From hotel to Disneyland: ART, cab or foot?
Getting to Disneyland from your hotel may be the most frustrating part of your trip. After all, you do enough walking in the park that you don’t want to wear yourself out walking there, and afterwards, your feet will probably hurt enough that you won’t want to walk back. Even if your hotel is only a couple of blocks away, those blocks are way longer than the ones you are probably used to.
Hotels used to offer their own complimentary shuttles to and from the park. These were convenient, ran on time but could only accommodate so many passengers. Still if the shuttle filled, it was likely that it would make a second unscheduled trip. Then Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART) took over – the free ride is a thing of the past for most hotels in the budget range, and guests must now take some form of transportation that costs extra or use their own feet.
ART
An ART day pass is $5 per person and must be purchased at the hotel where you are staying or at a neighboring hotel. This is good for any number of rides until about 3 a.m. If you are planning on going back to your hotel for rest periods, this pass makes sense. However, if you are only making a two-way trip, you may want to look at other options. A one way ticket can be purchased on the bus for $3 in exact change only. For single riders, this may be an okay sum to pay, especially when heading back to the hotel because the waiting isn’t so difficult. ART does offer long term passes that cost about $4 per day.
The biggest problem with ART is that it is a public transportation system, which means that riders are subject to the vagaries and delays that affect all public transportation systems that are not run by Germanic countries. The shuttle is supposed to run every 20 minutes; yet, my group had to wait for 35 minutes before the bus arrived. It would have been better for us to walk to the park.
Taxi Rates
Depending on how far away your hotel is and how many people are in your party, a cab from the park might be your best bargain. With three people total, a cab ride for two blocks is between $6 and $8. Even after adding on a tip for the driver, this rate is cheaper than ART, and if you just need one way, it is the best way to go.
Walking
Walking is always free, and if you are like me, the waiting is the hardest part of any vacation. Even if the park is two blocks away, the morning walk is healthy, it builds the anticipation, and it just feels better than waiting for the bus. Just be sure to bring good shoes and cross at the crosswalks.
Hotels used to offer their own complimentary shuttles to and from the park. These were convenient, ran on time but could only accommodate so many passengers. Still if the shuttle filled, it was likely that it would make a second unscheduled trip. Then Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART) took over – the free ride is a thing of the past for most hotels in the budget range, and guests must now take some form of transportation that costs extra or use their own feet.
ART
An ART day pass is $5 per person and must be purchased at the hotel where you are staying or at a neighboring hotel. This is good for any number of rides until about 3 a.m. If you are planning on going back to your hotel for rest periods, this pass makes sense. However, if you are only making a two-way trip, you may want to look at other options. A one way ticket can be purchased on the bus for $3 in exact change only. For single riders, this may be an okay sum to pay, especially when heading back to the hotel because the waiting isn’t so difficult. ART does offer long term passes that cost about $4 per day.
The biggest problem with ART is that it is a public transportation system, which means that riders are subject to the vagaries and delays that affect all public transportation systems that are not run by Germanic countries. The shuttle is supposed to run every 20 minutes; yet, my group had to wait for 35 minutes before the bus arrived. It would have been better for us to walk to the park.
Taxi Rates
Depending on how far away your hotel is and how many people are in your party, a cab from the park might be your best bargain. With three people total, a cab ride for two blocks is between $6 and $8. Even after adding on a tip for the driver, this rate is cheaper than ART, and if you just need one way, it is the best way to go.
Walking
Walking is always free, and if you are like me, the waiting is the hardest part of any vacation. Even if the park is two blocks away, the morning walk is healthy, it builds the anticipation, and it just feels better than waiting for the bus. Just be sure to bring good shoes and cross at the crosswalks.