We have been to Disney World more times than I can count but never Disneyland. I am planning a short trip on a very tight budget. Thinking about staying at a dirt cheap motel and trying to get by without a car rental. A lot of the motels say that they are within walking distance but actually look like they may be a mile from the front gate. That is a long way to walk for us. Is there a cheap way to catch a ride to the front gate from the nearby motels?
I know the Candy Cane Inn has it's own shuttle, and it's very close if you want to walk. I've never stayed there though - that was where we were going to stay before we had to cancel the Disneyland portion of our CA trip in September.
Diana
Time marches on. Eventually you realize it's doing it across your face.
Yeah, there's a LOT of motels that advertise themselves as "Only 2 blocks from Disneyland" but don't mention that they're measuring from the park's boundary, not the entrance, and fail to mention that they're huge blocks. Any places that ARE within walking distance charge you for the privilege, which rules out dirt cheap unfortunately. The cheapest places along Sth Harbor Blvd (between W Katella and the freeway - the closest you can get to the entrances to both parks) are the two Best Westerns although there's also Motel 6 on Disney Way not too much further away. Also quite a few cheaper motels on W Katella (further away) have shuttles to the park - check out Trip Adviser to find out which ones.
There's also the ART (Anaheim Resort Transportation), a public bus that runs through Anaheim to DL, Knotts etc... a motel somewhere along its route would be another option.
When are you planning on going?
We have stayed at the Best Western Anaheim Inn and the Fairfield. The Best Western Anaheim Inn was about 1/2 block from the crosswalk to Disneyland. The Fairfield was maybe 1 driveway further. The closest one, if my memory serves me right, is the Best Western Park Place, which, I think, sits right on the crosswalk. And by 1/2 block I mean that it is about 3 or 4 driveways and a restaurant. All the lots are skinny and long, so all of the driveways are pretty close together.
If we can't swing an onsite resort, our next stay will be at the Best Western Park Place. Both of the hotels we have stayed at have been nice, we have no complaints and would stay at either one again.
At the Fairfield, our room was directly across from Space Mountain. We were also able to catch the fireworks from our front door. It was pretty cool. Here are a few pics.Space Mountain just blends with the overcast skies. I forgot to take pics while the room was clean, but this is what I got. It's not TOOO bad. Oh, and yes, that is McDonald's, but keep looking past that, that's Space Mountain! The exterior pic shows, above the portico, the "wing" where we stayed. That side of the building is the side that faces the parks.
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Tammi
Princess Neen : That Anaheim Resort Transportation looks very interesting. Definitely worth consideration, has anyone used it? Not sure on timing yet, perhaps November.
WDWfanatic : Thanks for the pics, looks awesome, makes me ready to go. I am looking at that Best Western Park Place, that is definitely walking distance and looks like the closest non-Disney resort. Their rates seem very reasonable for the nearness, and I may wind up there.
This trip trying to make it as cheap as possible. It seems like it is always a balancing act for me between cheap and doable. Don't want to get there and regret being to cheap.
Hey! We're like opposites! I've never been to WDW (one day in one park 15+ years ago counts as never in my book) but DH and I have been to Disneyland 5-6 times a year or more for the last few years.
We usually stay at the Anaheim Plaza- it's a block away, and about a 10-15 minute walk. (Map my run says it's a little under half a mile from hotel to gate) We usually pay around 80 a night, and have never paid over 120. We like it because it has free parking, mini fridges, and microwaves. We always bring our own breakfast and snacks, so it's important to us to have somewhere to keep things cool. Warming up helps too! It's certainly nothing fancy, but it's clean, safe, and close.
We have also stayed at the Quality Inn and Suites, which is a little further away and close to the freeway. The rooms are little bit smaller, but newer, and they have a free breakfast, including belgian waffles. We've stayed there a few times when the Plaza was full or more expensive than we were wanting to pay. We have booked it for as low as 59 a night when it was a secret hotel on Bookit, not too hard to figure out which one it is with a little sleuthing. It also has a minifridge, though I do not think they have a microwave.
When booking flights, make sure to compare all the local airports. The last time we flew in (we're in Northern CA, so we usually drive) it was significantly cheaper for us to fly into LA and rent a car than it was to fly into John Wayne and pay for the shuttle. We've always considered Burbank, John Wayne, LA, and Ontario. The drive is a bit longer at some of those airports, but you can usually save a decent amount, and have better flight selection.
I haven't used ART in years, but a lot of people love it. The lines can get long during busy times, so we prefer to walk. It will be quite the change for us in WDW when we have to drive or take shuttles! If you use ART, plan ahead to see where your hotel is on the list of stops, you could end up spending more time on the shuttle than you like. (Then again, we are very spoiled with not needing shuttle transportation)
November is a FANTASTIC time to visit- one of my favorite times. Prices tend to be lower at hotels, etc. and the park is a lot less crowded.
Hi and 
southlake! Thanks for all of the tips!
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Hello southlake and to our forums, glad you found us and glad you joined.
When booking flights, make sure to compare all the local airports. ... We've always considered Burbank, John Wayne, LA, and Ontario.
Couldn't agree more on this one, sometimes the savings can be really significant. John Wayne is my favorite to fly into, and I think the closest. If you're there in the morning, the restaurant in the terminal has the best Chilaquiles.
Last year I flew into LAX because the flights were so much less expensive and there were 4 of us traveling. I saved almost $500. However, it's a much longer trip from LAX to DLR and depending on the time of day your flight arrives it can take a lot longer. Plus I find LAX a little icky - but hey with a $500 saving it was a no brainer.
Thanks for the welcome, guys! DH and I have been big DLR fans for awhile, but we are planning our first WDW trip for January so I found you guys! I am absolutely useless for anything WDW related (I'm only vaguely aware that it's in Florida 
) but I know DLR like the back of my hand.
Kristen- LAX is a bit icky, and HUGE! John Wayne is certainly the closest. However, as far as airports go, Ontario might be my favorite. I used to fly a lot when I was in college down south and always chose Ontario. It seems to be the least crowded, rarely has delays, and security moves pretty smoothly. I think I have flown out of every commercial airport in the state, and it might just be my favorite of all. Traffic doesn't get as congested there as it does around LA too
