go for it. Like I said, I honestly don't prefer one lot over the other, as in my experience there are usually frequent buses at TS and steady trams at M&F. I've also walked from TS to DL once when I was feeling overly ambitious about burning off the seven million treats I'd be consuming that day and it wasn't that bad, but I definitely opted to take the bus back hehe The only thing is that if you stay all night and wait until after the fireworks (if they have them), there is a mad dash back to the buses and you might have to wait a while, but the exact same thing is true of the tram to M&F so it doesn't really matter where you park, KWIM? Enjoy your visit!!!

 

[lapdwife]

I come up Harbor from the 22 and the signs are always telling us to go to the TS lot. I refuse because I want my car parked inside. Maybe we'll try it one day if the car's already dirty

 

[c&m]

I come up Harbor from the 22 and the signs are always telling us to go to the TS lot. I refuse because I want my car parked inside. Maybe we'll try it one day if the car's already dirty

Can you "refuse" to park at the TS lot? If the signs direct you to that lot, doesn't it mean that M&F is full? I'm very confused how this all works.

 

[sonnyjane]

Can you "refuse" to park at the TS lot? If the signs direct you to that lot, doesn't it mean that M&F is full? I'm very confused how this all works.

That's what I used to think, so I would just go where all the signs told me, but then the last trip I went on, I saw all the signs directing me to TS, but I wanted to swing by M&F to essentially answer that question, and sure enough M&F was virtually empty, so I'm not sure if TS is an overflow lot so much as an alternative lot??

 

[ConnieB]

Vague memory here, but isn't there some structural problem at M&F? Or did that get fixed?

 

[skiingfast]

That's what I used to think, so I would just go where all the signs told me, but then the last trip I went on, I saw all the signs directing me to TS, but I wanted to swing by M&F to essentially answer that question, and sure enough M&F was virtually empty, so I'm not sure if TS is an overflow lot so much as an alternative lot??

TS is not an alternative lot as you put it. TS is the lot for people coming from the south, M&F is for people coming from the north. The problem is if everyone tries to go to one lot it causes problems on Ball or Katella road. This is why they have it set to split up the traffic. M&F can fill up and has, but the signs aren't nessecarily stating that, just trying to manage traffic flows.

Vague memory here, but isn't there some structural problem at M&F? Or did that get fixed?

I looked for this when I was there and didn't see any areas where it was roped off like I had seen in pictures this summer. I hadn't heard what came of the cracked area.

 

[Alinasan]

So if TS is an alternative lot, not an overflow, it should be open as early as M&F ?

If you're trying to get to the gate before opening, what time would you want to catch a shuttle from TS? I've heard the bus there winds around a bit, making it a longer ride than it should be.