What airport?

[*NikkiBell*]

Hi All,

I'm new to the DLR section of the DIS. I recently won a trip from the DIS Unplugged podcast to DLR and am now in the planning stage. What airport do you all find it easiest to fly into? LAX? John Wayne? I have never been to Cali and am soooo lost!

Thanks!

 

[tinkcollector]

Congratulations I would choose Orange County/John Wayne. It is much closer to DLR than LAX. Getting a bus to DLR is easier and then your only about 10 minutes away.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Try to avoid LAX at all costs.

If you can't get the flight you want from SNA (OC) my personal favorite airport in the area is Ontario. Easy to reach, easy to park (you won't be of course), and not usually very crowded. Even though there are no direct flights from ONT to MCO, when we go to WDW we always leave out of ONT. We could catch a direct flight from LAX but by the time we add extra time for the longer drive, parking car off-site (instead of having DSis drop us off at curb) and longer lines in the terminal, it's not worth it. (Last time we did this we left home 3 hours before our flight-out of ONT we leave about 1-1/2 hours before and arrive in plenty of time. For us, SNA doesn't work since the flights are more expensive are there aren't as many flights to choose from.

Oh, and one thing about SNA, due to noise restrictions no flights can take off after 10 p.m. and to 7 a.m. Makes it harder sometimes to get a flight time you might want. If your flight is delayed coming in and it's past the cut-off time, they will land you at another airport and bus you to SNA. I hear the are realy sticklers on this-so don't plan a flight that lands after 9 p.m.

Here are the flight restrictons. No flights 10:00PM and 7:00AM (8:00AM on Sundays) and commercial arrivals between 11:00PM and 7:00AM (8:00AM on Sundays).

Consider rush hour traffic, if you can, when deciding on your flight time. Sat. and Sun. you don't really have to worry too much though you can run into a little traffic from OC to ONT on Sat. afternoons.

The traffic between OC and ONT is heavy going from ONT to OC in the a.m. and then the opposite way in the evening. The traffic around SNA can be heavy both in the a.m. and afternoon. Okay in the middle of the day. Both airports are fine later in the evening.

SNA is definitely closer to DLR than ONT (or LAX) According to Mapquest it's 18 min. to DLR from SNA and 41 min. from ONT to DLR. So if you can get the flight date and time you want, SNA is probably best.

There's also Long Beach to consider.

Have a great trip-how wonderful to have won it!

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

We have only flown into/out of Long Beach. LOVED it!

Check out this thread for great info regarding airports, how far they are from DL and transportation options
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2318297

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I agree with avoiding LAX. It just sucks up all the magic before you leave and get there.

I love Long Beach Airport and my favorite airline is Jetblue and it flies in and out of there. I have not tried SNA (Orange County) or Ontario.

Can you guys suggest the cheapest airlines that fly into these airports? I'm trying to plan a quick trip to catch Captain EO and Aladdin before it closes. Jetblue is coming up for $330 around this time.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Wow, lucky you! I've flown in and out of 3 S CA airports ~ LGB, LAX & SAN, LGB *Jetblue* is my favorite, if I never had to fly in or out of LAX that'd be a good thing ~ it's a big airport and far away from DLR especially if you encounter traffic!

 

[PinkBudgie]

I don't fly down, we drive. And I think your airport question has been answered but I just had to say CONGRATULATIONS! I'm still catching up on podcasts and just heard the one where someone won a podcast cruise. A lot of good prizes going out lately!

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

We have only flown into/out of Long Beach. LOVED it!

Check out this thread for great info regarding airports, how far they are from DL and transportation options
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2318297

Thanks for referencing the transportation thread! It does (I say modestly ) have a lot of useful information about the various airports. My personal favorite is Orange County (John Wayne/SNA). I haven't flown into Long Beach to have a personal opinion on that one, but the proximity is also very good. That being said, I'll still choose LAX if it saves us a bunch of money!

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

long beach by a mile

Ive done burbank, SNA and long beach

 

[PrincessYessenia]

I personally use John Wayne/Orange County and don't have any problems with it. We were considering flying in to Long Beach but decided on SNA since it's so close to DLR.

 

[It'sJustPoints]

We just flew home from DLR out of Long Beach-- very close and very easy. We will definitely go thru this airport next time!

 

[carolinamama]

We are also in the process of planning our trip! We are most definitely flying in to John Wayne (SNA). I've priced and priced and priced flights out the wazoo over the past 24 hours, and we've found that for us, it's even cheaper than flying in to LAX or Burbank.

Also, we are renting a car, and I couldn't believe the prices to rent from LAX!! Nuts!! We are renting a minivan at SNA from Alamo, and we are members of Costco. We're able to rent for a grand total of only $367 using the Costco discount and available coupon. Out of LAX, it was roughly double.

 

[PrincessSitka]

I use John Wayne as well.

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[mom2aidanNpiper]

I agree with all the above posts Are you renting a car or using a shuttle/taxi?

John Wayne?SNA is what I would aim for but often really pricey for compared to LAX.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Thanks for your advice, gang! I'm kinda stuck right now though. We want to use Jet Blue and it looks like we can't fly out of our airport and have to use JFK instead. It's not showing the option for John Wayne/Orange County. Apparently the only option is LAX so now I'm nervous. What makes it so bad? We won't be renting a car and will use the Disneyland Resort Express bus (which I know absolutely nothing about yet lol Using Birnbaum's here).

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

Don't be nervous at all. I fly LAX most of the time and the only time for me it's really a headache is driving (I dislike driving in LA traffic and not used to CA drivers) in traffic. Try to fly in so that way you are missing rush hour times when your bus will be driving on the freeway. I always aim for mid day or late night PM me with any questions- happy to help!

 

[Disneybridein2k3]

Hey Nikki! Fancy meeting you here! I also won a trip from the Dis Unplugged Podcast and was going to ask the same questions. So, thanks in advance

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Hahaha. Hi, Stacy!!!

Thanks for the reassurance, mom2! It definitely helped!

 

[raftislander]

Dont panic about LAX. It is not my favorite airport, but it is completely doable. To me the main problem is that, due to its distance from DLR and the unpredictability of LA freeway traffic, you have to allow considerably more time to get to and from the airport. If you are trying to go to the parks on travel days, this means less time at the parks. SNA and LGB are relatively close and it is easier to judge the timing. Also, some people hate to drive LA freeways and flying into LAX means you will have to drive the freeways. Not sure where you live, but you mentioned that you are flying out of JFK. If you have driven around NYC, I think that you will be able to handle LA freeways. You can always get a GPS system to help with navigation. There is quite a network of freeways and what looks like the most direct route on paper may not be the fastest. http://www.inetours.com/Los_Angeles/Pages/LA_freeways.html
It can really depend on the time of day/day of the week, so talk to the rental car agent for his/her opinion about the best route. Last time we flew into LAX we went south on I405 then east on Hwy22 getting off on Harbor blvd and going north. It took about 45 minutes. Not particularly scenic, but traffic was always moving whereas traffic reports about the I105 were not good. If you are taking a shuttle, then you don't have to worry about driving.