Getting to Disneyland?

[souris]

I'd love to go to Disneyland! I've started to do research for a future trip but I would have a few questions for you all!

1.How do you get to Disneyland? From which cities do you fly?
2. Which airport do you fly into?
3. What time of the year would you suggest to go?

 

[lizabu]

We flew from Detroit to LAX but I have a friend who flew into John Wayne airport in Burbank. We live close enough to the states to make it worth the drive. Flights from Canada tend to cost more. I seem to think the weather is pretty nice in California year round.

 

[Aladora]

1. We have flown from Victoria, BC and also taken the ferry to Seattle and flown from Seattle. For us, it depends on whether or not I can get a smoking deal on the SEA flight or if between the ferry and a night in a Seattle hotel each way is close to what a direct Victoria flight would be. (I say direct, but there is always a stop in either Seattle or Vancouver.)

2. Always, always, always fly into John Wayne. (Airport code SNA). Super small airport, really easy to navigate and Disneyland is only a 20 minute cab ride away!

3. We tend to go two different times, March break and end of summer/beginning of September. My favourite week is the week just before Labour Day. Most of the CA schools are back but not Canadian ones, so there are not as many people there. Just be warned, AVOID the Labour Day weekend! Oh, and it can be HOT. We just went Sept 13-17 and the temps were between 30 and 34C. March is nice, not too hot but still shorts and t-shirt weather. Just watch when the US kids get Spring break, it can get busy. Earlier this year we went the last week of April and it was nice. Easter was early this year so the crowds we low, although there was some sort of school band festival so there were some large groups. One thing about CA as opposed to what I have heard about FL, even when it is hot, there is not as much humidity in CA which I love. I live on the West coast but grew up in Ottawa and I much prefer the West coast weather!

 

[alc571]

We have flown from Toronto to LAX and Detroit to LAX. I prefer Toronto, because the drive to Detroit is killer (4 hours). We will only fly direct, so Buffalo is not an option for us. We will save the extra and fly from Toronto next time, but we were on a budget last trip. It cost us the same as three direct flights from Toronto, to fly three direct from Detroit including our hotel and rental car.

We have only been twice and both times were in August. The weather is amazing, but the parks are very busy. I'd love to go in September when crowds go down.

 

[souris]

Thank you everyone for the advice. I will be looking into the options mentioned. LAX seems a bit intimidating, so I will look at John Wayne as well. I don't know anyone who's been to California so Planning a trip there is a big mystery... I need to do some number crunching to see how soon we can go . Thanks again!

 

[damo]

We've done both LAX and SNA. SNA is way easier but LAX is manageable.

 

[dsneygirl]

We've been a few times. Always from BUF (I hate Toronto and the prices with a passion). And always to LAX. It's big but manageable. We have rented a car and used Super Shuttle.

We have been in Sept, Oct, June and March. The only good weather was in Oct. Last June we needed jeans and sweatshirts.

 

[donkthemagicllama]

Agree with everyone else here, if you can fly into SNA, it's definitely better. Even if you're renting a car, the agencies are all offiste at LAX, but there are some right in the terminal at SNA.

We've rented cars and taken the Disneyland Resort Express (operated by Southern California Gray Line). Depending on where your hotel is and how full the bus is, the DRE can take a long time. But, if your hotel is close and you're just going to Disneyland, your car will spend most of its time in the parking lot.

Our favorite times to go are October and January as it tends to be less busy and cheaper hotels then, but the weather can be unpredictable. It's usually a safe bet that it'll be warmer than Calgary though.

If you're thinking of doing something other than DL while you're there, I'd go to San Diego. You can see (or even stay at) Hotel Del Coronado, which is what the Grand Floridian is based off of. Balboa Park is beatiful too.

 

[bankr63]

You can see (or even stay at) Hotel Del Coronado, which is what the Grand Floridian is based off of. Balboa Park is beatiful too.

Wait... the Grand FLORIDIAN is based off a hotel in CALIFORNIA. Huh, who knew!

Well, actually you did, and I guess now I do too! That's a great trivia tidbit!

 

[sasamong]

I went with my then BF (now fiance) 2 years ago. We flew straight from Vancouver (YVR) to John Wayne (SNA) and it was a breeze. (We might have had a layover somewhere but i forgot where.) Also, they had some renovations done as well (which is now i guess 2 years old).

Which time of year would depend on what's more important. For example, I'm more of a person that prefers to enjoy the atmosphere and take photos. Others may be a ride fanatic. If you are a ride fanatic, then I would suggest doing days that historically has had low crowds. In general, there are only a few weeks where the crowds are low-medium but you still get to enjoy the halloween or christmas atmosphere.

I believe I went during peak season and it was tolerable to me (mind you I've been through Hong Kong rush hour) but I wouldn't recommend if for a family with younger children cause it would drive them NUTS!!!

Hope that gives you some insights on your future trip!!

I'd love to go to Disneyland! I've started to do research for a future trip but I would have a few questions for you all!

1.How do you get to Disneyland? From which cities do you fly?
2. Which airport do you fly into?
3. What time of the year would you suggest to go?

 

[jeepwreck]

1.How do you get to Disneyland? From which cities do you fly?

fly from Vancouver or seattle depending on prices

2. Which airport do you fly into?

also fly in to LAX then take a shuttle to the hotel

3. What time of the year would you suggest to go?

there is never really a bad time to go but i tend to try not to go during summer months because of the heat and the extra crowds

 

[KittyKat1978]

1.How do you get to Disneyland? Fly

From which cities do you fly? Vancouver, Seattle, Bellingham (Vancouver is my fav)

2. Which airport do you fly into? Always LAX, I have never had a problem with this airport. I don't think it's that big, but that's just my opinion

3. What time of the year would you suggest to go? I have been in Feb, May, Oct & Dec. I loved December with all the Christmas decorations. May & Oct were hot! And Feb is very hit and miss weather wise.

Another suggestion if you want to miss the crowds is to fly in on Sunday night and fly home Saturday morning going to the parks Mon-Fri. You miss most of the weekend crowds, but still get to see the fireworks on Friday night (the fireworks are only on Fri/Sat/Sun nights in the non busy season.)

 

[souris]

Thank you all so much for the advice! It is very much appreciated.

 

[alohamom]

I am another one that always flys from Buffalo and I have flown into both LAX and SNA. Although I like the closeness and managability of SNA it is more expensive to fly into than LAX. LAX isnt much busier than Pearson in Toronto. It is spread out though, just give yourself a little extra time to get back there when flying home, the traffic can be brutal. Also, the last time we flew into LAX, we landed at 3:00 but by the time we got our luggage and rental car it was past 4 and rush hour had started so we didnt get to our hotel till dark so keep that in mind if you can choose flight times. Disneyland is so wonderful, it is where it all started and it really has a cool vibe plus the Matterhorn, California Screaming, the train is different as it passes thru a tunnel past a diorama, pirates is longer, Carsland and there is so much more-have fun planning and dreaming!

 

[souris]

I am another one that always flys from Buffalo and I have flown into both LAX and SNA. Although I like the closeness and managability of SNA it is more expensive to fly into than LAX. LAX isnt much busier than Pearson in Toronto. It is spread out though, just give yourself a little extra time to get back there when flying home, the traffic can be brutal. Also, the last time we flew into LAX, we landed at 3:00 but by the time we got our luggage and rental car it was past 4 and rush hour had started so we didnt get to our hotel till dark so keep that in mind if you can choose flight times. Disneyland is so wonderful, it is where it all started and it really has a cool vibe plus the Matterhorn, California Screaming, the train is different as it passes thru a tunnel past a diorama, pirates is longer, Carsland and there is so much more-have fun planning and dreaming!

Good to know about LAX. I don't find Pearson that bad... So I guess I should not be I intimidated. I really do want to visit the "original" Disney park. I've been to Disneyland Paris and Disney World and thought I would be disappointed by Disneyland California. However I've installed an awesome Disneyland explorer app on my Ipad for my daughter and I there seem to be so many exciting things to see... Many original attractions, or some with twists . Dreaming and planning is wonderful

 

[jsebsirois]

1.How do you get to Disneyland? From which cities do you fly?
We visited Disneyland three times already, always flying non-stop from Montreal to Los Angeles, then taking Disneyland Express to get to our hotel.

2. Which airport do you fly into?
See previous answer

3. What time of the year would you suggest to go?
We visited once in early September, once early July and once early October. I would go back in October, just in time to fully enjoy Halloween Time!

Disneyland is simply awesome and totally different than Walt Disney World. Feel free to contact me in private if you have other questions!