Cheapest way to get from LAX to DL area?

[jakoky]

hi there, when we were there in may we used primetime shuttle BUT we chose to go private..if we had used a shared van it was 75 dollars(we are a family of 5) but we went private for 77 dollars...how could we not, we were the only ones on which meant only our stop and no waiting for others to get on or off along with all their luggage...we had a great driver who was even willing to stop at walmart for us so i could get a few cases of water, some juice boxes, etc.....they were even outside our motel 1/2 hour early for our return to the airport which was great as my husband always worries about being late.....i truly recommend them
sharon

 

[Tink03477]

I have taken the Disneyland express before and it worked just fine.

Another option that I have used is a rental car. I rented from Hertz at LAX and made my reservation so that I could drop the car at the HLE (Hertz Local Edition) right by Disneyland. That way, I only had to pay for one day of rental. It also made it so that I could drive to a grocery store and pick up a few items to cut down the price of food. When you drop off your car, Herts will run you back to the park or a nearby hotel. I then played at Disneyland for however long we stayed. To get back to LAX, we had made another reservation from the HLE to LAX. Hertz coordinated a pickup time and place. I just paid for another one day rental and drove back to LAX.

I haven't heard of many other people trying this, but it may work well for you. I believe there is an Enterprise (The evil E), or National/Alamo right by Disneyland too. Hertz specializes in one way rentals, so I went with them.

When you say it "worked fine", does that mean you made ressies, they picked you up at LAX after 10 min wait and dropped you off first at your hotel? Please say yes! Did you reserve a return to LAX before you got to CA or after? I usually rent in WDW from National, but I keep reading about all the horrors of driving in CA 6-lane bumper-to-bumper traffic and it scares the "you know what" out of me! We want to go to Universal for a day as well. Gray Line Bus service offers free p/u & d/o with park ticket for $59, which seemed pretty good to me. We come in on Sunday, so maybe if we went to USH on Monday a rental car for those 2 days might be financially beneficial. I'll have to do the math on that one. It would have to be a BIG savings for me to risk driving there. Is it really as bad as they say?

Thanks so much!!!

 

[disneyhound]

We have used the shuttle vans. Last year the driver added over an 1/2 hour to our shuttle ride in order to drop someone off at their house. Nobody was happy about that side trip; we wanted to get to DL!!!

 

[tracys2cents]

As far as taking the MTA city bus, let me just say you DON'T want to be hanging around 5th and Hill street with your luggage, waiting for your 2nd bus. And it's about a 3 hour trip, AND you can't take luggage on a citybus unless you pack REALLLY light.

Airportbus.com is one I've seen recommended, at around $20 per person.

 

[Captjackson]

I usually rent in WDW from National, but I keep reading about all the horrors of driving in CA 6-lane bumper-to-bumper traffic and it scares the "you know what" out of me! ... Is it really as bad as they say?

Thanks so much!!!

It's not so bad. If you've driven in any major metropolitan area you should be fine. There's usually more lanes, and yes, they do drive faster than folks up here in Portland, but IMO, it's not a problem. Good luck.

 

[fenfur]

[/QUOTE] but I keep reading about all the horrors of driving in CA 6-lane bumper-to-bumper traffic and it scares the "you know what" out of me![/QUOTE]


It's only really really really bad during peak traffic times. And the weekends can get a little crowded.

It's all about what time you you travel on the roads and what freeway you take. Stay away from the freeway from 7:30 am-9:15 am and like 4pm or so to about 7 pm.

As far as going up to Universal stay away from the I5 like the plague. You WILL be in bumper to bumper traffic if you go up the I5. Right before the county line it has not been expanded and it gets like "poo poo" (direct quote from a friend). You would be better to take a little bit longer route and go the 91 to the 110 to the 101. Either way it's still about an hour drive or so each way.

If you need to take a shuttle from the airport to DLR and then want to go to Universal then I would suggest renting a car, those shuttle prices will add up quickly.

And to the OP, I wouldn't take the MTA buses up, not safe in my opinion. MAYBE the subway line (does it go to the airport?) and then the train down, but then you are still a few miles from DLR and would still need to take a taxi down.

Good luck!

 

[Tink03477]

I think since this is our first time there, I'm going to stick with shuttles. I know it will cost a little more, but piece of mind and less stress is certainly worth it on my first trip out there. I'll get the "lay of the land" so to speak and be more comfortable for our next trip.
I'll use the Disneyland Express with my coupon and use the free shuttle to USH with Grayline that I purchased on line. I'll post reports when we get back!

Since I am using the package for USH, I won't need the coupon that Tracys2cents so graciously sent to me. (Thank you again!) They are good until 10/16/06. One $15/off admission, $15/off front of line-both up to 6 people, and 1 kids eat free tonight at Citywalk. If anyone would like me to mail it to them, please PM me and I'll get it right out to you as time is short for it.

Thank you,