LAX to Disneyland: Karmel Shared Van vs disneyland express?

[dorakk]

Debating whether to go for Karmel Shared Shuttle service or Disneyland Express.

Or any other suggestion for shuttle service for solo traveler travelling from LAX to Disneyland Hotel?

My flight arrives at 16:45pm on Sunday, chances are I will miss the 17:00 DL express, thus I'll need to wait for 1hr15mins for the 18:00 DL express.

Also, is it true that DL express schedule is not reliable? Meaning, they skip buses or stops from time to time?

Karmel seems more flexible in timing, but I am a bit worried after reading the negative reviews here ( creepy, dangerious drivers and dirty car).

I tried contacting Zappy, but they only do private shuttle which is out of my budget.

It will be great to hear feedback from other fellow travelers who have tried these companies .

Thanks in advanced.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I'm a solo traveler and I have used www.supershuttle.com both in 2014 and multiple times in 2015. I have never had a problem. I book online, print out the confirmation and go to the Super Shuttle pick up point outside the terminal (they have one at each terminal ) Depending on time of day, traffic and destination, I have not waited over 20 mins.

 

[pindecisive]

I used DLE about 7 years ago and while my experience was decent I wouldn't again. For me it just added extra planning and was time consuming (waiting for the shuttle both ways/ going to several hotels before they got to mine). I'm half considering supershuttle over Uber if it isn't legal by the time we get there and we decide to forgo the cab to a restaurant, uber to the hotel route, just because it's a little over-difficult to go that route.

Honestly I'm willing to pay for not spending 2 hours getting back from LAX to DL. It's already a long drive, but adding 20 minutes of wait time and or additional hotel stops on either end just sounds exhausting.

 

[Astylla]

We used Karmel shared for the first time from LAX and returning 2 weeks ago and had a great experience. We arrived at LAX late around 9:50pm and after calling the number to confirm our arrival our van was there within 5-10 minutes.
We only had one other couple being picked up and were on our way as fast as you can get out of LAX. Pickup at Hyatt Regency was early which was fine by us but we were not rushed at all. Clean vehicles , friendly drivers , safe driving. It was worth it to us as they did not circle around.

 

[bumbershoot]

I personally like Karmel.

 

[taffy]

When we are travelling with the kids we use the Express as there is no need for car seats but when I am solo I usually go with a shuttle like Karmel and have had no issues .

 

[Mackysmycat]

Have used Karmel before without a problem.

 

[Priory]

I've used Karmel at least 20 times and only had one iffy experience. It's pretty consistently good. The deal is that they can pair you with one other party, but we've only ever had another passenger one time. It always ends up being a private shuttle. It's a bit pricey, but I like it much better than Super Shuttle or DLE (which is nothing like wdw's if that's what you're thinking).

 

[bumbershoot]

Pickup at Hyatt Regency was early which was fine by us but we were not rushed at all.

Each time I've been picked up by Karmel at a hotel they've been early. But they do NOT make a big deal of it. Each time I've seen them and went out to them, and they've been ready, but they weren't calling or bugging me or anything. Actually the last time, DS and I had been waiting at Hilton for ages (poor timing on our parts and we were just DONE with the parks and actually wanting to be home) and we went outside quite early and I saw him drive up. Turned out he needed to use the restroom, poor guy. Of course, we "let" him go there.

I prefer casually early to them being late, that's for sure!

 

[dorakk]

Thanks everyone for the response, I'm going to go for Karmel

 

[MommyJKM]

We like Disneyland Express because it goes right to the DLR hotels and for pickup they go from GCH to DLH and then straight to airport. They also have an unadvertised AAA rate of $20 Roundtrip!

 

[bumbershoot]

We like Disneyland Express because it goes right to the DLR hotels and for pickup they go from GCH to DLH and then straight to airport. They also have an unadvertised AAA rate of $20 Roundtrip!

I don't think you can guarantee what they do. From years of reading about them (and experiencing their services), I know that they are flexible and changeable.

 

[princess_jamie]

I used Karmel shuttles at the beginning of September from LAX to Hyatt Place and it was awesome. We made the call from a payphone at the airport as we didn't have use of our phones in the US (we're from Canada) and it was really easy. They picked us up and the only delay we had was because one of the other groups they were supposed to pick up with us couldn't figure it out and were super slow. I did see a lot of super shuttles go by but there was big line ups for those and I was happy to have Karmel ready to go! I got a discount online by googling karmel shuttle discounts and there was a $8 off round trip discount