Disneyland and long layover LAX

[Valjean13]

Hello
My husband and I are flying to New Zealand on July 3, and we'll have quite a long layover in LAX. Since we are changing airlines there we want to make sure we have lots of time to account for delays, etc. Our flight to NZ leaves at 10:30pm (final check-in time is 7:30pm). I'm wondering if we'd have enough time to spend part of the day at Disneyland? Right now the flights we are looking at booking into LAX will arrive around 10:30am, but it could be as late as noon. The plan would be to take a shuttle to the DLH, leave our bags at the hotel and then spend the day in the park. Then go back to LAX early evening to check in for the next flight. Of course it's 4th of July weekend, I assume it will be crazy busy, so this plan might be a horrible idea. Any idea if this is even possible, or will the time spent in traffic/check-in/ride line-ups make it not worth the hassle?

 

[bumbershoot]

Might arrive at noon, have to be there before 7:30. LAX is about an hour away, without extra traffic. SuperShuttle is iffy b/c they don't tell you who they are going to drop off first...disneyland resort Express Bus has timing that can be funky.

To absolutely maximize the time I would hire a towncar first and foremost.

And then know you'll have maybe 4 good hours there. On a very busy weekend.

It sounds more fun than sitting at the airport staring at each other, but set expectations low.

 

[bumbershoot]

Since you're only looking into flights...if you can get a direct flight into SNA (no stops at LAX) that will give you more time. I doubt you can get a flight to NZ directly from SNA so it seems LAX is a necessity on the way out.

 

[jlmarr]

The plan would be to take a shuttle to the DLH, leave our bags at the hotel and then spend the day in the park. Then go back to LAX early evening to check in for the next flight.

I didn't know it was possible to do that - leave your bags with the bell desk even if you're not checking in. Maybe someone else can confirm.

Ditto what Bumbershoot said about it being a busy weekend - lots of traffic to/from, crowded at the parks. Maybe think about a Plan B, although I'm not familiar with the west side.

 

[sonnyjane]

Here is a recent thread from someone asking the same question:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2347451&highlight=layover

They ended up changing their flight to give them more time, and it was a domestic flight, and it wasn't a big concern to them if they missed their flight, but I'd imagine an international flight would be much trickier.

I personally wouldn't do it. It's not that I don't think you won't be able to get to the parks and back, just that you might only get three or four hours at the park during peak season, so it would hardly be worth it for me.

 

[bumbershoot]

I didn't know it was possible to do that - leave your bags with the bell desk even if you're not checking in. Maybe someone else can confirm.

Totally didn't catch that. They won't allow it. I asked!

[Had a trip to San Diego for a friend's b'day, found myself surrounded by jerks, snuck out of the shared condo and took the train to DLR for the day. Had a flight leaving from LAX (I had the DLR day planned, but was going to invite some of the other women until I spent time with them).]

I took a cab to DLH and asked...nope. So I put my bags in the lockers in the Picnic area, to the left of bag check, then spent the day in the parks. Took the Disneyland Express bus from DLH.

The journey through DTD with those bags was long, but that's the way to get in if you want those pre-bag-check lockers. If you have the shuttle/bus drop you at, say, Tropicana, you have to carry the bags through bag-check...not fun!

 

[Eeee-va]

If you really want to see Disneyland, is there any way to have an overnight layover? It would give you plenty of time to catch your connecting flight and if you could come in early on your "incoming" day, then you COULD possibly get into the parks by 1 PM the first day, see the evening entertainment, come in again the following day at 8 AM, ride all the big rides before the crowds set in, and stay until the afternoon.

I know that's a lot more money (and unless your schedule is flexible, also a bigger time commitment?) than just going for a quick layover. But given that the parks may be packed that day and that flights can always get delayed, there's a good chance you'd arrive at the parks later than noon, get in and be able to get at best 1-2 Fastpasses, have long lines for most other attractions, and then have to leave at 5 or 6 anyway. With cab/etc. fare, that's getting pretty close to $100 American per person for 4 or 5 hours at Disneyland, and a lot of added stress along the way. I don't think a "day trip" would be quite worth it to me.

 

[UmmGooD]

Another thing to consider is the security lines at the airport. They were at least 1 hour @ 5:30a.m. when we left LAX yesterday. I am assuming they would be even longer in the afternoon. With the bomb scare last week and the problem in Newark you might need more time than you are anticipating on. Especially if you need to get your bags and recheck them.

 

[Valjean13]

Thanks everyone. I knew it would be a very short day at Disney if we did it at all, but it was an idea to pass the time. We can't fly in a day early because of our work schedules, and it looks like we'll be stuck with one long layover day no matter what. Not sure what we'll end up doing for the day - any suggestions for things to kill some time near the airport?
Funny that you can't leave bags at the luggage desk without a reservation - at Disney World hotels they don't ask for your name or anything, just give you a numbered ticket and away you go. We usually leave our carry-on bags because we arrive long before rooms are ready to check-in, so we skip the lobby, leave the bags, and hit the parks.

 

[Judy from Boise]

we have spent 7 hours in the LAX airport ....it is not too much of a hardship if you do a sit down meal, and some shopping. You also can use the internet cafes.

 

[UmmGooD]

Thanks everyone. I knew it would be a very short day at Disney if we did it at all, but it was an idea to pass the time. We can't fly in a day early because of our work schedules, and it looks like we'll be stuck with one long layover day no matter what. Not sure what we'll end up doing for the day - any suggestions for things to kill some time near the airport?
Funny that you can't leave bags at the luggage desk without a reservation - at Disney World hotels they don't ask for your name or anything, just give you a numbered ticket and away you go. We usually leave our carry-on bags because we arrive long before rooms are ready to check-in, so we skip the lobby, leave the bags, and hit the parks.

Maybe rent a car and go to Santa Monica for a couple hours?

 

[Ariel224]

Here is a recent thread from someone asking the same question:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2347451&highlight=layover

They ended up changing their flight to give them more time, and it was a domestic flight, and it wasn't a big concern to them if they missed their flight, but I'd imagine an international flight would be much trickier.

That is my crazy wonderful day trip being referred to. I wish now I had actually gotten around to writing a trip report....I just didn't think my thread would resurface as a point of interest.

My flight came in at 9:40. I caught the Disneyland Resort Express bus to the Disneyland Hotel. Stored my luggage (which consisted of only one small backpack) in the lockers by the picnic area (backpack just barely fit by the way), and was in the park by noon. It was a Sunday (Dec 13), following 2 days of considerable rain, so the parks weren't terribly crowded and the lines weren't long (5-20 minutes), even though the Christmas festivities were in full swing.

I was able to ride HMH, POTC, IASWH, Storybook Canal Boats, Casey Jr, BTMRR and Soarin' (using single rider line). I also saw Tianna's Showboat Jubilee, squeezed in 2 snacks, and grabbed some tacos at Tortilla Jo's Tacqueria on the way out to eat at the airport. I left the parks at 4:30, caught the bus back to LAX at 5:30 (it was 30 minutes later than scheduled), and arrived at the airport with about three hours to spare before my flight took off. I felt more than satisfied that it was worth it.

That said......I got very lucky that the weather was keeping attendance lower than expected. I was by myself, so could "walk with purpose" and maneuver through any crowded areas pretty quickly, and had a solid plan in my head about "must sees" and the order to experience them. We had done our family vacation there a few weeks prior, so the park layout was still very fresh in my mind. I believe all of these factors combined made it possible for me to have a very fulfilling day. But....it was not going to be an earth shattering deal if I somehow managed to miss the flight. Had I been trying to catch an international flight, managing large amounts of luggage, and dealing with large crowds/long lines, it would have been a TOTALLY different experience....not an experience I would recommend taking a chance on...way too stressful. You MIGHT only get to do 3 or 4 rides (maybe less if you have the desire/need to sit down and eat an actual meal).

For reference, my layover before I pushed back my departing flight was 6 hours. With the change, I had almost 11 hours, but still spent only 4.5 hours actually in the parks.