Leaving Anaheim for LAX

[Marlea98]

We depart LAX 21/1/14 on a qantas flight at 11.55pm for Brisbane. I want to spend the day at DLR/DCA and leave our luggage at Dolphin's Cove where we are staying then catch a private shuttle from DC to the airport. This is to save us the hassle of hiring a car ourselves, navigating traffic and unfamiliar streets then returning the car, making our way to the terminal etc.

What time should we book the shuttle for to leave Dolphin's Cove?

The last time we flew out was around 11.30pm with Virgin and we arrived at the airport around 5pm because we returned our car to Enterprise's off-site lot. We walked straight up to the counter, had no wait through security and spent long boring hours at the departure gate for our flight. There was nothing to do and the only meal places open were Burger King and a Mexican place that had a massive line. We ended up at Burger King.

I want to make the most of our last Disney day so do you think booking a shuttle to leave at 6pm is feasible or are we cutting it short? I'm hoping that by 6pm peak hour traffic should be starting to wind down. Keep in mind I live in a regional area where it's really only half an hour to get from one side of town to the other

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[kirstenp]

Last time I was in DL I caught the 6pm Disneyland Resort Express back to LAX (it was running late) and had stacks of time to kill before my 10:20pm flight. This was a weekday. I think you'd be fine with that time.

 

[aussietravellers]

I'd say 7 or 7.30pm. Having taken the DLR Express a lot over the last couple of months, it has never taken us longer than 1 hour, it's usually 40 to 45 minutes. So if you leave at 7.30pm, you should arrive by 8.30pm as you need to be there 3 hours beforehand I believe.

 

[beejai]

Hi, we had the same Qantas flight in April, we caught the about a 7.15 bus,missed the 6.15 but got there with plenty of time.
Warning ,not even a burger king at that terminal, only a starbucks and a bakery, we made the mistake of thinking we'd eat at the airport.
Have a great trip

 

[australiankaren]

yep..food choices are crap at TB lax terminal.......unless you enjoy over priced bad asian food or bagels.

when we used the DLE it took FOREVER so from GCH to lax took about 1.5 hrs as they sit at the hotel for ages...

did i mention TB terminal sucks???? not as much as #mydisneyexperience, but nearly!

 

[MsMinne]

We have a 9.30pm sunday flight from LAX. We have DLE booked and I was thinking of leaving PPH at 5pm.
Might make that an hour later though so we don't waste time at the airport. I didn't know there isnt much at LAX!

I read somewhere there is an inside out burger place near by? Was thinking of going there for dinner but I'm not sure if that's feasible?

 

[australiankaren]

if you wanted to, before going into the terminal check out the encounter bar, across the road...great burgers and designed by an imagineer...

"Just a few years ago, Walt Disney Imagineering utterly revamped the interior, converting it into a Jetson-esque restaurant and bar, complete with retro-style multi-colored patterns on the carpeting, blue and red lava lights, opalescent surfaces and moon-cratered walls. You might hear sci-fi or even "Trekkie" music in the space age elevator that totes you up to the top of the building."

they had me at trekkie

http://www.encounterlax.com/

 

[Marlea98]

Last time I was in DL I caught the 6pm Disneyland Resort Express back to LAX (it was running late) and had stacks of time to kill before my 10:20pm flight. This was a weekday. I think you'd be fine with that time.

I think we leave on a Wednesday night. I know that the late flights out of LAX are often packed and there are a lot of people. It was virtually empty when we got to VAustralia's gate but over the next couple of hours it got very busy.

I'd say 7 or 7.30pm. Having taken the DLR Express a lot over the last couple of months, it has never taken us longer than 1 hour, it's usually 40 to 45 minutes. So if you leave at 7.30pm, you should arrive by 8.30pm as you need to be there 3 hours beforehand I believe.

Thank you. I was thinking it would have to be 4 hours to check in, clear security etc but 3 hours is much better

Hi, we had the same Qantas flight in April, we caught the about a 7.15 bus,missed the 6.15 but got there with plenty of time.
Warning ,not even a burger king at that terminal, only a starbucks and a bakery, we made the mistake of thinking we'd eat at the airport.
Have a great trip

Ugh. That's not going to be enough for dinner That's what surprised us about flying out of the VA area, there was nothing to see or do or eat!

yep..food choices are crap at TB lax terminal.......unless you enjoy over priced bad asian food or bagels.

when we used the DLE it took FOREVER so from GCH to lax took about 1.5 hrs as they sit at the hotel for ages...

did i mention TB terminal sucks???? not as much as #mydisneyexperience, but nearly!

If it sucked as badly as MDE then I'd be bawling my eyes out

I don't suppose security would let us bring take out in with us then

We have a 9.30pm sunday flight from LAX. We have DLE booked and I was thinking of leaving PPH at 5pm.
Might make that an hour later though so we don't waste time at the airport. I didn't know there isnt much at LAX!

I read somewhere there is an inside out burger place near by? Was thinking of going there for dinner but I'm not sure if that's feasible?

I didn't think you could leave once you got through security etc? Unless you checked in then left then came back? But then you'd have to catch a cab there and back?

If we leave Dolphin's Cove at 7pm that should give us plenty of time to grab something to eat before we leave Disneyland or somewhere near the resort, then we can tide ourselves over until the airline meal is served with some muesli bars. The plan is to have such a full day at the parks so that the kids are pooped by the time we got on the plane and would sleep most of the way home.

 

[Marlea98]

if you wanted to, before going into the terminal check out the encounter bar, across the road...great burgers and designed by an imagineer...

"Just a few years ago, Walt Disney Imagineering utterly revamped the interior, converting it into a Jetson-esque restaurant and bar, complete with retro-style multi-colored patterns on the carpeting, blue and red lava lights, opalescent surfaces and moon-cratered walls. You might hear sci-fi or even "Trekkie" music in the space age elevator that totes you up to the top of the building."

they had me at trekkie

http://www.encounterlax.com/

Is this after we've gotten our boarding passes and dumped our bags?

 

[Caroline NZ]

Don't forget that the new Tom Bradley Terminal opens this September.
Can't wait until Air NZ moves over there next year ( currently in awful terminal 2)

http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals...t-la-trb-lax-open-house-la0010155818-20130622

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Don't forget that the new Tom Bradley Terminal opens this September.
Can't wait until Air NZ moves over there next year ( currently in awful terminal 2)

http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-lax-tom-bradley-international-terminal-20130624,0,6616699.photogallery?index=lat-la-trb-lax-open-house-la0010155818-20130622

Dare I ask, what is so bad about terminal 2?

My whole memory of LAX is very fuzzy.

 

[Caroline NZ]

Dare I ask, what is so bad about terminal 2?

My whole memory of LAX is very fuzzy.

There's hardly anything in it, just very basic and uninviting. Where you check in is a tiny area ,and once through security there is seating and not much else.

 

[Royal Consort]

did i mention TB terminal sucks???? not as much as #mydisneyexperience, but nearly!

Isn't the entire airport sort of crap?


I think LAX and My Disney Experience shares many similarities. Both are huge, expensive organisations that don't work.

 

[Marlea98]

Isn't the entire airport sort of crap?


I think LAX and My Disney Experience shares many similarities. Both are huge, expensive organisations that don't work.

Well I have only been to America once and flew on VAustralia so that's all I know And MDE for candlelight processional bookings - I'll never get that time back

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[Marlea98]

There's hardly anything in it, just very basic and uninviting. Where you check in is a tiny area ,and once through security there is seating and not much else.

I thought the international terminal at Brisbane was nice. We've been through there a few times and that's what I was expecting as a minimum at LAX

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[kylieh]

Thanks for the info on TB - We let our Qantas Club membership go as my work dropped the partnership so it went back to normal $ which we couldn't justify. Hoping the improvements are airside!

Edited: Yep, they are - just did some Googling and found that the majority of changes are after security. If you're really keen there is a fly through movie, link about half way down this page: http://www.lawa.org/laxdev/laxdev.aspx It is about 200mB!

 

[Caroline NZ]

I thought the international terminal at Brisbane was nice. We've been through there a few times and that's what I was expecting as a minimum at LAX

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Tom Bradley terminal hopefully will be nice in a couple of months time
( but not Terminal 2 where Air NZ currently docks :-( , will hopefully be in Tom Bradley for our Oct14 trip )

 

[Marlea98]

Thanks for the info on TB - We let our Qantas Club membership go as my work dropped the partnership so it went back to normal $ which we couldn't justify. Hoping the improvements are airside!

Edited: Yep, they are - just did some Googling and found that the majority of changes are after security. If you're really keen there is a fly through movie, link about half way down this page: http://www.lawa.org/laxdev/laxdev.aspx It is about 200mB!

Thanks. I'll have to have a look at the link when I'm not on my phone.

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[Marlea98]

Thanks for the info on TB - We let our Qantas Club membership go as my work dropped the partnership so it went back to normal $ which we couldn't justify. Hoping the improvements are airside!

Edited: Yep, they are - just did some Googling and found that the majority of changes are after security. If you're really keen there is a fly through movie, link about half way down this page: http://www.lawa.org/laxdev/laxdev.aspx It is about 200mB!

DH let his go a couple of years ago too. We didn't need it on our last trip but might look into Admirals Club for the next trip.

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[australiankaren]

just check in, drop off bags then toddle across the road for a few hours....do not go thru security as then your stuck in the barren wasteland that is TBIT.....oh the humanity