Have just scheduled a trip to DL and will be returning on a flight that leaves LAX at 11:00am on a monday. In the past when I have made the trip I left DL the day before and stayed at a hotel near the airport to make sure I didn't have to deal with the traffic. This year I was thinking of just staying at the same hotel the full time so I didn't have to do a hotel swap for one night only... That said, do any local know what type of morning time traffic I would see getting to the airport? When is the rush hour traffic and when does it end... Am trying to get back to LAX around 10:00am on a monday.
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How long to get from Disneyland to LAX on a weekday morning?
- Thread starter thomas998
- Start date
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I do the overnight LAX hotel thing too when I have an important international flight to catch the next day, to avoid the hassle of LA traffic. But I think your plan is do-able because of the 11:00AM departure.
But you'll need to get an early head start. I would give yourself at least two hours to get to LAX from Anaheim on a weekday morning. The freeways in Orange County will be a breeze; wide, modern and busy but free-flowing. But the second you cross over the county line into Los Angeles County the freeways will go back in time 30 years and the traffic will get exponentially worse. Whatever you do, avoid taking I-5 north into LA County. Try a route that takes you on the 91 Artesia Freeway west to the 405 San Diego Freeway. There's also a couple alternates from the 91 to the 405 that use the 605 San Gabriel or 710 and 105 Century Freeways in LA County. I-5 is the worst of the worst in LA County, except for maybe the 10 Santa Monica or the Hollywood Freeway, but just avoid it entirely.
A really good website to use for freeway conditions is http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?region=Los Angeles#lat=33.98417&lon=-118.22335&z=2
A good rule of thumb when looking at that map is to see all the southern freeways covered in real-time traffic cams every 2 miles; those freeways are in Orange County. But the cameras disappear once you get north and west into LA County, and that's where the freeway system can become decrepit and overloaded very quickly. Choose your route carefully and you should be fine if you get an early start.
And next time, fly out of John Wayne Airport.
But you'll need to get an early head start. I would give yourself at least two hours to get to LAX from Anaheim on a weekday morning. The freeways in Orange County will be a breeze; wide, modern and busy but free-flowing. But the second you cross over the county line into Los Angeles County the freeways will go back in time 30 years and the traffic will get exponentially worse. Whatever you do, avoid taking I-5 north into LA County. Try a route that takes you on the 91 Artesia Freeway west to the 405 San Diego Freeway. There's also a couple alternates from the 91 to the 405 that use the 605 San Gabriel or 710 and 105 Century Freeways in LA County. I-5 is the worst of the worst in LA County, except for maybe the 10 Santa Monica or the Hollywood Freeway, but just avoid it entirely.
A really good website to use for freeway conditions is http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?region=Los Angeles#lat=33.98417&lon=-118.22335&z=2
A good rule of thumb when looking at that map is to see all the southern freeways covered in real-time traffic cams every 2 miles; those freeways are in Orange County. But the cameras disappear once you get north and west into LA County, and that's where the freeway system can become decrepit and overloaded very quickly. Choose your route carefully and you should be fine if you get an early start.
And next time, fly out of John Wayne Airport.
Last edited:
Rufus T Firefly
Well-Known Member
Always good advice. Even Ontario is preferable to LAX.And next time, fly out of John Wayne Airport.
FutureWorld1982
Well-Known Member
LAX is one of the worst airports I have ever seen. I will definitely avoid it next time I am going to visit Disneyland. Unbelievable.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yes, LAX is horrific. Especially when you consider it's a main entry point to this country from abroad. Although the new international terminal will finally meet international expectations next year (but not an A+ leader, merely a C passing grade), but step outside the international terminal and/or try to get transport beyond the aiprort and it all falls apart fast. It's just very embarrassing for a major world city like Los Angeles.
Luckily there are several other small international airports in outlying cities in SoCal, so most locals and smart tourists can plan to avoid LAX entirely. John Wayne also now offers non-stop service to Canadian and Mexican destinations on a few airlines, so that's a nice option for those foreign folks.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
I love Long Beach Airport. Tiny, nostalgic, and no massive crowds. 30 minute ride to DLR.
Downside is it is tough to find a decent air rate...LAX is usually my more budget-friendly option. Same with John Wayne...would love to, but too pricey for me where i am coming from.
I flew into LAX last year, and was expecting it to be a lot worse. It was not as bad as i thought it would be. Going back in a few days.
I would say my big annoyance at LAX was the terminal i was in was not really connected together in a decent way, so to walk from one end to the other you had to go outside and walk for what seemed miles. I was meeting friends flying in on seperate flights and it was not easy to get over to where they were.
There was however a lot of construction was going on at that time ( May 2007 ), so this effected the terminal in a inconvenient way.
Hopefully that has now been resolved.
Downside is it is tough to find a decent air rate...LAX is usually my more budget-friendly option. Same with John Wayne...would love to, but too pricey for me where i am coming from.
I flew into LAX last year, and was expecting it to be a lot worse. It was not as bad as i thought it would be. Going back in a few days.
I would say my big annoyance at LAX was the terminal i was in was not really connected together in a decent way, so to walk from one end to the other you had to go outside and walk for what seemed miles. I was meeting friends flying in on seperate flights and it was not easy to get over to where they were.
There was however a lot of construction was going on at that time ( May 2007 ), so this effected the terminal in a inconvenient way.
Hopefully that has now been resolved.
FutureWorld1982
Well-Known Member
Would you say that the John Wayne airport could be a good choice to go to Disneyland? I mean, is that near to the parks (to avoid the traffic)?
englanddg
One Little Spark...
TP2000
Well-Known Member
John Wayne is the honorary name of Orange County International Airport. Disneyland is in Orange County, not Los Angeles County. Avoid LAX like the plague.
http://www.ocair.com/
Unfortunately the ticket price for John Wayne was almost 250 dollars more for each ticket, so when you are looking at 1000 discount for LAX it is hard to justify John Wayne.
I do the overnight LAX hotel thing too when I have an important international flight to catch the next day, to avoid the hassle of LA traffic. But I think your plan is do-able because of the 11:00AM departure.
But you'll need to get an early head start. I would give yourself at least two hours to get to LAX from Anaheim on a weekday morning. The freeways in Orange County will be a breeze; wide, modern and busy but free-flowing. But the second you cross over the county line into Los Angeles County the freeways will go back in time 30 years and the traffic will get exponentially worse. Whatever you do, avoid taking I-5 north into LA County. Try a route that takes you on the 91 Artesia Freeway west to the 405 San Diego Freeway. There's also a couple alternates from the 91 to the 405 that use the 605 San Gabriel or 710 and 105 Century Freeways in LA County. I-5 is the worst of the worst in LA County, except for maybe the 10 Santa Monica or the Hollywood Freeway, but just avoid it entirely.
A really good website to use for freeway conditions is http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?region=Los Angeles#lat=33.98417&lon=-118.22335&z=2
A good rule of thumb when looking at that map is to see all the southern freeways covered in real-time traffic cams every 2 miles; those freeways are in Orange County. But the cameras disappear once you get north and west into LA County, and that's where the freeway system can become decrepit and overloaded very quickly. Choose your route carefully and you should be fine if you get an early start.
And next time, fly out of John Wayne Airport.
Thanks for the insight. I have a feeling we will just stay at a hotel close to lax Sunday night, just need to find a decent one this time. Past trips have had mixed results as the Travelocity seemed to have less than honest photos and info about the hotels.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
I can relate.
I wanted to fly into John Wayne this time around but could not find a decent rate. Too expensive for me, so i had to go the 'cheap' route..LAX.
Like i said earlier, i'm not scared of LAX. My past experience was not as bad as i was expecting, although i will indeed admit i prefer Long Beach.
Man i love that airport....
I think my only fear in using LAX is the hotel. Hadn't experienced razor wire around a parking lot since I lived near New York.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I stay at the Custom Hotel when I have to use LAX for an international flight. Even if my flight isn't until later in the day, it just reduces my stress level of having to use LAX by staying nearby, and the Custom is great and not expensive compared to the big corporate hotels on Century Blvd. Wonderful shuttle service from the Custom, too. It's a Joie De Vivre property. http://www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/california/los-angeles-hotels/custom-hotel
Although, I do wonder by the time you factor in hotels and transportation costs to/from Orange County, is it really that big of a savings to use LAX?
John Wayne Orange County flights are more expensive, but that's because the airlines can charge more because they know its one of the best airports in the country in one of the most affluent counties in the country. People will pay for the cleaner, safer, faster and more pleasant experience at John Wayne.
That said, Long Beach Airport is also wonderful. Especially with its new supermod terminal. John Wayne is the West Coast hub for JetBlue, so it helps if you live in a JetBlue city. But Long Beach Airport is a very close second to John Wayne, and is much closer to Disneyland than LAX.
Good luck!
Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
I often have no choice other than LAX. Flying from Canada on points, the options to John Wayne often involve three or more aircraft, where LAX can be done in one or two.
That said, I've never had any major problems with LAX. Getting to DLR I've used a rental car and Disneyland Express and never had a disaster.
That said, I've never had any major problems with LAX. Getting to DLR I've used a rental car and Disneyland Express and never had a disaster.
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
Sounds like we're all in the same boat, fellas. That ticket price difference really adds up when you're taking a family along, too. Being able to get a direct flight to LAX versus the time and headache of switching planes was a big determining factor, as well.
Thanks for the information.
Unfortunately Virgin America only flies to LAX and after using them for a few flights I am not sure if I would use John Wayne if it forced me to use one of the budget airlines even if they were the same price... but when I can save 1000 and fly in comfort I can't complain too much about LAX.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
My God, don't you just love Virgin America?! They are my favorite airline, and I fly them whenever I can. A shame they haven't expanded as fast as they said they would back in '07. They had brief service out of John Wayne, but they got there just as the Great Recession really got a grip on everyone and they left John Wayne after a few months. Shortsighted, I'm afraid.
What Virgin should do is challenge Alaska Airlines to the West Coast market. Alaska is a good airline with very good service, but they have had a lock on the West Coast for so long that no else will even try to challenge them. Virgin is tip-toeing into the LAX-Seattle, LAX-Portland and San Fran markets, but Alaska is still the big gorilla on the West Coast. We need some competition in the marketplace here.
American and Delta and United fly John Wayne. But I flew Delta transcon twice this year, and even sat up front, and the service from the charmless flight crew was dismal and the plane looked like it had been flying Junior High class fieldtrips for the last 25 years. Truly an embarrassment what our countries legacy airlines have become now.
JetBlue has stumbled in the past few years, but they are still better than the various Greyhound buses in the sky that are the bargain airlines in this country now; Southwest, Frontier, AirTran, etc. And the JetBlue hub at the stylish new Long Beach Airport is very handy for those in JetBlue cities.
Were we talking about Disneyland here?
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Heh heh...you need to come to Boston.
They have it there too!
Maybe that is why LAX did not phase me, as i tend to fly out of Logan (BOS) and it is a dumpy, old-school, ancient airport...much like LAX!
Oh sure they have made some nice improvements in recent years in Boston to some of the terminal buildings there ( Term A , and the International Term mostly...) but it is still cramped, grey, and has the visual warmth of a concrete prison.
LAX gave me the exact same impression.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Oh wow...Long Beach is no longer just a little shack terminal now?
Whoa. I was amazed at how TINY that airport was when i first flew there in 2007.
And JetBlue...Long Beach used to be a major hub for them. When did this change..?
Did they hop over to John Wayne instead?
I love JetBlue.
I wanted to fly out with them this visit but they were priced higher they i expected.
I had to go the cheap route and do American to LAX....
( hangs head in shame...)