Walking from Stovall's Inn

[cougarfan84]

So we just booked our hotel and bought our tickets for our Disneyland trip in early December. We are super excited.

Right now we have the Stovall's Inn booked. In our previous trips we have booked on Harbor so I'm not as familiar with staying on this other side of the park.

From what I understand I can walk up Disneyland Dr. past Paradise Pier and up to the back entrance of Downtown Disney.

The couple of questions I have are:

1. For people who have done it before, how long does it typically take to get to the park entrances from there (including waiting through security, etc.)?

2. What time do the security gates open at Downtown Disney?

3. How convenient would utilizing the Monorail for mid-day breaks, etc.?

 

[ChrissyLou]

We've stayed at Stovall's a couple different times, lastly in 2018 (so maybe someone will be able to give you more recent info.), but we never waited more than 5/10 minutes in the morning. I believe the monorail opens a half hour before the regular park opening for early entry - for resort guests, I think that is currently 7:30, so the monorail would open for other guests at 8 am. We found it a great way to avoid the main entrance congestion and waits. I don't recall it being a time saver for mid-day breaks or returns in evenings because it is shorter to exit DL and walk into downtown Disney (or if you're in California Adventure) and then exit through the Grand. That is shorter. We even got lucky a couple times (mid-day and evening) to re-enter the parks entering through the Grand (like the good old days before security was tightened). It wasn't an option in the mornings and I wouldn't count on it at anytime, but if it works it is much quicker than the entrance by DL Hotel.

 

[cougarfan84]

We've stayed at Stovall's a couple different times, lastly in 2018 (so maybe someone will be able to give you more recent info.), but we never waited more than 5/10 minutes in the morning. I believe the monorail opens a half hour before the regular park opening for early entry - for resort guests, I think that is currently 7:30, so the monorail would open for other guests at 8 am. We found it a great way to avoid the main entrance congestion and waits. I don't recall it being a time saver for mid-day breaks or returns in evenings because it is shorter to exit DL and walk into downtown Disney (or if you're in California Adventure) and then exit through the Grand. That is shorter. We even got lucky a couple times (mid-day and evening) to re-enter the parks entering through the Grand (like the good old days before security was tightened). It wasn't an option in the mornings and I wouldn't count on it at anytime, but if it works it is much quicker than the entrance by DL Hotel.

Thanks for the response. That's the sort of info I was looking for. So is it pretty safe to count on being able to cut through the GCH on the way back to the hotel (at least for a mid-afternoon break), but plan on going through Downtown Disney otherwise?

I don't mind making the walk. I've done it to the parking structure before when the team lines were insufferably long. I've just never came from a hotel on that side of the park before.

 

[sophy1996]

Thanks for the response. That's the sort of info I was looking for. So is it pretty safe to count on being able to cut through the GCH on the way back to the hotel (at least for a mid-afternoon break), but plan on going through Downtown Disney otherwise?

I don't mind making the walk. I've done it to the parking structure before when the team lines were insufferably long. I've just never came from a hotel on that side of the park before.

We’ve stayed at the Westin several times and have always been able to cut through GCH on the way back.

Security on DTD side opened at 7 am this morning.

 

[lalasmama]

I have stayed at Stovall's numerous times.

The walk isn't bad. I'm not a speedy walker, but I don't dawdle either. Solo 40-something year old woman with short legs (ha, but seemed like a useful thing to note).

1. For people who have done it before, how long does it typically take to get to the park entrances from there (including waiting through security, etc.)?

I look at it in chunks of walking. 2-3 minutes walking from my room to the crosswalk, then however long until the walk sign.

5 minutes to Paradise Pier hotel.

3-4-5 minutes to the security area, weaving through the cars/parking lot.

Never more than 1-2 minutes getting through security.

Then the walk through DTD (maybe 8 minutes?). I always wonder how the people say 5-10 minutes; either they are speed walkers or maybe counting a shorter distance (like hotel to security?).

2. What time do the security gates open at Downtown Disney?

No idea, I'm never that early, haha!

3. How convenient would utilizing the Monorail for mid-day breaks, etc.?

This only going to be useful if you're in Tomorrowland, since that's the only stop other than DTD. I do cut through GCH on the way back to the hotel, which cuts a few minutes off the walk, assuming I don't get lost (happens more times than I can count, which never makes sense to me!).