DLR Experts - Need your help!!!!

[captainkidd]

OK, so we're definitely making our 1st trip to Disneyland next July. I need some help though. We've decided to spend 6 days at the Disney Parks. Here are the other attractions we'd like to see:

Knotts Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Legoland, Los Angeles.

We'll be staying at the DL Hotel. Are there buses that will pick us up from the hotel and take us to any of these attractions? Do they run on a schedule? How much would a taxi to each cost (roughly)?

We've never been to California, so we need some help. Ideally, we'd also like to go to Sea World and the San Diego Zoo, but that's a lot farther away and would require a rental car I assume.

Any help on a plan would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!!

 

[Sosai X]

There are some quirky tour companies that offer bus service to those places from the Anaheim Resort area. However their schedules are erratic and prices are around $35 per person and up. Much cheaper to rent a car that includes a good GPS and drive there yourself to all the places you want to go.

 

[Laura]

With the huge area of California you are covering, a rental car will be your best bet by far.

First let me say that 6 days at the 2 parks may be overkill. After 2 days you will have probably done every ride, show, and attraction in both parks at least once. A third day would be good for repeats of favorites. By day 4 I think you'll be ready to move onto something different.

Disneyland to Universal is the only one of those that I have done using public transportation. It involved a cab ride to Angel's Stadium (2 miles), the Pacific Surfliner train headed north to Union Station, then the Metro Red Line to Universal. I think about $30-$40 per person round trip? There are a lot of tour companies (such as Starline Tours) who are based out of Hollywood and will pick you up from your hotel in Anaheim if you take one of their tours. If you can get yourself to Hollywood, it's very easy to get to Universal from there. You just take the Metro Red Line from the Hollywood & Highland station to the next stop (Universal City) and it costs $1.50 each way. I do this all the time so that I can hang out in Hollywood and Universal Studios in the same day and only have to pay for parking at 1 of them.

Disneyland to San Diego Zoo you could take a cab to Angel's stadium again, and take the Pacific Surfliner south to Old Town, San Diego. From there you could take the hop-on, hop-off trolley tour which stops at Balboa Park (which is where the zoo is).

All of this is just a huge hassle though. A rental car by far is the least expensive way to go. Especially going to Legoland (which is a straight shot 1 hour drive down I-5) and Sea World (another straight shot down I-5, 45 minutes further than Legoland). Knott's Berry Farm is just a couple exits north of Disneyland on I-5. Just about everything to do around here is right off I-5 and very easy to get to with a rental car. Traffic as far north as about Downey (between Anaheim and LA) all the way down to the Mexican border can be completely clear as long as you hit the freeway at the right times. North of Downey is miserable, which is why I prefer to take the train to LA.

 

[TP2000]

Traffic as far north as about Downey (between Anaheim and LA) all the way down to the Mexican border can be completely clear as long as you hit the freeway at the right times. North of Downey is miserable, which is why I prefer to take the train to LA.

Great advice you gave!

The freeways in Orange County are generally nice. But once you go north of the 91 Freeway and get into LA County the freeways become old and decrepit and too small for the traffic using them. It's a nightmare. :hurl:

I would suggest a Grey Line bus tour from Anaheim to Universal Studios just to have an easy and safe way to get in and out of the cesspit that is Los Angeles. But then you could rent a car for several days to buzz around the sights in Orange County and San Diego County. Avoid renting a car at the airport where it's more expensive. You should price rates at the Enterprise office on Katella Avenue near GardenWalk, a couple blocks from Disneyland. It's usually cheaper there.

 

[Zoey]

Too Scary?

I don't know ... personally for me, a rental car probably is the cheapest and most efficient way to go, but LA is absolutely notorious for the terrible traffic and ridiculous freeway system. Somebody who is from the area would know how to navigate through all that. Check the prices to take a shuttle. I don't know how much more it would cost than a rental car, but you would have a professional driver that knows LA like the back of his hand. Or maybe even a town car depending on your price range. This company has both. http://primetimeshuttle.com

 

[christopherscob]

When we go to Anaheim we use Gray Line tours they offer entry plus travel and i think some attractions have a free bus Sea World and Knotts. they will pick you up at hotel and take you to their depot to board your tour bus and then return you to your hotel direct.http://graylineanaheim.com/index.shtml