What airport?

[CatLady]

We're thinking of planning a DL vacation. What airport(s) should I be looking at for flight pricing? And how far from the airport is it? Should we rent a car or get some kind of transfer?

 

[Snurk71]

We've been 3 times, flying from Chicago to SNA/John Wayne/Orange County (SNA is the abbreviation and the airport is referred to as both John Wayne and Orange County). The airport is small for easy manuevering (maybe 20 gates total) and DL is c. 30 minutes away.

We haven't rented a car because DL is so connected and not drawn out to where you need a car (if you're just doing DL). We took a van transfer/shuttle from Super Shuttle (supershuttle.com).

 

[Amy&Dan]

We like doing a cab for our family of four from SNA to DL. It was only $37 from the Paradise Pier to SNA on Monday morning. This was at 5:00 a.m. and there was no traffic. We have never paid more than $50 however. It just kind of beats super shuttle because you don't have to stop at a bunch of places letting other people out and in. You will also hear that airport referred to as Santa Anna. Some lady freaked out on our plane once when the stewdess said "welcome to Santa Anna". She thought she had somehow gotten on the wrong plane!

 

[mobetsy]

If you can do OC/John Wayne/SNA, you'll be glad; it is a great airport, not tiny but small enough to be very easy to negotiate, and definitely the closest. If fares are really high there, then look next at Ontario and Long Beach (Jet Blue), then Burbank, then LAX.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

>>it is a great airport, not tiny but small enough to be very easy to negotiate<< except when you somehow book yourself on a commuter flight and get to wait in the double wide trailer out past gate 14... then its TINY


But it is a good airport- Ive become spoiled and hate flying into LAX after the closeness of SNA -em

 

[mobetsy]

Guess I've had the good fortune of avoiding that, Emily I do know that the circuit around the airport road can be stretched to about 3 minutes, because one time my stepmom flying in from Oakland gave me her departure time as the arrival time, and I spent her entire flight circling the airport with a child who had only been toilet trained for a week It is a tribute to the relatively relaxed traffic pattern there that I have vaguely fond/funny memories of that, rather than a recollection of total stress!

 

[smcbaker]

Another vote for SNA! Not sure how much difference there is mileage-wise between LAX to DL and SNA to DL but there is a HUGE difference in the hassle factor! No problem at all at SNA walking right over to get the rental car (National in my case) and getting to our hotel (stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort Area). Same thing on the way back.....no hassle, little traffic. The previous trip, we flew into LAX......lots of people, lots of commotion, lots of everything! Line for security was all the way out the door and outside of the terminal entrance door! Much, much preferred low-key SNA experience.....much more like being on vacation!

 

[Firefly777]

I'd recommend either SNA or Long Beach. They are both about the same distance away (around 20 or 30 minutes), and both very low-key. As an airport, I prefer SNA as it's the perfect size. Small enough to not be hectic, but large enough to have most of the amenities and services of a normal airport. Long Beach is almost too small, IMO, but we can usually get a better fare.

 

[ilovdisney2]

We are flying in from DFW to Long Beach durning Thanksgiving week and got a much cheeper deal than SNA. Have I made a mistake? Why do you like Orange Beach better than Long Beach?
Tell me all..............

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Well the one reason I like SNA better than Long Beach is it has cheap transportation from the airport (as far as Ive found) now if you are over 25 and dont have the stupid surcharge to rent a car it would prob be very economical...

The two times Ive considered flying into Long Beach the cost to get out of the airport made up for the cost of flying into SNA

(it has been awhile since ive researched it so it might have changed)

-em