Can We Get Away Without a Car - LA and Disney

[Frozen2014]

We're coming to LA (staying near Hollywood Blvd) and Disney and have the plan below. Flying into / out of LAX.

• one day at Universal
• one day is 5 hr tour around LA
• one day - morning at Warning Brother's; afternoon at Santa Monica Pier
• one day - La Brae Tar Pits and/or Children's museum + transfer to Anaheim
• rest of days at Disney (hotel across the street)

Could we get away without a car and just uber or use subway? We need transportation to/from airports but could use uber (or shuttle?). Universal we could uber or take metro as my understanding is it is one stop away plus short walk. Our tour day goes to mid afternoon and then we could do wax museum, Ripley's, etc. We like that kind of stuff.

So our biggest challenge is Santa Monica Pier day and the the day with La Brae Tar Pits and switching over to Anaheim. Also, what is best way from LAX to Hollywood Blvd area.

Could we use uber for these? Or is it worthwhile to get a car? We could also just rent a car for partial trip but not sure which is cheaper.

As a note my DH hates driving in general so from what I hear, LA traffic would not make him a happy camper.

 

[SMD]

I'm trying to recall the details from one of your previous threads about this. One of your kids is young enough that you'll need a safety seat and you won't have a data plan on your phone, right? So you have no way to request an Uber and you'll need to carry some kind of booster while you're out. If your husband doesn't want to drive, are you willing to drive? It's worth pricing a car for at least the non-Disney portion of the trip, plus some basic idea of what parking will cost. Then use the Uber site to price trips between some of your locations and factor in a data plan. There may be a significant cost difference. You can also use Google Maps public transportation search to see how long it would take to go between some of these locations. To get to Hollywood, look into the FlyAway bus. If I recall, the Hollywood dropoff is at Sunset and Ivar, which is a pretty long walk to the Chinese Theater, but you could then try Uber or public transportation to get closer to your hotel.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I am a solo female traveller and I dont drive. I have been going to LA on my own and meeting up with friends there for the last 8 years. Some of the time I have been a passenger in my friends car but alot of the time I am on my own and use public transport.

I build travel time into my schedule, usually allowing 60 to 90 minutes between point A and point B

Universal Studios
Take the Red Line Metro direct from Hollywood to Universal City. Exit the station, come up to ground level, go across the street and take the free shuttle bus to Universal City Walk. I did this last year and had no issues

To Tour Around LA
Use the Hop ON Hop Off bus tour. I did this tour https://www.starlinetours.com/hop-on-hop-off/ in 2010 and I plan to do it again this year. They have 6 routes which connect at various points , so you can interchange between routes. They have 24 hour, 48 hour and 72 hour tickets, so you should be able to tick everything off your list

Red Route, serving Hollywood and Beverly Hills with stops at TCL Chinese Theatre, the Farmers Market/Grove, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Strip, Dolby Theater and much more!
Yellow Route, connecting Beverly Hills with Santa Monica, with stops including Rodeo Drive, 3rd Street Promenade, Fox Studios, Santa Monica Pier and more!
Purple Route, serving Downtown Los Angeles, including Staples Center, Union Station, Olvera Street, Chinatown, Grand Central Market and many other attractions
Green Route, visiting Venice Beach and Marina Del Rey, highlighting the world-famous Venice Beach Boardwalk and a long list of other fascinating attractions
Blue Connector, a 1-hour route bridging Universal Studios and Hollywood
Orange Connector, transporting guests from LAX-area hotels to Marina Del Rey

To Transfer To Disney
There is regular city bus Metro 460 which goes from Downtown LA to Disney. I used it last year and I plan to use it this year. The journey takes approx 2 hours. I would get the Red Line Undergound Metro from Hollywood and connect to the 460 bus in Downtown La

To Transfer from LAX to your hotel
Use a shared shuttle ride such as SuperShuttle or Karmel

Yes it is possible to holiday in LA without a car, BUT you need to plan, plan, plan, map out all your journeys on Google Maps and allow for approx 90 minutes transit times.

 

[rella's fan]

I normally rent a car now for this kind of trip, but when I first started going to the west coast I was afraid to drive there so did what you are asking. It's usually just me and my daughter and sometimes my mom. We have taken Super Shuttle to and from our West Hollywood hotel from LAX with no problems. We have also taken it from LAX to Disneyland, as well as the Disneyland Express. Amtrak works great to take it from Anaheim to West Hollywood or vice versa - you just have to get to Amtrak station and you can catch the subway which will take you right to Hollywood Blvd. (very easy and cheap). We found that the 2 day pass for the hop on hop off bus worked great. It goes to the Grove, Tar Pits, etc. and even goes to Santa Monica. It picks up right at Hollywood Blvd.

 

[Frozen2014]

I'm trying to recall the details from one of your previous threads about this. One of your kids is young enough that you'll need a safety seat and you won't have a data plan on your phone, right? So you have no way to request an Uber and you'll need to carry some kind of booster while you're out. If your husband doesn't want to drive, are you willing to drive? It's worth pricing a car for at least the non-Disney portion of the trip, plus some basic idea of what parking will cost. Then use the Uber site to price trips between some of your locations and factor in a data plan. There may be a significant cost difference. You can also use Google Maps public transportation search to see how long it would take to go between some of these locations. To get to Hollywood, look into the FlyAway bus. If I recall, the Hollywood dropoff is at Sunset and Ivar, which is a pretty long walk to the Chinese Theater, but you could then try Uber or public transportation to get closer to your hotel.

Good memory. Thanks. Yes. DH and I were talking this morning and with uber, I would give in and we'd get the data plan. So non-issue.
My younger one will be 8 when we travel and she's tall. Not sure the laws in LA?

I calculated the cost of only using uber, uber for only airport travel, and a mix where we only rent car for our last 2 days in LA (and to transfer over to Disney). The thing is it's hard to calculate the extra costs for parking, gas, insurance etc.

One issue i realised in the option we only use uber...what do we do on our transfer day? We will need to check out from LA hotel at say 11am , but then we want to do La Brae Tar Pits and/or Children's museum. So without a car, this may not work. Or we just do La Brae Tar Pits in the morning and have the hotel store our luggage, and then uber straight from LA hotel to Anaheim hotel.

 

[Frozen2014]

I am a solo female traveller and I dont drive. I have been going to LA on my own and meeting up with friends there for the last 8 years. Some of the time I have been a passenger in my friends car but alot of the time I am on my own and use public transport.

I build travel time into my schedule, usually allowing 60 to 90 minutes between point A and point B

Universal Studios
Take the Red Line Metro direct from Hollywood to Universal City. Exit the station, come up to ground level, go across the street and take the free shuttle bus to Universal City Walk. I did this last year and had no issues

To Tour Around LA
Use the Hop ON Hop Off bus tour. I did this tour https://www.starlinetours.com/hop-on-hop-off/ in 2010 and I plan to do it again this year. They have 6 routes which connect at various points , so you can interchange between routes. They have 24 hour, 48 hour and 72 hour tickets, so you should be able to tick everything off your list

Red Route, serving Hollywood and Beverly Hills with stops at TCL Chinese Theatre, the Farmers Market/Grove, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Strip, Dolby Theater and much more!
Yellow Route, connecting Beverly Hills with Santa Monica, with stops including Rodeo Drive, 3rd Street Promenade, Fox Studios, Santa Monica Pier and more!
Purple Route, serving Downtown Los Angeles, including Staples Center, Union Station, Olvera Street, Chinatown, Grand Central Market and many other attractions
Green Route, visiting Venice Beach and Marina Del Rey, highlighting the world-famous Venice Beach Boardwalk and a long list of other fascinating attractions
Blue Connector, a 1-hour route bridging Universal Studios and Hollywood
Orange Connector, transporting guests from LAX-area hotels to Marina Del Rey

To Transfer To Disney
There is regular city bus Metro 460 which goes from Downtown LA to Disney. I used it last year and I plan to use it this year. The journey takes approx 2 hours. I would get the Red Line Undergound Metro from Hollywood and connect to the 460 bus in Downtown La

To Transfer from LAX to your hotel
Use a shared shuttle ride such as SuperShuttle or Karmel

Yes it is possible to holiday in LA without a car, BUT you need to plan, plan, plan, map out all your journeys on Google Maps and allow for approx 90 minutes transit times.

Thank you! I will look closer into these options. Sounds like a bit of a pain using the metro but is possible.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Thank you! I will look closer into these options. Sounds like a bit of a pain using the metro but is possible.

I guess I am used to using public transport in my day to day life, for example once a month I take a 90 minute (each way) city bus to client meeting.

It is VERY doable, you just need to be organised. For example, the LA public transport system has a TAP card. This is a credit card sized plastic card which you buy and then load up with money to pay as you go. It can be used on both underground and city buses. I bought one last year at the self service machines in the underground metro station, so this year I dont have to buy another one, I will just load up more money.

Google maps are very useful, if you click on an underground station, the entire route will come up on the map and show you all the stations on that route. So for example, go to Google Maps, search Hollywood and Highland Metro Station, click on it and you should see the entire Red Line.

The same with the bus routes, this is the route for the 460, Downtown LA to Disney https://moveonmap.com/lax/ln460/&ut=8

 

[SMD]

I guess it depends how far La Brea Tar Pits are from your hotel. It might be worth changing your itinerary to either leave directly from your hotel to Anaheim or choose something closer to your hotel on the last day. I guess it also depends what time you want to be at Disney. As an example, if you leave directly from your hotel for Disney at 10am, let's say you'd be there by noon. Some people would do a partial park day, Goofy's Kitchen for late lunch or shopping at DTD. If you store your luggage leave your hotel at 9am, and get to La Brea Tar Pits at 9:30 when it opens, spend 3 hours there, and then have lunch and get back to your hotel around 2pm-2:30 to collect luggage. You're not likely not getting to Disney until after 5pm and you've spend some extra money to backtrack to the hotel. Which is fine, it just depends where your priorities (and your budget) for your vacation lie. Then there's another plan which could be go to La Brea Tar Pits, go to Farmer's Market or LACMA, do a whole day in LA and not get to Anaheim until after dinner. If you did that, you'd be arriving late and then going right into Disney the next morning. Most people on this board wouldn't do that if Disney is the main part of the trip, they'd invest the time to get there early and be settled and rested the next morning. Again, it's a highly individual answer.

 

[GenGen22]

I would also check with your hotel as some hotels offer a shuttle to some attractions in the LA area I know the Hampton Inn in Burbank does. For around the Hollywood area you could use Uber and for your transfer to DL you could take a shuttle like Supershuttle but for traveling to Santa Monica you will definitely need a rental car is that's quite a ways out. The WB is also in close proximity and you can use Uber. I'm not sure about LaBrea as we haven't been there. Honestly I think it would be cheaper to rent a car. I personally don't like to drive especially while on vacation and I have only done one trip where we went to USH while staying near DL and we had to take a tour bus which isn't offered anymore and it was a huge hassle. I wished I would have rented a car. I usually just stay in the DL area and then I don't need a rental car.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Wow...just get a car...really. Public transportation blows in SoCal and you could Uber everywhere...but unless you have an aversion to driving with your schedule and luggage a car will be the most efficient and convenient. LA is a very car-centric environment.

Once you are at DL you certainly do not need a car. I would do a one way rental from where you are arriving to SNA then dump the car off either at an Anaheim or John Wayne Airport location then just Uber to DL for the remainder of your trip...but that is just me.

 

[VandVsmama]

Be prepared to spend a LOT of time each day getting around if you can't use your cell phone to call Uber or Lyft. Public transportation in So Cal leaves a lot to be desired and it usually takes 2-3x as long to get somewhere on public transportation compared to driving.

Driving is NOT as scary and frightening as everyone in other parts of the country make it out to be. For your various travel plans, having a car is CHEAPER, will take less time, and will be far more convenient.

Consider your transfer day, for example. If NOT using a rental car, then you'd have to use public transportation from the hotel to La Brea Tar Pits. Of course, you'd have to check out of your hotel first and store your luggage at the hotel. Then from La Brea Tar Pits, go to the children's museum. Then take public transportation BACK to the hotel. Pick up your luggage. And either take a taxi or take public transportation to Anaheim. Without using a rental car, for that particular day, I think doing anything more than the La Brea Tar Pits is biting off more than you can chew.

If you DO rent a car for that day, then you'd have to do a 1-way rental. Check out of hotel. Pick up rental car. Pack all the luggage in trunk of rental car (don't leave anything visible in the car when you leave it). Drive to La Brea Tar Pits. Then drive to children's museum. Then drive to Anaheim and check into your Anaheim hotel. With a rental car, this also gives you the freedom to go have lunch or dinner at the Tam O'Shanter if you wanted to (one of Walt Disney's favorite restaurants in LA).

 

[BadPinkTink]

Wow...just get a car...really. Public transportation blows in SoCal

driving and getting a car is not the be all and end all, shock horror I dont have a drivers licence and I manage just fine, year after year. Also those of us who are international incur HUGE data roaming charges on phones, so thats why using APS for transport is not an option. For example, I turn off data roaming for the 10 days every year I am in LA and I rely on free WIfi. If I did not turn off data roaming and just used my phone the same as I do in my home country, my bill for data roaming could end up costing thousands of dollars!

Believe it or not using public transport is something we take for granted in Europe, and unlike some people in USA we dont look down on those using public transport. I know for example, having been told by a friend who lives in LA, that people in LA only use public transport if they have a DUI offence or are poor people. And as LA is all about appearances and wealth and the beautiful people, that no one wants to be seen using public transport.

Thats why so many Californian people just advise tourists to get a car, cos THEY wouldnt be seen dead on public transport

 

[ParkHopper1]

Believe it or not using public transport is something we take for granted in Europe, and unlike some people in USA we dont look down on those using public transport.

Easy there Tink...Public Transport is something that is taken for granted in Europe because it is actually efficient and a viable way to get around.

In CA especially, it is not efficient and is a hodge podge of networks that are not nearly as efficient as driving. Can you function and get around?...yes...but it is so poorly managed and clunky that for the average person that can drive or has accessibility to Uber it is usually just not worth it. I wish we had a better public transportation options in the US but the society here is indeed built around the car culture for transportation which leaves the use of public options to those that truly need it vs those that want it, hence the stigma that goes along with it in the US. It has more to do with a crappy (sometimes literally) experience vs appearance.

Personal experience...just a few weeks ago took a Light Rail to a stadium for a sporting event. Line took hour and 20 min with a gazillion stops then packed in wall to wall standing with a few hundred new friends...Then on the return trip we had to leave the game early to beat the crowd yet still wait in line 30 min to take the packed train another hour and 20 min back. And this was a brand new stadium and light rail stop.

We spent $12ish in Light Rail fares. It would have been a 20 min drive and $40 in parking. That experience was not at all worth saving $28 for me.

My point being for a family vacation with luggage in tow...IF ABLE...what is that few dollars in savings gonna cost you in time, hassle, and lack of schedule flexibility with a crappy public transport system vs renting a car? Usually not worth in IMO.

Sometimes it is...for example there is Amtrak that runs between San Diego to Anaheim in two hours and $28 per person...that is a great way to make that jump.

 

[felice]

Regarding the phone data plans, that does depend on the provider you are with.

Here in the UK, one of the better providers is called Three - and they have what is called the 'Feel at Home' service, which allows your own personal data / call plan to be used whilst you are traveling within the EU, the USA and some other countries. This ensures that we don't pay over the odds for data and calls when we are roaming. We do get charged a fair bit, however, for local USA calls, but if these are toll-free then they can be made from payphones.

 

[MaleficentRN]

My point being for a family vacation with luggage in tow...IF ABLE...what is that few dollars in savings gonna cost you in time, hassle, and lack of schedule flexibility with a crappy public transport system vs renting a car? Usually not worth in IMO.

ITA. When I was in LA a couple of years ago, I went over all kinds of transportation scenarios. Renting a car made the most sense and I don't regret it. Biggest hassle was picking up the car. . But having to depend on a bus schedule, cost of UBERs back and forth or bus tours would have been a huge bummer.Driving was no worse than any other city during rush hour. Except for the hotel and Sony Studios(both had free parking) I parked on the street.
We made grocery stops, spent a day at the beach, made a spontaneous stop at Randy's Doughnuts after we picked up the car. We checked out of our hotel in the morning with our luggage, stopped for a tour at Sony and then headed to DL where we returned the car after dropping off our luggage. We later used Karmel to get to LAX.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

driving and getting a car is not the be all and end all, shock horror I dont have a drivers licence and I manage just fine, year after year. Also those of us who are international incur HUGE data roaming charges on phones, so thats why using APS for transport is not an option. For example, I turn off data roaming for the 10 days every year I am in LA and I rely on free WIfi. If I did not turn off data roaming and just used my phone the same as I do in my home country, my bill for data roaming could end up costing thousands of dollars!

Believe it or not using public transport is something we take for granted in Europe, and unlike some people in USA we dont look down on those using public transport. I know for example, having been told by a friend who lives in LA, that people in LA only use public transport if they have a DUI offence or are poor people. And as LA is all about appearances and wealth and the beautiful people, that no one wants to be seen using public transport.

Thats why so many Californian people just advise tourists to get a car, cos THEY wouldnt be seen dead on public transport

This is a rather harsh and unfair criticism of people who live here based on your own limited experience/contacts. I have no problem taking public transportation, except that it takes too long to get from one place to another. When my car was in the shop for a month, I took public transportation to work without feeling like I was lowering myself. I had to walk to the bus stop at 5:30am, take the bus to the metro stop, and then take the metro to work. I'm glad I can do it, but when it takes me 10 minutes to drive versus over an hour to take public transportation, it's just not worth it to me to do that. Most people have the same issue because of the distance of everything. Those of us who live here know how much time it takes to get from one place to another, and when we've got to do that day after day, we're going to use most expedient methods.
-----------------

For those who can only take, or choose to take transportation, yes it can be done. You just need to factor time and distance in your plans.
For instance, to take public transportation from Disneyland area to La Brea Tar Pits = almost three hours, versus 45 minutes to an hour and a half (depending on traffic) https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Disneyland/La-Brea-Tar-Pits
Factor in that you've got to do this twice, you are looking at close to six hours via public transportation. In a car, you can use four of those hours visiting Santa Monica Pier, or Hollywood area, etc.

I recommend planning out your day, then weighing how you would accomplish your travel best for your needs. And I do recommend going to the La Brea Tar Pits and LACMA (same area), as well as Farmers Market/The Grove, which are just down the street a few city blocks.

 

[ashley0139]

driving and getting a car is not the be all and end all, shock horror I dont have a drivers licence and I manage just fine, year after year. Also those of us who are international incur HUGE data roaming charges on phones, so thats why using APS for transport is not an option. For example, I turn off data roaming for the 10 days every year I am in LA and I rely on free WIfi. If I did not turn off data roaming and just used my phone the same as I do in my home country, my bill for data roaming could end up costing thousands of dollars!

Believe it or not using public transport is something we take for granted in Europe, and unlike some people in USA we dont look down on those using public transport. I know for example, having been told by a friend who lives in LA, that people in LA only use public transport if they have a DUI offence or are poor people. And as LA is all about appearances and wealth and the beautiful people, that no one wants to be seen using public transport.

Thats why so many Californian people just advise tourists to get a car, cos THEY wouldnt be seen dead on public transport

This is patently untrue. I live here. I have a car. I take public transportation when it's convenient. It's rarely convenient. CAN you do it without a car if you have to? Yes. It will just take you far longer and be far less convenient. People who recommend getting a car know what they're talking about too. Just because you can do it without does not make it the best way. I'm not sure why you're so defensive and aggressive about not having a car. Saying that only poor people use public transportation and that no one wants to be seen using public transportation? Really?

 

[SMD]

Another thing is that buses and to some extent metro trains are at the mercy of the same traffic as cars. So even if the schedule says a trip will take 40 minutes, if there's traffic, the bus isn't going anywhere along with the cars. And, if I'm going somewhere with free parking, it's often more expensive to pay multiple fares than the cost of gas to drive. I take public transportation when it makes sense, but with all metro train lines going downtown to transfer, it's usually the opposite direction, and much more time consuming. I could read or play with my phone on the train, or I could just get to my location and spend the extra hour I'd save by driving reading or playing with my phone at my destination.

Some other options for the OP might be, take a shuttle or Uber to your Hollywood hotel, use the red line to Universal, then rent a car near your Hollywood hotel for Warner Bros and Santa Monica. Or, get a 1 way rental, use it for WB and SM, then keep it for La Brea the next morning, store your luggage in the car and drive to Anaheim. You really don't need a car if USH is a whole day activity, you'll just pay a lot to park and the red line station is right there.

 

[StormyCA]

Believe it or not using public transport is something we take for granted in Europe, and unlike some people in USA we dont look down on those using public transport. I know for example, having been told by a friend who lives in LA, that people in LA only use public transport if they have a DUI offence or are poor people. And as LA is all about appearances and wealth and the beautiful people, that no one wants to be seen using public transport.

Thats why so many Californian people just advise tourists to get a car, cos THEY wouldnt be seen dead on public transport

I lived in Europe for a year. I could walk a block from our flat to catch the streetcar, get off that streetcar and catch a bus after a 5-10 minute wait or hail a taxi to reach my destination. Or I could board a train to the next town and get off that train and cross the street to catch a bus, taxi, or the streetcar. All the transit services were coordinated. Times were convenient and stations/stops were within a block. They started early in the morning and ran until (IIRC it's been a few years!) 1am.

It doesn't work that way here. Each system runs to its own timetable so you may wait an hour or more for a connection. Each system has its own stations without consideration of whether or not its convenient to the other transport systems. Routes are 'arbitrary' and not well planned for the average person. In short, they are a disaster compared to most major European cities' efficient systems. That's why people who can afford to run a car do so rather than use transit. It has nothing to do with 'class' or 'affluence'. And why your 'friend who lives in LA' is shallow if the reasons she gave you are why she doesn't use transit.

 

[Frozen2014]

Thank you for all the replies. I should say that if we don't get a car, I didn't mean that we'd be using transit often....it's an option for our Universal Studios day since (I read that) it's one stop away on the metro. But for the other days we would use uber instead. Originally we weren't planning on getting a data plan (we're Canaidan), but thinking about it logically, we would get something for travel.

Sounds like overall, we really should rent a car for at least part of our tirp.

Some other options for the OP might be, take a shuttle or Uber to your Hollywood hotel, use the red line to Universal, then rent a car near your Hollywood hotel for Warner Bros and Santa Monica. Or, get a 1 way rental, use it for WB and SM, then keep it for La Brea the next morning, store your luggage in the car and drive to Anaheim. You really don't need a car if USH is a whole day activity, you'll just pay a lot to park and the red line station is right there.

This was actually one of our original plans (either this or just rent a car for all our LA days)...thinking of maybe just renting a car for Warner Brother's / Santa Monica day plus the day we check out of our hotel, see La Brae Tar Pits and/or Children's Museum (not necessarily both depending on timing) and then drive to Anaheim. i believe the car rentals near Disney close at 6pm so we would need to get there before then. Don't see a need for a car at Disney (plus we save on parking costs at our hotel). So reading all the replies, I think it's best we go back to this plan.

Thank you. Appreciate the feedback as it's my first time coming to LA with my own family as an adult.