Driving from LAX on our own.

[kristenabelle]

It's not... bad, per se, but I hate the rental car procedure at LAX, it's so antiquated.

Question -- are you planning to park your car full of luggage in Los Angeles? Make sure you stick to secured garages and keep your important stuff on you.

Agreed, I wouldn't mind driving from LAX to DL if the rental car process wasn't so bad.

 

[ahintz]

Northern Californian here, but I go to LA all the time on business. I would generally say avoid LAX like the plague, but that may not be possible from where you’re coming. Getting the rental car definitely sucks at LAX. Driving to/from downtown LA (or any of the LA-area airports) to Disneyland isn’t too bad - just be prepared for traffic, even outside the times you would expect. Leave yourself lots of extra time on the return to drop-off the car, get to the terminal, and check-in.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Driving in the LA area isn't that bad. I FAR prefer it to driving in places like Atlanta or Orlando, where for me it's just misery. Use Waze, pay attention to traffic, try to avoid obvious rush hour times if possible, and you're golden. It's not scenic, and you'll probably be sent from this highway to that, but it's very very doable.

I will say that dealing with LAX can be a pain. If you've ever dealt with any major airport, you probably have a fair idea of what to expect, but there are some unique wrinkles to this particular airport. People getting off the plane at LAX have NO urgency whatsoever, and it can take quite a lot of time to get off the plane, get your baggage, wait for the rental car shuttle, get out of the terminal complex on the shuttle, get to the rental car lot, get the car, etc. Do not underestimate the amount of time it will take to leave LAX in any scenario, and don't forget to budget for yourself plenty of time to get from DLR to LAX when you're heading back, and don't forget to add time to take the shuttle back to the terminal after you return your rental car.

 

[Gladys Belcher]

LAX has totally reconfigured transport . We learned to take the 'shuttles' in the early AM. Rental cars are difficult to book.

Did you take a look at Orange County/ John Wayne Airport as another flight option ?

 

[Gypsybear]

LAX has totally reconfigured transport . We learned to take the 'shuttles' in the early AM. Rental cars are difficult to book.

Did you take a look at Orange County/ John Wayne Airport as another flight option ?

John Wayne (SNA) is our preferred airport when we fly in.

 

[xipotec]

All y'all (that's the plural of y'all for those who don't speak southern) need to watch/re-watch Pixar's Cars before you decide on what route to take to any destination. You can believe it or not, but I just watched that movie for the first time a little while ago. It tells you all you need to know about the journey.

I agree. Recently took a trip to the beach and decided to take the back roads over the hwy. It was suppose yo be 2 hours longer , only ended up 45 minutes longer, but much more fun over the highways. Got to see alot of small towns , and avoided a major backup on the highway as well…

We are planning a longer route from Malibu back to Beverly Hills , through the mountain also.

 

[ronandannette]

If gas prices and parking fees worry you, wait until you see Uber fees as of late.

It cost my husband $35 to go 2 miles from the San Diego Airport to where his car was parked, not too long ago.

That is definitely true! They have been crazy since before the recent gas price rise too. We have seen the same kind of prices you did for about a 2 mile drive also- last summer in San Francisco and last winter in Atlanta. In Atlanta, one time the app told me it was going to be $67 for about a 10 minute drive and it wasn't even a busy time of day--- I got out of UBER and tried lyft and got it for $25 (this is a route we typically had paid $13-15 for in the past).

For anyone debating between rental or uber/lyft, I would recommend "practicing" on the apps. You can put in a to and from destination and see what type prices are popping up. You can try it out for future dates too, or play around at different times of the day. That will give you an idea of what uber/lyft is running for your routes right now and you can figure out which way will cost you more.

This is too late to inform the OP, but Uber/Lyft were both doing surge-pricing when we were last in LA (in April and then 3 weeks later in May). Going from LAX out to the San Pedro cruise ports both times was quoted at over $100.00. We took a good, old-fashioned metered taxi and saved $40 each trip. I think people just assume the ride-shares are going to be less than a taxi, but it's totally no longer true.

Also, for anyone that hasn't been to LAX lately, be aware that your ride-share or taxi will NOT be picking you up curb-side. You now must ride a free shuttle off-site to the meeting place for all ground transportation (about a 7 minute ride) and it's kind of a pain if you're hauling luggage. Exact same set-up as getting to the rental car desks, so ride-share or taxi is no better or worse in that regard.

 

[wassily]

Lots of travelers right now at LAX. If you are planning to take off airport shuttles to rental cars or ride shares, be prepared to miss a bus or two depending on your arrival/departure time, due to them being full.
Standing room only, packed like sardines. So keep that in mind as well depending on your preference for social distancing.

 

[xipotec]

Lots of travelers right now at LAX. If you are planning to take off airport shuttles to rental cars or ride shares, be prepared to miss a bus or two depending on your arrival/departure time, due to them being full.
Standing room only, packed like sardines. So keep that in mind as well depending on your preference for social distancing.

Being they will be reinstating the mask mandate next week (all likelihood) I wonder what those buses will be required to do?

 

[DLgal]

Being they will be reinstating the mask mandate next week (all likelihood) I wonder what those buses will be required to do?

They will be required to enforce masks, as they are designated as public transportation.