Drive from East LA to Disneyland

[Imdboss]

I google mapped driving from DH's hotel to DL. It says 22 miles and 40 minutes, taking hwy 19 to I-5. Is this an accurate drive time during the week? And weekends?

He has a 9 month job there and work will either pay to fly him home or pay for his hotel during the weekend. He is diamond with Hilton so we only stay at their properties and the DL area ones are either all booked or crazy expensive for summer dates thus we are thinking about just staying at his work hotel and driving back n forth.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I usually allow 1 hour from LAX to Disney / Anaheim. A few years ago I stayed at a hotel near LAX with friends and my friend drove over to Disney and back in the evening. Going there in the morning its not so bad, if you dont hit traffic, but coming home after a long day in the park was hard. The driver is just as tired as everyone else and I really didnt think it fair that my friend had almost an hours drive back to our hotel. The last 2 years I have done solo trips and stayed at Motel 6 in Anaheim. Yes its a pain to change hotels from central LA to Anaheim, but its worth it to know that I am only 10 minutes from my hotel compared to 1 hour.

 

[Epek]

I just mapped it from general East LA to Disneyland. It's currently rush hour and it said 49 mins. So, I think during the week driving to Disneyland for opening, 45 mins would be accurate. I think early morning before rush hour (6-7-ish) on week days and going as late as 10-ish on weekends, it should only take about 20-30 mins. Night time driving back to the hotel is a bit of a crap shoot. Overall, it should be be fairly short trip and smooth sailing. But, I run into random traffic all the time. You never know when it's going to pop up. Also, the 5 is under construction and they occasionally have detours late at night.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I think 45 mins to an hour would be good times to estimate. I do recommend downloading Waze if you have a smart phone. Waze will let you know the quickest route (you can set it for quickest or more direct - I always choose quickest) so if the 5 is backed up you can take alternate routes.

 

[Imdboss]

Thanks all for your input. We aren't "park open" people, so likely leave LA around 9-10am and stay until park close (or close to it).

 

[Iceman93]

He is diamond with Hilton so we only stay at their properties and the DL area ones are either all booked or crazy expensive for summer dates thus we are thinking about just staying at his work hotel and driving back n forth.

Keep an eye on Hilton rates near Disneyland, as they often drop DRASTICALLY a few days before arrival. The Anaheim Hilton in particular is notorious for this. I'm also diamond, and will warn you that the Anaheim Hilton is also more interested in selling you an upgrade than they are in offering the complimentary diamond benefit. But still, it is a full-service Hilton within easy walking distance of the park and the last-minute rates often hover around $99.

 

[l4dyj8]

5 FWY southbound always has traffic somewhere along that drive. Usually around the construction zones and junctions. There are more lanes once you hit OC and traffic opens up. But the time seems accurate. Always give yourself an hour. You may be pleasantly surprise it may take less time. But don't count on that.

 

[SMD]

It's really going to depend how far you are from the freeway. It can easily take 10 minutes or more to get through a signal if there's traffic leading up to a busy intersection or on ramp.

 

[Imdboss]

Keep an eye on Hilton rates near Disneyland, as they often drop DRASTICALLY a few days before arrival. The Anaheim Hilton in particular is notorious for this. I'm also diamond, and will warn you that the Anaheim Hilton is also more interested in selling you an upgrade than they are in offering the complimentary diamond benefit. But still, it is a full-service Hilton within easy walking distance of the park and the last-minute rates often hover around $99.

I usually check prices daily so maybe I'll luck out, just not counting on it though since the ones I'd want to stay at are totally sold out for our dates except $800 at the Hilton, ouch!!!