Disneyland Express...tell me everything...

[todzwife]

We are probably going to use this as our mode of transportation from LAX in November for several reasons. The biggest reason being we won't have to bring booster and car seats for 3 kids again and it will be a heck of a lot cheaper than renting a car. We have to fly into LAX because the tickets are much cheaper and there aren't any non-stop/no plane change flights into SNA.

So tell me...when is the best time to get the tickets for it? 2 weeks in advance? Are they refundable if someone gets sick?

Where do they pick you up at the airport? Where will we be dropped off if we are staying at Desert Inn and Suites?

My biggest concern is getting BACK to the airport. Do they pick us up at the same place they dropped us off at the hotel? Do I need to call them to make sure that they'll be there the Friday we fly out?

 

[hlbtimes2]

Its operated by Grayline bus service. Here is a link to their brochure. It should answer a lot of your questions.


http://graylineanaheim.com/docs/DRE%20Brochure.pdf

 

[DisneytheKid]

Thanks for posting this. Not to steal the thread, but I was planning on using super shuttle from LAX but the price is the same for Disneyland Express. Would anyone prefer one over the other for a mid day pick up?

Its operated by Grayline bus service. Here is a link to their brochure. It should answer a lot of your questions.


http://graylineanaheim.com/docs/DRE%20Brochure.pdf

 

[hlbtimes2]

I prefer SuperShuttle. The express bus is ok, it gets you to and from the airport for an affordable rate. But, depending on how full the bus is, you may have a lot of stops before you get to your hotel. Then when you are going back to the airport you have to allow time to get on the express bus, possibly transfer busses (they pick up at hotels, take you to a transfer location and divide up the passengers for each airport). Its just time consuming. With super shuttle you may have other passengers in your shuttle, but they are small enough that you are only going to have a couple of stops rather than a full bus load.

 

[Renae De Liz]

I had a disastrous experience with Super Shuttle when I went to an Anaheim convention a couple months ago. I called for an early morning pickup to LAX, they asked what time my flight left, and they gave me their "safe" time estimate to pick me up and get me to my flight on time. They said I'd be the last person to pick up, then we'd go directly to LAX, so there would be no problem getting me there in time.

Well, I ended up being the FIRST person they picked up. Then it was off to 5 other hotels, where I had to wait for 5 other passengers. All the while I'm watching the clock tick away towards my arrival time. I was also the last drop off at the airport, and I almost missed the cutoff time by 5 minutes. I was pretty upset that I got up SO early (like 4am) and still almost missed my 7am flight. So it makes me wary of all shuttle services.

HOWEVER if you have a large family and fill up most their 6 spots, then the experience should be simpler and faster and might be okay.

For my upcoming trip, I'm going to take the Disneyland Express to the hotel upon arrival (because my kids will love getting on a Disneyland bus!), then hire a town car or limo (if it's cheap enough) for the trip back. Depending on traffic, the price is on par with a cab (a town car is $90, which INCLUDES tip) and you can request a child seat if needed. It's a nicer vehicle, they will be there right when you need them, and you don't need to get up earlier for a shuttle. It does cost more than the Express (but depending on how many is in your family, not by much) but I think it's worth the little extra for the ease and peace of mind, especially with kids.

Here's the towncar/limo website HERE

 

[SeattleRedBear]

Yeah, I had a bad experience with SuperShuttle once (not in Anaheim) never getting picked up, so I tend to avoid them when I have other options. Yes, DE may take a little longer, but the schedule is regular and generally reliable.

 

[DisneytheKid]

I prefer SuperShuttle. The express bus is ok, it gets you to and from the airport for an affordable rate. But, depending on how full the bus is, you may have a lot of stops before you get to your hotel. Then when you are going back to the airport you have to allow time to get on the express bus, possibly transfer busses (they pick up at hotels, take you to a transfer location and divide up the passengers for each airport). Its just time consuming. With super shuttle you may have other passengers in your shuttle, but they are small enough that you are only going to have a couple of stops rather than a full bus load.

Good to know. Thanks for the insight!

 

[seagodess]

We bought tickets a couple months in advance. We used them from SNA to our hotel. We stayed at FFI and they dropped us off at the hotel. It wasn't bad, but it took a while (1.5 hours from pick up to drop off). We ended up being the last stop. For that reason since we had a early flight going home, we didn't use them going back to the airport. We probably would have been ok, but I didn't want to risk it and just called a cab. I dont know if you can get a refund, we bought our tickets through getawaytoday.com and I didn't want to even bother with checking.

 

[DiggleBelle]

For my upcoming trip, I'm going to take the Disneyland Express to the hotel upon arrival (because my kids will love getting on a Disneyland bus!), then hire a town car or limo (if it's cheap enough) for the trip back.

Just an FYI if you didn't know - not all the Disneyland Express buses have the Disney decorations on them like the brochure shows. I rode on 2 that were plain Grayline buses and saw 2 others dropping/picking up my family at DL hotel that were also not themed. Just a Disneyland sign.

You may already know that but didn't want you to be disappointed if it is important to you/your kids.

There is a link to a $5 off coupon here on the boards. Sorry I don't have it handy but do a search and you will find it.

 

[hellotoyou]

We have taken the Disneyland Express when we've stayed at DI&S. They dropped us off by at the hotels front sidewalk, however, when they picked us up ... we had a choice of 2 locations ... in front of a restaurant @2 buildings down, or at the main city bus stop ... @2 buildings up.

Previously they did have a family special that you needed to call them directly for ... $99 for 4 people round trip ... and it was good for a family of 4 adults, also. This was a few years ago ... but it might be worth a call.

 

[Davids-Coco]

We use Disneyland Express because of the car seat issue and convenience. When you get there, you give the ticket booth your voucher and they give you a little ticket (that you have to hold on to!) to get you back to the airport. For pick up, they collect everyone and then transfer everyone onto the same bus at the disneyland hotel (at least for SNA). It is really easy and we enjoy it. We have bought our vouchers anywhere from 6 months in advance to the day of when we boarded.

Also, if you go with Super Shuttle, you would need car seats by california state law as they are passenger vans and not tour busses.

 

[alicia1506]

we used the disneyland resort express bus in nov last year, and will be using them in dec this year when we go back. being from australia, we wanted reliable transport to/from the airport as we weren't going to go the car hire route.

admittedly we arrived really early in the morning (caught the first bus of the day at 7.30, but our driver was really knowledgeable and informative. we had prebooked our tickets (family of 4 for $99 return) approx one month beforehand, and we just presented our email confirmation when asked for our paperwork. the driver asked us where we were staying and then we were off.

it barely took us 40 mins from the airport to the hotel. the driver explained on the way from the airport where he would be stopping. he explained that they stop at all 3 of the onsite hotels first. when they stop at the first one, a company rep comes on and collects everyone's money/coupons/email confirmations.

as we had prebooked and prepaid for our tickets, they handed us a voucher and told us to call the day before our pickup to organise the time for our return journey. then he got off the bus and the driver explained where he would be dropping everyone off and in what order. our driver was fabulous.

we also stayed at the desert inn & suites, and he pulled up a few doors down from the hotel (remember this is a large bus and cannot pull up safely in all of the driveways for the hotels). it was barely a 30 second walk to the entry way of the Desert Inn.

for the return trip, we called approx 4pm the night before our pick up (we wanted a late departure, as we had a 9pm flight - i would suggest you call as close to 24 hours prior as possible). they suggested a 4.30pm pick up to get us to the flight which departed at 9pm. our pick up location was at a public bus stop (which allowed the bus to pull in safely out of traffic and load our bags onboard quickly, without having to deal with the narrow entryway to the hotel driveway). this was maybe a 30 second walk from the entry to the desert inn & suites.

once aboard, again, the driver explained where we would be picking up again. we stopped off at all 3 of the onsite hotels to pick up other guests, where the company rep came online and collected everyone's fares/coupons/prepaid confirmations (it seemed we were the only ones to do this on our bus). it only took us approx 1 hr to get from anaheim up to lax in traffic, so we were in the airport, checked in and through security by 6pm and then had 3 hours to kill before boarding our flight...

i should mention that when boarding the bus in lax... when you exit the terminal in LAX there are coloured pick up zones... purple, orange, blue, yellow, green etc. under the green sign is where you wait. it says something like 'flyaway bus and hotel transfers' or words to that effect.

be aware there is a similar company calling themselves disneyland express. they have dingy white vans similar to shuttle companies which have no wrapping on the outsides. they are not the same as Disneyland RESORT express which is the company which has fantastic service and drivers. one of the disneyland express shuttles pulled up and tried to get us to use their service. when we explained that we had prepaid our tickets with another company, they drove off pretty quickly. please don't be fooled by this, as i take it from other posts about this company they are not anywhere near as good as they Disneyland Resort Express run through grayline anaheim.

if you prepay for your tickets online, they do have instructions on them telling you where to go to be picked up and what to do to organise your return trip.

also, if you're not familiar with LAX and can't find the green sign, just ask one of the staff. our previous trip was our first through LAX and we had no idea where this green sign was... we just asked one of the staff near the door and they kindly pointed us in the right direction.

hope your family enjoy their trip!!

HTH.

 

[miss.potatohead]

While I can't comment on the DL Express, we took the Super Shuttle. Don't be afraid of missing your flight because you have to wait for other passengers. We were the second family in the van and the second last stop before making our way to LAX; last pick up was at PPH. After waiting for 5 minutes at the front of PPH, our driver called the hotel/passengers we were waiting for, who were 'minutes away'. Another 5 minutes later, they weren't to show, so our driver drove off. He said he'd book them on the next one, but he didn't want us to miss our flights because of inconsiderate people!

 

[lalasmama]

I did the Disneyland Express last month. (So sad, it's been a month!).... I had a great experience. Now, the time before, in Feb 2012, I wasn't so gung-ho. I'll explain both!

In Feb, we flew into SNA. We were picked up in about 30 minutes, then headed to Disneyland Hotel, where they do the paying/tickets. This is where I admit that I have a heck of a time with accents. I have a slight auditory processing disorder, and understanding the driver on this trip was TOUGH, which made me more anxious, because I didn't know if I was being understood. (Hope that makes sense.) We got to our hotel (Super 8 on Katella), and all was okay. On the way back, instead of the motel drop-off, we caught the bus at an ART stop, as directed by the hotel. We didn't call ahead, but it was okay, because they stop at each ART stop and yell "LAX! SNA!" before moving on. Once he picked up everyone, we went to Dis Hotel again for the tickets, and switching to a different bus for SNA. That's when the problems started. They mixed my suitcase with another family's, so the other group started walking off with my similar, all black suitcase. Once that was sorted out and we found my luggage, then it was fine. It wasn't any thing to write home about, and for the price (I missed the Getawaytoday.com prices!), I was "eh" about it.

Now, last month, Guido greeted me at my stop at LAX. I was the first one on the bus. He was a great tour guide from LAX to Super 8 He told jokes (often based on being a Latino with a Italian name). He showed us the ramp from Speed, the racing-ravine from Grease, and, my favorite part of the ride--the place where Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, *and* Lindsay Lohan have ALL lived!--I mean, it looked like any other unassuming jail from the outside, but look at how many famous people had been there!.... He told me there had been a recent policy change, and that they are only allowed to drop off at the pick-up spots now (so, usually, ART stops), so that there's no confusion about where to be picked up for the ride back. ... The ride back 2 days later seemed to take forever (9pm flight, caught the 5pm bus), but, really, it's just that it takes time to get everyone loaded and then dropped off back at the airport.

When we go next Feb, we'll use DLE again, and hope that Guido's our driver

 

[WeatherbySwann]

be aware there is a similar company calling themselves disneyland express. they have dingy white vans similar to shuttle companies which have no wrapping on the outsides. they are not the same as Disneyland RESORT express which is the company which has fantastic service and drivers. one of the disneyland express shuttles pulled up and tried to get us to use their service. when we explained that we had prepaid our tickets with another company, they drove off pretty quickly. please don't be fooled by this, as i take it from other posts about this company they are not anywhere near as good as they Disneyland Resort Express run through grayline anaheim.

Wow, didn't know about this - definitely good info to have! Thank you!

 

[Renae De Liz]

Just an FYI if you didn't know - not all the Disneyland Express buses have the Disney decorations on them like the brochure shows. I rode on 2 that were plain Grayline buses and saw 2 others dropping/picking up my family at DL hotel that were also not themed. Just a Disneyland sign.

You may already know that but didn't want you to be disappointed if it is important to you/your kids.

There is a link to a $5 off coupon here on the boards. Sorry I don't have it handy but do a search and you will find it.

I did not know there was others parading themselves as the Grayline busses! Thanks for that, I really want my kids to be in a "Disney Bus" so indeed that would have been a big disappointment!

And thanks for the coupon tip as well!

 

[NiceOneSimba]

Since you have little kiddos, I would definitely use the Disneyland Express. Because it's a huge bus, you don't need carseats or boosters. You would with Shuttle Express, and they don't provide them. For us, it was a no-brainer.

Someone gave you the links for the $5 off coupon. I was able to find an even better deal on one of the travel sites. I think it was GetAwayToday that had adults for kids prices, which is like $24 round trip per person. Kids under 3 don't need a ticket. I think that makes GetAwayToday a better deal than the family pack. But check around...there are other legit discount sites out there that may have a better deal.

 

[bumbershoot]

Both are good, both are bad. We're 50/50 on both of them!


With the bus, be sure you know when the bus shows up at your airport. Are you arriving when it's only arriving on the hour? Or is it during the time of day when they come every half hour?

If it's every HOUR, and you are landing too late to hit that bus, slow yourself down. It's far better to walk really really slowly through the airport than to rush, then wait 50 minutes outside in the car exhaust waiting for your bus.

LAX is simple for a traveller, but it's pretty boring, the way it's laid out.

Also, if you go with Super Shuttle, you would need car seats by california state law as they are passenger vans and not tour busses.

Very good call.

OP, your oldest won't legally need anything, even with the new law, but the youngers will, with a shuttle van, unless they are VERY tall.

While I can't comment on the DL Express, we took the Super Shuttle. Don't be afraid of missing your flight because you have to wait for other passengers. We were the second family in the van and the second last stop before making our way to LAX; last pick up was at PPH. After waiting for 5 minutes at the front of PPH, our driver called the hotel/passengers we were waiting for, who were 'minutes away'. Another 5 minutes later, they weren't to show, so our driver drove off. He said he'd book them on the next one, but he didn't want us to miss our flights because of inconsiderate people!

You got a really good driver. Not all of them will do that.

I did not know there was others parading themselves as the Grayline busses! Thanks for that, I really want my kids to be in a "Disney Bus" so indeed that would have been a big disappointment!

And thanks for the coupon tip as well!

There were two mentions in the thread of non-Disney-marked buses. One is a sneaky company. The other is the REAL company; they just don't have all of their buses marked with a Disney "wrap".

I find the easiest way to figure out if your'e getting on the real bus is to tell them you prepaid and have a voucher...if they welcome you aboard, it's them. If not, it's not.

 

[bibbidibobbidibecky]

Quick question: We are a family of 7 and plan to buy the $99 pass for the four adults and one child (last I looked it was for five people) then use the $5 coupon for the other two kids. As far as I can tell I have to wait and buy the two tickets when I get there b/c the coupon cannot be used online...correct? Or is there an actual code floating around out there?

Thanks!

 

[Davids-Coco]

Quick question: We are a family of 7 and plan to buy the $99 pass for the four adults and one child (last I looked it was for five people) then use the $5 coupon for the other two kids. As far as I can tell I have to wait and buy the two tickets when I get there b/c the coupon cannot be used online...correct? Or is there an actual code floating around out there?

Thanks!

I have been able to use two "child only" booked vouchers. So I know you can do that. I usually just book the family pass first and then book the child only and put that they are traveling with you in the notes.