Best route Disney to Universal?

[riaesq]

My ds is joining up with a youth convention while we are out there. We are trying to figure out the best plan for us/him/the group. WE are landing late Wed 19th LAX and hoping to hit Disney Thurs, hopefully before the huge crowds descend. The GROUP is landing late morning on Friday, going to Santa Monica Pier, and then Universal on Friday. They won't get to Disney til Xmas Day (!) and I am concerned that ds won't get to do much of anything there if he doesn't go with us on Thurs.

So-- here are my questions, please bear with me as I try to sort this out.

1) Do we stay first night near LAX and drop ds off at airport (bearing in mind plane could be late and whole day could be lost)- and hope to make it to DLR by mid afternoon?

2) Do we stay first and maybe second nights at HoJo Anaheim, go to DLR Thurs, and try to get ds to Universal to meet up with the group at 9 am on Friday when they arrive (and maybe go ourselves too)? They don't want to have to come out to meet him if he gets there late. If we adopt this plan, realistically, what time will we have to leave Anaheim on a Friday morning to get there and what is our best route?

3) DH and I need to be in Malibu somewhere around 5:30-ish Friday. What time will we need to leave either Disney or Universal to be there?

4)) Thoughts as to just how bad Xmas day will actually be, crowd-wise? I have been in WDW when it was literally wall-to-wall people (NYE 2000!) and it's not pretty.

TIA for any help y'all can give. I know this sounds a bit disjointed. I don't even have a hotel yet since I can't figure out the best plan....

 

[riaesq]

Anyone?

 

[StageTek]

I would suggest 2 for the stay.

You should allow at least one hour from Disney to Universal.
Friday morning at that time can be really bad from Anaheim to
downtown so it might even be better to allow 90 minutes. Ya never
know - one accident can really clog the freeway.

The best route is Interstate 5 north to the 101 north (at downtown
Los Angeles). It's a pretty easy to follow route.

3) Getting to Malibu by 5:30 on a Friday will be a nightmare.
Astounding traffic on all routes. From Universal I'd figure 60
minutes, from Disney close to 2 hours. Though I have never done
this.

4) Christmas day is wall to wall people. One of the top five
busiest days of the year.

 

[riaesq]

That's kinda what I thought/feared. Gonna have to just suck it up and hope for the best-- and adopt a California attitude, I guess

We might just blow off Universal, have him meet up in Encino 330-ish, head off to Malibu from there, and use Friday as a do-nothing kinda day since we always like to be the LOOPS (last out of the parks) when in WDW and I doubt that will change in CA unless Thurs is just too unbearably crowded.

Will Xmas day actually be more crowded than the days following?

 

[StageTek]

Will Xmas day actually be more crowded than the days following?

Not so you'd notice. The 25th through the 1st are pretty unbarable. But if it's the only time you've got, then you'll make the best of it. It's still a lot of fun.