Last Minute, Quick Trip Questions

[JCAEdge21]

Hoping someone can help! I'll be in Southern California (Costa Mesa/Irvine) in a couple of weeks for work and our last day wraps up at about 4/5pm, so I was thinking about driving up the road and hitting Disneyland for a few hours. I have a few questions though as I'm from NY, don't know too much about DLR/the area, and obviously want to make the most of my time!

1- Does Disneyland offer any discounted or twilight tickets? The earliest I would get to the park is 6 or 7:00pm, and since it's open until 11:00 that night (June 9th) I don't have a huge problem with spending $105 for a full day ticket, but I would obviously love to save money! I am a DVC member, WDW AP holder, Disney Visa Card holder and AAA member if that helps..

2- Leaving Costa Mesa at about 5:00 or 6:00pm, how long should I expect it to take me? I can either take I-5, or take Harbor Blvd all the way up for about 13 miles

3- How much of an impact does Grad Nite make on the park/crowd? I see on the official calendar that for June 9th, Grad Nite takes place until about 9pm.. What exactly does that mean?

4- Parking.. Where and how much?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Twilight tickets are available through convention groups only, so getting one is next to impossible. Be prepared to buy a full price 1 day ticket.

Download the Waze app to your smartphone and put your destination as "Toy Story Parking Lot"; it's part of the database already. It will likely take you an hour (possibly more) to get there and park. Parking is $18. This lot is the easiest to get into and on a Friday night, you will want to avoid the Mickey & Friends parking structure. It's at Harbor & Convention Way.

It will be crowded regardless of Grad Nite. I never notice a difference.

 

[Phroobar]

1- Does Disneyland offer any discounted or twilight tickets? The earliest I would get to the park is 6 or 7:00pm, and since it's open until 11:00 that night (June 9th) I don't have a huge problem with spending $105 for a full day ticket, but I would obviously love to save money! I am a DVC member, WDW AP holder, Disney Visa Card holder and AAA member if that helps..

No

2- Leaving Costa Mesa at about 5:00 or 6:00pm, how long should I expect it to take me? I can either take I-5, or take Harbor Blvd all the way up for about 13 miles

That's rush hour. The longer you wait, the longer you are in traffic. About 35-40 minutes until you park.

3- How much of an impact does Grad Nite make on the park/crowd? I see on the official calendar that for June 9th, Grad Nite takes place until about 9pm.. What exactly does that mean?

Grad night kids show up about noon and fill up both parks until they both close. Then they are confined to DCA for the night. The kids will make it really crowded.

4- Parking.. Where and how much?

$18

 

[NobodyElse]

Agree that Waze or Google Maps directions will be your friend. The Angels are playing in NY, so at least you won't be contending with that extra traffic.

If you're car-pooling, you can take an uninterrupted HOV lane up 55 and 5 and exit at Gene Autry way (for Toy Story lot) or Disney Way (for Pumba lot).

 

[BubbaQuest]

I second the Waze app. The 405/55 interchange is always a mess. Now sure how bad Northbound 5 is at that time. Unfortunately Harbor Blvd isn't a great alternative. Lots of stop lights and retail traffic. Waze will let you know the fastest route in realtime. You can also check Google Maps now using "Typical Traffic" to get an idea how red everything will be

I would definitely assume an hour or so to get to the Toy Story parking lot, and another 15 minutes with the shuttle to get to the park entrance.

SoCal AAA does offer (minor) discount DL tickets, but only for 2+ day tickets.

Wishing you the traffic princesses are in your favor! Have a great trip.

 

[JCAEdge21]

So I "wazed" my route last night at 6:45pm PST (9:45pm EST, my time) and the estimated time of arrival was 7:03pm, so only 18 minutes!

Is that somewhat normal, or was that a complete anomaly that I shouldn't expect to see when I'm there on Thursday the 9th??

If that's what I can expect then I'll definitely be making the trip! I've spent more money on a 3 hour hockey game this season (only to see my Isles lose in OT...not bitter or anything...), I can definitely justify spending $125 on about 4 hours in Disneyland.

 

[BubbaQuest]

So I "wazed" my route last night at 6:45pm PST (9:45pm EST, my time) and the estimated time of arrival was 7:03pm, so only 18 minutes!

Is that somewhat normal, or was that a complete anomaly that I shouldn't expect to see when I'm there on Thursday the 9th??

If that's what I can expect then I'll definitely be making the trip! I've spent more money on a 3 hour hockey game this season (only to see my Isles lose in OT...not bitter or anything...), I can definitely justify spending $125 on about 4 hours in Disneyland.

7pm is when traffic will start to clear up a bit. And by clear up I mean 20mph instead of 0mph Usually just the major interchanges will be bad at that time, with the traffic moving well in between. There is definitely a lot of luck and timing involved with LA traffic. If everything is red, it's often better to wait an hour and you'll save an hour of being stuck in traffic. Except Fridays. Fridays always suck.

Waze drive times have usually been accurate for me in the past. Google drive times are always wrong -- I usually add about 25% to their estimates.

Hope this helps.

 

[fosse76]

So I "wazed" my route last night at 6:45pm PST (9:45pm EST, my time) and the estimated time of arrival was 7:03pm, so only 18 minutes!

Is that somewhat normal, or was that a complete anomaly that I shouldn't expect to see when I'm there on Thursday the 9th??

If that's what I can expect then I'll definitely be making the trip! I've spent more money on a 3 hour hockey game this season (only to see my Isles lose in OT...not bitter or anything...), I can definitely justify spending $125 on about 4 hours in Disneyland.

I had to go to Irvine for work a few years ago, and by coincindence bought an AP the day before the massive price increases. I went quite often after work (the park was open to midnight) and I don't recall it ever taking more than 20 minutes (parking was included in the AP at the time).

Judicious use of FastPass and single rider lines will help you to experience most of the major attractions. My advice is that you grab a Space Mountain FP as soon as you get into the park (if any are available). The queue can be unbearable.

 

[JillC LI]

We were there for two days mid-week in May 2014. One day was a Grad Nite so we went to Disneyland Park that day (because the Grad Nite activities take place at DCA at night), and we went to DCA on the non-Grad Nite (we did not have park hopper passes). The non-Grad Nite day in DCA was busy but not terrible in terms of crowds. The Grad Nite day at DL was crazy crowded all day. That's because the grads have access to either park by day.

 

[JCAEdge21]

I had to go to Irvine for work a few years ago, and by coincindence bought an AP the day before the massive price increases. I went quite often after work (the park was open to midnight) and I don't recall it ever taking more than 20 minutes (parking was included in the AP at the time).

Judicious use of FastPass and single rider lines will help you to experience most of the major attractions. My advice is that you grab a Space Mountain FP as soon as you get into the park (if any are available). The queue can be unbearable.

Thanks! If this is the case and I can get in the park by 7:30 or so, that's more than enough time for me to do some damage! (even with the park closing at 11). Other than Indy, what rides offer single rider lines?

 

[ForeverAnna]

Splash and Matterhorn

 

[ght]

If you have a Target Red Card you can get Disney gift cards with a 5% discount to pay for your ticket. It is still a lot to pay for just an evening in the park but it could at least save you something.

 

[JCAEdge21]

So it's looking more and more like I'll have to take an Uber or a cab to get to the park. I'd probably be leaving Costa Mesa at about 5:30 or 6:00pm. Here are my questions and please forgive the stupidity (I rarely use either service...).

1- Roughly how much do you think taking an uber or a cab would cost? Both getting to Disneyland and going back to the hotel after park closing?

2- How easy/difficult is it to get an uber/cab after the park closes (~11:30pm)?


Thank you!!

 

[Californian Elitist]

So it's looking more and more like I'll have to take an Uber or a cab to get to the park. I'd probably be leaving Costa Mesa at about 5:30 or 6:00pm. Here are my questions and please forgive the stupidity (I rarely use either service...).

1- Roughly how much do you think taking an uber or a cab would cost? Both getting to Disneyland and going back to the hotel after park closing?

2- How easy/difficult is it to get an uber/cab after the park closes (~11:30pm)?


Thank you!!

1.The Uber app has an option that allows users to check the estimate of how much their ride will cost.

2. Catching an Uber late at night won't be a problem, especially coming from a theme park. Same goes for cabs, they're ALWAYS parked right outside the entrance.

 

[Stevek]

I work in Irvine, a two blocks east of the airport. Driving to Anaheim between 5-6pm will suck whether you go freeway or surface streets...I've done it, trust me. Will likely take you at least 45 minutes. After 6 it begins to clear a bit with it being even better as you get closer to 7.

As for Uber, I would guess at least $20, maybe closer to $30 each way. From my house about 30 miles east, it' runs $50...that was a weekend around 6pm.