Ways to the Parks from Paradise Pier Hotel?

[shortnsweet435]

Hi All!

My husband and I always stay at the Disneyland Hotel, due to the fact that the monorail is right outside the hotel door. We want to save money this year and stay at the Paradise Pier, since it's just as immersive and we could use a change, and you get all the same hotel benefits. However, we always stay on-property because we like being immersed in the magic. We ate at the PCH Grill this year and it was a very unappealing walk to the PPH, we were in cold windy traffic and had to stand in line at a traffic light cross-walk.

We were just wondering... what are the ways to the parks from PPH? How much longer is the walk to the monorail, and will it be on an unsightly busy road? I'm looking on Google Earth here... it looks like the only ways to DD is through road sidewalks and parking lots. They've got to have a scenic route... it's Disney. We're young so it's not a problem... I just don't want it to be too far or be counterproductive to the whole reason we stay on-property.

Thanks Everyone!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

The most scenic route I know of is to cross Disneyland Dr. and go through the Grand Californian. That route lets you out in DtD, across from Haagen Dazs (Peets coffee!) and near Jamba Juice (quick breakfast!). You can also go through the PP parking lot and walk the whole way through DtD toward the parks or take the monorail into DL. The monorail isn't exactly right outside the DLH's front door anymore -- you still have to walk a short ways through DtD, but it is closer than it is from the PP (PP is maybe 5-10 minutes more walking). I don't know of any thoroughly scenic route that completely excludes parking lots or crosswalks, so cutting through the GCH may be your best choice (especially if the lobby is decorated for Christmas).

 

[OKW Lover]

We always took the route through the GC simply because we loved the lobby. As guests of the PP hotel you can use the DCA entrance in the GC if that's the park you are going to.

 

[bumbershoot]

We ate at the PCH Grill this year and it was a very unappealing walk to the PPH, we were in cold windy traffic and had to stand in line at a traffic light cross-walk.

What way did you go???


To get to the parks from PPH, the first thing to do is to ignore the signs PPH has. Just forget them. Go that way, and you go through sidewalks past the PPH parking lot and alongside Adventure Tower and alllll the way through DTD.


So forget that. Go out the FRONT doors of the hotel. Turn left and walk on the sidewalk to the crosswalk. Focus on the Grand in front of you, rather than the traffic. The cars will be gone in a moment once you cross the street, so just focus on the beauty.

Cross the street, walk to the Grand's front entrance. Walk in, once you get inside there will be a path to the left that leads to DTD. That path will ultimately lead you out to where Sephora is. Turn right, towards Sephora, and you are more than halfway through DTD to bag check.

Of course, if you want to use the Grand's DCA entrance, that puts you right near Grizzly, you can do that by crossing through the lobby and following the signs to that entrance.

 

[disneymum58]

To get to the parks from PPH, the first thing to do is to ignore the signs PPH has. Just forget them. Go that way, and you go through sidewalks past the PPH parking lot and alongside Adventure Tower and alllll the way through DTD.


So forget that. Go out the FRONT doors of the hotel. Turn left and walk on the sidewalk to the crosswalk. Focus on the Grand in front of you, rather than the traffic. The cars will be gone in a moment once you cross the street, so just focus on the beauty.

Cross the street, walk to the Grand's front entrance. Walk in, once you get inside there will be a path to the left that leads to DTD. That path will ultimately lead you out to where Sephora is. Turn right, towards Sephora, and you are more than halfway through DTD to bag check.

Of course, if you want to use the Grand's DCA entrance, that puts you right near Grizzly, you can do that by crossing through the lobby and following the signs to that entrance.

Excellent explanation! That's the way we always went.

 

[mydisneymoney]

We never had to wait that long at the light to cross Disneyland Drive. We have stayed at both PPH and GCH and thought the walk to PPH was faster then the walk to our room in GCH because of where our room was in GCH. It is really a fast walk. By no means should you go back around by the parking lot to DTD walk by the Theator. That is really a long way to go. Obviously if you near that area when you are headed back to PPH, then do go that way.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Just wanted to agree with the PPs. We just stayed at PPH Friday, Nov 9, to Tuesday, Nov 13, 2012, and every guest I saw went like we did: Out the front door and through the GC's lobby, usually to DCA, but also through the DTD (which I did not like as much as most people here seem to) to get to the DL gates.
As someone who never saw the DLH until two weeks ago, it is very strange to hear the monorail described as being right outside it. I viewed it as being very much in DTD and easy for any DLR guests to reach, especially those on that side of the GC or in whatever tower of DLH is closest.

 

[shortnsweet435]

Bumbershoot:
I think we were getting our Disney Visa photos taken in Hollywood Pictures Backlot in DCA in the early morning and then had reservations at PCH Grill so we had to walk across, what looks like on Google Maps, Disneyland Drive. It has a crosswalk, and it was March so it was windy and our ear hats blew off with traffic. We didn't like it very much.

TigerlilyAJ:
Yes, we usually stay in the Sierra/Dreams/Adventure tower so right out the back door and past ESPN Zone and Rainforest Cafe and you're at the monorail station. We're swift walkers so I'd say it usually takes us about 2-4 mins to get there and a minute or 2 in the line, during value season.

Thanks everyone!
It seems that obviously the best way to DCA is across Disneyland Drive still and through GCH.

And it also seems the best way to get to DL is not to the front gate through GCH and then through DTD, but along the parking lot by the theatre and then to the monorail station?

Right now Google walking directions says from PPH to DL:

• If you go out the back of PPH on Downtown Drive and walk along the lot by the theatre it can be .2 miles / 4 min walk to the monorail station
• If you go through GCH/DTD to the monorail station it's a .3 miles / 6 min walk
• If you go through GCH/DTD to the DL gates it's a .7 miles / 13 min walk

 

[coaches24]

we stayed at the PPH in may and one of the things we did (because I read some opinions that PPH if you walk through GCH was closer to the parks main entrance than DLH. So we timed ourselves. Our normal way was to cross the street ( never even remotely an issue even with a 3 yo) and head through the GCH to DTD then to the front gate. Twice we went the back route ( once to and once back) and past the DLH. We started timing from the DLH (because its obviously farther from the PPH to go that route) and the comparison was very very close. But we were faster going from PPH then we were from DLH. The street light was never a long wait and never crowded or busy with people or cars. Don't know the exact distance of either route but for us we made better time from PPH through GCH. But again it was close, like maybe a minute or less.

 

[shortnsweet435]

we stayed at the PPH in may and one of the things we did (because I read some opinions that PPH if you walk through GCH was closer to the parks main entrance than DLH. So we timed ourselves. Our normal way was to cross the street ( never even remotely an issue even with a 3 yo) and head through the GCH to DTD then to the front gate. Twice we went the back route ( once to and once back) and past the DLH. We started timing from the DLH (because its obviously farther from the PPH to go that route) and the comparison was very very close. But we were faster going from PPH then we were from DLH. The street light was never a long wait and never crowded or busy with people or cars. Don't know the exact distance of either route but for us we made better time from PPH through GCH. But again it was close, like maybe a minute or less.

Yes, it seems that if we were going to go to DL through the front gate, going through GCH/DTD would be fastest over going around back past the DLH. However, we almost always prefer to enter DL via the DTD monorail station, which apparently according to Google Maps, is only a 4 minute walk out the back of PPH.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Don't forget that the monorail isn't always running (usually, but not always), so be prepared to go another way if necessary.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I want to second going through the Grand Californian. I stayed at the Pier about three years back and took this route. It was a short walk and nice in terms of scenery.