Flying into Lax this weekend...

[mattpeto]

I get your point, but what "area" is reasonable to avoid? LA County is over 4,000 sq. mi., of which the curfew zone is only 1-2 sq. mi. And, of course, Disneyland is in another county entirely . Should visitors avoid Universal Studios? Griffith Park? Hollywood Blvd.? Santa Monica Pier? The Getty? All of those are closer to downtown LA than Disneyland is—and all are far away from the curfew zone.

It's fair! For some it's not familiar territory (we are WDW people) so we just don't want any headaches.

 

[Tinkaboo]

Good try, Tinkaboo!

Thanks, @irlandaise ...couldn't help it...I have weird sense of humor...

 

[LKing]

It's fair! For some it's not familiar territory (we are WDW people) so we just don't want any headaches.

Is this your first trip to California? What is your home state/town?

Those of us who are local aren't trying to pick a fight. We're here to help visitors from outside of the area understand how southern California is different than central Florida, and how DLR is different than WDW. We're here to help you become familiar with the territory.

If the timing and cost of flying into SNA is not an inconvenience for you, then by all means go for it. SNA is much closer to Disneyland than LAX. If you are concerned about protests, someone up thread mentioned that there were protests in Santa Ana. While Santa Ana is not along the route from LAX to Disneyland, it is along the route from SNA to Disneyland. If you are concerned about ICE, they are in multiple locations in Irvine today. Irvine is adjacent to SNA.

This LA Times article may be behind a paywall. If so, here is a link to the Yahoo reprint. All of LA is not a 'war zone.' We separate facts from spin and disinformation amid immigration raids.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

While I know LA very well, having been visiting every year for about 15 years, I know exactly where the 1 square mile curfew area is and the distance it is from Disneyland , LAX and other areas I plan to visit.

However, over here in Ireland, the majority of people have no idea of how vast LA is. I know at work today I will get asked by concerned work colleagues am I scared to go to LA and isnt it dangerous at the moment. All we see on the news is riots in LA. It is very hard to get people to understand the distances involved.

So first time internationals to LA will be worried and scared. People think Disneyland is in the same area as Hollywood, and that Hollywood is the centre of LA and Downtown means the centre of LA.

A lot of internationals planning to visit California will be cancelling. Thats just fact.

 

[supercarrie]

While I know LA very well, having been visiting every year for about 15 years, I know exactly where the 1 square mile curfew area is and the distance it is from Disneyland , LAX and other areas I plan to visit.

However, over here in Ireland, the majority of people have no idea of how vast LA is. I know at work today I will get asked by concerned work colleagues am I scared to go to LA and isnt it dangerous at the moment. All we see on the news is riots in LA. It is very hard to get people to understand the distances involved.

So first time internationals to LA will be worried and scared. People think Disneyland is in the same area as Hollywood, and that Hollywood is the centre of LA and Downtown means the centre of LA.

A lot of internationals planning to visit California will be cancelling. Thats just fact.

I get it - I am a dual citizen with the UK, and have had several people in the UK contact me, very worried. This is despite them knowing I don’t even live in LA but the greater SoCal area (much closer to Disneyland).

In terms of visitors - quite a few international visitors are already not coming to the USA due to other recent changes.

I will say though - having arrived at LAX myself just an hour ago - the international terminal seemed as packed as ever. Hundreds of people were outside arrivals waiting for their transport.

Back to the general question - having just landed from NYC, LAX is operating completely under normal conditions. The only reason to avoid LAX is the same reason to always avoid LAX. It absolutely sucks as an airport.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

For those unfamiliar with the L.A. area and distances to Disneyland, this article has helpful maps of the trouble spots and how small they really are compared to the rest of L.A.: https://www.yahoo.com/news/is-los-angeles-really-under-siege-this-map-shows-how-little-of-the-sprawling-city-has-been-affected-by-protests-182042338.html

 

[MillauFr]

I get it - I am a dual citizen with the UK, and have had several people in the UK contact me, very worried. This is despite them knowing I don’t even live in LA but the greater SoCal area (much closer to Disneyland).

In terms of visitors - quite a few international visitors are already not coming to the USA due to other recent changes.

I will say though - having arrived at LAX myself just an hour ago - the international terminal seemed as packed as ever. Hundreds of people were outside arrivals waiting for their transport.

Back to the general question - having just landed from NYC, LAX is operating completely under normal conditions. The only reason to avoid LAX is the same reason to always avoid LAX. It absolutely sucks as an airport.

LAX is far superior to Newark or JFK.

 

[Lumpy1106]

LAX is far superior to Newark or JFK.

It is inadvisable to fly into JFK to get to Disneyland.

In all seriousness, the LIRR is a total game-changer getting to Manhattan from JFK.

 

[Jojo Cat Lady]

We just returned from 5 days in Anaheim. Arrived at LAX Saturday, and returned home through LAX yesterday. We used Executive Car Service to drive us to Disneyland. No problems anywhere. You wouldn't know anything was going on if you didn't watch the news. The driver said the problem area was only a few blocks and that the media filmed there for all the drama.

 

[MillauFr]

It is inadvisable to fly into JFK to get to Disneyland.

In all seriousness, the LIRR is a total game-changer getting to Manhattan from JFK.

Didn't she say she was coming from NYC? I don't understand why anyone who has just transited through Newark or JFK would complain about LAX.

Yes getting to Manhattan is pretty easy from JFK. I would consider the LIRR but usually take the E train from Jamaica. Last time I checked the LIRR fare was $11.25. Subway is cheaper.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Protests are happening throughout the country. For example, earlier this week several thousand people blocked the streets in Salt Lake. But you didn’t see that on the news. Instead, they showed a peaceful protest of no more than 300 people in Santa Ana and warned that more of this was going to happen because apparently somebody is paying actors thousands of dollars to stage these protests in CA, and they’re being bussed in from around the country. If you believe that nonsense, fine.

But to those truly concerned about visiting the area… there’s nothing to be concerned about. The violent protests were limited to a few blocks far removed from touristy areas and they’re largely over at this point. Enjoy your vacation.

 

[Kit Jackson]

While I know LA very well, having been visiting every year for about 15 years, I know exactly where the 1 square mile curfew area is and the distance it is from Disneyland, LAX and other areas I plan to visit.

However, over here in Ireland, the majority of people have no idea of how vast LA is. I know at work today I will get asked by concerned work colleagues am I scared to go to LA and isnt it dangerous at the moment. All we see on the news is riots in LA. It is very hard to get people to understand the distances involved.

So first time internationals to LA will be worried and scared. People think Disneyland is in the same area as Hollywood, and that Hollywood is the centre of LA and Downtown means the centre of LA.

This is what I was trying to say, but I think you have done a better job of expressing the thought more clearly and with greater specificity. I'm dealing with my own mini-version of this weekend in DC. I mentioned to my family that I was doing some errands and had to reassure them that the errands were nowhere near the National Mall/Parade Route/Security Perimeter.

For those unfamiliar with the L.A. area and distances to Disneyland, this article has helpful maps of the trouble spots and how small they really are compared to the rest of L.A.: https://www.yahoo.com/news/is-los-angeles-really-under-siege-this-map-shows-how-little-of-the-sprawling-city-has-been-affected-by-protests-182042338.html

This map is incredibly useful and helpful. For people who need a visual to understand why going to Disneyland is not a horrible idea and how far removed it is from the trouble spots, this is the ultimate PSA/FYI.

 

[felice]

My wife and I just returned from a trip to LA that included DLR and other areas - generally, as long as you've got the hotel address included (even though it does say this is optional) on your ESTA paperwork then you should be fine. Sadly, it'll be interesting to see whether the ongoing problems have affected Santee Alley, which is a tourist area in downtown, where the issues currently are.

It's good to read and hear that things in relation to DLR are pretty much running as they always do. Whilst the number of tourist visitors may well be down, this does mean that you can get to places and find that they are busy but not too crowded; ie, the Getty museum. The Villa was closed when we were there as a result of the wildfires back in January but is due to open soon.

Best to just enjoy your trip. Whichever tourist company you decide to go with for trips out of the area should be up to date as far as security goes, so you won't see or experience any frights, other than the controlled ones at DLR and other theme parks.

 

[LKing]

We are heading to DL from overseas, (regular DL visitors) arriving Sunday

In case it pops up in your news feed, there will be protests across the nation tomorrow (Saturday). https://www.nokings.org/ Even if you were arriving on Saturday, it shouldn't impact your route from LAX to Disneyland.