If you were going to do Disney and Universal with no car....

[Mousequake]

Not OP and his/her question, but can I ask where you rented a car and where you stayed? We are also looking at flying into BUR and doing just what you did.

We rented from Alamo, specifically because I knew there was an Alamo rental location right next to our Disneyland hotel (the Desert Palms) where I could return the car easily. There are a couple of other car rental locations in the Disneyland area-- I think National and Enterprise. I was a bit peeved that for some reason the cheapest car Alamo had was a huge pickup truck so I had to drive that in LA traffic, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

The hotel we stayed at is called the Colony Inn-- it's a couple of miles from Universal, but I wouldn't recommend it. We didn't have a great experience there. If I were to do it again, I'd pony up the extra money to stay at an onsite Universal hotel.

 

[Frozen2014]

We rented from Alamo, specifically because I knew there was an Alamo rental location right next to our Disneyland hotel (the Desert Palms) where I could return the car easily. There are a couple of other car rental locations in the Disneyland area-- I think National and Enterprise. I was a bit peeved that for some reason the cheapest car Alamo had was a huge pickup truck so I had to drive that in LA traffic, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

The hotel we stayed at is called the Colony Inn-- it's a couple of miles from Universal, but I wouldn't recommend it. We didn't have a great experience there. If I were to do it again, I'd pony up the extra money to stay at an onsite Universal hotel.

Thanks for getting back to me. Will look into Alamo (but not a pick up truck...lol).

 

[Darkbeer1]

OK, while there is a small office at Downtown Disney for Alamo, it isn't the main one.

Most Majors have an office that is only open basic working hours (something like 8 AM to 6 PM).

Going West to east on Katella, you have the main Alamo office it shares with its sister brand, National. This is next to the Desert Palms Hotel, across the street from the Convention Center.

Then just east of the Cheesecake Factory and the Anaheim GardenWalk on Katella.

On the corner is Enterprise (Which happens to own Alamo/National) and Hertz (plus sister brand Thrifty) on the north side. Avis is on the south side of the street nearby. Dollar has an office at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel.

Some will offer a free pick up from your hotel to take you to the office to get the paperwork done.

 

[Kontos]

I stayed in Anaheim and took Uber to Universal. Was $45 for the trip in the morning (we left at 7 am and paid the surge rate) and $65 on the way home (left universal at 6:30 and the ride home was 2 hours plus due to Friday rush hour)

I wouldnt bother changing hotels. Universal is a 1 day attraction

 

[Darkbeer1]

I stayed in Anaheim and took Uber to Universal. Was $45 for the trip in the morning (we left at 7 am and paid the surge rate) and $65 on the way home (left universal at 6:30 and the ride home was 2 hours plus due to Friday rush hour)

If you do visit Universal, there is one rule that applies to everyone who needs to leave the area, plan to have dinner at Universal Citywalk and don't leave until at least 7:30 PM to avoid traffic.

But heck, Saturday Night, we hit the road around 8 PM to go from Anaheim to Valencia, and got into heavy traffic due to construction. Basically LA Traffic can be bad 24/7.

 

[Piglet99645]

If you do visit Universal, there is one rule that applies to everyone who needs to leave the area, plan to have dinner at Universal Citywalk and don't leave until at least 7:30 PM to avoid traffic.

Would you say this is true on Sundays too? Or just during the week?

 

[Darkbeer1]

Yes, maybe you could try at 7 PM, but the 191 has lots of other freeways merge with it in a section, and it does get confusing, and there are events held on the weekends, such as the Hollywood Bowl and other venues.

 

[Becca1007]

What did you do with your bags while you were at Universal after checking out of the hotel?

Almost all of the hotels around the theme parks know that people will be going into the parks on their last day there and so a majority of the hotels offer bag storage for you. Then at the end of your park day, walk back to the hotel, claim your bags and request your uber.

(If you have a lot of people or luggage you might need to request an Uber XL. I generally assume when choosing a regular car that it will be a Prius sized vehicle, so if you don't think you can fit your stuff in that opt for the larger car)