The Friday FastPass: Toy Story Parking Lot

Written by guest-poster and friend of Days In The Park:
Amy Naluai  

I've been a Disneyland fan for as long as I can remember, starting with my earliest memories:  My first pair of Mickey ears, a birthday dinner at the Tahitian Terrace, and watching the Main Street Electrical Parade with bright eyes and my big smiles.  I can think back over the years upon the many different changes that have taken place, and how Disneyland has morphed into the Resort that it is today.

One big change that comes to mind is when Disneyland's parking lot was set to become the site of a whole new theme park.  I had to bid farewell to the Eeyore and Pinocchio parking lot sections (the two sections I most loved parking in, which ironically were on opposite ends of the lot) and say hello to Disney's California Adventure.  From that point on, how guests parked and got to and from their cars changed forever.  Aside from staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel (or nearby hotel) and walking (or taking a shuttle), guests were in need of a safe, new, and convenient location for their cars.  Disney's solution for that was the construction of the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure.  However, Park attendance has remained strong and Annual Pass numbers have increased, making the recently opened Toy Story Lot a beneficial addition to Resort parking options.

Amy (and friend) show off their parking ticket from their first Toy Story Lot parking experience

I first experienced the Toy Story lot while I was at "Disney's Tip Off Classic", an NCAA-Division 2 basketball tournament held at the Anaheim Convention Center.  As I left the convention center I accidentally happened upon the entrance to a random Disneyland Resort parking lot.  I remembered it from my past as simply a big, empty lot that was behind K-Lot (one of the parking lots I used back in my Cast Member days); the lot was used once in a blue moon as Convention Center overflow.

During one of the games my friend and I sat there devising a plan to head over to the Disneyland Resort for a little Sunday afternoon fun.  We agreed on almost everything; where we would have lunch and what ride we would go on first, but we couldn't agree on what would be the quickest way to get there.  Getting into the Mickey & Friends parking structure seemed so out of the way, but we were going to be there too long to mess with parking at Downtown Disney.  That's when the random parking lot from the night before popped into my head, and I remembered one of my new Disney friends on Twitter, Julie, talking about how much she loved parking in the Toy Story Lot.  Aside from that the whole thing was quite a mystery to me.  In fact, I wasn't sure if Annual Pass parking was even accepted there so I had to send off a quick tweet to Julie to confirm that I wouldn't have to pay for parking.  She confirmed that Annual Passes were okay there, and I am now pleased to say that The Toy Story Lot is no longer a mystery, and that I've parked in every Disneyland Resort parking lot!

The big, blue Toy Story Lot buses.  Definitely much more colorful than the trams from the Mickey and Friends parking structure!

With my parking experience I am here to share my take on some pros and cons of parking in the Toy Story Lot.

Pros:

• There wasn't a long line at the booth to get in like there can often be at Mickey & Friends.  The Disney Parks Blog even recommends the Toy Story Lot in one of their blog posts as a parking tip for those traveling from the South or East of the resort.
• Even though we were in the "boondocks" of the Woody lot, it didn't feel like it was as far as when you get parked in row 1K on a floor of the parking structure.  The Disney Parks blog post on parking tips suggests that "those with small children and strollers might appreciate the short walk to the bus at the Toy Story Lot" and it's true, it felt like a much shorter walk.  Also, something about being in an open space instead of the enclosed structure made it feel different as well, in a good way. 
• While guest capacity on the buses is significantly less than on the trams, there were plenty of buses ready and waiting to take us both to and from the resort, and let's be honest, the buses look pretty awesome.  The bright blue color and Toy Story characters are so much fun!  The buses are great for those with strollers or those who just want a little more room to breathe.  The seats seem more comfortable than the tram benches and you don't feel like a stuffed sardine.  As a taller woman (I'm about 6' tall) the tram ride can often be uncomfortable if I'm not in the very first row of the car, because my knees always hit the seat in front of me.  I didn't have that problem on the bus.  The bus has seating that faces both front and sideways, and I felt like I had plenty of room.  
• Buses are climate controlled!  The air conditioner was on in the afternoon and it wasn't a freezing cold ride back to the car that night.   I can see this being a big plus in very cold or rainy conditions.
• For those who need to purchase tickets they have kiosks and Cast Members available to you so you don't have to deal with the long, crazy lines at the ticket booths in the esplanade at all.  You can buy your tickets before you get on the bus and avoid long lines!  There does seem to be one exception however, and it would appear that in rainy weather this option is not available. 
• I've always loved the ease of getting off of the 5 freeway at Disneyland Drive and the structure being right there, so I was worried about accessibility from the freeway.  It's still pretty convenient to get to as far as freeway access.  On my second Toy Story Lot experience, I exited the freeway at Disney Way; from there you can either turn left at Clementine, right on Katella, left on Harbor and left into the lot, or Disney Way to Harbor, turn left and then left into the lot just past Katella.  To go home we took Harbor to Disney Way and got on the 5 at Anaheim. 
• In general it seemed like less chaos and much less waiting coming to and from the lot and Resort

The "boondocks" of the Woody Lot

• I didn't see any bathrooms
• It's not convenient if you're planning to hit up any of the shops or restaurants in Downtown Disney
• It's kind of far, so where you have the option of walking to the Mickey and Friends structure if you want to, I feel like that's not really a feasible option with parking at the Toy Story Lot.  I mean, I'm sure you could, but it's not nearly as convenient.  That would be quite a trek!

For those interested in checking it out, Annual Passport parking is valid there, and parking costs the same as it does in the structure for everyone else (Autos = $15).  If you're coming from the North or West Disneyland.com will direct you to the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure.  If you're coming from the South or the East the directions will take you to the Toy Story Lot. 

Dare I say it, but I think I almost like parking in the Toy Story Lot better than the structure!  The 'no bathroom' thing could be an issue, but all things said, it was a very positive experience parking there.  I'd encourage you to check it out for yourself and see what works best for you.  I know that anything I can do to make getting into the parks easier and faster is a good thing in my book.  With that said parking in the Toy Story Lot just might become a regular thing for me!

Cast Members are ready and willing in the Toy Story Lot to help you with tickets before you even get to the Resort

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