I have an ulterior motive for calling on them (and other DLR experts), because I’d like to piggy-back off of OP’s thread and ask about transportation. Any suggestions for transportation from LAX to DLR? Rental cars for for my 4-day May weekend are $700 for a compact! Is Uber my best bet? The Ubers out of LAX looked to be a nightmare when I was there last May.
My sister recently stayed at the brand new Westin on Katella by the Convention Center. The rooms looked very spacious and I think she had a suite of some kind. The only downside was the pool was very small. The walk is quite short to the Downtown Disney entrance.
Another option is the Courtyard Marriott on Harbor or the Residence Inn that @terp05 mentioned.
@Amy11Russ recently used a car service and it sounds like it worked great! I definitely recommend a car service as opposed to Uber going from LAX due to the LAX-It situation, unless you are flying Southwest (which is right next to LAX-It). Going back to LAX via Uber is fine.
I saw that new Westin on the Bonvoy site, as well as that new JW. Glad to hear your sister enjoyed the Westin. Thanks for the tips; I’ll check out the car service. @Amy11Russ, would you mind sharing which one you used?
Pretty much no hotels have regular housekeeping these days (and I kind of think it is never coming back exactly as it was), so don’t let that stop you from picking a hotel. For us being close walking distance to the parks is the priority. It adds too much extra time to drive in and park, and take the buses in. That’s sleep time, which is a precious thing on a Disney trip!
For a suite, Grand Legacy would be my choice. The front building is lovely, and it’s a quick walk to the parks. For me, the Hyatts are further than I want to walk. The Courtyard on Harbor just north of the Fairfield Inn is also nice, not sure if they have true suites, but their rooms include bunkbeds as well as 2 queens.
Credit to @Bubblez for the original recommendation but we really enjoyed using executive car service. They picked us up at the terminal right when our plane landed. Very quick, easy to use and payment wasn’t due until we were dropped off.
We don’t usually fly into LAX (avoid it all costs, honestly), but when we have always get a rental car. You can book a one way and drop it off at the rental car location of your choice (Alamo is at Paradise Pier and on Katella). I’ll leave it to the others to recommend non rental car options. Just so you know, our July 23 Lyft from SNA to the Disneyland Hotel cost $82.63 with tip. It was Lyft XL, but it is only 15 miles so quite expensive.
I cannot comment on many of the hotels in reference to the pandemic. I had a friend recently stay at the courtyard Marriott on Harbor and was happy with it. I also have a friend who always stays at staybridge suites and stayed there in June and had no complaints. I second what @Wahoohokie stated about not being swayed by the reduced housekeeping, as that seems to be universal.
I might be crazy, but I book flights with connections to SNA or LGB over the direct flight options we have to LAX. I prefer to avoid that place, and dealing with the hour drive.
Pre-pandemic, I’ve never had a bad room at the Courtyard on Harbor. If we aren’t at at Grand Californian, we’re there, or we don’t go at all.
That being said, I’m a snob and want to be by the entrance. There are perfectly good options by the convention center which is just a 5-10 minute extra walk depending.
@terp05 it depends on when you get in as well. I really don’t like LAX at all (having grown up down there, I avoided LA whenever I could), but the one time I flew in with the boys, we landed at night and had no problem using that service @Amy11Russ mentioned and we were at Grand Californian in something like 15-20 minutes. It was…amazing. I was completely floored and pleasantly surprised.
Sorry @Bubblez, it totally skipped my mind that you lived in/around LA. Thanks for chiming in.
Glad to hear all the love for the Courtyard, as that’s where I currently have reserved. I’d love to stay at the Grand Californian, but I could book 2 suites at the courtyard for the cost of one standard room there
The flight I’m looking at arrives at 9:00 pm on a Wed, so I’m hoping that works in my favor for traffic.
9:00pm on Wednesday should be fine. I assume you’re bringing your kids, which is all the more reason to use a car service from LAX. Walking to the Uber pickup with kids and luggage is kind of tricky.
Nope, this is my solo trip! Going to a convention next door. Every time I try to bring the kids to see DLR, it doesn’t work out. June 2020 was cancelled and in Spring 2021 when we were just south in Laguna, it was only open to in-state guests. I will bring them some day!
