Disneyland Resort Express?

[psimon]

Can anyone tell me about the Disneyland Resort Express? Is it like the Magical Express at WDW? I do realize there is a fee at DL as opposed to WDW..... what is the fee from LAX to the Grand Californian?

How often does it run and how early / late does it run? The Disneyland page provides no information.

If all I am doing in California is DL/CA, do I really need a car?

Many thanks....

---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[SGDisneyFam]

Can anyone tell me about the Disneyland Resort Express? Is it like the Magical Express at WDW? I do realize there is a fee at DL as opposed to WDW..... what is the fee from LAX to the Grand Californian?



How often does it run and how early / late does it run? The Disneyland page provides no information.

If all I am doing in California is DL/CA, do I really need a car?

Many thanks....

---Paul in Southern NJ

http://graylineanaheim.com/shuttles.shtml

 

[damo]

I got my info from here: http://graylineanaheim.com/shuttles.shtml


oops...too slow....lol

 

[psimon]

Did you use them?

Were you happy with them?

Thanks...

---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[SGDisneyFam]

Did you use them?

Were you happy with them?

Thanks...

---Paul in Southern NJ

We used them from LAX our very first trip and not since.

The only other time we flew into LAX we rented a car.

Usually we fly into SNA and use Harolds Limo now.

 

[Susie63]

We just used them last week and we were very happy. Print off the coupon at ahaheim.oc.org for a $5 off coupon. You must have one coupon for each person. Round trip for 3 of us to the Grand Californian was $63. You can't beat that price! The bus is very clean and comfy.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Paul, if all you're doing is DLR and not leaving the resort area, you absolutely do not need a car, and DRE can be a good option. Everything is easily walkable within and adjacent to the resort. There is an Alamo car rental on property in Downtown Disney if you decide you want to take a day and explore L.A., and the same Gray Line operator that runs the Disneyland Resort Express also operates bus tours of the region.

I've stayed at DLR several times with no car, taking DRE back and forth from the airport (in my case, LAX), and it couldn't be more convenient. The DRE buses pick up from a clearly marked area of the common ground transportation curbside (buses and taxis), and drop you off either at your resort-area hotel or at a common stop within easy walking distance of your hotel.

If you're booking trough Disney, you can purchase your DRE transfers as part of a package and they'll be mailed to you along with your park tickets and hotel voucher. (You'll also receive a printed copy of the same DRE brochure with stop locations and pickup times that you can download as a PDF from the links others have provided above.) If not, you can simply pay with cash on the bus. Just download the brochure PDF and plan to bring along enough cash depending on the airport of your arrival (LAX or SNA.)

The only real difference between DRE and WDW's Magical Express is that if you're a group of four or more, a taxi or SuperShuttle-type of service could be cheaper (because, as you noted, DRE is not free.)

 

[00711]

mikedoyleblogger, do you know how much it would cost for a taxi from LAX? we are a family of 4 and are still trying to decide the best way to get to the carasel inn and suit..thanks!

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

mikedoyleblogger, do you know how much it would cost for a taxi from LAX? we are a family of 4 and are still trying to decide the best way to get to the carasel inn and suit..thanks!

Others will know better about the non-DRE options than I do, but as I understand it, SuperShuttle is $16 per person each way regardless of age (no idea if there's an infant discount), and taxis or car service can be close to $100 each each way (since DLR is a good 35 miles away in the 'burbs on the totally opposite side of the L.A. area from the airport.)

In comparison, the DRE fares from LAX are $32 round-trip adult, $25 round-trip child, and I believe free for under-threes. So your round-trip on DRE would be $89. Looks like this might be your cheapest option. It's also convenient in that you don't need to reserve or call ahead. The DRE buses run on a set schedule regardless, like a public transit bus would. So you can just show up and ride. Just keep in mind the trip is around 45-minutes to an hour and can easily be a lot longer, all depending on traffic.

 

[psimon]

Paul, if all you're doing is DLR and not leaving the resort area, you absolutely do not need a car, and DRE can be a good option. Everything is easily walkable within and adjacent to the resort. There is an Alamo car rental on property in Downtown Disney if you decide you want to take a day and explore L.A., and the same Gray Line operator that runs the Disneyland Resort Express also operates bus tours of the region.

I've stayed at DLR several times with no car, taking DRE back and forth from the airport (in my case, LAX), and it couldn't be more convenient. The DRE buses pick up from a clearly marked area of the common ground transportation curbside (buses and taxis), and drop you off either at your resort-area hotel or at a common stop within easy walking distance of your hotel.

If you're booking trough Disney, you can purchase your DRE transfers as part of a package and they'll be mailed to you along with your park tickets and hotel voucher. (You'll also receive a printed copy of the same DRE brochure with stop locations and pickup times that you can download as a PDF from the links others have provided above.) If not, you can simply pay with cash on the bus. Just download the brochure PDF and plan to bring along enough cash depending on the airport of your arrival (LAX or SNA.)

The only real difference between DRE and WDW's Magical Express is that if you're a group of four or more, a taxi or SuperShuttle-type of service could be cheaper (because, as you noted, DRE is not free.)

Thanks for the insight.

We are making a quick stop at DLR for 2 days as we are sticking it in the middle of a return flight from Maui to the East coast. We had no intentions of doing anything but DLR for our stop so the DRE sounds like the way to go!

Thanks again...

---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[tiggerjay]

Just because I didn't see it mentioned previously, to be clear, this is not a Disney provided service like at WDW, but a contracted external company they have a business relationship with. As such, it is worth while to compare other options as well to see what fits your needs better. There is no specific perk or benefit to using it compared to other options, just one choice among many.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Just because I didn't see it mentioned previously, to be clear, this is not a Disney provided service like at WDW, but a contracted external company they have a business relationship with. As such, it is worth while to compare other options as well to see what fits your needs better. There is no specific perk or benefit to using it compared to other options, just one choice among many.

Actually, they're both contract services operated by third parties (Mears operates Disney's Magical Express at WDW, Gray Line operates Disneyland Resort Express at DLR.) The differences are that the service isn't free at Disneyland, and you can't through check your bags.

 

[blynn]

If you don't want to bring cash to pay for the DLE bus, you can pay with a credit card. We have done that twice before. They have a portable credit card machine they bring on the bus.

 

[sunny45]

If you don't want to bring cash to pay for the DLE bus, you can pay with a credit card. We have done that twice before. They have a portable credit card machine they bring on the bus.

Can you put a tip on the receipt or do they still take cash for that ?

 

[blynn]

We've just tipped with cash, so I'm not sure about putting the tip on the credit card.

 

[sunny45]

We've just tipped with cash, so I'm not sure about putting the tip on the credit card.

I wasn't sure if doing the credit/debit card transaction was for convenience of the travelers or more as a security issue for the drivers with not carrying cash around.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

I seem to remember that the policy is you have to load and retrieve your own luggage from the luggage area beneath the bus. So unless the driver offers some extra-special service to you, IMHO no tip is required for a trip on DRE. It's really just a glorified transit route.

 

[blynn]

The first time we used the DRE the driver loaded and unloaded our bags, so we tipped. The last time we did it ourselves, so no tip then.

 

[Susie63]

Here is the link for the coupon. Use must have one coupon per person.

http://anaheimoc.org/coupon/disneyland®-resort-express