Is it safe to walk from Paradise Pier Hotel to....

[ilovelucydog]

Is it safe to walk from Paradise Pier Hotel to CVS on Harbor via Katella? Google said it is 0.7 mile. Or would it be better to walk through the esplanade out to Harbor instead?

 

[offwithyourhead]

Yes, you'll be fine. Stay on main roads if you're going alone. But pretty much all of the immediate resort area is very safe, especially in the daytime.

 

[gary1955]

as long as it is not really late, there are usually a lot of people around.

it may be just my impression, but on the convention center side of the street the sidewalk seems to be a little more open and better lighting.

 

[Fantaluminishes]

It's one LONG block, but very safe. Going through DTD and the Esplanade would take longer, and if you came back the same way, you'd need to have your bags checked.

 

[Canuck16]

Walked by it every night on our way back to Sheraton Park Hotel after being at the parks late and stopped in to CVS most nights. We never felt uncomfortable at all.

 

[taniahappy]

Yes

 

[2boysmom1998]

There are always a lot of people around. As long as you don't do it really late at night or early in the morning it's safe. Disneyland really isn't in the best of neighborhoods.

 

[Plasticletters]

Disneyland isn't in a "bad" neighborhood at all - but that's my impression, and it's definitely a relative statement.
If you feel unsafe, just look up the crime stats and compare them with the neighborhood you live in.
http://www.mylocalcrime.com/#33.810082, -117.9212

 

[mrkyyyle]

Yea I'd agree it isn't in a bad neighborhood by any means. Go west/south west into Stanton/parts of Garden Grove and you'd be in more what I'd consider a not so great neighborhood.

 

[whjensen]

It is relatively safe. That being said, you need to be alert in the area - exclusively IMO due to the homeless people I've seen every trip along Harbor. There's not a lot of them, but they are there and having volunteered with homeless populations I would just say that awareness of where they are and what they're doing is just common sense. It's not at the same levels I see in most downtowns (like I said - just a few each time) but all it takes is one that is having a bad day.

When we were there last time (mid-April), encountered one of these gents outside the McDonalds who seemed to be agitated and was using some less nice words with less visible folks. Again, it's not a bad neighborhood but it must be considered an urban core and respected in the same way.

 

[buddhaluvthemouse]

did see several people sleeping in the bushes, but they also camp on Harbor and pretty
much keep to themselves.

 

[Reepicheep]

Is it safe to walk from Paradise Pier Hotel to CVS on Harbor via Katella? Google said it is 0.7 mile. Or would it be better to walk through the esplanade out to Harbor instead?

We used to stay at the Quality Inn on Katella on a regular basis, so we often walked down Disneyland Drive past the Paradise Pier and turned West on Katella. About the only time we encountered foot traffic along this route was before park opening, when there might be maybe eight or ten other family groups walking to the park along Katella/Disneyland Drive. In afternoons and evenings, it was rare to encounter anyone during our walk back to the Quality Inn, maybe we'd pass one or two groups south of the PP.

I've walked the route you are talking about (south along Disneyland Drive, then East along Katella) many times. During the day/early evening, it is perfectly safe. The biggest danger is probably people on bikes riding on the sidewalk, who can sneak up on you from behind with no warning. The last time we stayed at the Paradise Pier, we checked in around 11pm, and I walked to the 7-11 across the street from the CVS on a beer run. Probably not the smartest thing I've done in my life (especially the trip back, when I was carrying a couple of cases of beer), but I made it there and back ok.

To be safe, I'd say don't do the walk, or be very careful, if it is after dark. During the day, I say go for it with no worries. After dark, walk along the south side of Katella, since there are more motels and therefore more people along that side of the street.

 

[BigKid45]

Is it safe to walk from Paradise Pier Hotel to CVS on Harbor via Katella? Google said it is 0.7 mile. Or would it be better to walk through the esplanade out to Harbor instead?

I walked from the CVS area hotels down the DCA side of Katella to DLR & DTD 5 nights in a row in Dec 2014 without a worry. Now, I'm 6-7 300# so I usually don't attract any trouble from folks on the street. Late at night there are some folks sleeping in the bushes or on bus stop benches....during the day I didn't see them at all. If you walk on the Convention Center side of Katella down to Disney Way you probably won't run into any undesirables, only other tourists or convention goers walking. The road is well lit at night, lots of cars going by so I wouldn't worry.

 

[Plasticletters]

Also...
For those of you who live in areas where homelessness is not a problem, it's important to note that homelessness does not always mean "crime ridden". Quite often if homeless folks are visible it means they feel relatively safe being exposed in that atmosphere, which can be a sign of safety.
I can tell you from experience that you'll see a lot less homeless folks milling about in neighborhoods that are known to be centers of violence and theft - they want to be safe like you do, they just have less resources to be able to do so. Choosing where to sleep at night is one of the few decisions they can make along these lines and many of these people are intelligent enough to understand that more tourists=more of a police presence (even in the cleanest of neighborhoods).

 

[ilovelucydog]

Thanks everyone! We will most definitely walk it during the day. We will probably check in around 3:00 and head straight there.

 

[bumbershoot]

For those of you who live in areas where homelessness is not a problem, it's important to note that homelessness does not always mean "crime ridden". Quite often if homeless folks are visible it means they feel relatively safe being exposed in that atmosphere, which can be a sign of safety.

Sooooo many yesses for your post. Thank you.


Is this CVS near the ABC store? Near Desert Palms? All around Disney you're surrounded by tourists for an hour or two before and after the park hours. And before, you're surrounded by joggers. I wouldn't have any qualms walking along where you're going.

 

[Diszona]

Thanks everyone! We will most definitely walk it during the day. We will probably check in around 3:00 and head straight there.

You shouldn't have any problems, it is pretty much all crowded, main roads the whole way. Going through the esplanade would have doubled the distance and in the middle of the afternoon more than doubled the time, considering bag checks, DTD crowds, etc. That CVS is pretty nice, btw, I have picked up things there numerous times. There is also a 7-11 nearby as well.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I walked from PP to Target. It was longer than I was expecting but there was not a time that I felt unsafe. I do agree with being aware of your surroundings.

 

[Aspoonfullofsugar]

I've walked it and I felt perfectly safe.