Flying and shuttle questions

[jpeka65844]

Hey all! First time DL-er here in July 2009! We're trying to figure out the best thing to do for flights.

It seems that flying into LAX would be cheaper but it's further from DL, correct? Would we be better off paying more (almost $150/ticket) to fly into somewhere closer like Ontario or Orange County?

Also, once we're on the ground, how do we get to DL? Are there shuttle busses similar to Magical Express at WDW or do we hire a town car? Can anyone give us a recommendation of a good car service?

Thanks!

 

[northshoremama]

for me, flying out of seattle into LAX is also cheaper than flying into Orange County. But we decided to pay the extra money because with a toddler and an infant, i thought i'd rather be on the plane longer and in the bus going to DL shorter. There are shuttles and cabs from both LAX and Orange County (SNA). there is also the disneyland magical express bus...which is what we will be taking from SNA to DL (and back) because i didn't want to fuss with bringing 2 car seats with me. someone will probably chime in with recommendations for a car service...

have fun in july!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Ontario Airport is basically the same distance from the Disneyland Resort than LAX, however, it is a much smaller airport.

I've only flown in/out of LAX, so it never is an issue, but, if large crowds and an extremely busy airport would make you nervous, you might consider flying in to Orange County or Long Beach airports.

SuperShuttle services all of the airports mentioned, and is a convenient way to get to/from the parks.

The Disneyland Resort Express is a bus that services LAX, Orange County, & Long Beach airports, and is slightly less than SuperShuttle.

My opinion, I would fly in to LAX & take the DLR Express to Anaheim, and use the money I've saved either towards the hotel or dining experience, but that's just me.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[hikingblondie]

I would save the $150 on airfare and fly to LAX. Supershuttle isn't a huge cost ($64 return for our trip, 2 adults 2 kids) and doesn't generally make a bunch of stops on the way to your hotel.

The Disney bus is good if you are staying on site as you get dropped off first, but be warned if you are staying off site-that bus ride can takes ages depending what hotel you are staying at.

 

[avalon451]

Check into Long Beach airport as well. It's often as cheap or cheaper than LAX.

I was writing some tips out and did a little summary of airports and airport transportation; I'll paste it here:


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Airfare and airports

Start checking your airfare as far in advance as possible. There are four possible airports to fly into, and they all have pros and cons.

LAX, approx. 35 miles away: pros, often the cheapest and has the most flights and times available, Disney Resort Express bus runs on a frequent and convenient schedule. Cons, can be expensive for ground transportation because it’s the farthest away; it’s your typical huge, dirty, loud international airport.

ONT, Ontario: approx. 30 miles away: pros, often fairly cheap to fly into, not as big. Cons, ground transportation can be pretty expensive since it’s quite a distance

SNA (also known as Orange County or John Wayne airport) approx 12 miles away: pros, the closest airport, small, yet very nice and convenient. Disneyland Express also runs here. Cons: it’s usually the MOST expensive of all the airports. Don’t know why, but it costs us over $100 or more extra, per person, to fly into SNA. However, shuttles are cheaper from here.

LGB, Long Beach, approx 14 miles way: the choice of many. It is a small, clean, quaint airport (you deplane down stairs onto the tarmac!) and nearly as close as SNA; yet it can cost considerably less to fly into. Cons: ground transportation can cost more here; Super shuttle is 3x as much for some reason, although a taxi will cost you the same as from SNA ($40 flat fee one way). Disneyland Express doesn’t operate from here.

Ground Transportation

As mentioned in the airport amenities, you have several choices. You can rent a car. I think there’s no real reason to, if you are staying at a hotel within walking distance and not going off on side trips to the beach or San Diego, etc. See Hydroguy's Hidden Time Losses when Using a Car at DLR
You can take the Disneyland Resort Express Bus. Grayline Disneyland Express It’s a big charter, and it stops at the DL hotels first. It’s very convenient. From LAX, it’s $30 RT for adults, $22 for children 3-11. From SNA, it’s $25 RT, $17 for kids.

You can take a taxi. From SNA and LGB, I have read that there is an established flat-rate of $40 one way. (but I don’t think you can get the same flat fee returning to the airport; I’ve heard it’s more like $55.) If you have more than 3 people, it’s probably worth it. There are supposed to be “taxi vans” that can take more than 4 people, but I have not heard that they’re always available, and we didn’t see them while we were there.
You can use a shuttle service. Super Shuttle and Prime Time shuttle are often used by people on the boards. I’ve heard some stories about slow or poor service from Super Shuttle, but it’s the cheapest way to go for us ($36 RT for both of us!) so that’s what I’m doing. These companies also offer private vans for larger groups, or private car services. You can get coupons for a dollar amount off in the Entertainment book (I used one for $2 off per person with ours).

You could spring for a limo (ok, that doesn’t go with my “budget” theme). But it’s been done and it could be a lot of fun. If you have a group of 5, 6 or more, and you were thinking of getting a private shuttle van for around $100, you could probably get a limo for around $150, one way, maybe less. I’d get a recommendation from the hotel. We did the limo for a surprise, and it was very fun, but I should have researched companies better; I wasn’t impressed with the service we had. (I don’t recommend Starz Limo!)

 

[bumbershoot]

A really important thing to factor is the actual cost of the transportation from each airport. I slacked on that on our December trip, thinking that Super Shuttle from any airport would be the same cost as it was from the ONT airport (where the cheapest flight for us was). Whoopsie, I found out in January that I had wasted, oh, about 60 bucks doing that, because SS to/from SNA is about $10 per person, while ONT cost was over 50 for me and my then 3 year old one way (brother drove us to his place for more vacation), and another 40ish each way for hubby's return trip.

So look at each option for each airport specifically.