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Need LA/Disney help from some locals, please


2+3Cruisers

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We are traveling on the NCL Star the first week in February. We dock Saturday AM (around 8 per NCL). We have a rental car already reserved. Our flight home does not leave until (way too early-6:00am) Sunday morning. We would like to take the kids and do Disneyland on Saturday. I don't want to try to get to any of the other parks, just plain Disneyland. I have not been there for over 20 years. I have been reading about RideMax and am hoping to use that to help us make the most of our limited time on Saturday. Our kids are 7, 4, 4 years old. I'm looking for suggestions on getting to DL from the pier (routes). Any other tips or tricks for getting the most oit of DL on a shortened day. Also, we plan to stay close to LAX as we assume we will get to the hotel late and need to leave early. We'll need a shuttle to return the rental. Any hotel suggestions? I've seen CJW's information here on the boards. I really don't need anything interesting in the area, just a clean, safe place to sleep with a shuttle to the airport that runs really early in the morning. Finally, I have heard about the long lines at LAX for security. How early do we need to be at LAX for 6:00 am flights on a Sunday morning? Thanks in advance. Those of you from the LA area have posted so much useful information on these boards to help us plan for this trip!:D

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We are traveling on the NCL Star the first week in February. We dock Saturday AM (around 8 per NCL). We have a rental car already reserved. Our flight home does not leave until (way too early-6:00am) Sunday morning. We would like to take the kids and do Disneyland on Saturday. I don't want to try to get to any of the other parks, just plain Disneyland. I have not been there for over 20 years. I have been reading about RideMax and am hoping to use that to help us make the most of our limited time on Saturday. Our kids are 7, 4, 4 years old. I'm looking for suggestions on getting to DL from the pier (routes). Any other tips or tricks for getting the most oit of DL on a shortened day. Also, we plan to stay close to LAX as we assume we will get to the hotel late and need to leave early. We'll need a shuttle to return the rental. Any hotel suggestions? I've seen CJW's information here on the boards. I really don't need anything interesting in the area, just a clean, safe place to sleep with a shuttle to the airport that runs really early in the morning. Finally, I have heard about the long lines at LAX for security. How early do we need to be at LAX for 6:00 am flights on a Sunday morning? Thanks in advance. Those of you from the LA area have posted so much useful information on these boards to help us plan for this trip!:D

 

I'm not knowledgeable abou RideMax or the cost of a shuttle from your pier to DL. But I would suggest staying at a LAX based hotel the night before your flight. Call the hotel and make sure they will have shuttles however early you would need them. Ask the hotel for the time you would need to grab that hotel, call your airline and ask when you would need to be checked through security there. Then pad some time to their recs.

 

Usually I don't recommend people staying near LAX, EXCEPT when they have a morning flight. Then it's the right time to stay there.

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Best route from San Pedro to DL on a Saturday morning:

 

- I 110 (Harbor Fwy) North about 10 miles to I405, be in the RH lane.

 

- I405 (San Diego Fwy) South / San Diego.

 

- Stay on I405 south about 15 miles to CA-22, be in the 2 RH lanes.

 

- CA-22 (Garden Grove Fwy) East / Orange about 5 miles to Harbor Blvd.

 

- Harbor Blvd north 3 miles to DL...follow the signs to parking.

 

I 405 and CA-22 have carpool lanes. On a Saturday morning they are probably not a good idea because you usually make just as good time in the regular lanes with no anxiety on where to exit the HOV lanes. Also, some of the HOV exits are poorly designed and leave you 1/4 mile to get across 5 lanes of traffic.

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The two longest lines you'll have for little ones are the submarine ride (Nemo) which is new and Its a Small World which just reopened. I'd do the sub first thing in the park otherwise the line is humongous. Also a great place for lunch with kids is the Saloon in Frontierland. You get lunch with a funny show of Billy Hill and the Hillbillys. There is a petting zoo on the way from Frontierland to ...gosh forgot the name.... where the kids rides are.

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As far as a Hotel near LAX, I would recommend the El Segundo Marriott Residence Inn. My dh "lived" there for 6 months and I have also stayed several times. It is a nice hotel and reasonably quiet. It is near a commuter train line, but you shouldn't notice that during the hours you will be there. Also, Disney is about an hours drive from the LAX area. We lived in Redondo Beach for a while so we are familiar with the area. I also wouldn't worry too much about how many rides you get on at Disney. You will have fun just exploring and seeing the sights and get on the rides that look interesting. Also, use fastpass whenever possible. I would recommend going to the DIS boards at wdwinfo dot com. Lots of great info about Disney and the use of the fastpass. Have fun no matter what!

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I don't want to be a wet blanket, and I do hope you have a wonderful time at Disneyland...I KNOW the kids will! You will have luggage from the cruise, have you considered where to store it? I know there are lockers at Disneyland, on Main Street (at the Town Hall, I think), but don't know if they would hold suitcases......or, did I not see that you were going to check into your hotel first? Maybe there is a hotel near Disneyland.........there are TONS of them around the park, that would have an airport shuttle willing to take you at 3:30 or 4:00 am.

(I know I'm not a local but I did live in the area for many years, and my Dad worked for Disney when Disneyland opened.........I still wouldn't presume to give you directions......all the roads have changed, and they used to call them names, and now they are numbers)

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I've not heard of Ridemax either, but I would definitely utilize the FASTPASS. Read the fine print. Get your first Fastpass. In the fine print it will tell you what time you can get your NEXTfastpass. Get them as frequently as you can. Don't wait in a long line for a ride that has Fastpass. Just come back at the later time printed on the Fastpass. They are SO worth it. NOTE: you can come back to the ride anytime AFTER the time on the pass. For example if your pass tells you to come back between 2pm-3pm, you can come back ANYTIME after 2pm. If you are smart about them, they work to your benefit for sure!

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I don't want to be a wet blanket, and I do hope you have a wonderful time at Disneyland...I KNOW the kids will! You will have luggage from the cruise, have you considered where to store it?

 

Oops, sorry, just noticed (wake up, girl!!!)that you were renting a car..........of course you have a place for your luggage!

Bon Voyage and have a wonderful time with Mickey!

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We are traveling on the NCL Star the first week in February. We dock Saturday AM (around 8 per NCL). We have a rental car already reserved. Our flight home does not leave until (way too early-6:00am) Sunday morning. We would like to take the kids and do Disneyland on Saturday. I don't want to try to get to any of the other parks, just plain Disneyland. I have not been there for over 20 years. I have been reading about RideMax and am hoping to use that to help us make the most of our limited time on Saturday. Our kids are 7, 4, 4 years old. I'm looking for suggestions on getting to DL from the pier (routes). Any other tips or tricks for getting the most oit of DL on a shortened day. Also, we plan to stay close to LAX as we assume we will get to the hotel late and need to leave early. We'll need a shuttle to return the rental. Any hotel suggestions? I've seen CJW's information here on the boards. I really don't need anything interesting in the area, just a clean, safe place to sleep with a shuttle to the airport that runs really early in the morning. Finally, I have heard about the long lines at LAX for security. How early do we need to be at LAX for 6:00 am flights on a Sunday morning? Thanks in advance. Those of you from the LA area have posted so much useful information on these boards to help us plan for this trip!:D

 

I am local and Saturday is very crowded, always. If you can have your tickets ahead of time that will help if you can go right to the entrance gate.

 

I am not personally familiar with RideMax but I have read it works. Mouseforless.com is good and sign up for the board on yahoo and post DL questions there too.

 

Lines will be long so just know you may not get on everything. Use Fastpass for the rides that have. My rule is always hold a Fastpass until you have made it thru all the rides with Fastpass. Some of the Fastpass rides like Space Mountain run out early in the day so if you plan to ride that one get a FP when you first arrive in the park.

 

You have little ones and the lines in Fantasyland can get long too but there is no FP. Try to work in attractions with short lines to make it not so bad. Canoes, Tiki Room, The Island, Jungle Cruise, Honey i shrunk the Audience, Innoventions tend to be short. They will love Nemo but the line is consistently 45 min to 1 hour.

 

If you are not in to the parade, lines can be shorter during parade time. Eat at off times, lines get long. We like Pizza Port (pizza, salad, pasta), Plaza Inn (pasta, chicken, pot roast, salad) and River Belle Terrace (turkey, prime rib sandwiches, BBQ pork).

 

Keep moving ride to ride before lunch because as the day goes on it only gets more crowded. It is also much less crowded at the end of the night.

 

If there are 2 showings of Fantasmic the second showing will be less crowded.

 

Last tip, there is a board and the end of Main Street to the left towards Adventureland entrance which shows wait times of the most popular rides. When you get in take a look and plan what to hit first based on shorter wait times. Get your first fast pass then head to a ride. Check you

FP tickets so you know when you can obtain another FP.

 

By LAX there is a nice Emabassy Suites that sometimes has good weekend rates. Check for the shuttle though. Overall, anything on Century between the 405 freeway and the airport should be fine. I have stayed at the Comfort Inn on Century just east of the 405 because it was cheap and I needed to stay in the area a few days. Lots of tourists going to airport, area is not so great but I was fine with it. Security can be terrible at LAX but I doubt it will be that early on a Sunday.

 

When are you returning the car? If you do it in the AM they will take you back to the airport for free.

 

Jen in SoCal

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You have received some great advice so far! I just wanted to chime in a little bit on Disneyland. I noticed that your kids are young, so you may want to go to the official Disneyland website to verify the height requirements for the rides. The min. height can be 42" or more on some rides, so your younger ones may be too short to ride with you. However, if you and hubby want to ride some of the faster rollercoaster type rides you can always wait in line together and do a "kid swap".. just ask an employee at each attraction. (That way mom & dad get to have some fun too.:D) You will also know ahead of time which rides you need to avoid.

 

Most likely you will be spending a lot of time in Fantasyland, behind the castle. This area is ALWAYS packed and the lines are notoriously long. :( Dumbo ride looks like a short line, but I can guarantee it will take almost an hour! Not worth it IMHO. You will be better off heading to the back of the park towards It's a Small World & ToonTown or try Adventureland to the left(Jungle cruise, Pirates of Caribbean, Tarzan treehouse.) And as others have previously mentioned, hit the submarine ride early, if that is a "must see" on your list. Unfortunately, most of the kiddie rides do not utilize FASTPASS.

 

Another fun area is Pirate Island (formerly Tom Sawyer Island.) Visit here in the afternoon when the kids start to get tired and need a little break from it all. You may also want to rent a stroller for the 4 year olds. It is an awful lot of walking!! Also there are lockers available(aprx. $7) outside the gate and also at the end of Main Street on the right.

 

Feed your family a good hearty breakfast/lunch before you arrive at the park and you may be able to get a lot of rides done while everyone else is eating. If you stock a back-pack w/ snacks and water bottles you should be able to keep plodding along until an early dinner. Be sure to stop at the restrooms at the parking garage, (they are at the bottom of the escalators, ) before you board the tram to the park entrance. Once you get inside the park, everyone makes a bee line to the rr for some reason but you can just waltz right past them to your first ride. :pLOL.

 

Purchase your admission tickets online in advance so that you can just walk right up to the gate and save even more time. The stroller rental is just inside the gate on your right. Although, Saturday is usually the busiest day, I think it will be fairly quiet in February :) with mostly just locals. Hopefully, these few ideas will save you some valuable time to make the most of your day at "The Happiest Place on Earth"

 

What a great way to end your cruise vacation!! Have Fun!!!!!!

 

We are traveling on the NCL Star the first week in February. We dock Saturday AM (around 8 per NCL). We have a rental car already reserved. Our flight home does not leave until (way too early-6:00am) Sunday morning. We would like to take the kids and do Disneyland on Saturday. I don't want to try to get to any of the other parks, just plain Disneyland. I have not been there for over 20 years. I have been reading about RideMax and am hoping to use that to help us make the most of our limited time on Saturday. Our kids are 7, 4, 4 years old. I'm looking for suggestions on getting to DL from the pier (routes). Any other tips or tricks for getting the most oit of DL on a shortened day. .........:D
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We just did exactly what you have planned. We were able to get off the Star at 7:45 a.m., as Express Disembarkers. We took a shuttle to Enterprise, where we'd reserved a car rental. Enterprise didn't open until 9 a.m., which I hadn't known. The shuttle we took there wasn't an Enterprise Shuttle. I don't know what the service was, but there was a shuttle driver who asked us where we wanted to go, and when we told him, he said he'd give us a lift down there "as a special deal," and it was just the three of us on his shuttle and took only 5 min. to get there. Then we had to wait nearly an hour for it to open , but by getting there early, we were first in line and by 9:10, we were on our way to Disneyland, with a GPS to help us find the way. I'd highly recommend a GPS if you can get one. Our flight home was at 6:50 a.m. the next day. We stayed at Disneyland from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It cost $12 to park, and we felt that our luggage was safe, locked in the trunk of the car. For us, eight hours at DL was enough. In that time, we did everything we wanted to do. The parades are at 3;30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Lines weren't too bad, except for Space Mountain, which we wanted to do but ended up skipping. We were glad we left before the evening parade, because it was a breeze to get out of the parking lot and onto the freeway. We were the only ones leaving! Probably immediately after the parade, there are thousands of people leaving all at once. We had a reservation for the night at the Renaissance Montura Hotel near LAX. I highly recommend it! Beautiful hotel--modern and immaculate--with a very friendly, helpful staff, five minutes from the airport, but we never heard a plane all night long. Very comfortable beds, free internet in the lobby, free breakfast (but you'll be leaving too early to enjoy it). The rate for us was $119 ($135 after taxes and fees were added in). It has 24 hour complimentary shuttle service to LAX, with shuttles running every 15 to 20 min. We checked in and dropped off our luggage, then I returned the rental car to the Enterprise that was about a mile away. (You pay a $40 drop fee to rent in San Pedro and return at LAX). I thought I'd have to take an Enterprise Shuttle to LAX, and then find one of the hotel shuttles to get back to the Renaissance Montura, but instead, the man who checked in my car at Enterprise used the car to give me a complimentary lift back to the hotel. We ordered from Pizza Hut and had it delivered to the room. The hotel consierge recommended that we be down in the a.m. by 4:30 a.m. to catch a shuttle to the airport, if our goal was to be there by 5 a.m., because while it runs every 15 to 20 min., there isn't a set schedule, and we might find that when we got down, one had just left. We went down at 4:15 a.m., caught a shuttle one minute later, and were in line at the airport by 4:30 a.m. Our airline was United. There were huge lines for check in and security, but it was the Sunday after the New Year, probably a very busy travel day around the country. Even with the crowds, it only took an hour to go through check-in and security and find out gate, leaving us time to get some breakfast. Hope this helps.

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I recently booked The Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel through Priceline for a Saturday evening stay (in Feb) with a 6:30 flight out on Sunday morning. The price was 65.00 + taxes. They have a shuttle to the airport. We were just looking for something close to the airport which would be convenient and not costing an arm & a leg.

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Wow, this thread was very helpful and timely because I am looking to do the exact same thing on the end of our Mariner cruise in April, and am traveling with a 7 and a 3 yr old. We arrive back in port on a Sunday and have a 7:45am flight out of LAX on Mon morning. Was thinking about staying on the property at Disney but staying by LAX with a free shuttle makes sense with the early time and little ones.

 

Are there any rental car places that open before 8am? Do the rental car places pick you up at the pier?

 

Also, how early would we need to arrive at LAX with a 7:45am Mon morning flight? (I am a little scared of what this answer is going to be!)

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I don't want to be a wet blanket, and I do hope you have a wonderful time at Disneyland...I KNOW the kids will! You will have luggage from the cruise, have you considered where to store it? I know there are lockers at Disneyland, on Main Street (at the Town Hall, I think), but don't know if they would hold suitcases......or, did I not see that you were going to check into your hotel first? Maybe there is a hotel near Disneyland.........there are TONS of them around the park, that would have an airport shuttle willing to take you at 3:30 or 4:00 am.

(I know I'm not a local but I did live in the area for many years, and my Dad worked for Disney when Disneyland opened.........I still wouldn't presume to give you directions......all the roads have changed, and they used to call them names, and now they are numbers)

 

OP is renting a car!! :rolleyes:

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I used a private car service from the port to Disney. Stayed at an on site hotel, Paradise Pier and Disneyland Hotel. I have stayed at Grand Californian, but no advantage to stay there unless you go to that park. They stored the luggage until time to check in and off to the park we went. When dd got tired we had a room to go back to and regroup. Then we stayed until the park closed. Up early 4am and left hotel via shuttle at 5 to LAX. We would have done a private car back but shuttle worked great. No rental car to return. It cost about double to it this way, but the convience was so worth it. If you want to eat at any of the character meals book in advance..I liked having a room at Disney. It saved alot of time not dealing with a rental. Also pack a seperate bag for Disney, then you do not have to rummage thru all the cases to find stuff. You will have a great time.

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Wow, this thread was very helpful and timely because I am looking to do the exact same thing on the end of our Mariner cruise in April, and am traveling with a 7 and a 3 yr old. We arrive back in port on a Sunday and have a 7:45am flight out of LAX on Mon morning. Was thinking about staying on the property at Disney but staying by LAX with a free shuttle makes sense with the early time and little ones.

 

Are there any rental car places that open before 8am? Do the rental car places pick you up at the pier?

 

Also, how early would we need to arrive at LAX with a 7:45am Mon morning flight? (I am a little scared of what this answer is going to be!)

 

I think a better question would be if there are any rental car agencies open around there on Sunday.

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Hi Viking30,

 

You are right, I don't think you want to know how early you would have to leave the Disney area on a Monday morning, to make your early flight at LAX. :( Assuming your airline wants you to check in at least 2 hrs. prior, then you may need to add extra time to return a rental car (15-30 ) & I estimate at least 75-90 mins to drive from DLand to LAX..... doing the math, that means leaving the Disney area at 4 a.m. Yikes!!!that's way too early :eek: with little ones.

 

I personally would stay near LAX on Sunday night, return the rental car and then have a very short shuttle drive in the morning , along with an extra hour or two of sleep. .........Travelling with little ones and dealing with L.A. Monday morning traffic are both unpredictable....... Don't forget, the previous advice to the OP pertained to a Saturday visit to Disney and a Sunday morning flight, not a Monday flight..... Whole different ball game:)

 

Also, with little ones, I would suggest dressing them in their 'Monday' clothes instead of P.j's when you put them to bed, as it makes things go a lot smoother in the morning when you are rushing to the airport.:)

 

Enjoy your cruise and Disneyland!!

 

Wow, this thread was very helpful and timely because I am looking to do the exact same thing on the end of our Mariner cruise in April, and am traveling with a 7 and a 3 yr old. We arrive back in port on a Sunday and have a 7:45am flight out of LAX on Mon morning. Was thinking about staying on the property at Disney but staying by LAX with a free shuttle makes sense with the early time and little ones.

 

Are there any rental car places that open before 8am? Do the rental car places pick you up at the pier?

 

Also, how early would we need to arrive at LAX with a 7:45am Mon morning flight? (I am a little scared of what this answer is going to be!)[/quote]

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just wanted to comment about leaving before the park. I visit DL with my kids about every other month and the only problem with leaving after the parade is the crowds walking out and waiting for the parking shuttle. That being said, stay in the park as late as you can and enjoy....If by any chance you have a Disney Visa Card, stroller rentals are free, a nice savings. I do this just to have a place to store our sweatshirts and food for the day instead of paying for a locker. I Just park the stroller and move it along a little bit as we move around the park. Keep in mind that in one day at Disneyland, you will be doing very well if you get on 8 rides. You'll have lots of fun just seeing everything, playing in little areas and all the magic that DL has to offer. Make sure you check the calendar to see what time the park closes too. If your kiddos can make it until closing...then stay until then. As far as traffic, I have even left as the park closed and there is never traffic getting out of the parking lot or to the freeways at closing time. Because you have to take shuttle to the parking lot, it diperses the crowd. I love the idea of dressing the kids in the Monday clothes...but I would do it in the parking lot at DL before you leave. They'll be sound asleep before you even leave the parking lot. Have a great time.

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Someone mentioned minimum height for some rides. They are very diligent and politely enforce the limits. Usually as you enter the line there will be a measuring sign. If lines are backing up past the sign, an employee will walk up with a measuring stick that looks like an upside down hockey stick rather than having people wait 10 or 20 minutes and then find out there's a problem.

 

The DL website lists the restrictions...when my son was young we would simply not go to those rides rather than have him disappointed. If one of your kids is slightly above a minimum, show them how to stand up straight (although if they tippy-toe the employee will see that instantly!)

 

There are not too many places to grab a quick breakfast when you leave the ship or along the freeway. If you take I-405 to CA-22 and exit at Harbor Blvd, there are quite a few fast food and several Denny's-type places along Harbor.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just wanted to report back after our adventure last weekend.

 

Kenish - your directions to DL from San Pedro were awesome! Thanks so much.

 

To the poster of the recommendation to put the kids in their flying clothes the night before, this was a great idea. It made getting them up and out of the hotel at 4 am MUCH easier.

 

Don't let a little rain scare you. It was 50 degrees and raining when we got off the ship Saturday but decided to go for it anyway. We had enough layers and water "resistant" jackets. It was still drizzling when we got to DL but only lightly. Most of the afternoon it cleared off. We did get one other really good rainshower while driving in autopia (soaked lap!) but then went to innoventions to dry out and wait for the rain to stop. For us the big bonus was the lack of people. Our longest wait was 25 minutes for Nemo and Autopia. Several of the other rides we didn't wait at all and walked right on. We did utilize a few fastpasses. In the end I would take cool, damp and no lines over sunny, "mom, I'm hot..", and long lines. The only thing is I thought about packing some cheap, plastic rain ponchos we have and did not. Wishing I had...they are small and take very little space.

 

Again, thanks for all the good advice. I appreciate the other CC members that really helped make our vacation extra special. :D

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Hi 2+3 cruisers- Thank you for reporting back on your Disney adventure! It's good to hear your family had a good time and everything went smoothly. Sorry our weather wasn't better. I'm 20 miles south of DL and it was really pouring at times on Saturday.

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