Hollywood to Disney and back

[XAVIER]

Hi all.
We are in LA next week staying at the Hollywood Roosevelt.
We have a couple of days at the Disney parks booked but didn’t realise how difficult it is to get there!
We were thinking of using Uber or Lyft which I don’t think will be a problem in the morning to get there but will they be available to get back after the fireworks?


Any advice appreciated.

 

[Vala]

Umm.... depending on your definition of morning you'll be in for a long and costly journey.

The streets from Hollywood to Anaheim are a constant traffic jam in the mornings. I did pay 64 Dollars one way and that was a weekday afternoon with relatively smooth sailing. I dread to think how much I would have paid in the morning with surge pricing. We've done the drive once in the morning with a rental, mistimed and it took 2.5 hours.

I did have to wait almost 20 minutes until a driver accepted too in the Uber situation.

I've never had to wait long for someone to accept after fireworks, but I have never had a ride that long then. Going from the waiting period the long drive is something that needs to be taken into account.

 

[XAVIER]

Thanks Vala.
Are there any better options?
Can we arrange transfers in advance?

 

[travelgirl06]

I would think the earlier you can leave in the AM the better or wait until “after” rush hour… I pulled it up on google maps now and it’s showing less than an hour, which seems really good for just before 7AM… (I’m guessing that will increase as it gets more into rush hour).

Another option is to take transit. On the metro/light rail you don’t have to deal with sitting in traffic…google maps offers a route that you might check out if that’s if interest to you. Looks like you’d still need a ride share at the end, but a much shorter one. I don’t know the timing/frequency so you’d need to check, but DH has taken it from DTLA to meet up with us at DL before.

I am not sure about shuttles - hopefully someone can weigh in.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

That sounds terrible. I would never travel from Hollywood to Anaheim twice daily. I would change my plans and book a hotel in Anaheim for the Disney days.

 

[Aurora0427]

I would honestly not drive from LA to Anaheim and back once, much less twice, on vacation. I would stay one or two nights in Anaheim on the front or back end of your trip.

 

[Vala]

I honestly would try if I could switch to Anaheim for two nights, but if you travel next week I imagine that may not be an option.

An hour travel before 7 AM sounds normal. If you decide on ride share I would try to get out of the hotel by 6.30 AM at the very latest. If you want to stay for the fireworks that means a very short night.

Is a rental car an option?

As for public transport/transit there may be an issue. I would suggest checking out Metrolink, but I am pretty sure the last train departs long before the end of the fireworks.

Unfortunately I can't weigh in about shuttles. Always had a rental or a friend picked me up with the exception of that one Uber trip.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Switch to an Anaheim hotel for your Disney days or rent a car. What you are thinking about trying to do will be a nightmare (and very expensive!).

 

[XAVIER]

Thanks everyone.

We are looking at moving our second disney day to the Sunday and our first is on the Saturday so we could get a cheap hotel near disney for one night (Saturday).
That would still mean us getting out there on the Saturday morning. Is the travel time any better/worse Saturday morning?

 

[Vala]

Weekends are usually slightly better for the big part of the way, yes. But it means heavier traffic the closer you get to Disney because that is where everyone else is heading. Try to get there as early as you can, really.

 

[dieumeye]

Thanks everyone.

We are looking at moving our second disney day to the Sunday and our first is on the Saturday so we could get a cheap hotel near disney for one night (Saturday).
That would still mean us getting out there on the Saturday morning. Is the travel time any better/worse Saturday morning?

I drive the 5 from just north of Hollywood to Disneyland almost every Saturday. If you are on the freeway before 7am Saturday you’ll have no traffic (barring an accident or construction) and freeway travel time will be 30-40 mins to DL. It’ll be closer to an hour freeway travel time the rest of the day, although accidents, construction, special events, could increase that time.

 

[XAVIER]

Thanks.

If we accept that it going to cost us and may take a while to get there, are there any problems getting an Uber, Lyft or even a taxi back around 10:00pm?

 

[kristensideaoffun]

Thanks.

If we accept that it going to cost us and may take a while to get there, are there any problems getting an Uber, Lyft or even a taxi back around 10:00pm?

It will take you a while to get an Uber or Lyft if you’re leaving right after the fireworks. 10pm on a Saturday night tends to be a popular “coming and going” time when it comes to ridesharing, but leaving any place/event the same time thousands of other people are leaving will up your wait time and cost significantly (I would guess from DLR to Hollywood at that time will cost $100+). You will be better off waiting an hour after the fireworks end to try to get a Lyft. If you stay Saturday night and return Sunday night, it will likely be easier and less expensive to get a Lyft. Less people stay in the parks later on Sunday nights.

 

[XAVIER]

Thanks again all.

There will be 4 of us, so a $100+ fare is fine. It is mainly the travel and wait times that concern us.
But if can definitely get back at that time of night then that is fine, just a bit worried about getting stranded out there!

 

[DisneylandFan22]

I would walk a few blocks away and try to get a ride share and not use the ride share pick up area at the park. That place is a complete nightmare at those times. I don’t know how anyone does it.

 

[XAVIER]

Moving away from the main pick up sounds like a good idea.
Anyone know if there is a bar or something nearby that we could walk to and wait for a pickup?

 

[DLgal]

Thanks.

If we accept that it going to cost us and may take a while to get there, are there any problems getting an Uber, Lyft or even a taxi back around 10:00pm?

Your big problem at that time will be getting a driver to just accept the trip. Not many drivers want to go from Anaheim to Hollywood that late on a weekend night, without the assurance that someone in Hollywood will need a trip back to Orange county around midnight.

Honestly, get a hotel in Anaheim. Just move there for 2 nights. Hollywood is not a convenient place to stay when Disneyland is on the agenda.

Or, rent a car. It will cost you much less in both money and stress.

 

[MonocularVision]

I would advise to skip Hollywood entirely. It is a very unpleasant experience.

 

[sjmac42]

Get a rideshare from the Disneyland hotel, not from Harbor, to get back to Hollywood. It’s a 10-15 min walk to the DLH.
I would still get a hotel room in Anaheim for 2n starting the night before your first day. Kings Inn is the best cheap option close to the parks, it’s around $300 to $350 for the 2n and is under a 15 mins walk to the parks. The extra 2 rideshares by not staying in Anaheim would be close to $200 anyway and so much more difficult. Just take a small overnight bag each and store them in the lockers at the parks.
Or rebook your accommodation so you’re staying in Anaheim for your Disney days and in LA for the rest. That would be by far the best solution.

 

[foolish_mortals]

Your big problem at that time will be getting a driver to just accept the trip. Not many drivers want to go from Anaheim to Hollywood that late on a weekend night, without the assurance that someone in Hollywood will need a trip back to Orange county around midnight

I cannot emphasize this enough. It will be difficult to get someone to accept that trip when drivers can just shuttle between Disneyland and local hotels and make more. Or they will accept and never show up or say they can’t find you forcing you to be the one to cancel the trip so they don’t get dinged.

Rideshare availablity has gotten more unpredictable and more expensive. Worst case you’ll probably end up calling a traditional taxi.