Long Beach Airport to Harbor Blvd

[Ross3half]

If we take a flight that arrives at Long Beach Airport at 4:30 PM on a weekday, how long would it typically take to get to our hotel on Harbor Blvd via taxi in the rush hour traffic?

 

[Dis-Ted]

Personally I'd find a shuttle... super shuttle, charter shuttle, hotel shuttle, whatever. A taxi from Long Beach is going to be something like 20-25 miles and will take no less than 30 minutes without traffic and probably 45-60 at 4:30pm which is Orange County rush hour. With a shuttle you aren't on the hook for the red lights on the side streets or the traffic jam on 605/91/22... both of which will be a problem.

If you do take a cab see if your phone supports SigAlert.com and if 605 or 91 (or 405 and 22) looks jammed have them take the side streets (Bellflower in place of 605, Lincoln or La Palma for 91).

 

[Ross3half]

Thanks for the info and the tip...we'll look into the shuttle instead!

 

[Dis-Ted]

They're definitely not a cheap option either but I'd hate for you to catch a bad traffic day and spend 70 minutes in a cab.

 

[bethy]

I am arriving on a Friday at 5:30 into Long Beach. I didn't think about the rush hour traffic. Say I don't get out of there until 6:15 or so in my rental car - will the traffic still be bad? If so I will look into the back roads maybe . . .

 

[Dis-Ted]

I am arriving on a Friday at 5:30 into Long Beach. I didn't think about the rush hour traffic. Say I don't get out of there until 6:15 or so in my rental car - will the traffic still be bad? If so I will look into the back roads maybe . . .

Ya it will. Fridays are awful for traffic in Orange County... I've made the drive you'll be taking many times and while 6:15 can be better than 5:15, it can also be horrible.

So with that in mind you have a few options.

On the freeways you can try taking 605 to 91 which is the route most map programs will give you. You can also take 405-S to 22-E to the park.

But I personally recommend the back roads. Orange County streets aren't like most places... there will be a lot of lights to sit through but most of the roads are 3 to 4 lanes per side and 50 mph zones so while you do spend time starting and stopping it's a lot different than being stuck on a one lane tiny side street and a lot better than 30 minutes on the 405 without moving.

My advice is to take E Wardllow (Ball) or E Carson (Lincoln) from the airport to the Disneyland area. Ball will take you right in to the top of the park and the Mickey & Friends structure or the DRL and any other park hotels. If you have an out of park hotel just follow either road to Harbor Blvd which runs down perpendicular and is where most of the hotels are. Either way it's a straight shot and since the streets are pretty much a grid you can move around if there's road work or bad traffic on one.

Of course we do get those crazy days where the freeways are open which is why checking Sigalert is so useful.

 

[jlmarr]

The Wardlow Road/Ball Road route is about as straight as you can get: Mapquest Map

 

[bethy]

Thank you so much everyone! I've done this once before and took Katella as the staight shot and it was great. But that was during the middle of the day. We are staying onsite and so Ball road it is! I'm not a big fan of freeways during rush hour.

No matter happens, I'll still be taking my mom to DLR for her birthday. She hasn't been since 1975!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We fly in & out of LGB for our DLR trips. We use a car service that I highly recommend to anyone ~ we pay $50 each way and we've always had 5 people with us so that's not bad.

Our drivers name is Ron and his business card says VIP Service (Kim Sontha Transportation). The number is (562) 396-8106 (company number) OR the number where he has always answered is 562-895-6713. We've had a Toyota Highlander & Lexus SUV for our past trips.

Our flights home are always in the evening so we're headed back to LGB during rush hour, Ron always takes city roads during this time, we've never been stuck in traffic.

For our upcoming trip it's just me & my kids, my cousin lives in Irvine so I think I'll ask her if she'll provide our transportation from and to the airport ~ or maybe just one way.

 

[bethy]

We fly in & out of LGB for our DLR trips. We use a car service that I highly recommend to anyone ~ we pay $50 each way and we've always had 5 people with us so that's not bad.

Our drivers name is Ron and his business card says VIP Service (Kim Sontha Transportation). The number is (562) 396-8106 (company number) OR the number where he has always answered is 562-895-6713. We've had a Toyota Highlander & Lexus SUV for our past trips.

Our flights home are always in the evening so we're headed back to LGB during rush hour, Ron always takes city roads during this time, we've never been stuck in traffic.

For our upcoming trip it's just me & my kids, my cousin lives in Irvine so I think I'll ask her if she'll provide our transportation from and to the airport ~ or maybe just one way.

Thank you so much for the recommendation! I do think we are going to rent a car b/c last time I flew in there I got a rental for $14 per day. On this trip I want to be able to stop on the way and pick up a few groceries. Also the parking at our hotel is free. But I'll keep this in mind for if/when we don't get a great rental car deal.