Airport?

[jking6]

I was looking at booking a trip for my DD18 and I. It would be our first trip to Disneyland, been to Disney World 4 times. I was on the disneyland website and it gives the distance from each ariport with LAX being the highest but then on the side it says for close proximity use LAX. So my question is which airport would you choose? And do you have any tips for a disneyland newbie?

 

[Sweettears]

I'm interested in hearing this response as well. My wife is meeting me at DLR while I'm in the middle of a business trip in MArch. I have her flying into Orange County (SNA) which looks to be bout 20 minutes from DLR. Any reason not to do his?

 

[Disney Dreams]

Orange County (aka John Wayne, SNA) is 20-30 minutes from DLR. It is a nice airport to fly in and out off, smaller than LAX and closer. However, flights are sometimes more expensive, for the same reasons. Also, SNA has a "curfew" so sometimes LAX is the best choice for a later flight. It would be my first choice, if all the other pieces fit together.

LAX is a very big airport. It has more options than SNA. It is further away than SNA, but more importantly, the drive to DLR has awful traffic depending upon when you arrive. It is the biggest airport in the Orange County/Los Angeles area.

Long Beach (LGB) is a small airport that you will fall in love with if you ever fly in or out of it. Easy. Small. Simple. HOwever, limited in options and usually more expensive than the two others listed above.

Ontario (ONT) is one other choice that some people like to use. It feels further away, but mileage-wise it is not as far as it seems. Sometimes a good option, depending upon availability.

HTH,
Dreams

 

[specialks]

We love SNA -- easy to get in & out of and near DLR. I have heard that rental cars at LGB are sometimes more money. We have always had good pricing on rentals at SNA. I avoid LAX whenever possible and the traffic would really put a damper on my "vacation mood".

 

[skiingfast]

Just to add, from Disneyland.


SNA is about 12-15 miles away.
LGB is about 14-17 miles away
LAX and ONT are about 32-35 miles away so it doubles the travel time if traffic is moving, but these, particularily LAX, can take triple the time because of traffic issues.

 

[Ariel224]

I would also look at flight schedules and factor that in as well. For me, there are NO nonstop flights from home to Orange County using Southwest, and there is usually a plane change involved. There are also fewer flights on most days, which translates into getting to Anaheim later in the day and having to return to the airport earlier on my departure day. Flying into LAX, on the other hand, even with traffic issues, puts me into the parks a couple of hours earlier, as I can get a direct flight early in the morning going in. Is Orange County an "easier" airport? Absolutely! But for me the flight schedules (and higher pricing for Orange County) almost always would steer me toward LAX.

 

[Sweettears]

I would also look at flight schedules and factor that in as well. For me, there are NO nonstop flights from home to Orange County using Southwest, and there is usually a plane change involved. There are also fewer flights on most days, which translates into getting to Anaheim later in the day and having to return to the airport earlier on my departure day. Flying into LAX, on the other hand, even with traffic issues, puts me into the parks a couple of hours earlier, as I can get a direct flight early in the morning going in. Is Orange County an "easier" airport? Absolutely! But for me the flight schedules (and higher pricing for Orange County) almost always would steer me toward LAX.

Being from Chicago direct flights to SNA seem readily available and are about the same cost as LAX.

 

[princess lovers mom]

we too are from "upstate NY" and we found the cheapest flight took us into Burbank (Bob hope airport) and we are loeaving from Long Beach...

check for the non stop - cheapest flight

 

[Brady's Mom]

we too are from "upstate NY" and we found the cheapest flight took us into Burbank (Bob hope airport) and we are loeaving from Long Beach...

check for the non stop - cheapest flight

Burbank is also a really nice smallish airport - BUT the traffic on the 101 is HORRIBLE!! I would plan on your drive to DLR taking much longer than you planned. We flew in and out of BUR a couple of years ago - going TO DLR wasn't as bad as going to BUR. We ended up missing our flight because we didn't plan enough time to get to the airport!

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

It can also help to factor in the ground transportation costs once you arrive. Here's a little thread I made that contains all that information: Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information I hope it can help you with your decision.

 

[cirquelovers]

We really like flying into SNA. It seems like the closest and is so much smaller than LAX. We've never had a problem with getting a car, taxi or shuttle there either. I found LAX to be a nightmare that I don't care to ever repeat! The shuttle ride from there gave us all nightmares also.

 

[briangl]

Yes SNA and LGB are the best. As someone already said the rental cars at LGB cost way more than SNA. ONT is farther but traffic isn't too bad unless you are driving to DL in the morning rush hour or leaving DL in the evening rush hour.