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.
In the event you plan to fly to Southern California for a trip on the Happiest Place on Earth, the airport choices could seem 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 perfect on your Disneyland trip? 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, is dependent upon a wide range of private components, together with distance, availability of nonstop flights, most well-liked airways and worth.
John Wayne Airport (SNA)
The closest airport to Disneyland — and the one one positioned 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 title outdoors of California, nevertheless it 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 gives nonstop service to just about 50 cities in North America. On the identical time, it nonetheless feels small and straightforward to navigate, with brief walks and cheap safety strains (TSA PreCheck is obtainable, however there aren’t any Clear Plus lanes).
Southwest Airways and Alaska Airways provide probably the most flights at SNA, with frequent service to many main West Coast cities. For instance, there are normally 4 to eight arrivals every day from Oakland Worldwide Airport (OAK) and 5 to 10 every day from Las Vegas’ Harry Reid Worldwide 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 solution 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 an ordinary 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 straightforward strolling distance of the terminals.
Associated: Issues to know earlier than utilizing a ride-hailing service on the airport
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SNA additionally has all main automobile rental corporations on-site inside strolling distance. Contemplate the general value fastidiously, nevertheless, earlier than you hire a automobile. In my expertise, most guests will not want one as a consequence of Disneyland’s compact measurement. Moreover, parking prices at many Disneyland-area accommodations could be expensive. In the event you plan to spend most of your time at Disneyland and solely use a automobile 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 Resort in addition to a number of rental automobile corporations by the Anaheim Conference Heart a number of blocks from Disneyland.
Lengthy Seaside Airport (LGB)
The small however mighty Lengthy Seaside 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 enticing different to SNA for a lot of Disneyland vacationers (myself included), notably these from West Coast locations.
Lengthy Seaside is a serious Southwest Airways stronghold, with only a few flights a day interspersed from Delta Air Traces and Hawaiian Airways. Southwest acquired a considerable variety of slots after JetBlue withdrew from LGB in 2020 and now gives nonstop service into LGB from greater than 20 locations. I’ve discovered that Southwest’s fares are normally a bit inexpensive 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 Seaside for Disneyland vacationers is the airport’s compact measurement. I can routinely stroll off a aircraft at Lengthy Seaside, head to the curb instantly in entrance of the terminal, and be in an Uber on my solution to Disneyland in lower than 5 minutes. The rental automobile heart is simply steps away as effectively.
The space from LGB to Disneyland is sort of an identical to the space from SNA to Disneyland. Nevertheless, the drive takes about 10-Quarter-hour longer (and about $10 extra in Uber or Lyft fare) as a result of it’s principally alongside floor streets or a extra circuitous freeway route. There could be a little extra visitors throughout rush hour to think about, nevertheless it’s not often crushing.
Lengthy Seaside Airport can also be ending up a serious renovation, so the airport feels extremely contemporary for the time being. The airport additionally has Clear Plus lanes, though its safety strains (particularly with TSA PreCheck) are so brief that you’re going to not often want different shortcuts. Lengthy Seaside is unquestionably an airport the place you’ll be able to minimize it shut, that means extra time for rides within the Disneyland theme parks!
Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX)
On the opposite finish of the airport measurement spectrum is the behemoth that’s Los Angeles Worldwide 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 will 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 choice.
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 achieve. Solely black automobile providers are allowed to choose up curbside. Normal UberX and Lyft fares between LAX and Disneyland are usually $60-$80 every means, however surge pricing can typically trigger wilder worth swings at peak intervals.
Due to the associated fee and distance, shared shuttles could 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 car.
Site visitors between the airport and the theme parks could be substantial throughout rush hour. Vacationers must plan for the trip to take as much as an hour or extra at peak intervals, and for a serious airport’s longer ticketing counter and safety strains. When evaluating airport choices, these flying in for a really fast Disneyland journey ought to think about the time misplaced in transit.
For that reason, I have not flown to LAX for a Disneyland-only journey in near a decade. It merely takes too lengthy and is just too costly when coming from airports within the San Francisco Bay Space (my residence base), the place each SNA and LGB are alternate options. But when LAX is your solely nonstop choice, it is nonetheless seemingly the smarter alternative, even with the extra vital hassles on the bottom.
Different Southern California airports to think about
I extremely advocate reserving flights into SNA, LGB or LAX for guests solely planning to spend time at Disneyland. In case your travels to Southern California embrace greater than Disneyland, different regional airports can turn out to be useful. Though these airports are farther away, they could be nearer to one thing else you propose to do. Moreover, they could provide value financial savings or a nonstop flight choice to avoid wasting on general 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 Seaside Airport however smaller than John Wayne Airport. Southwest carries probably 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 typically be related in size to the drive from LAX however with totally different visitors and commute patterns to think about. The airport serves most of the identical nonstop locations that LGB or SNA does, so I discover the airport solely actually is sensible for Disneyland vacationers who discover a severe flight deal or are coming from these few cities with out LGB or SNA service.
Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR)
Hollywood Burbank Airport (previously generally known as Bob Hope Airport) is an airport related in measurement to ONT within the north suburbs of Los Angeles. The drive to Disneyland is simply about 40 miles, however the route passes by means of all the worst of better Los Angeles visitors, probably making the journey two hours or extra throughout peak instances.
For Disneyland-only holidays, BUR is never definitely worth the distance and visitors. The airport, nevertheless, could be a very good choice for vacationers who additionally plan to go to Common Studios Hollywood, positioned simply 5 miles away. Common Studios has turn into an more and more fashionable theme park for guests past Southern California with the addition of Tremendous Nintendo World final yr.
San Diego Worldwide Airport (SAN)
Some Disneyland vacationers could wish to think about San Diego Worldwide Airport. It is the second-largest airport in Southern California behind LAX and gives 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 could be cost-prohibitive for many vacationers, however there are some transportation alternate options. Rental vehicles are routinely fairly reasonably priced in San Diego. The 95-mile drive from SAN to Disneyland could 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 any scarcity of airport choices for vacationers flying into Southern California for Disneyland holidays. SNA and LGB are probably the most handy and easy-to-use selections, however they do not all the time 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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