Looking for transportation advice re: Anaheim, Long Beach, and Los Angeles

[Weather_Lady]

I'm hoping for some advice from Disneyland locals, and I promise I'll try not to mentally "read" your responses in an SNL-style "Californians" accent!

My family will be making our first-ever trip to Disneyland (indeed, our first-ever trip any further west than Minnesota) this summer. DH and I are currently weighing our transportation options, and estimating whether it makes more sense to: rent a car, book private transportation, use rideshares, ride trains/buses, book an airport shuttle, or some combination of these. Our only destinations other than airports are Disneyland and the Los Angeles Zoo. (I know the one in San Diego is reputed to be far better, but we have a child who is obsessed with chimpanzees and has been begging for years to go to a zoo that has them: L.A. does and San Diego does not, so the L.A. Zoo is the must-do.)

Here's where we need to go and when: I'd appreciate your thoughts on the best way to do this. (FWIW, we're staying at the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn right across the road from Disneyland, and have free parking for one vehicle. We are experienced "city" drivers and facile with wayfinding apps and rideshares, less so with trains/buses but we can learn.) There will be 4 travelers: 2 adults and 2 preteens, each with a single smallish (21") piece of carryon luggage. Our priority for each trip is to get to our destination as quickly and efficiently as possible (understanding, of course, that there will be traffic).

Sunday, August 24: Landing at LAX around 2:30pm and need to get to our Disneyland hotel.
Tuesday, August 27: Planning to visit L.A. Zoo (open 10am-5pm) for about 4 hours, but start and end time are totally flexible: will need to get from our Disneyland hotel to the Zoo, and back.
Thursday, August 29: Departing from LGB (different airport than we arrived into) at 8:30pm. Need to get from our Disneyland hotel to LGB.

 

[Stevek]

I'm hoping for some advice from Disneyland locals, and I promise I'll try not to mentally "read" their responses in an SNL-style "Californians" accent!

My family will be making our first-ever trip to Disneyland (indeed, our first-ever trip any further west than Minnesota) this summer. DH and I are currently weighing our transportation options, and estimating whether it makes more sense to: rent a car, book private transportation, use rideshares, ride trains/buses, book an airport shuttle, or some combination of these. Our only destinations other than airports are Disneyland and the Los Angeles Zoo. (I know the one in San Diego is reputed to be far better, but we have a child who is obsessed with chimpanzees and has been begging for years to go to a zoo that has them: L.A. does and San Diego does not, so the L.A. Zoo is the must-do.)

Here's where we need to go and when: I'd appreciate your thoughts on the best way to do this. (FWIW, we're staying at the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn right across the road from Disneyland, and have free parking for one vehicle. We are experienced "city" drivers and facile with wayfinding apps and rideshares, less so with trains/buses but we can learn.) There will be 4 travelers: 2 adults and 2 preteens, each with a single smallish (21") piece of carryon luggage. Our priority for each trip is to get to our destination as quickly and efficiently as possible (understanding, of course, that there will be traffic).

Sunday, August 24: Landing at LAX around 2:30pm and need to get to our Disneyland hotel.
Tuesday, August 27: Planning to visit L.A. Zoo (open 10am-5pm) for about 4 hours, but start and end time are totally flexible: will need to get from our Disneyland hotel to the Zoo, and back.
Thursday, August 29: Departing from LGB (different airport than we arrived into) at 8:30pm. Need to get from our Disneyland hotel to LGB.

I think you'll definitely want a car to drive to the Zoo. BTW, I just had my first visit in 45 years and thought it was great...lots of chimps, monkeys, gorillas, etc so child should be happy. Trains in LA kinda suck. I would probably Uber from LAX, should be $60-$70 and you could rent a car locally near DL for Tuesday. You could then Uber to Long Beach.

 

[SSG]

Any reason you're flying into LAX? Long Beach or John Wayne are better options if you're heading to Anaheim when you land.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Any reason you're flying into LAX? Long Beach or John Wayne are better options if you're heading to Anaheim when you land.

We are flying JetBlue on accrued reward points from Syracuse, NY, and LAX was the only option for our arrival day.

 

[BubbaQuest]

If you can get a decent car rental that will let you pick up at LAX and drop off at Long Beach, that would be my recommendation. As someone mentioned, it's gonna cost $60/70 for a ride from LAX to DL and another $50 from DL to Long Beach airport. The train from Anaheim to LA Station is fun, but adding in Ubers to the train station and zoo is probably gonna add another $50.

The only gotcha will be trying to drive from Anaheim to the Zoo on a weekday . Probably best to try to leave for the zoo around 10:00am and try to head back by 3pm at the latest. Any early/later is just going to be bumper to bumper traffic. Waze is your friend in LA

Have a great trip. Long Beach airport is very easy to navigate with the car rental directly across from the terminal.

 

[Stevek]

If you can get a decent car rental that will let you pick up at LAX and drop off at Long Beach, that would be my recommendation. As someone mentioned, it's gonna cost $60/70 for a ride from LAX to DL and another $50 from DL to Long Beach airport. The train from Anaheim to LA Station is fun, but adding in Ubers to the train station and zoo is probably gonna add another $50.

The only gotcha will be trying to drive from Anaheim to the Zoo on a weekday . Probably best to try to leave for the zoo around 10:00am and try to head back by 3pm at the latest. Any early/later is just going to be bumper to bumper traffic. Waze is your friend in LA

Have a great trip. Long Beach airport is very easy to navigate with the car rental directly across from the terminal.

Yeah, I forgot about the Anaheim train that runs to DTLA. As you say, there will be additional costs.

 

[Darkbeer1]

OK, let's look at one option. the Santa Ana Zoo. Close to Disneyland, and its founder placed a requirement of a minimum of 50 monkeys on exhibit when he donated the funds needed to build it.

Welcome to SAZOO, The Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park

The Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park has been a unique educational and recreational resource for Orange County residents since 1952.

www.santaanazoo.org

Alas, no Chimpanzees.

Now, as for point A to B.

You can get from LAX to Anaheim Inn using public transit. I would take the FlyAway Bus from LAX to Union Station, which is the regions main train station, then take the MetroLink Train from Union Station to Fullerton, and then the OC Bus Bravo! 543 bus from the station to Disneyland. An easy walk to the Hotel. Fairly inexpensive and not to many transfers. The cheapest option is taking the Metro Rail from LAX to the Metro 460 bus, which also ends at the Disneyland Resort. Google Maps has a public transit option.

If the Metrolink trains don't match your schedule, the AMTRAK runs on the same route, but it is a more expensive option. Your Metrolink Train ticket would give you a free ride on the OCTA Bravo! Route 543 bus as a second way to save..

As for the LA Zoo, that is using the 543 bus to the Fullerton Train Station, MetroLink to Union Station and then the Metro 96 bus to the LA Zoo.

Doable, though I might opt for Uber/Lyft between Union Station and the LA Zoo, maybe use the bus going, and if you felt the ride was too long, take Uber back.

LGB is an awesome airport, alas, one of the reasons it is great is due to its small size. So the public transit isn't that great. I would opt for Lyft/Uber.

From your Anaheim Inn base, the Metro 460 can take you to Knott's Berry Farm, the Buena Park Mall and the dinner theaters Medieval Times and Pirates Dinner Adventure. Anaheim GardenWalk is within walking distance for great restaurant choice, and the new AMC Theaters, plus a Bowling Alley.

I would use the ART buses to access the Honda Center or Angel Stadium, plus the Outlets of Orange.

The OCTA Route 83 Bus works for the Main Place Mall and the Discovery Cube Science Center, and Bowers Museum.

ART would take you to downtown Anaheim, which has the new FRAN (Free Rides Around the Neighborhood) transit point to point electric vehicles to the Packing District and Muzeo.

https://rideart.org/fran/

Now, yes, in some way a Rental Car makes things easier, but the Southland/Greater Los Angeles area has the Worse traffic in the nation, and not just rush hour periods, but 24/7! Public Transit, especially Trains are great, as they have their own pathway, and everyone can sightsee since the driver doesn't have to focus on driving, while a second person follows the application telling you where to go. And if you opt for the quicker routes on city streets instead of the freeway, you can get lost easily in an unfamiliar region.

It really depends on what you are comfortable with.

If you decide on public transit, I can break down the actual costs and how to pay. Just let me know. Due to a disability I use it on a regular basis, though I qualify for free rides including the train in LA County, and 25 cents OCTA Bus rides.

Hope you have a great trip.