Originally Posted by
UrbanGrafix
From what I have heard, a plane ticket will be approx the same in terms of cost as a plane ticket but substantially quicker and some times cheaper, although then I guess the required addition of another mode of transport to my destination would be greater from the airport than the bus station.
I think part of the confusion was the two bolded words above--I think one of them should have said "train" or "bus," rather than repeating "plane."
Originally Posted by
mlshanks
Frankly, as a native Californian....I'd be apt to drive myself, unless I was under real time pressure...at which point I'd fly. While I understand that you come from a country which drives on the other side...it wasn't such a major switch for me going the other way.
Indeed, Southern California is one of the easiest places to drive in (second, perhaps, to the rural areas of the American West and Midwest). We recently
successfully convinced a nervous out-of-towner to try driving in Los Angeles, and
she reported back that it was as easy as we had made it out to be!
I also (like
mlshanks) had absolutely no issues driving on the "wrong side" in Thailand and Australia a couple of years ago, and even my aging grandfather (who has spent a lifetime driving on the right-hand side in southern California) had no issues in either of those places or even in the UK (in a left-hand-drive vehicle in London, nonetheless!). Switching sides is really not that difficult!
Originally Posted by
mlshanks
Actually, if you have the time, taking the train is not a terrible option...although the trip will take a rather long day. (10-14 hours by schedule) The cost is comparable to flying ($60-65), and the distance from the Anaheim train station to is *less* than that of traveling from an airport. Make sure however that you take the "Coast Starlight" rather than the "San Joaquin," since the former follows the scenic Pacific Coast much of the way while the latter travels through the boring Central Valley farmlands...and requires a lengthy bus connection to LA.
If you have the time, I'll second this. This section of the Coast Starlight is really one of the best, most scenic train trips in the country. There's not much more iconic about sightseeing in California than being along the coast as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean. With wide, comfortable seats (more seat pitch than most domestic airlines' first class cabins), a pretty good on-board dining car, and the dome-windowed Sightseer Lounge car, the 13-hour trip on the Coast Starlight will pass far more quickly than you'd like.
As
mlshanks said, avoid the faster-but-not-scenic-at-all San Joaquins train down the Central Valley, and make sure to avoid any options that bus you down to San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara. You want the Coast Starlight from Emeryville. (If you're starting in San Francisco itself, you can book a connecting Amtrak bus from one of five stops in the City to Emeryville at no extra charge.) You'll then connect at Los Angeles Union Station to a Pacific Surfliner train to Anaheim (or wherever your final destination ends up being). If you go to
http://www.amtrak.com and put in a city pair of SFC to ANA and choose a departure time of 8:00am, assuming nothing is sold out, the second option down should have a bus departing SFC at 7:55am and connecting to the Coast Starlight at EMY. The low bucket cost (the earlier you book, the more likely you are to get it) should be $63 (no extra taxes) all the way to ANA. That's the option you want.
Originally Posted by
mlshanks
You can also search directions on
http://maps.google.com—make sure to choose directions by public transit. (Most of the agencies in the Los Angeles area, including OCTA [the Orange County Transportation Authority] buses, now provide data to Google Maps.
You can also read the Wikitravel articles (see specifically the "Get Around" sections) on
Los Angeles,
Orange County,
Anaheim, and
Disneyland for some information on transportation.