mommaU4
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2005
Hi everyone! I posted this same thread on the Disneyland section of the DIS, but thought perhaps it might be more useful over here, so I'm posting it again on the Vegas section. If the mods don't want it in two places, they can delete one of them. 
I thought I'd share some info with you regarding Luxbus America, a shuttle service that runs between Anaheim and Las Vegas, in case anyone is searching for such a thing. I know some visitors to Southern CA consider adding a trip to Las Vegas once they find out it's only a short 4-5 hour drive.
I took the Luxbus this past weekend and loved it. We live in Vegas, but our van is getting too old and tired to make the trek across the desert to Anaheim anymore so I went searching for an alternative to renting a car and found Luxbus!
Typically when I think of a bus, I picture a broken down, rickety, smelly, old sardine can with a bus station in a questionable part of town. Not saying that's always the case, but that's what I personally pictured.
The Luxbus couldn't be further from that image! Here is what my experience was like:
We left Saturday afternoon for the Flamingo hotel where we were to meet the bus in the north tour lobby. I had called a week prior to make the reservations, and then you need to call again 48 hours beforehand to confirm it. Booking went smoothly and the agent was very helpful. The fare is normally $99 round trip, which I don't think is too bad, but you can sometimes find discounts.
Once at the Flamingo north tour lobby, there were signs telling us where to go, and several others waiting for the bus as well. The Flamingo is the third and final stop with pick-up time of 3:30. The two prior stops are downtown at the California Hotel and also at Harrahs.
The sign showing where to wait:
The bus was about 5 minutes late due to a block party on the Strip slowing everything down. Finally it arrived, and I was impressed with what I saw.
Upon boarding the bus, I noticed there were two seats on either side with an aisle down the middle, much like an airplane.
Picture of the seats taken while we were parked underneath the structure (that's why it's so dark) waiting for everyone to board.
The seats are a bit small, but bigger and more cushy than airline seats. And truth be told, my husband and I are both large people so I'm sure it would be even roomier for most others.
A shot of the seatback in front of me:
There are many on board amenities:
Free drinks (Coke, Diet Coke, 7-up, orange juice, Bud light, red wine, coffee in the a.m. and drinks are served twice on the trip)
Free snacks (varies, but we saw granola bars, crackers, chips, pretzels)
Free wi-fi
Reclining seats
Adjustable head rest
Foot rest
Drink holder
Fold out tray
Free headsets for movies
On board bathroom
Over head bins for carry ons
The flat screen for the movies. Going to Anaheim we saw Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp. Returning to Vegas we saw Last Song with Miley Cyrus. All movies are always family friendly. (you can see our bus attendant, Gabriel, in this shot)
The overhead bins:
The cushiony and adjustable head rest:
The back of the bus with the bathroom and the snack/drink storage area:
Seats filled with passengers. Going to Anaheim the seats were cloth, returning they were leather. Both very soft and comfortable. The bus was full both ways.
The leather seats:
The ride was smooth. Our bus attendant both ways was Gabriel who was funny, and friendly. The driver was great and I felt safe even as we went through some rain and fog.
The trip takes about 4.5 hours but can vary obviously based on weather and traffic. The bus stops in Barstow each way, which is about the half way point.
At Barstow station there is food (McDonalds, Panda Express, a Mexican fast food place, coffee, ice cream), restrooms and tons of delightfully tacky souvenirs.
A pic of the stop in Barstow:
We arrived in Anaheim about 20 minutes past our scheduled time due to the rain and fog we'd encountered. The main terminal is at the Anaheim Garden walk. Luxbus also offers shuttles from there to Los Angeles, so those passengers going on to L.A. got off there. (It also goes to San Diego)
For the rest of us, Luxbus offers direct drop off at a huge list of Anaheim Resort Area hotels. When making your reservation they will ask where you are staying. If your hotel for some reason is not listed, they will make arrangements to leave you at an ART stop closest to your hotel.
We stayed at the Anaheim Marriott Suites in Garden Grove, and were taken directly to the front door of our hotel, which is also where we were picked up again the day we departed.
Over all it was so easy, and so convenient I would not hesitate to do it again. I was nervous beforehand and couldn't find much info or pics on the Luxbus, which is why I am writing this review, but I really had nothing to worry about.
The bus has schedules that run between Vegas, L.A., Anaheim and San Diego. This is their website if anyone wants to check it out: http://www.luxbusamerica.com/index.php
But if you are in Anaheim and considering a trip to Vegas (or vice versa) and don't want to drive, I'd highly recommend this as an option. If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Not that I'm an expert after one ride, lol, but I can try. And the lady behind me on the bus commented how she'd been using Luxbus for awhile now and never had a problem.
Hope this info will be of use to someone!
I thought I'd share some info with you regarding Luxbus America, a shuttle service that runs between Anaheim and Las Vegas, in case anyone is searching for such a thing. I know some visitors to Southern CA consider adding a trip to Las Vegas once they find out it's only a short 4-5 hour drive.
I took the Luxbus this past weekend and loved it. We live in Vegas, but our van is getting too old and tired to make the trek across the desert to Anaheim anymore so I went searching for an alternative to renting a car and found Luxbus!
Typically when I think of a bus, I picture a broken down, rickety, smelly, old sardine can with a bus station in a questionable part of town. Not saying that's always the case, but that's what I personally pictured.
The Luxbus couldn't be further from that image! Here is what my experience was like:
We left Saturday afternoon for the Flamingo hotel where we were to meet the bus in the north tour lobby. I had called a week prior to make the reservations, and then you need to call again 48 hours beforehand to confirm it. Booking went smoothly and the agent was very helpful. The fare is normally $99 round trip, which I don't think is too bad, but you can sometimes find discounts.
Once at the Flamingo north tour lobby, there were signs telling us where to go, and several others waiting for the bus as well. The Flamingo is the third and final stop with pick-up time of 3:30. The two prior stops are downtown at the California Hotel and also at Harrahs.
The sign showing where to wait:
The bus was about 5 minutes late due to a block party on the Strip slowing everything down. Finally it arrived, and I was impressed with what I saw.
Upon boarding the bus, I noticed there were two seats on either side with an aisle down the middle, much like an airplane.
Picture of the seats taken while we were parked underneath the structure (that's why it's so dark) waiting for everyone to board.
The seats are a bit small, but bigger and more cushy than airline seats. And truth be told, my husband and I are both large people so I'm sure it would be even roomier for most others.
A shot of the seatback in front of me:
There are many on board amenities:
Free drinks (Coke, Diet Coke, 7-up, orange juice, Bud light, red wine, coffee in the a.m. and drinks are served twice on the trip)
Free snacks (varies, but we saw granola bars, crackers, chips, pretzels)
Free wi-fi
Reclining seats
Adjustable head rest
Foot rest
Drink holder
Fold out tray
Free headsets for movies
On board bathroom
Over head bins for carry ons
The flat screen for the movies. Going to Anaheim we saw Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp. Returning to Vegas we saw Last Song with Miley Cyrus. All movies are always family friendly. (you can see our bus attendant, Gabriel, in this shot)
The overhead bins:
The cushiony and adjustable head rest:
The back of the bus with the bathroom and the snack/drink storage area:
Seats filled with passengers. Going to Anaheim the seats were cloth, returning they were leather. Both very soft and comfortable. The bus was full both ways.
The leather seats:
The ride was smooth. Our bus attendant both ways was Gabriel who was funny, and friendly. The driver was great and I felt safe even as we went through some rain and fog.
The trip takes about 4.5 hours but can vary obviously based on weather and traffic. The bus stops in Barstow each way, which is about the half way point.
At Barstow station there is food (McDonalds, Panda Express, a Mexican fast food place, coffee, ice cream), restrooms and tons of delightfully tacky souvenirs.
A pic of the stop in Barstow:
We arrived in Anaheim about 20 minutes past our scheduled time due to the rain and fog we'd encountered. The main terminal is at the Anaheim Garden walk. Luxbus also offers shuttles from there to Los Angeles, so those passengers going on to L.A. got off there. (It also goes to San Diego)
For the rest of us, Luxbus offers direct drop off at a huge list of Anaheim Resort Area hotels. When making your reservation they will ask where you are staying. If your hotel for some reason is not listed, they will make arrangements to leave you at an ART stop closest to your hotel.
We stayed at the Anaheim Marriott Suites in Garden Grove, and were taken directly to the front door of our hotel, which is also where we were picked up again the day we departed.
Over all it was so easy, and so convenient I would not hesitate to do it again. I was nervous beforehand and couldn't find much info or pics on the Luxbus, which is why I am writing this review, but I really had nothing to worry about.
The bus has schedules that run between Vegas, L.A., Anaheim and San Diego. This is their website if anyone wants to check it out: http://www.luxbusamerica.com/index.php
But if you are in Anaheim and considering a trip to Vegas (or vice versa) and don't want to drive, I'd highly recommend this as an option. If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Not that I'm an expert after one ride, lol, but I can try. And the lady behind me on the bus commented how she'd been using Luxbus for awhile now and never had a problem.
Hope this info will be of use to someone!
