We’re heading to DL for the first time in December and I have no idea what I’m doing! Which airport is best to fly into? We shouldn’t need a car at DL, right? So transportation options to DL are a factor. We are a group of 8 with ages ranging from 2 to 71.
Also, we will need an ECV and stroller. Are there places in the area to rent from like at WDW?
Thanks!
SNA/John Wayne is my favorite. It is the closest to the parks (about 15 miles) and is a great smaller airport. Next up is Long Beach, maybe 20 miles away and it is a really small but very efficient airport. These 2 are always my first two choices, even if a connection is needed to get there. Third choice for me is Ontario, then Burbank, and lastly the beast that is LAX. It can take you 1 hour to get to/from LAX, or is can take 3. That’s too much lost time for me, so I usually stick to close by. There is no need for a car at DLR. We just take Lyft, not sure if there are any shuttles anymore since Supershuttle went out of business.
No idea about strollers. There are ECVs for rent outside the gates, but if you want one for getting to and from the hotels, there are some places on Harbor that rent them. Will you stay onsite?
Ditto what @Wahoohokie said. Santa Ana would be my first choice. I would stay away from LAX if at all possible, even though it is the largest of the airports. The traffic AT LAX is terrible. Let’s not even talk about getting to and from LAX.
I wouldn’t do Burbank myself. It’s too far north. Bad traffic trying to get through LA County and northern Orange County.
I know there are places that will rent an EVC for longer term rentals (longer than your park day). My nephew reserved one about a year ago. I can ask where he got it. They dropped it at the hotel (Grand Cal) and then picked it up from there at the end of the week. Very convenient.
I second the recommendation for SNA! I often fly into ONT (Ontario) because it’s closest to my daughter’s college, but it takes an hour (or close to it) to drive to Disneyland from there and can be a lot longer depending on traffic. But at least you avoid LA.
The last time we flew into Burbank and drove to Anaheim, I said never again. It took a long time as it was Friday night rush hour. It’s still better than LAX though, easy to get a rental car there.
Yes, GCV.
Thanks to both of you!
If you don’t mind, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!
Agree!
Now you guys have me worried about my flights in and out of LAX around that same week.
Just be prepared for a huge, confusing hubbub of activity. And give yourself lots of time to get to/from LAX. If you have to fly through there it willl be fine, I could just never recommend it when there are a lot better options much closer to the parks.
He thinks it was this place:
I’m now thinking we might pick up a scooter here for my DxH instead of relying on renting one at the parks.
I was able to get direct flights in first class for low points to maximize my time there which is why I went for them. Now reconsidering at least my arrival flight. Departure is the red eye to MCO which saves me a hotel night.
SNA/John Wayne airport. We used a car service to get to Grand Californian.
Yes! Renting an ECV is very easy if you’re doing it day by day at the stroller/ECV rental location just to the east of the gate to Disneyland Park. But I have no idea how best to manage a rental for a whole trip, including evenings at the hotel. The Disneyland stroller rentals are the typical hard plastic ones that they have at WDW.
Jeff do you have a sense for whether or not Disneyland ever runs out of ecv’s? We’re not planning on rope drop so not sure we should count on getting one on a weekend day.
I remember reading somewhere that they do run out at some point. But they had plenty in the morning and there wasn’t a long line. I would imagine they’d be ok at least until 10am. I have no idea after that.
The only thing I can find online is this thread from 2010 (which feels like yesterday but also was before I was married 
). It says that they run out on peak days, but that some people start returning them in the mid-afternoon, so if they do run out, it would be from like noon - 3.
Thanks. That’s what I’m afraid of. My DxH is going with us and he is definitely not a RD to close kind of person, so we are probably going to get there mid-day.
He changed his mind? I thought he was going to stay at the rental.
He did change his mind. Which doesn’t shock me. I think Chessie told him she really would like him to go. We’ll see how that works out for all of us!
I haven’t used them but did notice an ECV rental shop when we stayed at Camelot Inn & Suites. On Harbor, very close to the main entrance.