Finest Airports for Disneyland

Earlier than Disneyland guests can take a spin over a cup of tea or go for a run in Radiator Springs, many will first must take one other trip: on a airplane.

Should you're planning to go to Southern California for a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth, the airport choices could appear just a little overwhelming. Whereas most guests to Walt Disney World in Florida arrive at a single airport, its California cousin has a few half-dozen viable choices.

Which Southern California airport is finest to your Disneyland trip? relies on! I’ve flown in them many instances throughout my travels and they’re positively my favorites. Nevertheless, which one will work finest for different Disneyland guests relies on a number of particular person elements, together with distance, availability of nonstop flights, most popular airways, and worth.

John Wayne Airport (SNA)

The closest airport to Disneyland – and the one airport situated in Orange County, California – is John Wayne Airport. It's within the metropolis of Santa Ana, simply two suburbs south of Disneyland's house in Anaheim.

John Wayne Airport could not have an enormous title exterior of California, but it surely punches effectively above its weight. The airport serves flights from greater than a dozen US and Canadian carriers, together with all 5 of the biggest US airways. SNA gives nonstop service to roughly 50 cities in North America. Plus, it nonetheless feels small and straightforward to navigate, with brief strolling distances and cheap safety strains (TSA PreCheck is obtainable, however there aren’t any Clear Plus lanes).

Southwest Airways and Alaska Airways provide essentially the most flights into SNA, providing frequent service to a number of main West Coast cities. For instance, there are sometimes 4 to eight arrivals day by day from Oakland Worldwide Airport (OAK) and 5 to 10 arrivals day by day from Las Vegas' Harry Reid Worldwide Airport (LAS), simply to the southwest.

The airport presents service to just a few nonstop locations east of the Mississippi, so East Coast vacationers could discover the entire journey time to SNA much less enticing if a connection is required.

The best approach to journey from SNA to Disneyland is to make use of a ride-hailing service. Shared shuttle companies from SNA are sometimes dearer than a normal UberX or Lyft trip, even for solo vacationers. The 14-mile journey takes about 20-Half-hour and often prices $25-$30 earlier than tip. SNA has two ride-hailing service pickup zones inside simple strolling distance of the terminals.

RELATED: Issues to Know Earlier than Utilizing a Journey-Hailing Service on the Airport

SNA additionally has all main automotive rental firms inside strolling distance. Nevertheless, take into account the entire value rigorously earlier than renting a automotive. In my expertise, most guests is not going to want this because of Disneyland's compact dimension. Moreover, parking charges at many Disneyland-area inns could be costly. Should you plan to spend most of your time at Disneyland and solely use the automotive for just a few day journeys, it might be cheaper to lease a automotive for a day or two close to Disneyland. There may be an Alamo workplace inside Disney's Pixar Place lodge in addition to a number of rental automotive firms close to the Anaheim Conference Heart, just a few blocks from Disneyland.

Lengthy Seashore Airport (LGB)

The small however mighty Lengthy Seashore Airport can also be very near Disneyland; It’s about 14 miles west of the park in Los Angeles County, not removed from the Orange County border. LGB has grow to be an more and more enticing different to SNA for a lot of Disneyland vacationers (myself included), particularly vacationers to West Coast locations.

Lengthy Seashore is a serious stronghold for Southwest Airways, with just a few flights per day interspersed with Delta Air Traces and Hawaiian Airways. After JetBlue withdrew from LGB in 2020, Southwest gained a considerable variety of slots and now presents nonstop service into LGB from greater than 20 locations. I've discovered that Southwest fares are usually barely cheaper than SNA from cities with nonstop service to each airports, making it a money-saving choice for a lot of vacationers.

One other good thing about Lengthy Seashore for Disneyland vacationers is the airport's compact dimension. I can routinely get off the airplane in Lengthy Seashore, stroll proper to the entrance of the terminal, and be in an Uber on my approach to Disneyland in lower than 5 minutes. A rental automotive middle can also be just some steps away.

The space from LGB to Disneyland is roughly the identical as the space from SNA to Disneyland. Nevertheless, the drive takes about 10-Quarter-hour longer (and about $10 extra in an Uber or Lyft fare) as a result of it’s totally on floor roads or a extra winding freeway route. There could also be just a little extra site visitors throughout rush hour to think about, but it surely's not often crushing.

Lengthy Seashore Airport can also be finishing a serious renovation, so the airport feels extremely contemporary proper now. The airport additionally has Clear Plus lanes, though its safety strains (particularly with TSA PreCheck) are so brief that you just'll not often want different shortcuts. Lengthy Seashore is unquestionably an airport the place you possibly can reduce it shut, which suggests extra time for rides on the Disneyland theme park!

Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX)

On the different finish of the airport dimension spectrum is Los Angeles Worldwide Airport. LAX is about 35 miles northwest of the Disneyland Resort.

Los Angeles Worldwide Airport is the biggest and busiest airport within the western a part of america, so it goes with out saying that vacationers have many flight and airline choices right here. For vacationers arriving from most main cities on the East Coast or worldwide locations, LAX would be the solely airport providing nonstop service to the Disneyland space. Heavy competitors at LAX also can drive costs down, so the airport is commonly the most cost effective choice.

Floor transportation at an airport like LAX is extra advanced and time-consuming than at LGB or SNA. Taking a trip is much less handy and extra time-consuming, because the airport has a single pickup zone (LAX-it) the place arriving passengers might want to take a shuttle to succeed in. Solely black automotive companies are allowed to ply on the roadside. Customary UberX and Lyft fares between LAX and Disneyland are sometimes $60-$80 every manner, however surge pricing can generally trigger wild worth fluctuations throughout peak intervals.

As a result of value and distance, shared shuttles from LAX to Disneyland could also be a extra inexpensive choice, particularly for solo vacationers or {couples} or households and teams which are too giant to slot in an everyday Uber or Lyft automobile.

Visitors between the airport and the theme park can improve considerably throughout peak hours. Vacationers must plan for the journey taking an hour or extra in peak intervals and for lengthy ticket counters and safety strains at a serious airport. When evaluating airport choices, these flying very early for a Disneyland journey ought to take into account the time misplaced in transit.

Because of this, I haven't been to LAX only for a Disneyland journey in virtually a decade. It takes too lengthy and is simply too costly when coming from airports within the San Francisco Bay Space (my house base), the place each SNA and LGB are choices. But when LAX is your solely nonstop choice, it's nonetheless in all probability a greater choice, regardless of the extra important hassles at floor stage.

Take into account Different Southern California Airports

I extremely advocate reserving flights into SNA, LGB or LAX just for guests planning to spend time at Disneyland. In case your journey to Southern California consists of extra than simply Disneyland, different regional airports could serve you effectively. Though these airports are additional away, they might nonetheless be near what you're planning on doing. Moreover, they might provide value financial savings or nonstop flight choices to save lots of general journey time.

Ontario Worldwide Airport (ONT)

Positioned roughly 33 miles northeast of Disneyland, Ontario Worldwide Airport is a medium-sized airport in San Bernardino County. This airport is bigger than Lengthy Seashore Airport however smaller than John Wayne Airport. Southwest carries essentially the most passengers to and from ONT, however American Airways and Frontier Airways even have a considerable variety of flights.

The drive from ONT to Disneyland can usually be related in size to the drive from LAX, however with totally different site visitors and commute patterns to think about. The airport serves most of the identical nonstop locations that LGB or SNA does, so I feel the airport is actually solely appropriate for Disneyland vacationers on the lookout for a critical flight deal or these few cities with out LGB or SNA service. Coming from.

Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR)

Hollywood Burbank Airport (previously often known as Bob Hope Airport) is an airport related in dimension to ONT within the northern suburbs of Los Angeles. The drive to Disneyland is simply about 40 miles, however the route passes via a few of Los Angeles's worst site visitors, making the journey doubtlessly two hours or extra throughout peak instances.

For Disneyland holidays solely, BUR is hardly definitely worth the distance and site visitors. Nevertheless, the airport could also be a really sensible alternative for vacationers who’re planning to go to Common Studios Hollywood, situated solely 5 miles away. Common Studios has grow to be an more and more in style theme park for guests past Southern California with the addition of Tremendous Nintendo World final 12 months.

San Diego Worldwide Airport (SAN)

Some vacationers to Disneyland could wish to take into account San Diego Worldwide Airport. It’s the second largest airport in Southern California after LAX and presents extra nonstop flight choices than smaller regional airports, particularly to East Coast locations. It is usually the closest airport to Legoland California, so vacationers who wish to mix Legoland and Disneyland in the identical journey could discover it handy.

Taking a ride-hailing service or taxi from SAN to Disneyland can be cost-prohibitive for many vacationers, however there are some transportation choices. Rental vehicles are repeatedly fairly low-cost in San Diego. The 95-mile drive from San Francisco to Disneyland could be jam-packed with site visitors, so plan for a two- to three-hour journey. Moreover, an Amtrak practice runs from downtown San Diego (simply minutes from the airport) to Anaheim.

floor stage

There isn’t any scarcity of airport choices for vacationers heading to Southern California for a Disneyland trip. SNA and LGB are essentially the most handy and easy-to-use choices, however they don’t at all times have flight choices to serve passengers past the west coast. Along with being extra handy for guests touring to different Southern California theme parks or vacationer points of interest on a Disneyland journey, airports situated a brief distance away could present a possibility to economize or miles.

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