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View Full Version : How far is the walk? (from the Anabella)



Bolivar
07-31-2006, 01:31 PM
My daughter was supposed to have surgery, but after seeing four orthopedic surgeons and getting four different opinions we've canceled the surgery and we decided to use the time I'd taken off work and the money we were going to use on copays and all the other related charges and make an impromptu trip to Disneyland. I've booked a mini-suite at the Anabella.

In reading the reviews a lot of people talk about the walk and how long it is. One of the reasons I booked it was that while it isn't as close as the hotels on Harbor, it is close. From the hotel wouldn't the walk to the DD Monorail station be roughly equal to walking from California Screaming to the DCA entrance?

Sub Maniak
07-31-2006, 01:39 PM
LONG!!!!

If my sense of direction is right it is right behind DCA. To get there walking you would have to walk a long time.

Bolivar
07-31-2006, 01:51 PM
I'm disappointed. On the map it looks like it is at the corner of Katella and S. Disney and maybe a block or less from the Paradise Pier Hotel which would then be another block to DD.

Darkbeer
07-31-2006, 01:57 PM
You have a few choices.

Your best bet for the least amount of walking is using the ART service, Anabella has a stop and the Lobby has tickets for sale in a special Kiosk machine that takes cash or credit cards. Route F is the correct bus, you catch it at a bus stop in front of the hotel.

As for other routes, the next best route is thru the Timon parking lot. The trams MIGHT be running, it depends if the lot is open. Disney has not been using the lot that much, instead sending folks to the Mickey and Friends parking structure to help save on labor and related costs. Here is a marked map of that route....

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=333254

So this is about 1.1 miles if the trams are not running. If the trams are running, if you catch a tram, you save about 1/2 mile, making it a .6 mile of walking.

The other options are going up Disneyland Drive, if you are thinking about the Monorail, don't forget it is closed for major refurb starting Monday, August 21st.

Here is the walking route to the Disneyland Monorail Station from the Anabella....

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=333269

So this is .65 miles of walking to get to the Monorail.

Now, if you are willing to take a trip through the Grand Californian (you might get lost), the trip to the Main Entry Plaza is .7 of a mile.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=333274

Using the GCH to the Monorail station is .67 of a mile.

So I would just take the ART, saves you the walk, and you can get an all day pass for just $3

Current schedules and more info can be found here...

www.rideart.org

Pat-n-Eil
07-31-2006, 02:25 PM
LONG!!!!


[SMART ALEC]

I agree..

Start address: Annabella, UT 84711

End address: Anaheim, CA

Distance: 543 mi (about 9 hours 3 mins) by car
[/SMART ALEC]

annieb727
07-31-2006, 02:37 PM
keep in mind...depending on when you're going, the monorail may not be running...I'm going early september, and the Monorail will be closed then

just thought i'd bring it up since you didn't mention when you were going

Malcon10t
07-31-2006, 03:28 PM
My daughter was supposed to have surgery, but after seeing four orthopedic surgeons and getting four different opinions we've canceled the surgery and we decided to use the time I'd taken off work and the money we were going to use on copays and all the other related charges and make an impromptu trip to Disneyland. I've booked a mini-suite at the Anabella.

In reading the reviews a lot of people talk about the walk and how long it is. One of the reasons I booked it was that while it isn't as close as the hotels on Harbor, it is close. From the hotel wouldn't the walk to the DD Monorail station be roughly equal to walking from California Screaming to the DCA entrance?
We've stayed there, and its a LONG walk. *IF* the parking lot tram is running, that is the fastest. ART goes by there, and from there to the park is fast, but the ride from the park to the hotel is fun, as the hotel is the last stop before it heads back to Disneyland. While I liked the place, I opt to stay elsewhere due to the walk.

Bolivar
07-31-2006, 03:57 PM
I had my geography wrong. I thought S. Disney was the street that runs right in front of the DLH, not the block over that goes under that Downtown Disney overpass. So I thought it was a two block walk up the street and you were in front of the DLH by ESPN Zone. I was only using the Monorail station as a landmark, not as something I need to use.

Now that I am corrected it seems even closer. On a map it looks like one block to the GCH which I could walk through and then either straight into DCA or out the side to Downtown Disney and over to the entrance. That is what it looks like, that must not be the way it is. I'm bummed because being close is a priority for me. I usually stay at the DLH once at the GCH, but thought I would save some money this time.

I may start looking for another hotel, but we got the mini-suite for $125/night. Considering we just started looking for a place yesterday and we are going in less than two weeks I thought was pretty good. Any suggestions for three adults, a 12-year-old, a 9-year-old and a 2-year-old?

Malcon10t
07-31-2006, 05:05 PM
Now that I am corrected it seems even closer. On a map it looks like one block to the GCH which I could walk through and then either straight into DCA or out the side to Downtown Disney and over to the entrance. That is what it looks like, that must not be the way it is. I'm bummed because being close is a priority for me. I usually stay at the DLH once at the GCH, but thought I would save some money this time.

I may start looking for another hotel, but we got the mini-suite for $125/night. Considering we just started looking for a place yesterday and we are going in less than two weeks I thought was pretty good. Any suggestions for three adults, a 12-year-old, a 9-year-old and a 2-year-old?Try Hojos, the Carousel Inn, or the Park Vue. The Desert Inn is good if you don't use a debit card.

I spent 10 days last summer making that walk. It is "one" block to GCH, but that block is about a 1/2 mile. I used a GPS thingie last year and found out (after I walked it for so long) that it was about a .8 each way from room to Disneyland entrance. You can use http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ to check distances.

Dlandmom
07-31-2006, 06:11 PM
A question about the monorail...I was told a few months ago that the monorail station was only being used for Disneyland hotels guests and that the rest of us peons would have to walk to the Esplanade. Is this still true?

Darkbeer
07-31-2006, 06:32 PM
A question about the monorail...I was told a few months ago that the monorail station was only being used for Disneyland hotels guests and that the rest of us peons would have to walk to the Esplanade. Is this still true?

The summer crowds have not been large enough to require the restriction, though Disney can opt to restrict the Monorail to just Hotel Guests.

They did do this during peak times during the Easter Break.

And after August 20th, it will be a moot point, as the Monorail will shut down for refurb. They might bring it back for 2 to 3 weeks in late December, and then close it down for the first half of 2007. If it returns for the peak Winter break, more than likely most of the day it will be restricted to Hotel Guests only due to crowd size.

Bolivar
07-31-2006, 06:49 PM
Neither HoJo nor the Carousel Inn have suites available, but the Park Vue does and for 131/night for two nights and 136 for the other three. That is a bit more than the 125/night at the Anabella but that is fine. I'm more concerned about the reviews I've been reading here and on Tripadvisor. That are quite mixed and I don't know what to make of them. Are the bad reviews written by really picky people or the good ones by people with low standards? Usually you can sort that out by reading through a lot of reviews and finding paterns and general trends, but with this one they are all over the map and hard to sus out.

Bolivar
07-31-2006, 08:09 PM
OK this is weird. Checking online the Park Vue had a suite for 131/night. I decided to book it, think about it and then cancel with the Anabella or the Park Vue. Rather than book online, I called so that I could make sure that I can cancel the room.

She asked when I was going, etc. She told me they had the suite for 165/night. I told her that online it was 131. She said that the best she could do was 149 because they had just renovated, the rooms are gorgeous and they raised the rate. I told her that I would just go ahead and book online for 131. She said that if I did that they would charge me the difference when I got there. What? I asked how they can do that, if I book it at one rate and they send a confirmation how can they charge a new rate. She said that she didn't know but that is what her manager said to do. I asked how I didn't know that they wouldn't charge me 500 a night when I get there for this reservation I am making right now. She said they wouldn't do that. I said, but you just told me that you would do that with the online reservation.

That is weird.

doombuggy driver
08-01-2006, 09:16 AM
You can always try the Candy Cane Inn.

Their website is: candycaneinn.net

This is the #1 hotel in Disneyland and it is awesome! They have a great free continental breakfast and a free shuttle that runs every half hour. We are staying there when we go in Oct. We have a deluxe room for $119 a night. You cannot book anywhere online other than the Candy Cane Inn website. Also, they only hold the room on your card, they don't charge your card until checkout.

Hope this helps!

Bolivar
08-01-2006, 11:22 AM
I just checked the Candy Cane web site and I don't see any suites.

I spoke to the manager at the Park Vue this morning. He is giving me the lower rate that I saw on the web site, which is good but my main concern was the comment that they would "charge the difference in the rate at the desk when I got there". Can they really change the rates after you book and get a confirmation and then just charge you more when you show up at the desk? The manager assured me that they wouldn't do that and that the employee on the phone was mistaken. I hope so.

Malcon10t
08-01-2006, 12:08 PM
I just checked the Candy Cane web site and I don't see any suites.

I spoke to the manager at the Park Vue this morning. He is giving me the lower rate that I saw on the web site, which is good but my main concern was the comment that they would "charge the difference in the rate at the desk when I got there". Can they really change the rates after you book and get a confirmation and then just charge you more when you show up at the desk? The manager assured me that they wouldn't do that and that the employee on the phone was mistaken. I hope so.No, they can't. I know the manager is a nice guy. I have dealt with him before. I think the woman was probably new and didnt have a clue.

Goosegirl
08-01-2006, 01:09 PM
We stayed at the Annabella last October. We stayed in the concierge level and it was very comfortable. But we did not pay for ART and I regret that. It was rather long to walk. We have a baby and would have liked to be able to take her back to the hotel to nap. It was too long to do that so we skipped the naps and let her sleep in the stroller. Not the best plan but it worked.

Bolivar
08-01-2006, 01:57 PM
I will be there with my wife, my sister, and my three kids -- 12, 9 and 2. The 12-year-old will want to ride rides morning to night non-stop, the 2-year-old will need frequent breaks and the 9-year-old will be somewhere in between. Having three adults will help, but being closer will be a lot better. I still have the reservations at both the Anabella and the Park Vue, but I think I'll cancel the Anabella and go with closer rather than nicer.

KDCartoons
08-01-2006, 02:13 PM
Hi Folks--
This is a timely thread for me, as I'm taking the wife and kids to the Parks in late August and we've booked a stay at the Super-8 on Katella.
I'd been to DL about 25 years ago.........( I know, I know things HAVE changed) and I remember the size of the city blocks in the Anaheim area--and notably the lot Disney it on itself.

So, my question is along the same lines--does anyone know if the walk from the Super-8 hotel on Katella to the Disneyland main gate is a long hike or something that is akin to a sensible walk?

I've peeked at the overhead satellite views of the location on Google Earth and it "seems" to be a not-unreasonable distance, but my memories of that area tell me that looks can be decieving.

quadaunt
08-01-2006, 02:23 PM
I stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn a few weeks ago for one night and found it very nice. Two queen beds and a pull-out sofa sleeper plus refrigerator and microwave. If you moved the table there would probably be room for a cot or porta crib. Adequate pool which the 2- and 1-year-olds thoroughly enjoyed. My AAA rate was $141 but it's even lower now ($125?). Can't beat it for its proximity to the DLR entrance. We don't spend much time in the room, though, only reserving it to have a place to sleep and swim.

Malcon10t
08-01-2006, 03:01 PM
So, my question is along the same lines--does anyone know if the walk from the Super-8 hotel on Katella to the Disneyland main gate is a long hike or something that is akin to a sensible walk?

I've peeked at the overhead satellite views of the location on Google Earth and it "seems" to be a not-unreasonable distance, but my memories of that area tell me that looks can be decieving.
Using the GPS web page, it shows it is about .8 miles from the front of the hotel to the entrance gate. So figure it is a good 15-20 minute walk (which after a long day is a LONG walk.)

KDCartoons
08-01-2006, 03:08 PM
Using the GPS web page, it shows it is about .8 miles from the front of the hotel to the entrance gate. So figure it is a good 15-20 minute walk (which after a long day is a LONG walk.)
Thank you for that info.

Yea, I remember those walks back to the hotel years ago on my first visits, and the soaking our aching feets in epsom salts in the tub. Wore out a new pair of socks a day--to threadbare.

Me thinks we'll probably try taking advantage of local shuttles an whatnot.

Pirate Princess
09-14-2006, 08:32 PM
EWWWW! Don't do Park Vue. Quick review: PAPER THIN walls... Single pane glass (if that). I could actually hear word for word conversations going on in the middle of the parking lot and they were speaking in a normal voice. Also, showers would alternate hot and cold several times throughout one shower. Sometimes hot wouldn't come on for ten or so minutes. Drains backed up while we were there too! (We had two rooms and both rooms had the same problems.. so it wasn't just a solitary experience.)
However, this hotel was not as bad as the Ramada. ICK!
I swear I'm not picky either! I just like clean sheets (free of... nevermind.. there are children here... but seriously avoid the Ramada) and a hot-ish shower that drains. Quiet-ness is a plus too!