Downtown LA to Disneyland?
 

I'll be attending a convention in downtown LA in early February and will be staying at the Westin Bonaventure. I expect to have at least part of a day free and I am trying to determine if a side trip to Disneyland is feasible.

It seems that I can get from the hotel to Disneyland using public transportation, although that translates to an hour-plus bus ride when stops are figured in.

I was hoping that some of the locals might have some suggestions on the best way to get from downtown LA to Disneyland. Bear in mind that it should make financial sense as well. If it involves spending as much on transportation as the one-day pass to Disneyland is going to cost, then it's probably too much.

Thanks for any input.

I don't know much about L.A. public transportation, but I will tell you that with any traffic at all, you're looking at over an hour stops or no stops. Disneyland is not only several cities away, but actually in another county, so I'm not sure what public transit would be available, although, maybe Disney offers something themselves.

Anything even remotely private will cost you more than your Disneyland pass, given the distance involved.

Sorry. :(

PS I checked the Disneyland website, and they list no public transit, so I doubt there's many options.

You can always try calling a private cab in advance although it will probably cost more than your theme park admission as robb said. I would not recommend you taking public busses from L.A. all the way down to Anaheim as you will have to go through multiple transfers and traffic gridlocks. By the time you arrive, you will have wasted more than half a day already.

I would recommend calling the hotel directly and speaking to someone in Guest Services to see what options you have. Some might be transport alone, while others might be "packaged" transport and Disneyland admission combos.

Tons of downtown visitors want to hit Disney and it's a common request of all hotels, so it shouldn't be a difficult question. They may even be able to fax you schedules.

Downtown to Disneyland
 

If you are just looking for amusement park fun, then I would strongly suggest hopping on the "Red Line" subway and getting off at the Universal Park stop. It will take only minutes and cost just a few dollars. If you don't have a car or can ride with others from your conference, you will blow all of your free time and cash in just getting there.

Yeah, I also meant to add that Disneyland is south of LA. South. You may recognize the word South in conjunction with LA from the phrase "South Central." If you do get a bus, you should get an express that doesn't stop anywhere outside of downtown or in Orange County.

I think FridayHarborFlyer has a great idea with Universal Studios. It will be quick, fun, and cheap. If you want Disneyland, you need to rent a car or see if your hotel can get you there in private or at least non-stop accomodations.

Thanks for the suggestions. I am specifically interested in Disneyland, and this is likely to be my only visit to California for a few years. I did find out that I could take a very reasonable short trip via Amtrak from Union Station to Anaheim, then a short cab ride to Disneyland. That sounds like the best combination of price/safety/time that I could find.

Thanks to all for your help and thoughts.

If you don't mind driving, there's a Hertz rent-a-car office in the lobby of the Hyatt hotel downtown. Car rentals in Los Angeles are usually very cheap---possibly cheaper than the train/taxi combo to Disneyland. And with a car you'll have the freedom to leave whenever you want. Just follow I-5 south from LA to the Harbor Blvd. exit in Anaheim and you'll be there.

I'm with Wahoo. A rental car would be cheap and fast. If you're lucky with traffic, you could go door to door in 45 min. It's pretty much just I-5 ("Golden State Freeway") south to Disneyland.

You can also take Metrolink trains to Anaheim; depending on what time of day and week you go, they may offer more options.

Metrolink (the train) is a good idea.....
BUT ,make sure you find out what time the last one heads North to take you back to Downtown LA.
Also Downtown LA is not a place I would want to be walking around at night, so plan on a Yaxi from Union Station to your hotel.

I'd check with your hotel's guest agent to see if there is a tour bus company that does day trips, where they'll take you to Disneyland and back from your hotel in downtown LA.

Seriously, I'd forget about taking public buses. Parts of LA is very, very rough.

Or, you can rent a car from downtown and drive yourself. And, be sure to travel around rush hour traffic. LA traffic is nothing but a crawl if you attempt the trip in rush hour. But, at least, you won't miss any of your exits. :D

And now you're getting awfully close to the price of renting a car if you haven't already exceeded it.

Metrolink runs two trains from Union Station to Anaheim in the morning (6:44a and 8:00a) and then doesn't run another train to Anaheim until 2:50p. :eek:

Ride takes about 45 minutes, so morning trains are only option, since the last train to Union Station leaves Anaheim at 5:37p.

Metrolink would mean you would spend the entire day, not "part of the day."

Fare is a reasonable $12RT, but add transportation from the Anaheim train station to Disneyland (bus, taxi, etc).

One day ticket to Disneyland is $53.

I've got an annual pass, but the line to buy tickets can be lengthy. Then the line to enter the park can take a few more minutes.

From downtown LA, I can't see Disneyland being a part-day adventure. Full day, yes. :)

If it were me, I'd just blow off the entire day, rent a car, get there early in the morning, and plan on being there for 12 hours. Even then, there'd be rides you wouldn't have time to ride.

Oh, and another thing: plenty of rides/attractions are closed (and will be closed throughout Feb) in preparation for the big 50th Anniv. celebration to begin May 5.

Click the link to the calendar below and check the date(s) you might attend to see the list of closed attractions:

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disn...&date=20050224

Have a nice visit to LA and have fun at the Happiest Place on Earth. :)

In case you do decide to use public transit, I'd recommend MTA Route 460. This bus is the simplest option: it starts in Downtown LA and ends at Disneyland. The fare is $2.25 and the travel time varies from 1.5 to 2 hours. Service is available from early in the morning to late at night, and is quite frequent during the day. Bring a book and enjoy the ride!

(And before anyone says it, no, there's nothing wrong with riding an MTA bus.)

Paul Marcelin-Sampson
Santa Cruz, California, USA