Best way to get from airport to Disneyland Hotel?

[PrincessJasmine08]

We are leaving for our first ever Disneyland trip in just 18 days!! This kind of snuck up on me! Our flight arrives in LAX at 10am on Saturday, March 28 and we are staying at the Disneyland hotel. We will not be renting a car. It will be myself, my sister, and my best friend. We're all adults. What would be the best way to get from the airport to the hotel? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[bumbershoot]

Super Shuttle (when getting a quote or making a reservation online, use the HOTEL name, NOT the zip code, b/c the zip code yields very increased prices) is good, and Grayline's Disneyland Express is good too. SS is a van with seatbelts, and DE is a big bus.

Since you're staying at the DLH it's very convenient with the DE, b/c that's their first stop coming from the airport, and the place where the bus leaves directly from to get TO the airport.

 

[spacemermaid]

I used this shuttle: http://graylineanaheim.com/ for the trip I just got back from. I didn't have to wait long, the driver was friendly & helpful, the bus was very nice and clean, and the ride was only about 40 minutes The bus stops at various hotels, but Disneyland Hotel is the first stop.

 

[PrincessJasmine08]

Super Shuttle (when getting a quote or making a reservation online, use the HOTEL name, NOT the zip code, b/c the zip code yields very increased prices) is good, and Grayline's Disneyland Express is good too. SS is a van with seatbelts, and DE is a big bus.

Since you're staying at the DLH it's very convenient with the DE, b/c that's their first stop coming from the airport, and the place where the bus leaves directly from to get TO the airport.

I used this shuttle: http://graylineanaheim.com/ for the trip I just got back from. I didn't have to wait long, the driver was friendly & helpful, the bus was very nice and clean, and the ride was only about 40 minutes The bus stops at various hotels, but Disneyland Hotel is the first stop.

Well the grayline sounds perfect since the Disneyland hotel would be the first stop! Does anyone know what stop # the Disneyland hotel is on the Super Shuttle?

Also, do you tip the driver when you arrive at your hotel and does the driver assist with loading the luggage into the bus/taking it off the bus?

Thanks so much for the info!!

 

[bumbershoot]

SS dispatches and schedules in a way I can't understand. They picked me up 3 hours before my flight, and spent the next hour just picking up other people at hotels up and down and up and down Harbor. Thankfully I was in no hurry and the people were all very pleasant (all from a Natural Products convention which is right up my alley), but still, crazy. And I was the FIRST person on the shuttle and if I hadn't really pushed the driver and had my confirmation page printed, she would have thought I was a no-show even while I stood right there, b/c they somehow managed to spell my name wrong.

Anyway, SS goes to hotels and even homes in the area, so there doesn't seem to be preferential treatment for even the Disney hotels...I could be wrong about that, though.

Drivers on both have helped me with my luggage, and I've tipped them at the end of the trip. One SS driver even helped me get my son's carseat out, b/c I'd tightened the belt so much and coudln't get it undone, since DS had fallen asleep on the drive from the Ontario airport and I was holding him and battling with the seat one-handed.

 

[toni1227]

Check out this page to read more about the different shuttles.
There is a coupon for the DE for $3 off.
http://www.mousesavers.com/shuttle.html

 

[Melynny]

Bumbershoot, thanks for the info about the DE shuttle schedule. I was trying to make up my mind.. It looks now like I will be using DE. We will be flying from STL st. Louis and I know we will be tired.. it will be nice being first to DLH. This is prefect timing.! Thanks for the info!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Another tip about DLE - PAY IN ADVANCE - there will be all sorts of false buses that will try to tell you they are the DLE and get you onboard. The fake ones will leave you alone if you tell them you prepaid.

Other than that I have to say - good choice on taking the DLE instead on the Super Shuttle. You have absolutely no guarantee with SS which order you are picked up or dropped off in. It's at the driver's discrection/line of reasoning.

I frankly hate SS. I was a business traveller commuting in and out of LAX weekly for a number of years and I had to stop riding with them because it made me physically sick. They have a tendancy to weave in and out of traffic and rush to get their passengers dropped off. They do a lot of side road driving, due to the types of passengers and the number of pick-ups they have. This increases your chance of issues on the road.

The Express is a beautiful large tour bus with big cushy seats and air-conditioning. No smelly drivers. No overpowering air-fresheners. You know you will be safely transported in that whopping piece of equipment!!!!

 

[mechurchlady]

I will continue ot use Super Shuttle. The drivers did tend to get lost but they drove safely and got us to the airport on time and safely. They helped me with my luggage. Very nice people. The main problem I have is that the drivers either needed instructions from me or took the long way.

Super Shuttle has disabled accessible vans if requested. Good is that they have nice employees and bad is that you have to make sure they do not get lost. At least they do not drive recklessly. On my little street it was nice to have a van instead of a hulking bus which would not have fit well on my street and would have been nearly impossible for me to crawl into.

 

[bumbershoot]

YMP, I've experienced the terrifying drivers as well. This recent trip I didn't notice if she drove recklessly, b/c I was chatting with seatmates. But every previous trip I was white-knuckling it. At least this driver had a cricket (blue tooth) in her ear, instead of holding the phone to her face...but she was still multi-device'ing it, with a phone and a radio-looking thing and what looked like a palm pilot type of thing as well.

When I was first riding, WA had passed the hands-free laws, and I couldn't help but wonder what the drivers would do if they couldn't do those things whlie driving.

HOWEVER, the vans I've been in have been very clean and nice; I was told by one driver that they own their own vans. So each van is going to be differently taken care of, and it's luck of the draw.

I was bummed my DE bus, when I took it in November, didn't have the Disney "wrap" on it. It was very plain and boring. But I only took it *back* to the airport so it wasn't something I wanted for the excitement value.

 

[PrincessJasmine08]

So do I make a reservation ahead of time for DE, or just show up?

Thanks for all the great advice! I feel good about choosing DE now and the $3 off is great! Every little bit helps!