Security Screening Locations on West Side of DL

LSU Mom

Earning My Ears
Joined
Sep 25, 2009
Second trip to DL later this week. This trip I am staying near W Ball Road and Disneyland Drive, north of parking garage. Not sure of the locations of the security screening on this side. If walking down Disneyland Drive, will I have to go right into parking area to access security to enter thru Downtown Disney? A map and directions would be most appreciated. Hydro Guy?

Thanks.

LSU Mom
 
From S. Walnut you walk down Magic Way and you can either turn left and enter the parking garage, go though security and hop on the tram or turn right and enter DTD @ ESPN zone where there is a security checkpoint. Walking though DTD is usually quicker
 
From S. Walnut you walk down Magic Way and you can either turn left and enter the parking garage, go though security and hop on the tram or turn right and enter DTD @ ESPN zone where there is a security checkpoint. Walking though DTD is usually quicker
From Ball and Disneyland Dr you would walk down Disneyland Dr to Magic Way and go in through Dowtown Disney. You would have to back track to get to the tram in the structure since you have already passed it when you get to Magic Way.
 
Security is now at DTD entrance and inside the parking garage ground floor. Because of the construction for the new garage, I don’t know that there is a safe way to walk into the garage right now. I would enter at DTD.
 


Personally I would Uber if car seats are not an issue. That’s a long walk, and puts you at the wrong end of DTD

ETA It looks like about 1.5-2 miles with going out of the way through DTD. Assuming you are starting at Ball/Disneyland Dr
 


From S. Walnut you walk down Magic Way and you can either turn left and enter the parking garage, go though security and hop on the tram or turn right and enter DTD @ ESPN zone where there is a security checkpoint. Walking though DTD is usually quicker
These are the directions I would follow, and I would enter by ESPN zone, not bother with the parking lot.
 
Here is the walking route. I stay at the Holiday Inn behind the M&F garage quite a bit and while not "close" in comparison to some Harbor side properties it is a very manageable 10-12 min walk for an abled bodied person to the gates.

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Well west end. So you have to walk through to the other end of DTD. Not near the gate. I didn’t describe that well lol
So you would recommend going Harbor side and waiting in that queue?? Much faster to walk thru DTD than to wait in the queue to get into the drop off area, then wait in the Harbor side of security.
 
So I should go thru security on the ground floor of the garage and take the tram to DL? I don't mind the walk in the morning. May Uber back at night.
 
So I should go thru security on the ground floor of the garage and take the tram to DL? I don't mind the walk in the morning. May Uber back at night.

While it may be a bit less effort...and minimal at that having to backtrack into the garage... it is rarely less time especially since a bulk of the park guests are now going through that garage security checkpoint then having to wait for tram loading while the ESPN zone checkpoint is usually minimal traffic.

Pre-construction when you could cut diagonally across the surface lot directly to the outside tram loading area it was a bit easier to get to and everyone then had to deal with the same Esplanade security mess it was a bit of a toss up as to which route was better. Not so much any more.

We always walk it.
 
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Security is now at DTD entrance and inside the parking garage ground floor. Because of the construction for the new garage, I don’t know that there is a safe way to walk into the garage right now. I would enter at DTD.
There is. There is a walking entrance into the parking garage on the corner of Disneyland Dr and Magic Way. It’s just you have to back track if you walking from north of the garage so it’s better to just keep walking in through Downtown Disney.
 
There is. There is a walking entrance into the parking garage on the corner of Disneyland Dr and Magic Way. It’s just you have to back track if you walking from north of the garage so it’s better to just keep walking in through Downtown Disney.

Well yeah, I just meant not on the corner like there used to be. It’s all under construction and the tram and security are moved inside. It’s way out of the way now.
 
That walk majorly stinks now too. We walked it because we had a sleeper. It was stupid long!!
 
I believe ART also loops those hotels as well...but that can take even longer especially if leaving at peak times.
 
While it may be a bit less effort...and minimal at that having to backtrack into the garage... it is rarely less time especially since a bulk of the park guests are now going through that garage security checkpoint then having to wait for tram loading while the ESPN zone checkpoint is usually minimal traffic.

Pre-construction when you could cut diagonally across the surface lot directly to the outside tram loading area it was a bit easier to get to and everyone then had to deal with the same Esplanade security mess it was a bit of a toss up as to which route was better. Not so much any more.

We always walk it.
How is the walk back at night? Lots of people? Safe?

Thanks for your help It is just the info I was looking for.
 
How is the walk back at night? Lots of people? Safe?

Thanks for your help It is just the info I was looking for.

Totally safe even at night...but we are usually a groups of healthy adults on the move. Super quiet area and not a lot of lurkers or stragglers hanging around. Not a lot of people on Walnut between Magic Way and the Holiday Inn behind the M&F garage, but I honestly feel more safe than Harbor side where a lot more transients tend to congregate. My last stay on Harbor side we had to navigate around the lady having an animated conversation with a bush while on the S. Walnut walk I have never encountered a person that was not heading to or from the parks.
 
Totally safe even at night...but we are usually a groups of healthy adults on the move. Super quiet area and not a lot of lurkers or stragglers hanging around. Not a lot of people on Walnut between Magic Way and the Holiday Inn behind the M&F garage, but I honestly feel more safe than Harbor side where a lot more transients tend to congregate. My last stay on Harbor side we had to navigate around the lady having an animated conversation with a bush while on the S. Walnut walk I have never encountered a person that was not heading to or from the parks.
Thank you. Just what I was hoping to hear.
 
Second trip to DL later this week. This trip I am staying near W Ball Road and Disneyland Drive, north of parking garage. Not sure of the locations of the security screening on this side. If walking down Disneyland Drive, will I have to go right into parking area to access security to enter thru Downtown Disney? A map and directions would be most appreciated. Hydro Guy?

Thanks.

LSU Mom
Does this help?
https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-disneyland-security-point-thread.3672384/#post-58992586
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