LAX to Anaheim - What time to make lunchtime ADR?

[retlaw_yensid]

Our plane is due to arrive 9:25am at LAX on a Thursday in August. We'll be taking the SuperShuttle from LAX to Camelot Inn, and our plan after check-in at the hotel is to spend the rest of the day at Disneyland. I know we'll be hungry from the morning's adventure, so I plan on making reservations at Carnation Cafe for lunch.

What time do you think I should make the Carnation Cafe ADRs for? We'll want to eat soon after getting to Disneyland, but of course, don't want to make the ADRs too early to the point that we could miss them due to delays. I'm guessing the time to gather our luggage at LAX will be around 30 minutes, and that the shuttle from LAX to Anaheim will take an hour. Are those good guesses?

Thanks, in advance, for your help and suggestions!

 

[SMD]

Is this a domestic flight? An hour for luggage, 90 minutes for the shuttle. You can cheat the check in time a little by leaving your bags and coming back later if you might be late. But it mot be better to do CS for lunch and Carnation for dinner.

 

[BadPinkTink]

For international flights landing at LAX, I have timed it at 1 hour 20 minutes approx from leaving the plane to collecting luggage after passport control.

Then another 15 to 20 minutes to go from the luggage area to the supershuttle leaving LAX

Give approx 1 hour 30 minutes to get to your hotel, depending on traffic, you could get lucky and make in 50 minutes or you could be well over the hour stuck in traffic.

Then by the time you check in, find your room, freshen up etc and then head over to Disney, I would do the ADR for 2pm.

You are probably saying ...what no way... but as a very experienced traveller, I have come to realise that things just take far longer than you think and time just slips away.

 

[emily94]

I wouldn't make one before 2 pm!

Hour for the luggage and up to 2 hours for the shuttle. Do you know what time the shuttle is that you're taking? With my experience it leaves on time, but that being said, you might still have to wait for the shuttle once you pick up the bags.Then once you arrive at your hotel, you'll have to check in and go to the room or give bell services your bags. Then walk to the park (or take another shuttle) from your hotel! Hope this helps!

 

[emily94]

If the ADR idea stresses you out, you could always do a quick service (Bengal BBQ, Village Haus, Hungry Bear are always good choices ) on arrival day and save Carnation Cafe for another day!

 

[lalasmama]

Like others are pointing out, I'd consider doing Carnation Café for an early dinner perhaps, instead of lunch. I fly domestically, with only carry-ons generally, and it still takes us a good 3 hours to get to the hotel from plane landing to hotel room when flying into LAX. Granted, we also fly Southwest, which seems to be about as far away from Ground Transportation as possible!

In the interest of full disclosure, though, I always try to plan for things taking (literally) twice as long as they should. Why? Because I've been stuck on the tarmac one too many times, so I know that my arrival could end up being hours after it was planned! Last year, we were scheduled to be the last plane into SNA at 10:20pm... and we got in at 12:20am. (Talk about freaking out--I knew the airport closed at 11pm, so I was picturing me and my BFF stuck at the closed airport, trying to make Southwest find us a ride to our hotel! Thankfully, the cabbies were alerted about the late plane, and several stayed to take the passengers to their destinations!)

 

[gottalovepluto]

We did Carnation Cafe on Memorial for lunch around 2pm with no ressie. The wait was about an hour. Missing an ADR at DL can now cost you $10 per person fyi so might want to keep that in mind.

 

[figment_jii]

Even without traffic, I would still allow at least 90 minutes for the shuttle. When I flew into LAX and used SuperShuttle to get to one of the DLR-area hotels, it took about 90 minutes. 45 minutes to get out of LAX (including stops at other pick-up points) and then another 45 minutes of no traffic driving. I did not have to deal with luggage collection, but I would probably allow 30 or so minutes for that at least.

 

[GoBears 1980]

Our plane is due to arrive 9:25am at LAX on a Thursday in August. We'll be taking the SuperShuttle from LAX to Camelot Inn, and our plan after check-in at the hotel is to spend the rest of the day at Disneyland. I know we'll be hungry from the morning's adventure, so I plan on making reservations at Carnation Cafe for lunch.

What time do you think I should make the Carnation Cafe ADRs for? We'll want to eat soon after getting to Disneyland, but of course, don't want to make the ADRs too early to the point that we could miss them due to delays. I'm guessing the time to gather our luggage at LAX will be around 30 minutes, and that the shuttle from LAX to Anaheim will take an hour. Are those good guesses?

Thanks, in advance, for your help and suggestions!

SuperShuttle shared or exclusive? I would not count on ANYTHING from SuperShuttle shared.

If it is an exclusive van, 2PM should be okay.

If you have not paid with SS yet, look at Karmel, 4Most Coach and Zippy Shuttle.

 

[focusondisney]

SuperShuttle shared or exclusive? I would not count on ANYTHING from SuperShuttle shared.

If it is an exclusive van, 2PM should be okay.

If you have not paid with SS yet, look at Karmel, 4Most Coach and Zippy Shuttle.

I agree with this. We have had 2 very loooong rides with SuperShuttle & won't go that route again. They don't just shuttle to Anaheim/ Disneyland. Last time we used them, we spent an hour picking up & dropping off to/ private homes along the way. I swear, we picked up a woman who was moving: we picked her up at a home, she had at least 4 pieces of luggage & we dropped her at a different private home. ( Driver had to force her luggage in the back- when we finally got out,1 of our suitcases was actually broken from him shoving her bags on top of it.) Picked up another woman at home, dropped her at her housekeeping job at a hotel near Disneyland. We were on that shuttle for over 2 hours. Private vehicle is the way to go!!

 

[calilou]

I would plan for lunch on the go depending on where you end up at lunchtime and make reservations for a nice sit down early dinner.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've never had the long timing others have had at lax, in fact our luggage is out so quick we generally walk up to terminal 1 to be first on the bus if we are taking the Grayline.

But I can't imagine walking into DL, starting down the street, then stopping to eat. My family would rebel, I would rebel. I'd grab something quick and mobile and continue on up the street and have some fun.