Is this possible?

[Carl4628]

We land at SNA tomorrow at 11:30. We are staying close to the park on Harbor. Is it possible to make it to Storytellers cafe at the Grand Californian by 1:30? We plan to drop our bags and go straight to the restaurant.

 

[Scootypuffjr]

SNA is a pretty quick airport to get in and out of and traffic shouldn’t be bad at that time. I think that you can make it.

 

[mom2rtk]

You'll make it if your flight is on time.

 

[figment_jii]

As others have said, if all things go well, I think you can make it. In theory, it's about a 25 minute drive from SNA to DLR (I'd allow another 30 minutes to deplane, get luggage, bathroom breaks, wait for transportation, etc.). Now, that being said, I do think there are a few things to keep in mind:

• If your flight is delayed; there is no way to know in advance. This could be anything from a few minutes to hours to longer.
• If there is a major accident on the roads (it might be close enough that you can take an alternative/non-highway route).
• How are you getting from SNA to DLR? If you're using a shared shuttle, which might make multiple stops before getting to your hotel, it might be a bit of a tighter timeline.
• Length of Harbor side security lines. At that time of the day, i would think it won't be to bad, but they can be quite time consuming (>30 minutes).

Do you already have a reservation for tomorrow? Is your party large? Otherwise, I would be tempted to cancel the reservation and then make one tomorrow after you've landed at SNA. By that point, you'll know if the flight was on-time and if there are any traffic issues. That would at least eliminate two of the possible delays. I did a quick look at Storytellers for tomorrow (Sat) for a party of 4 and there seems to be a fair amount of reservations available. Just remember that if you have a reservation and you don't make it, there is a $10 per person no show penalty.

Edit: Where are you staying on Harbor? Depending on whether its closer to Katella or Ball, it might be faster to just walk to the Grand Californian directly and forgo dealing with bag check.

 

[SeaDis]

At 12:30 to 1:00 on a Saturday (and 3-day weekend for many), I would seriously consider taking Uber/Lyft from your Harbor hotel around Katella to the Grand Cal/Storytellers. Should just be a few $$.

If you have absolutely no bags (And I mean zero, including purses), there may be a no-bag line that you can fly through. Or, you could scope out the bag-check lines and, if really bad, retreat to the DL Uber/Lyft area and score a ride instantly.

Logic:
As said, bag check can be really long mid-day and it's not very magical. You will enjoy arriving at the Grand Cal front entrance and entering the lobby through the sliding doors, to Storytellers. Then, on your return, the bag check/security exiting the Grand to Downtown Disney should be near-empty. You will have a nice walk through the Esplanade back to your hotel (or parks).

 

[DLgal]

Yes. Definitely.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Yes. You will not have any time to spare and it will be tight, but doable if you hustle.

 

[Carl4628]

Thanks to everyone for the advice.