Earlier than Disneyland guests can take a spin on a teacup or race in Radiator Springs, many might want to take one other trip first: on a aircraft.
For those who plan to fly to Southern California for a trip on the Happiest Place on Earth, the airport choices could appear a bit overwhelming. Whereas the overwhelming majority of tourists to Walt Disney World in Florida arrive at a single airport, guests to its California cousin have about half a dozen viable choices.
Which Southern California airport is the very best in your Disneyland vacation? It relies upon! I’ve flown into them a number of instances on my travels and definitely have my favorites. Which of them will work greatest for different Disneyland guests, nevertheless, will depend on quite a lot of private elements, together with distance, availability of nonstop flights, most well-liked airways and value.
John Wayne Airport (SNA)
The closest airport to Disneyland — and the one one situated inside Orange County, California — is John Wayne Airport. It’s within the metropolis of Santa Ana, simply two suburbs south of Disneyland’s residence in Anaheim.
John Wayne Airport could not have an enormous identify exterior of California, but it surely punches effectively above its weight. The airport has flights on simply over a dozen U.S. and Canadian carriers, together with all 5 of the most important U.S. airways. SNA affords nonstop service to just about 50 cities in North America. On the identical time, it nonetheless feels small and simple to navigate, with quick walks and cheap safety traces (TSA PreCheck is obtainable, however there aren’t any Clear Plus lanes).
Southwest Airways and Alaska Airways provide essentially the most flights at SNA, with frequent service to many main West Coast cities. For instance, there are normally 4 to eight arrivals each day from Oakland Worldwide Airport (OAK) and 5 to 10 each day from Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) aboard Southwest alone.
The airport solely serves a handful of nonstop locations east of the Mississippi, so East Coast vacationers could discover the general journey time to SNA much less interesting if a connection is required.
The simplest approach to journey from SNA to Disneyland is through the use of a ride-hailing service. Shared shuttle providers out of SNA are sometimes costlier than a regular UberX or Lyft trip, even for solo vacationers. The 14-mile trip takes about 20-Half-hour and normally runs $25-$30 earlier than the tip. The 2 ride-hailing service pickup zones at SNA are inside simple strolling distance of the terminals.
Associated: Things to know before using a ride-hailing service at the airport
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SNA additionally has all main automotive rental corporations on-site inside strolling distance. Contemplate the general price fastidiously, nevertheless, earlier than you lease a automotive. In my expertise, most guests will not want one on account of Disneyland’s compact dimension. Moreover, parking prices at many Disneyland-area hotels will be dear. For those who plan to spend most of your time at Disneyland and solely use a automotive for a number of daytrips, renting for a day or two close to Disneyland could also be cheaper. There’s an Alamo workplace inside Disney’s Pixar Place Hotel in addition to a number of rental automotive corporations by the Anaheim Conference Middle a number of blocks from Disneyland.
Lengthy Seashore Airport (LGB)
The small however mighty Lengthy Seashore Airport can also be extraordinarily near Disneyland; it is about 14 miles west of the park in Los Angeles County, not removed from the Orange County border. LGB has turn into an more and more engaging different to SNA for a lot of Disneyland vacationers (myself included), notably these from West Coast locations.
Lengthy Seashore is a serious Southwest Airways stronghold, with only a few flights a day interspersed from Delta Air Strains and Hawaiian Airways. Southwest acquired a considerable variety of slots after JetBlue withdrew from LGB in 2020 and now affords nonstop service into LGB from greater than 20 locations. I’ve discovered that Southwest’s fares are normally a bit cheaper than these into SNA from cities with nonstop service to each airports, making it a money-saving alternative for a lot of vacationers.
One other benefit of Lengthy Seashore for Disneyland vacationers is the airport’s compact dimension. I can routinely stroll off a aircraft at Lengthy Seashore, head to the curb instantly in entrance of the terminal, and be in an Uber on my approach to Disneyland in lower than 5 minutes. The rental automotive middle is simply steps away as effectively.
The space from LGB to Disneyland is almost an identical to the space from SNA to Disneyland. Nonetheless, the drive takes about 10-Quarter-hour longer (and about $10 extra in Uber or Lyft fare) as a result of it’s largely alongside floor streets or a extra circuitous freeway route. There could be a little extra visitors throughout rush hour to contemplate, but it surely’s hardly ever crushing.
Lengthy Seashore Airport can also be ending up a serious renovation, so the airport feels extremely recent in the intervening time. The airport additionally has Clear Plus lanes, though its safety traces (particularly with TSA PreCheck) are so quick that you will hardly ever want different shortcuts. Lengthy Seashore is certainly an airport the place you possibly can lower it shut, that means extra time for rides in the Disneyland theme parks!
Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX)
On the opposite finish of the airport dimension spectrum is the behemoth that’s Los Angeles International Airport. LAX is about 35 miles northwest of Disneyland Resort.
Los Angeles Worldwide Airport is the most important and busiest airport within the western half of america, so it goes with out saying that passengers have a large number of flight and airline choices right here. For vacationers coming from most main cities on the East Coast or from worldwide locations, LAX could be the solely airport providing nonstop service to the Disneyland space. The large competitors at LAX also can drive costs down, so the airport is usually the most affordable possibility.
Floor transportation at an airport like LAX is extra sophisticated and time-consuming than at LGB or SNA. Experience-hailing is much less handy and extra time-consuming, because the airport has a single pickup zone (LAX-it) that arriving passengers might want to take a shuttle to succeed in. Solely black automotive providers are allowed to choose up curbside. Customary UberX and Lyft fares between LAX and Disneyland are usually $60-$80 every method, however surge pricing can generally trigger wilder value swings at peak durations.
Due to the price and distance, shared shuttles will be extra economical choices from LAX to Disneyland, particularly for solo vacationers or {couples} or households and teams too massive to slot in an everyday Uber or Lyft automobile.
Visitors between the airport and the theme parks will be substantial throughout rush hour. Vacationers must plan for the trip to take as much as an hour or extra at peak durations, and for a serious airport’s longer ticketing counter and safety traces. When evaluating airport choices, these flying in for a really fast Disneyland journey ought to take into account the time misplaced in transit.
For that reason, I have never flown to LAX for a Disneyland-only journey in near a decade. It merely takes too lengthy and is simply too costly when coming from airports in the San Francisco Bay Area (my residence base), the place each SNA and LGB are options. But when LAX is your solely nonstop possibility, it is nonetheless possible the smarter alternative, even with the extra vital hassles on the bottom.
Different Southern California airports to contemplate
I extremely suggest reserving flights into SNA, LGB or LAX for guests solely planning to spend time at Disneyland. In case your travels to Southern California embody greater than Disneyland, different regional airports can come in useful. Though these airports are farther away, they could be nearer to one thing else you propose to do. Moreover, they could provide price financial savings or a nonstop flight possibility to avoid wasting on total journey time.
Ontario Worldwide Airport (ONT)
Positioned about 33 miles northeast of Disneyland, Ontario Worldwide Airport is a medium-sized airport in San Bernardino County. The airport is bigger than Lengthy Seashore Airport however smaller than John Wayne Airport. Southwest carries essentially the most passengers from ONT, however American Airways and Frontier Airways even have a considerable variety of flights.
The drive from ONT to Disneyland can usually be comparable in size to the drive from LAX however with totally different visitors and commute patterns to contemplate. The airport serves lots of the identical nonstop locations that LGB or SNA does, so I discover the airport solely actually is smart for Disneyland vacationers who discover a critical flight deal or are coming from these few cities with out LGB or SNA service.
Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR)
Hollywood Burbank Airport (previously referred to as Bob Hope Airport) is an airport comparable in dimension to ONT within the north suburbs of Los Angeles. The drive to Disneyland is barely about 40 miles, however the route passes by way of the entire worst of higher Los Angeles visitors, probably making the journey two hours or extra throughout peak instances.
For Disneyland-only holidays, BUR isn’t well worth the distance and visitors. The airport, nevertheless, could be a very sensible possibility for vacationers who additionally plan to go to Universal Studios Hollywood, situated simply 5 miles away. Common Studios has turn into an more and more standard theme park for guests past Southern California with the addition of Super Nintendo World final yr.
San Diego Worldwide Airport (SAN)
Some Disneyland vacationers could wish to take into account San Diego Worldwide Airport. It is the second-largest airport in Southern California behind LAX and affords extra nonstop flight choices than the smaller regional airports, particularly from East Coast locations. It is also the closest airport to Legoland California, so guests who wish to mix Legoland and Disneyland in a single journey could discover it handy.
Taking a ride-hailing service or a taxi from SAN to Disneyland can be cost-prohibitive for many vacationers, however there are some transportation options. Rental automobiles are routinely fairly reasonably priced in San Diego. The 95-mile drive from SAN to Disneyland will be filled with visitors, so plan on the journey taking two to a few hours. Moreover, an Amtrak practice runs from downtown San Diego (only a few minutes from the airport) to Anaheim.
Backside line
There isn’t a scarcity of airport choices for vacationers flying into Southern California for Disneyland holidays. SNA and LGB are essentially the most handy and easy-to-use selections, however they do not at all times have flight choices to serve vacationers from past the West Coast. Airports a bit farther afield can current the chance to economize or miles, along with being extra handy for guests touring to different Southern California theme parks or vacationer points of interest on a Disneyland journey.
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