Fly into LAX or ONT for Disneyland/San Diego trip?

[jenhelgren]

I have been trying to research this quickly as there are some great rates that I am anxious to book ASAP and we have never been to California so I am totally lost! We plan on flying in and renting a car at the airport for 10 days. We want to spend a few days at Disney, take a trip down to San Diego for SeaWorld and the zoo, and find a few beaches on the way down too. Is it best to fly into LAX or ONT for our purposes? The cost is slightly more for ONT but not much if it will be much simpler to arrive, collect luggage and be on our way. We will be flying Southwest if that matters any. Thank you for any all suggestions-my head is spinning trying to get it all together right now!!

 

[DisneyloverinWA]

I would do LAX. ONT seems so far away but it really isn't. I go for the cheapest choice usually

 

[jenhelgren]

I was getting nervous looking at the LAX horror stories and have never flew into CA so I have no idea what to expect! Are the rental cars onsite and more seamless at ONT? I also have no clue about which would be best for traffic and don't want to start the trip with a crabby hubby so if ONT will make us less stressed it would be worth the extra money!

 

[DisneyloverinWA]

I love flying into SNA. Very small airport and close to Disney. Less traffic and less stress. ONT would be less stressful than LAX. I don't mind traffic, so LAX doesn't bug me but it is a very large international airport. If you aren't from a large metropolitan area it could be overwhelming!

We have also flown jetblue into LGB and that is also a small airport close to Disney. My preferred order would be:

SNA
LGB
LAX
ONT

 

[Imdboss]

If you are starting your trip at Disney then I would fly into SNA. That airport is the best! It's small so very quick and easy to get out of there. Plus it's the closest to DL.

 

[Lord Fantasius]

Try San Diego (SAN)...it's only two hours back up to Disneyland and then you can return it at the end of your trip without having to fight the traffic back into LA; plus car rental @ SAN is cheaper than LAX (sometimes significantly).

But then I hate LAX with a passion.

 

[bfost87]

I always fly into LAX, but I fly usually late at night and to the Pacific Northwest. If I had the choice based purely on location and less foot traffic at the airport, it would be SNA. If you were looking to fly later in the evening, you'd have to fly LAX. You also want to take cost into account if that's something you need to worry about. LAX will usually be the cheapest and not far behind that is SNA, while ONT I've found to be the most usually.

As far as rentals go, cars at SNA can be quite a bit cheaper than at LAX ($20-$30/day). However, LAX is going to have many many many more cars, and more selection. Also something to take into account.

If it were me, SNA would be my preference and LAX a close second.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'd fly into LAX, absolutely.*

I don't know about rentals out of ONT, but the drive (by SuperShuttle) from ONT to DLR was horrible. I'd MUCH rather have been coming from LAX.


Once you're done with the DL area, go to San Diego and don't look back. Fly home out of San Diego (SAN).


*LAX is totally easy for the traveler. Easy peasy getting from the gate to your carousel, then you take a shuttle (they stop at all terminals) to the rental agencies. So easy. Only time LAX is hard is when you're the drop-off or pick-up person, IMO.

 

[bumbershoot]

Please run ALL the numbers BEFORE making the decision. Lots of generalities here about where cheaper rental cars are, etc...that can change on a dime. Don't go by past experiences. Check it out for YOUR trip. Get the numbers worked out before making any arrangements.

The time we flew into ONT I assumed that the Super Shuttle fees were done the same way as for LAX and SNA with just flat fees for each. It wasn't like that. It was a high fee for the first guest then a cheaper one for other guests. Since DH flew in separately than me and DS, and flew out the same, we had 4 total first-guest fees. Sigh. It ate away our entire savings from flying into ONT and was just stupid of me to not run all numbers before booking.