Originally Posted By amazedncal2 Hi, I have some questions about the parking garage at DLR. Is the fee still $11? If you take your car out during the day can you repark without paying twice (not sure if that makes sense.) How much does it cost to add parking to a DAP? Thanks!
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x Yes. It's still $11. Keep your receipt. If you have to leave the garage, when you go back in, just show them the receipt. They'll let you back in.
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x Oh, and at last check it was $59 to add parking to a DAP. For another $61, you can get the PAP and get the additional discount on food and merchandise.
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP with your parking recipit you can also switch from the parking garage to Timon and Pumba (if it's open).
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x Pumbaa was open on March 2. It was a quicker walk than from the Mickey & Friends.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 Thank you so much xPPx and MrsElderP! DD and her boyfriend are going one day this week and oddly, none of us has ever used any of the lots. We either stay within walking distance or use ART. Is Timon and Pumba the lot that is in the back of DCA? Do you then walk to the entrance?
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x Timon is behind DCA. Pumbaa is accessible on Disney Way. There's a walkway that goes from the parking lot to Harbor Blvd. No tram option, so it's walking only. But the walk is better than to M&F
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 All the info is much appreciated! Makes a trip go so much smoother when you go into it knowing things like you need $11 for parking
Originally Posted By Darkbeer I am one who is NOT a fan of driving and parking at Disneyland, and prefer leaving the car at the hotel, I live close by and have an Annual Pass that allows me to park at no charge, but I still avoid it if possible. I sometimes get a room at Howard Johnson's, and I either walk or use ART. I will park at the Pummba lot off of Disney Way (near the Ramada) instead of dealing with the hassle of the Parking Structure and/or the Timon Lot off of Harbor Blvd. Let's start with close by Hotels, using the center of the Main Entrance Plaza as the end point, the distance (from the Hotel Lobby) from Howard Johnson's, the Candy Cane Inn and the Paradise Pier Hotel are all the same distance, about 6/10th of a mile. The closest hotels are actually the Park Vue Inn and the Best Western Park Place Inn, even closer than the Grand Californian. If I am at any of those hotels, I will walk and not use the shuttle unless I have someone who needs assistance, but you are still walking about the same distance as going from the Main Turnstiles to Splash Mountain in the park, it isn't that much as compared to the rest of the day. If you need a shuttle, most hotels use the ART system. <a href="http://www.rideart.org" target="_blank">http://www.rideart.org</a>. They usually run every 20 minutes, and the hotel front desk knows the approximate time they will arrive (Such as 5, 25 and 45 minutes past the hour). Find out the arrival time. 1. Gather the family together and make it to the ART pick up point a few minutes early, and have you ART passes available (the Hotel will sell them to you, or point you to an automated machine). 2. Load the ART and ride it to the park. 3. Get off, go thru security and enter the Main Entrance Plaza. Now, let's look at driving. You have to gather everyone up and load the car. Start up the car and head to one of two main entrances. The one off Harbor Blvd (crossroad is Disney Way) is close to the hotels, but in my opinion the worst choice. You line up and pay the toll (currently $11 for cars) or show your parking pass. Then you will be directed to one of three parking lots. On very busy days, they will send folks to Simba, in which you are sent down a road behind California Adventure and across Disneyland Drive, and you park behind the Paradise Pier Hotel, which as mentioned earlier is the same distance as the HoJo's or CCI, so you unload the car, and then walk FURTHER than if you just walked in the first place! Talk about a lose-lose, you had to pay to park and save NOTHING! The second choice is the Timon Lot (next to the Tower of Terror building), which tends to only be open on busy days, after Simba is full, if they expect very large crowds. If you get directed to Timon, count your blessing, you can park near the Trams, and it is convenient. But the lot is not that big, and more than likely will be getting smaller in the future as they need the space to help add attractions to California Adventure. Timon is also closed down for Special events, as they save the parking spaces for the event only. Most folks who enter the Harbor Blvd entrance currently are handed a receipt and a printed slip that tells you how to get to a back entrance to the Parking Structure. This is basically the same road as going to Simba, but making a right onto Disneyland Drive to Magic Way, where you make a left to the parking entrance. This entrance is also used by others, so they have another set of Parking Toll Booths, where you will show your receipt to be allowed in. To find out the rest, just read the description below... Most people who drive from the LA area take 5 south to the Disneyland Drive exit, and go directly to the Parking Structure, as does all AP holders with the Parking Pass, because the AP states it is only good at the structure (though they do not enforce the rule). If you are close by, you get onto Ball and take that to Disneyland Drive and follow the signs. Now depending on the day, you can get lucky with very little wait (usually later in the day), or the average 10 to 20 minute wait in the mornings, or on very busy days, I have seen the cars backed up to the freeway entrance (that is over a 40 minute wait just to pay or show your pass). Once you get by the 10 toll booths (not all are open, 4 to 6 is average) they have to blend the traffic (along with those who entered from Magic Way) into two lanes of traffic (sometimes one), plus filter out those who didn't pay (EXIT flyer posted on windshield), over-sized vehicles, Bus parking, 15 minute parking, etc. Once you get past the merge, which is just awful when they have all 10 booths open. you are sent to a parking level using a ramp, and then you get to find out where you are told to park, you are directed to a space, you don't get a choice. And we are talking about one of the largest parking structures in the world. And the way the structure is designed, there is only one pedestrian entrance/exit, on the south-east corner. So if you are told to park in the North-West corner, you can have a walk that is over a 1/4 mile just to get out of the structure. Once you finally park, and unload the family, you join the other families and the strollers to the escalators to the tram loading area. The strollers have to go to 1 of just 2 elevators, as they are not allowed to take kids sitting in strollers on the escalators, which creates long lines at the elevator, which can get nasty if they are parking two levels at the same time. The elevator fills up at the first stop, and then goes to the other level, where folks are stuck, as they elevator is always full. So they start to hit the "up" button, and fill up the elevators to get on, which upsets the folks at the other level, who want to board, but the elevator is full. Then there is the Tram loading area itself, I parked at the structure twice this weekend, and both times ended up walking due to the long waits for trams (and the walk is about 1/2 mile, the same distance as the Paradise Pier, HoJo's or CCI). The trams hold 5 person per row, and people tend to try and cut in many cases to get their entire group on the same tram. Also, ALL children have to be removed from strollers, and folded up, with the exception of a few spaces in the front and back of the tram, where you can leave the stroller unfolded, but the child MUST be removed. The front area is usually already filled up with folks in wheelchairs (which load in a separate area). So if you want to keep your stroller unfolded, go to the BACK of the tram, as that space is used only for strollers. You take the tram, and then unload near the World of Disney store, and then get in line to go thru Security and enter the Main Entrance Plaza. So let's look at the 3 choices. A. Walk... 1. Simple, easy, no real steps. B. Shuttle/ART 1. Arrive at the Stop 2. Load the van/bus 3. Unload at the park C. Personal Vehicle 1. Load up the vehicle 2. Drive to the Parking Entrance 3. Pay the toll or show the parking pass 4. Get directed to a parking space 5. Unload the vehicle 6. Walk to the Tram Loading area 7. Load up onto the Tram (sometimes a long wait) 8. Unload from the Tram at the park So, IMHO the all day parking lots are a pain and not worth the hassle, in fact, I will park at the Pummba lot when it is open, since it tends to not be very busy and just walk, which is about the same distance as staying at the PPH, HoJo's or CCI.
Originally Posted By fkurucz I hate waiting for blasted ART shuttle. If the hotel is not within walking distance I'll park in M&F.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 Thank you Darkbeer, for this trip they chose to go as cheap as possible and ended up with a motel closer to Knotts. They go often enough and this one might just be a "lesson learned" trip. As in pay a couple more $$ and stay closer. Booking at the last minute over Spring break, YIKES! Then again they may love the whole new experience of the tram ride
