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View Full Version : Crowd Control - Parking Lot closures?



ainsley09
12-07-2012, 09:47 PM
I arrived to the resort around 2:00 this afternoon. I come from the South, and typically exit Harbor and turn right to get to M&F. Today when I turned left onto Disneyland Drive they had cops blocking off the entrance to the lot. The flyover was still open though. I think they were directing people over to Toy Story, but since I was alone with two small children and a stroller that wasn't an appealing option. Instead I went the back way into the lot with several other cars and there was no one taking money or handing out tickets. We got waved through, but it was just so odd.

I realize they need to save room in the lot for when the hordes of locals get off of work on Fridays, but it seemed odd. Are they trying to make Toy Story lot the default lot for people coming from the South? I miss living North of Disneyland. It was so easy to just take the carpool lane and then the flyover. Getting off at Harbor or Disney Way is not nearly as convenient.

oregontraveler
12-08-2012, 08:41 AM
Sounds familiar to what they were doing last summer on the busier days, closing M&F early to save room for later on.

I was at the park 2 weeks ago and the Pumbaa lot was open (for guests) on Nov. 25th, which was nice. Before we left for the day, I wanted to get info about using the carpool lane from the south and found out the flyover is only for Northbound, (never knew that)

OK, so the gentlemen I talked to mentioned future construction of a new bridge for people coming from the south. Should happen in a few years. I know info coming from CM's isn't always accurate, but these guys looked more like Leads or Supervisors

If the TS lot ever becomes the third gate, they will have to expand the Pumbaa lot and go vertical.

JunJunM3
12-08-2012, 10:19 AM
We ended up just turning around and used the fly-over to get into M&F parking structure.

*Nala*
12-08-2012, 12:41 PM
We arrived around 4 in the afternoon yesterday and were directed to park at the Anaheim Convention Center. I was not thrilled about this but fortunately the 3 year old was excited to ride the bus to the park. I didn't try to turn around and go to M&F though maybe I should have. The park was busy but I've definitely seen worse so not sure why the structure was closed.

Tinkermommy
12-08-2012, 08:59 PM
We've had this happen (M&F entrance closed late in the morning or early in the afternoon on days that weren't peak season) several times recently. Each time, we've been channeled down to Pumbaa. What I HATE about this is that every car trying to get into the structure is forced into a single lane, which gets painfully backed up. Cars from the left lane will zip past everybody waiting to get into the parking lot, then cut in at the front, which frustrates the people who have been waiting. It gets gridlocked, and several times, I've seen cars stuck in the intersections when the lights changed, and people with strollers trying to cross from the hotel through the cars -- which move, if space clears. Every time I've observed this, it has felt SO unsafe to me, and I ask myself how they came up with such an inefficient and dangerous way of parking cars at busy times. What's the flyover, and how do you get to it?

ainsley09
12-09-2012, 06:17 AM
What's the flyover, and how do you get to it?

When you exit at Disneyland Drive from the 5N, there is a bridge that bypasses Ball. It's a one way bridge to/from the parking structure. So in the morning it's open TO the structure, then at some point in the late afternoon they switch it to going FROM the structure to the freeway. I think it's very efficient.

Which one is Pumbaa? If that is the lot at the corner of Disney Way and Harbor - I really like that one. It's not the prettiest walk, but it's short! I've done the walk to Toy Story, but it definitely feels farther than the walk to M&F.

Tinkermommy
12-09-2012, 07:42 AM
Which one is Pumbaa?

I think the lot is called Pumbaa. It's the one that is behind Paradise Pier and the Disneyland Hotel. You walk sort of between the hotels and come out at the Earl of Sandwich end of Downtown Disney. I don't mind the walk at all, it's the getting down Disneyland Drive and into the lot that makes me crazy and seems so dangerous. (The next time it happens, I'll have my passenger take a picture of the resulting gridlock that pits cars against pedestrians with strollers.) The first time it happened was the day I took some teenagers to see Starkid in concert at the House of Blues. We left with plenty of time, and ended up at the end of the line because we'd spent a good half hour on Disneyland Drive waiting to get into that lot. The backup was insane.

Is there an alternate way to go if you don't use the 5? We come from the east, so we take the 57 to Ball Road, then turn left onto Disneyland Drive. I don't mind going out of my way if it means avoiding that mess. Thanks!

oregontraveler
12-09-2012, 08:01 AM
Which one is Pumbaa? If that is the lot at the corner of Disney Way and Harbor - I really like that one. It's not the prettiest walk, but it's short! I've done the walk to Toy Story, but it definitely feels farther than the walk to M&F.

That's the one. The Simba lot is off of Walnut & Katella.

tea4two
12-09-2012, 01:45 PM
I think the lot is called Pumbaa. It's the one that is behind Paradise Pier and the Disneyland Hotel. You walk sort of between the hotels and come out at the Earl of Sandwich end of Downtown Disney...

I think the lot behind the Paradise Pier is called Simba. Pumbaa is behind GardenWalk. And we usually use the 57 to Ball to Disneyland Dr. route, but since several of our favorite food options are along Ball, we haven't looked for an alternative. (Although sometimes we exit at Lincoln and turn left on Manchester -- which turns into Disneyland Drive -- but at least you don't have to make another left at the Ball/Disneyland Dr. intersection.)

candles71
12-09-2012, 02:58 PM
We went to DtD friday afternoon. Came up DL Dr from Katella. They were directing Downtown Disney traffic to park in Pinocchio. But if you didn't find a spot in the 3 rows open the cones then sent you up to Donald. Yeah, no one in the booth. No ticket, nothing.
We had the same thing happen last Sunday the second. After moving to the WorldMark in the afternoon and coming back to DL, we used that same entrance, parked in Pinocchio and had no one take any money or scan B's ticket. There was no one there to do it.
I was tired and didn't want to park on Donald to then walk to the ice rink and Rainforest, so we exited out and u-turned on Ball to head back to the Pinocchio lot. We did notice they had police blocking the M&F entrance with signs directing theme park parking to Toy Story.
We shopped in WOD after dinner so rode the tram back. :) There was some kind of emergency as they closed section one for an ambulance to be called.

Ferb
12-09-2012, 08:34 PM
Disneyland Parking:

The best thing to do is follow the signs, electronic signs direct you to open parking. This is important on very busy days as doing otherwise can cause you to waist 15, 20 or even 60 minutes to find an open parking lot.

From the north, I-5 southbound. Take Disneyland exit to the Mickey and Friends Garage either from the right most lane or directly from the carpool lane which puts you onto Disneyland Drive. There is a flyover ramp to cross Ball Road which may be open and allows you to skip the Ball intersection traffic lights. The Mickey and Friends garage has 6 levels. 6 pink Minnie, 5 blue Donald, 4 pale green Goofy, 3 red Mickey, 2 purple Daisy, 1/ground brown Chip and Dale.
^^^ That is also where you park for Magic Mornings as it opens 90 minutes before regular park opening.

From the South, I-5 Northbound. Take the Disneyland exit either right lane or directly from the Carpool lane. From the right lane you exit on Katella and are directed to make a left on Harbor Ave. From the Carpool lane you are dropped onto Disneyland Way which at Harbor your are directed right to the Toy Story lot.
^^^ Toy Story lot opens 60 minutes before the parks open.

That is all the regular everyday parking.


On busy days:
Pumba Lot on Disney Way opens. This lot is accessed from I-5 northbound, directly from Carpool lanes, or from the right lane to Katella but you go strait at the Katella intersection up Anaheim Way which goes under I-5 and merges into Disney Way. This lot is planned to be the next parking garage int he future which is why is has the simple access from carpool lanes.

Simba Lot, on Disneyland Drive opens secondarily. This lot is south of the Paradise Pier Hotel, access from Disneyland Drive going northbound or southbound.

Also secondarily Pinnochio opens though sometimes it's open on more regular days. It's just south of the mickey and Friends Garage and accessed from Magic Way in either direction. Magic Way runs east west between the parking garage and Disneyland Hotel between Walnut and Disneyland Dr. It's also the normal parking for buses and RVs.

On very busy days:
The Anaheim convention center Parking us used. Accessed from east or westbound Katella. I don't know if they use othe Convention Center parking which is accessed of Walnut St.
The Gardenwalk Garage is used. Accessed from Disneyland Way, east or westbound.
Disneyland Hotel Convention Center Parking Lot. Accessed from Magic Way east or westbound.

On even worse days, Toy Story is extended into Cast Parking, and Mickey and Friends uses cast parking to the north of it. Very rare.

Just follow the signs. All parking is $15 for Cars.

Ferb
12-09-2012, 08:49 PM
OK, so the gentlemen I talked to mentioned future construction of a new bridge for people coming from the south. Should happen in a few years. I know info coming from CM's isn't always accurate, but these guys looked more like Leads or Supervisors


He may of been a little confused.

There is not access to the area being built from the South to Mickey and Friends. Currently to the South is under contruction a large scale roadway from I-5. It exits I-5 at Gene Autry Way from the carpool lane of both north and southbound traffic. Going east to the Angels Stadium or west to Haster and making a right towards Katella. These road are being expanded to accomodate larger volumes. It's supposed to allow better access to the Angels Stadium and Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Convention Center.

This make direct carpool lane access to and from I-5 to the resort area at every other exit. Disneyland Drive, not Ball Rd, Disney Way, not Katella, then Gene Aurty Way.

cstephens
12-10-2012, 07:29 AM
I arrived to the resort around 2:00 this afternoon. I come from the South, and typically exit Harbor and turn right to get to M&F. Today when I turned left onto Disneyland Drive they had cops blocking off the entrance to the lot. The flyover was still open though.

Yeah, I've had that happen several times over the past few months, and they were doing that when we arrived at the resort around 11am yesterday as well. For whatever reason, they seem to be trying to control the flow of traffic from Ball, since, as you say, the flyover was open, so it's not like they had the structure completely closed.

Oh, and fyi for others, while the entrance might be coned off, there is a sign that says if you have an oversized vehicle or need accessible parking, you can still go that way. You'd just have to stop and explain to the people at the cones, and then they'd move cones to let you through.



Is there an alternate way to go if you don't use the 5? We come from the east, so we take the 57 to Ball Road, then turn left onto Disneyland Drive. I don't mind going out of my way if it means avoiding that mess. Thanks!

That's how we get there now too. What you could do is go past Disneyland Drive, and then turn right onto Walnut Street, then take that down to South Street and turn right, and then when you get to Disneyland Drive, turn right again. This takes you far north enough that you can then access the flyover lanes on the left. We noticed that there is actually an electronic sign overhead now that points to the flyover lanes as express Disneyland parking access.

The shorter route, if you don't mind doing a U-turn, is to turn right on Disneyland Drive, make a U-turn at some point after you pass the flyover entrance and then come back south to use the flyover. I've done that too, though it can be a little harder to do depending on how much traffic is traveling south on Manchester, which is what turns into Disneyland Drive.



When you exit at Disneyland Drive from the 5N, there is a bridge that bypasses Ball.

I think you mean 5S, not 5N.

oregontraveler
12-10-2012, 12:35 PM
He may of been a little confused.

There is not access to the area being built from the South to Mickey and Friends. Currently to the South is under contruction a large scale roadway from I-5. It exits I-5 at Gene Autry Way from the carpool lane of both north and southbound traffic. Going east to the Angels Stadium or west to Haster and making a right towards Katella. These road are being expanded to accomodate larger volumes. It's supposed to allow better access to the Angels Stadium and Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Convention Center.

This make direct carpool lane access to and from I-5 to the resort area at every other exit. Disneyland Drive, not Ball Rd, Disney Way, not Katella, then Gene Aurty Way.

That's makes more sense to me now. I can visualize what he was saying to me. As much as I like to think I know alot about the parks. The highway system still baffles me.

ainsley09
12-14-2012, 07:30 PM
So, are you saying that if you come from the South, the Toy Story lot is the default lot? I don't mind the Toy Story lot if I only have my 3 yo, but if I have both kiddos and my double stroller it's near impossible to board the bus. I'm sure the CMs would help, but I'd much prefer to just walk from M&F. Plus M&F has a bathroom!

Ferb
12-16-2012, 06:34 PM
So, are you saying that if you come from the South, the Toy Story lot is the default lot? I don't mind the Toy Story lot if I only have my 3 yo, but if I have both kiddos and my double stroller it's near impossible to board the bus. I'm sure the CMs would help, but I'd much prefer to just walk from M&F. Plus M&F has a bathroom!

The default lot, sure that's a fine way to put it. Though the walk is about 5 minutes longer than it is from M&F to the gates.

Blacksheep Uncle
12-17-2012, 09:04 PM
Though the walk is about 5 minutes longer than it is from M&F to the gates.

You must walk pretty fast ;-) it is 1/2 mile from the tram stop to M&F and almost twice that from the tram stop to Toy Story...not to mention there is no clear walking path in to or out of the lot...at least no we could locate last time we tried parking in Toy Story...

houseofmouse
12-18-2012, 09:38 AM
We love the Toy Story Lot! Quick in, closer parking to the buses and quick loading and your off to the park. We did this last week 2 of the 3 days we were there. Toy Story is just like all the lots in WDW and they have so many buses, there is hardly any wait at all. I have waited forever for a tram at night to get back to M&F and even on the busiest nights, have waited 10 mins to get on a bus for Toy Story.

Ferb
12-18-2012, 10:34 AM
You must walk pretty fast ;-) it is 1/2 mile from the tram stop to M&F and almost twice that from the tram stop to Toy Story...not to mention there is no clear walking path in to or out of the lot...at least no we could locate last time we tried parking in Toy Story...

You must walk very slow...... It's about 15 minutes from gate to the car, walking from your spot in the Mickey and Friends Garage. And about 20 minutes from gate to car at Mickey and Friends, hence 5 minutes longer. With either there is no clear walking path, you have to walk down an isle of cars to get to the esculators at M&F and down and isle of cars to get to the pickup area in the TS lot. There are of course crosswalks in some location to cross traffic lanes going in and out of the parking areas.

To walk from the Toy Story lot, there is foot access along the north side of the driveway into the lot. So you walk toward the middle of the lot where the buses pick up and take the foot traffic access out of the lot to Harbor. Then at Harbor just go north to the DLR entrance that leads to the Esplanade like everyone else is doing. I suggest crossing Harbor sooner than later because it's less busy to walk on the west side's sidewalk.

To walk from Mickey and Friends, get out of the garage and to the bottom of the esculators then go into the middle of the plaza and to the crosswalk that takes you through the hedge on the west between the Trams. Go left to the south along the hedge to Magic Way. Go left to the intersection and cross Disneyland Drive right there. Follow the sidwalk south and where it splits under the monorail go left under the monorail beam. The trail will take you into DTD on the east side of Torrtilla Joes.

Blacksheep Uncle
12-19-2012, 07:29 PM
I guess I just have a different view of it than you do...no need to get worked up about it.