[SnazzyCMB]

I am going to disneyland for the first time in June! woohoo!
What is the best airport to fly into? And, what is good transportation to the Grand Californian from that airport? We will not be renting a car.
Also, if we want to spend one of the days visiting LA, are there any tours or transport options that are recommended? Thanks for any info!

[Voldemort]

Originally Posted by SnazzyCMB

I am going to disneyland for the first time in June! woohoo!
What is the best airport to fly into? And, what is good transportation to the Grand Californian from that airport? We will not be renting a car.
Also, if we want to spend one of the days visiting LA, are there any tours or transport options that are recommended? Thanks for any info!

I would say that depends on what airline you'll be using. LAX will give you the most options, but John Wayne is actually closer to the parks. There are a number of shuttle services you can book in advance to get to your hotel from the airport; I used SuperShuttle when I was there last month and had no problems with them.

I didn't do any tours while I was there because I had a limited amount of time, but there were literally dozens of brochures for such things on display at my hotel. I'm sure that you could find something you'd enjoy, and I suspect the staff at the GC would be able to assist if needed.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by SnazzyCMB

I am going to disneyland for the first time in June! woohoo!
What is the best airport to fly into? And, what is good transportation to the Grand Californian from that airport? We will not be renting a car.
Also, if we want to spend one of the days visiting LA, are there any tours or transport options that are recommended? Thanks for any info!

Everyone is going to tell you it's easiest to fly into John Wayne airport, which is TRUE it's the closest. ALTHOUGH, everytime I go to California (ALWAYS in June also) & check the fares from Newark to John Wayne versus Newark to LAX the price difference is HUGE.... at least a $300 difference. Who knows, if you can get a flight from wherever your departure city is to John Wayne, go for it! LAX is about an hour (give or take traffic) from Disneyland.

As far as transport to the resort we've always had a rental car b/c we visit all over SoCal but I know that John Wayne is only about 15 miles from Disneyland, so that's easy peasy. If you do the LAX route there are shuttle buses & supershuttles. I know others have used them & have mixed reviews so I am sure someone else can chime in there.

If you are going to do one day in the Los Angeles area and WANT to do a tour I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend a company called "LA City Tours" I've used them on three different occassions now & enjoyed every experience. I took my Dad on one called "Hollywood & Movie Stars Homes" & he got SUCH a kick out of it. They had hotel pickup in the LA area but I remember on one tour we met at the office b/c we were traveling somewhere afterwards. The prices of the tours were REALLY reasonable too. This is their website:
Los Angeles City Tours: Hollywood Tours | Movie Star Homes Tours and more

I hope that helps.

[rshenry]

I agree with what Voldemort said.

[Experiment6-2-6]

Originally Posted by SnazzyCMB

I am going to disneyland for the first time in June! woohoo!
What is the best airport to fly into? And, what is good transportation to the Grand Californian from that airport? We will not be renting a car.
Also, if we want to spend one of the days visiting LA, are there any tours or transport options that are recommended? Thanks for any info!

Believe it or not....

There is a third alternative..

Long Beach is a hub for Jet Blue.

You might want to consider it as an option..

[dznygrl]

Just FYI, a cab from John Wayne to a Disneyland area hotel runs about $50. So whichever airport you choose, a towncar/shuttle is going to be a better deal than a cab!

[SnazzyCMB]

Originally Posted by Voldemort

I would say that depends on what airline you'll be using. LAX will give you the most options, but John Wayne is actually closer to the parks. There are a number of shuttle services you can book in advance to get to your hotel from the airport; I used SuperShuttle when I was there last month and had no problems with them.

To me, the airline doesn't really matter. I am flying from CT-BDL airport, most likely. I could fly out of an NY or Boston airport, but I'd like to avoid it if possible. I don't really care about the airline-I just want something affordable, and hopefully direct (although I doubt it from BDL-I'll probably have to go from NY for that).

[SnazzyCMB]

Originally Posted by WishUponAStar

Everyone is going to tell you it's easiest to fly into John Wayne airport, which is TRUE it's the closest. ALTHOUGH, everytime I go to California (ALWAYS in June also) & check the fares from Newark to John Wayne versus Newark to LAX the price difference is HUGE.... at least a $300 difference. Who knows, if you can get a flight from wherever your departure city is to John Wayne, go for it! LAX is about an hour (give or take traffic) from Disneyland.

As far as transport to the resort we've always had a rental car b/c we visit all over SoCal but I know that John Wayne is only about 15 miles from Disneyland, so that's easy peasy. If you do the LAX route there are shuttle buses & supershuttles. I know others have used them & have mixed reviews so I am sure someone else can chime in there.

If you are going to do one day in the Los Angeles area and WANT to do a tour I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend a company called "LA City Tours" I've used them on three different occassions now & enjoyed every experience. I took my Dad on one called "Hollywood & Movie Stars Homes" & he got SUCH a kick out of it. They had hotel pickup in the LA area but I remember on one tour we met at the office b/c we were traveling somewhere afterwards. The prices of the tours were REALLY reasonable too. This is their website:
Los Angeles City Tours: Hollywood Tours | Movie Star Homes Tours and more

I hope that helps.

Thanks, that's a lot of great info! We want to check out more of SoCal, but will only have 1 day most likely, although, even if we do a tour, we would probably have to drive there. It might make more sense to get a car, so we can get to/from the airport (whichever that may be), and also to get to LA for whatever tour we do....hmmm..
I guess I will be looking at options out of NY or Newark or Boston in addition to Hartford. I just hate leaving my car there for a $300 difference, I'll get over it!

[SnazzyCMB]

Originally Posted by Experiment6-2-6

Long Beach is a hub for Jet Blue.

You might want to consider it as an option..

How far is Long Beach from DLR? I only want to consider it if the shuttle/towncar fare is not going to be ridiculous. I've heard some great things about Jet Blue-I'd have to go out of NYC, but if it's cheap enough, that's no problem

[SnazzyCMB]

Originally Posted by dznygrl

Just FYI, a cab from John Wayne to a Disneyland area hotel runs about $50. So whichever airport you choose, a towncar/shuttle is going to be a better deal than a cab!

Yikes, and if that is the closest airport, a cab from any other would be even more! Depending on which airline we take, and which airport we end up at, we may rent a car. But I'm scared to drive there!! I hear horror stories about LA drivers!
Then again, I was driving around NYC this weekend-can't be much worse, I'm sure

[dznygrl]

Originally Posted by SnazzyCMB

Yikes, and if that is the closest airport, a cab from any other would be even more! Depending on which airline we take, and which airport we end up at, we may rent a car. But I'm scared to drive there!! I hear horror stories about LA drivers!
Then again, I was driving around NYC this weekend-can't be much worse, I'm sure

I'm sure if you could handle NYC drivers, LA won't be much worse! I've driven in the LA area and didn't find it quite as scary as the stories I've heard...just gotta be on your toes.

Yeah, DH and I were pretty shocked by the cab fare the last time we went to DL. We were definitely wishing we had been looking ahead and checked out prices on a rental car or a shuttle!

[unamadreditre]

We've always flown into LAX. Like Wishy said, there is always such a big difference in ticket prices. The first time we went we rented a car and DH said never again because he hated driving in LA traffic. Since then we have taken the Disney Express and have had no problems. Pick up and drop off was very convenient. I think they even offer tours that pick you up at your hotel depending on where you are staying. http://graylineanaheim.com/airport_info.cfm

[Ready2Go]

I like flying into SNA. AKA - John Wayne Airport or Orange County Airport.

John Wayne Airport (SNA), Orange County, California

Here is some info about transportation to and from the area airports.
Disneyland Transportation, Anaheim California Transportation


Disneyland Express info.
http://graylineanaheim.com/docs/GL%2...ure%202008.pdf

[Experiment6-2-6]

Originally Posted by SnazzyCMB

How far is Long Beach from DLR? I only want to consider it if the shuttle/towncar fare is not going to be ridiculous. I've heard some great things about Jet Blue-I'd have to go out of NYC, but if it's cheap enough, that's no problem

Um, Long Beach is just under 20 miles from Disneyland, so it's closer than LAX, and almost as close as SNA (John Wayne) (14 miles). SNA has the advantage that you leave 405 and go directly North on the 55, which intersects I-5.

LGB - Long Beach would require going south on 405 to reach the 22, where you head East until you hit I-5, and two miles North is Disneyland.

Either way, a super shuttle is your best bet if you don't want to rent a car.
$16.00 each way is not a bad deal.

[Peppertink]

Don't discount Orange County without checking the airfares first. There are some great fares into Orange County at this time!

Don't be scared to drive here...really..we are harmless! Just have to deal with some bad traffic sometimes. But, if you can plan around rush hour, you should be fine. It really would be a great option if you are going to go see the other attractions in the area.