Walk from Anaheim Garden Walk to Disneyland/California Adventure?

[jenhelgren]

How is the walk from Anaheim Garden Walk/Bubba Gump to the parks? We are interested in the new Cambria hotel being built for a trip this fall because we have enough saved up in points to cover the room, but it seems pretty far. ART is supposed to have a stop out front but we prefer walking and not relying on transportation if possible. Are there any other options besides Uber, etc to get from Katella to the parks easily? This will only be our 2ned trip to Disneyland so I am very uninformed and would love any advice you could give me!

 

[BadPinkTink]

I stayed at Motel 6 in June and got the ART to and from the parks. On my last day I walked to IHOP which is just at the pedestrian crossing on Harbor into Disney property.

I do a 20 minute walk to and from a bus stop in my every day life and the walk from Motel 6 to IHOP was comparable to my daily walk at home. It was a pleasant stroll at 11am when I wasn't in any hurry.

However, after 14 hours in the park , where I walked on average 9 miles according to my FitBit, there is no way would I be able to face that walk.

Its a safe enough area, there a few homeless at the bus stops but late at night there is a steady stream of walkers from the parks to the multiple hotels and motels in the area.

 

[DLgal]

The Cambria hotel is pretty far away. It is right next to the freeway...we drove by it last week. It's a good mile away, so you're looking at a 20-25 minute walk. It's also not a very pleasant walking path, to be honest, and I would not feel safe walking it at night. It's not really that close to the Garden Walk...it's a couple blocks away. If I stayed there personally, I'd use a ride share service or just drive my own car and park in the Toy Story lot every day.

 

[jenhelgren]

The Cambria hotel is pretty far away. It is right next to the freeway...we drove by it last week. It's a good mile away, so you're looking at a 20-25 minute walk. It's also not a very pleasant walking path, to be honest, and I would not feel safe walking it at night. It's not really that close to the Garden Walk...it's a couple blocks away. If I stayed there personally, I'd use a ride share service or just drive my own car and park in the Toy Story lot every day.

THANK YOU! That is the exact advice I was hoping for from someone with local knowledge!! Our plan was the Courtyard because we would like to walk and not rely on transport if possible. Our last trip we stayed at Paradise Pier and were not impressed with the hotel for its cost but did appreciate the "safer" feel of the walk through downtown disney. Is there anywhere else you would recommend over Courtyard as a short walk? I also looked into the holiday inn express but domt have a feel for the area at all, so your advice is much appreciated!!

 

[felice]

TBH, my wife and I have walked this route quite a bit when we've stayed at the Staybridge Suites in S Manchester Av. Whilst I respect @jenhelgren 's post, I must say that personally we've not experienced any problem whatsoever when walking the route. Sure, it is at night - and some parts of the path are maybe not lit that well - despite this it seems safe enough. The only (minor) problems we had were because the walkway close to Bubba Gump was quite crowded with people but this was not a security issue or anything like that.

The Disney District appear to have clamped down on the amount of people begging now too, even though a few of these people are around they have been no bother, at least to us.

Hope this helps.

 

[DLgal]

THANK YOU! That is the exact advice I was hoping for from someone with local knowledge!! Our plan was the Courtyard because we would like to walk and not rely on transport if possible. Our last trip we stayed at Paradise Pier and were not impressed with the hotel for its cost but did appreciate the "safer" feel of the walk through downtown disney. Is there anywhere else you would recommend over Courtyard as a short walk? I also looked into the holiday inn express but domt have a feel for the area at all, so your advice is much appreciated!!

Are you talking about the Courtyard across the street on Harbor? That one is fantastic! I'd definitely stay there. It's a better hotel than Paradise Pier, in every way. That water park is great for kids! The HI Express is brand new, and basically right behind the Courtyard. I'd only be wary of freeway noise with that one, to be honest. It is literally RIGHT UP against the freeway and if you get a room facing it, it's going to be a source of constant noise.

The other good option across the street is the Fairfield Inn, right next to the Courtyard. It's a bit more basic, but it's nice and usually pretty reasonably priced. It's also closer than both the Courtyard and HI Express.

I cannot believe the person above me walked to the Staybridge Suites. There is no way I would do that with children in tow, at night. Absolutely not. I hear enough local news and that area is NOT safe.

 

[2Gma]

We just visited the Garden View area on Tuesday for the Cheesecake Factory. Really nice complex with palm tree lined streets. Much nicer than area around it. It was about 20 minute walk via sidewalks. We felt safe as there are tons of hotels/people on Harbor/Katella.

 

[felice]

@DLgal whilst my wife and I don't have children personally, as I say we've not had any problem whilst walking between the Staybridge and DL via Harbor and then Katella. Guess the area is fairly safe-ish as long as you take basic security principles correctly, ie, don't have your handbag wide open and hanging off your elbow when you're walking along the street. Not assuming at all that you'd do such a thing though. Maybe we have been lucky, but we have stayed at the Staybridge a number of times now when we've been to Anaheim and have not had any problem. I will agree with you that the area in itself may look a bit scary, particularly at night - but as I say, we've been fortunate to not have a problem personally.

 

[gary1955]

I frequently stay at the Comfort Inn across the street. I usually drive to the parking structure or the Toy Story lot.

once the convert the cast member lot on Katella to guest parking I hope they have a walk in from Katella for the Toy Story lot.

 

[mickeymom22]

We just got back from a stay at Tropicana Inn & Suites. I highly recommend it. Everyone we encountered that worked there was extremely helpful and kind. It is such a short walk. Each night as we walked under the DL sign, there were people there playing music wanting tips and there were also people selling waters and snacks. Once we crossed the street, we just were a short walk from our motel and we never had anyone approach us wanting money. I never felt unsafe going back to our motel at night.

Hope this helps!

 

[Sue M]

We stay at The Anaheim Hotel, a Block Away from the entrance and coming back to our room after putting on the miles at the park feels like it’s miles away lol. I wouldn’t consider staying a 20+ min walk away. Doesn’t sound like much but at the end of the night it will feel like 20 miles away!

 

[jenhelgren]

Are you talking about the Courtyard across the street on Harbor?

Yes! The Courtyard is at the top of our budget but still much more reasonable than the Disney hotels. The new Cambria looks amazing and once I saw that we could stay on points I really wanted to make it work but the distance is a huge issue for us. Are there any other hotels as close and comparable as Courtyard or HIE? I know this sounds stupid but hotels that open to the outside terrify me so I didn't give the Fairfield much thought even though the prices are much better. We could probably cover at least a few nights with points at the Holiday Inn and the reviews I have been reading this evening are really positive. My DD would love the Courtyard water park but being across from Disney I'm not sure how much we would use it during a short stay!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

OP: these threads have good information:
"HydroGuy's Hotel Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862
"Choosing the Right DLR Area Hotel for You" www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-hotel-for-you.3656512/

And I agree with the recommendation for the Courtyard and the FFI -- both get very good reviews on this board.

 

[DLgal]

Yes! The Courtyard is at the top of our budget but still much more reasonable than the Disney hotels. The new Cambria looks amazing and once I saw that we could stay on points I really wanted to make it work but the distance is a huge issue for us. Are there any other hotels as close and comparable as Courtyard or HIE? I know this sounds stupid but hotels that open to the outside terrify me so I didn't give the Fairfield much thought even though the prices are much better. We could probably cover at least a few nights with points at the Holiday Inn and the reviews I have been reading this evening are really positive. My DD would love the Courtyard water park but being across from Disney I'm not sure how much we would use it during a short stay!

Well, IMO, you can never go wrong with a HI Express. Perhaps you can pay extra for a room on the Harbor Blvd side to avoid the freeway noise. I like HI Express and that is one of our "go to" chains when we travel. I like the free breakfast, which is usually very good. That hotel is also very new, so it has that going for it.

I hear you on motel style rooms that open to the outside. Those aren't my preference either, but I wanted to give you another budget option that I can vouch for.

If you are willing to go a bit further, at the corner of Katella and Harbor, still pretty close, is a fairly new Springhill Suites that is super nice with a rooftop pool. Directly across is a Hyatt House, which is also very new. Both have indoor hallways and are situated on the 2nd floor, above ground level shops (CVS, Blaze Pizza, etc). Those would be good options. The Springhill Suites also has a great free breakfast.

I would recommend them in this order:

1. Courtyard (the rooms are really large and many have bunk beds...this one wins for space and pool area).

2. Springhill Suites

3. HI Express

 

[DLgal]

Also, you may use a pool more than you think. It can be VERY hot in the fall, especially October.

 

[smartlabelprint]

What points system is the Cambria in?

 

[billyjobobb]

The Cambria hotel is pretty far away. It is right next to the freeway...we drove by it last week. It's a good mile away, so you're looking at a 20-25 minute walk. It's also not a very pleasant walking path, to be honest, and I would not feel safe walking it at night. It's not really that close to the Garden Walk...it's a couple blocks away. If I stayed there personally, I'd use a ride share service or just drive my own car and park in the Toy Story lot every day.

Can you still walk to the toy story lot and take the shuttle? We've done that from hotels near the lot.

 

[ashejen]

We've stayed in a number of the local hotels. Courtyard is by far our favorite, but the new Fairfield / Springhill suites are very good too. And the Fairfield people can use the spring hill suites pool. We took advantage of this daily as it's a very nice pool.

 

[pharmama]

We've stayed at the HI Express in a room that faced the freeway and had zero issues with noise. We were very happy with the room and would stay there again. The walk is totally manageable and quite safe. As mentioned, its behind the Courtyard so not much farther.

 

[Creen14]

We stayed at the Fairfield, which is a block or so North of the park entrance, and we walked to the Anaheim Garden Walk twice for dinner. I would say it took maybe 15 minutes.