Which parking lot?

[Tink1017]

Any suggestions on which parking lot to choose? We have always stayed walking distance but visiting family about an hour away and driving in for the day so thought I would check. Thanks!

 

[dina444444]

Which direction are you coming from?

 

[VandVsmama]

It depends on:

• where you're driving from
• whether or not you're going to be there for a Magic Morning entry

If it's the latter, then you need to go to the Mickey & Friends parking structure. On Magic Morning days (Tues, Thurs, Sat), it opens 90 min before reg park opening (aka 30 min before MM entry). On all other days, both Mickey & Friends and the Toy Story lots open 1 hour before park opening. So if the park opens at 9 am, the lot opens at 8 am.

I've driven into DL from Riverside and Toy Story is easier to get to than Mickey & Friends. I've read that if you're coming from north of Anaheim, that Mickey & Friends is more convenient.

 

[Lesley Wake]

My thoughts on each:

Mickey & Friends:

• Pros:
  
• Easy to get into if you are driving on the 5 southbound and leaving on the 5 northbound (there is a flyover ramp so if it is open you avoid red light at Ball Rd)
  
• Most likely you will park under shade, but there is a chance you could get the top level (more likely if you arrive later in the day), so your car would be in the sun; but if you wait until dark to leave, then it shouldn't matter too much.
  
• Walking is pretty easy, as most of it is through Downtown Disney
• Tram drive is nice, and you can sometimes see a Cat of Disneyland.
  
• Cons:
  
• Waits can be longer as there are more cars. So that includes a wait to pay at the entrance ticket booths, longer time to go up parking ramps and get into a parking spot, possible long walk from parking spot to escalator, longer waits at security, longer wait to get onto a tram.
  
• At the end of the night, it can take a longer time to get a tram to go back to the lot, and oftentimes you may have to wait for several trams.
• Can take a while for trams to leave once they get loaded, as drivers have to make sure everyone is seated properly and anyone else is "behind the yellow line"
  
• Possible during the day that the lot could get closed, so if you arrive mid-day you may end up getting rerouted to Toy Story Lot anyways.

Toy Story Lot:

• Pros:
  
• Less cars, so its usually really fast to get through the booths and parked. Most of the time the walk from car to the shuttles is shorter than with Mickey & Friends.
  
• Shuttle buses are constantly arriving, so usually you will walk right onto a bus (for both directions). If you do have a wait it will be short, and the lines are orderly, rather than the trams, which can feel like a free-for-all when its busy.
  
• Cons:
  
• Shuttle bus can be longer than a tram, because it has to wait at red lights. You also aren't guaranteed a seat, though if you need one, you can easily wait for the next bus.
  
• Less convenient when arriving/departing because you have to deal with traffic (cars and pedestrians) on Harbor Blvd.
  
• All parking is in the open, so the cars can get hot during the day.
  
• Security is shared with all the people entering from Harbor Blvd. Sometimes this can get really backed up, and there are fewer security booths than at Mickey & Friends.

So, both have pluses and minuses. I usually end up using Mickey and Friends, as it is the most convenient for freeway entrance/exit, and it just feels familiar to me.

 

[Tink1017]

I’ll be coming from the north so it sounds like Mickey and Friends is the way to go! Thanks.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Anther pro for the Mickey and Friends structure is it has a bathroom (Toy Story lot does not).

 

[ashley0139]

For me it definitely depends on the plan for the day and what time I'm arriving. Usually I will choose Toy Story, as it annoys me to park so far away from the escalators at M&F and I'm usually unlucky enough to park super far away. I also hate waiting for the tram. The bus I don't mind as much. But there are definitely pros and cons to each as @Lesley Wake laid out so nicely. It's probably 60%/40% Toy story to M&F for me.

 

[Lesley Wake]

I’ll be coming from the north so it sounds like Mickey and Friends is the way to go! Thanks.

Yeah, definitely M&F then! If you can, go in the carpool lane. There is a direct exit to Disneyland Drive. Then the Mickey & Friend flyover ramp is on the left (you can't miss it), which takes you right into the parking garage.
Have fun!

 

[kristabelle13]

Out of the times I've tried to park at M&F, 3 out of 4 times, it's been closed and I've been redirected to Lion King. It's the worst, and eats up an extra hour of your day. So beware of that. Each of the times, I know for a fact M&F wasn't full. They just weren't accepting cars.

 

[cmwade77]

Toy Story lot, the busses come about 30 seconds apart compared to as much as 30 minutes apart for the trams to M&F and most of the time they redirect to Lion King (which has no shuttles at all) or Toy Story anyway unless you are disabled or need an EV charger. Also, the trip from Toy Story is a little shorter time wise, plus if security is busy, they have started offering a no bag line at times, which does not happen on the M&F side.