Disneyland to LAX

[kelmac284]

We will be there in Oct and will be driving our rental car back to LAX on a Monday. Our flight leaves at 7:15. I was thinking we should leave Disneyland around 3 to be back at LAX by 5 to return car and check in etc. Do you think that is enough time for those that live in the area? I don't want to cut it to close with Monday commute traffic but I also don't want to waste part of my day sitting at the airport when I could have been at Disney.

TIA

 

[LittleWoodenHead]

We will be there in Oct and will be driving our rental car back to LAX on a Monday. Our flight leaves at 7:15. I was thinking we should leave Disneyland around 3 to be back at LAX by 5 to return car and check in etc. Do you think that is enough time for those that live in the area? I don't want to cut it to close with Monday commute traffic but I also don't want to waste part of my day sitting at the airport when I could have been at Disney.

I think your timing should be about right -- although I say so with the usual caveats and disclaimers (no sigalerts, no accidents, etc.) You're allowing yourself 2 hours to get to the rent-a-car agency, which should be sufficient. (I made the same drive at the same time a few months ago, and got to the LAX area about an hour after I left. The traffic gods were smiling, however, and YMMV.)

I would not recommend leaving Disneyland any later than 3:00. Even with no major incidents, traffic builds rapidly after that. A delay of even 15 minutes could easily translate into a much longer commute. So if you have to cool your heels for an extra half hour at LAX, don't assume you could've taken that last ride at DL without a problem. Far better to err on the side of caution, IMO.

2 more things: Make sure you know how much time your airline recommends you allow for check-in and boarding. It also depends on which terminal you are departing from, as some are typically more crowded with slower moving lines.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[kelmac284]

Thanks that is about what I figured. And we are flying Southwest which I think normally is slow on weekends but since it is a Monday night I thought we should be ok.