Disneyland and Universal

[Seeker615]

My husband and I have been contemplating a trip to Disneyland next year. We would have to fly out and probably stay off-site but within walking distance to the parks.

While we are in California we would like to possibly see Hollywood and Universal.

Is it possible to get to other places without renting a vehicle? (Tour buses..etc..) or should we rent a car and drive. I am concerned about traffic.

 

[guynhawaii]

Aloha,

To my knowledge, Grayline Tours offers US and roundtrip bus ride for $100 ea. Basically $80 for the ticket and another $20 for the RT bus ride.

 

[abdgeek]

You really need to have a car at DL if you want to sightsee. There is an Alamo Car Rental in DTD so you can rent the car for only the days you will need it. Check to see what restaurants are within walking distance of wherever you want to stay. DL is not as walkable as WDW and there are less dining options.

There is a trolley system(ART?) that runs around the DL area to some of the hotels and certain stores, but I didn't find the times convenient. You can also try taking the metro to some places. Check to see if Grayline offers a bus to Universal.

 

[Hojoanaheim]

If you wanted to visit multiple places while you are here, the most economical way to go is to rent a car. This way you are paying for the car and not per person (which adds up quick). You will normally hit traffic whenever you go to Universal but there are times when traffic is not as bad as it is during rush hour, which is around 6am-10am and 2pm-7pm. If you didn’t want to drive in traffic at all, as guyinhawaii said, Greyline does offer admission and transportation to Universal for $100 for an adult and $92 per child ages 3-7. (They offer other tours too) And as abdgeek said, there is the ART shuttle that runs around Anaheim; this can take you to small shopping areas like the GardenWalk and Downtown Disney or other places around the Anaheim area. For this ticket it is $4 for an adult and $1 per child ages 3-9, per day for unlimited rides throughout the day.

Hope this helps!
Kriss

 

[Seeker615]

Thank you everyone!

This really helps.

We hope to walk to the Disney parks and I like the idea of renting a car on a daily basis as needed.

I will be watching these Disneyland boards for more info as this will be new to me!

 

[rosie2283]

Hi seeker615!
Last October we rented a car and drove to universal and legoland. It was way cheaper than paying for the bus tours. We had a blast! One helpful hint-take a gps with you. We took ours (saved us from renting one from the dealership) and it made it so easy. It was dead on, even for lane changing on the freeway. Have a great trip!

 

[krispin41]

My DH and I did the Greyline for our day trip to Universal. I had already purchased VIP experience tix for Universal, and I added on the transportation, which was about $70. They picked us up at our hotel at 8:30, took us to the depot, and then we boarded our bus to USH. We got there around 10:15. It was super easy, however they give you a set time they pick you up, which was about 6:30. So if you want to stay later, this isn't the best option.