Best transportation option from SNA to Disneyland

[tlcdoula]

I didn't use a taxi. I had a few discount rides, which is why I chose Lyft.

I felt very anxious about the whole thing, especially the mask aspect. But I didn't really have other options; rental cars are $$$ right now, if available at all. (Funny side note: Auto correct changed cars to cats. Rental cats could be a great idea! Lots of calming purring. Need to figure out a business plan now! ) so, Lyft, Uber, or a taxi. My Lyft was $22, a taxi is like $40-45. And I'm cheap. (I'm also vaccinated, so I had a little less fear there.)

Yes get on that business plan!!!! Planning these trips we need all the calming we can get

 

[ktlm]

We were there October 6-10. Walked out of SNA with our luggage and I was getting ready to book an Uber, but Taxis were right there- and there were SUV/MiniVan types there which could easily fit our luggage. . Taxi wound up being about $10 cheaper than the UBER I had pulled up on my phone. Driver was great. Loved having no wait at all. Would absolutely do that again.

There is a Taxi spot at DLH, but there are not always taxis there. When we were ready to to back to the airport, there were none there so I booked an UBER. The first was only 2 minutes away and I turned around to make sure DH had the bags from bell services before booking and when I looked back, I had already lost that one and the next one was 5 minutes away and $10 more. Oh well--- 5 minutes was accurate and the driver was great- we had no issues at all.

 

[tarheelblue8853]

Hey everybody! My wife and I are so happy to be returning to Disneyland in 3 weeks!! I can't believe its coming up so soon. We are going to be making our first trip with our 9 month old. Since this is our first trip with kids it occurred to us my gosh we don't know the best way to do this with a car seat. Anybody have any good experiences to share? Any car services you trust to be safe with precious cargo? Thank you in advance!

 

[lalasmama]

Hey everybody! My wife and I are so happy to be returning to Disneyland in 3 weeks!! I can't believe its coming up so soon. We are going to be making our first trip with our 9 month old. Since this is our first trip with kids it occurred to us my gosh we don't know the best way to do this with a car seat. Anybody have any good experiences to share? Any car services you trust to be safe with precious cargo? Thank you in advance!

Assuming you're bringing your own car seat, my BIGGEST piece of advice is simple:

KNOW HOW TO INSTALL YOUR CAR SEAT CORRECTLY.

If you're still using the infant carrier type of carseat, they can often be installed without the base, so become knowledgeable about how to do it. It's typically really simple.

Most professionals don't recommend renting a carseat, either from a rental car company or from a driver service. The reasons are numerous:

- Is the seat the correct type for the age and size of the child?
- Is it before the expiration date?
- Is it safe? (Never in an accident?)
- Is it clean?
- If body fluids got on the seat, was it cleaned correctly? From a bio-hazard aspect, but also from a safety aspect-- if harness straps are washed wrong, their integrity can be compromised.

If any of those above answers are "no," and you didn't bring your own seat, you're stuck at the airport in a very tough position: either you're canceling your vacation, or possibly risking your child's safety.

Here's a few links that talk about the good and bad. (You can click on it even if it's doing the "loading" thing and it should connect you over.)

https://saferide4kids.com/blog/why-you-should-pass-on-the-rental-car-seat/
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-seats/renting-car-seat-on-vacation/
This person is a bit extreme in general, but has good points regardless.
https://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/why-you-shouldnt-rent-car-seats-traveling-vacations/
Here's a thread about a much-beloved car service around here, who left the parents with a very tough situation. https://www.disboards.com/threads/lansky-fka-dks-livery-do-not-recommend.3353689/ Lansky's did update their car sear fleet shortly thereafter. (That being said, that was Nov 2014. I believe I read they replaced with seats from Cosco (car seat Cosco, not warehouse store Costco), and that brand usually expires in 8-10 years, which means their expiration dates are going to be coming up again before too long.

Sorry to drone on for so long. Clearly it's a subject I feel passionately about!

 

[5forMickey]

We recently used a rear facing car seat from Lansky’s. It looked brand new. I didn’t actually get a flashlight out and check the date on it but it appeared to be less than 6 months old and while I did wipe it down with disinfectant wipes before we put baby in I’m pretty confident it had already been sterilized. You have to weigh the easy of rentals vs bringing your own which is different for everyone. For us, we had to realize that once we leave the controlled environment of our homes we will come in contact with germs etc. We tried to minimize things where we could while still enjoying being in the vacation world again.

 

[amyg1975]

How much is the average rate for a taxi from SNA to the resort area? We usually Uber/Lyft, but our last experience was not that great.

 

[mel2014]

How much is the average rate for a taxi from SNA to the resort area? We usually Uber/Lyft, but our last experience was not that great.

Yellow Cab is supposed to offer a flat $44 rate (you may have to ask for this to get it): https://www.californiayellowcab.com/sna/

 

[Araminta18]

How much is the average rate for a taxi from SNA to the resort area? We usually Uber/Lyft, but our last experience was not that great.

We took a taxi from SNA to Disneyland on 9/12; we asked what the rate was before we got in and he said $45, so we took it. It was fast and convenient. Highly recommend.

 

[amyg1975]

Good to know, thank you both. I was not sure if they were offering flat rates, so I will definitely ask when we arrive. I just want to get to the pars right away!

 

[cindy17]

Enterprise car rental was $75 one way from LAX to Harbor Blvd location. If you need more space, they have a mini-van available for $92.50.

We're going this route instead of hiring a car service or Uber/Lift. Especially since we'll have more time flexibility to make multiple stops along the way. Nice lunch after a long flight, stop at a grocery store and a few bakery's we like to visit in the LA area before driving down to Disneyland.

How does that work ... Enterprise rental car from LAX to harbor Blvd? My son and his GF flying into LAX in June staying on Harbor for a quick trip but dont want to rent a car. But are currently researching options to and from LAX. Thanks!

 

[Wesley815]

How does that work ... Enterprise rental car from LAX to harbor Blvd? My son and his GF flying into LAX in June staying on Harbor for a quick trip but dont want to rent a car. But are currently researching options to and from LAX. Thanks!

I think they're actually referring to renting a car (from Enterprise car rental company), just returning it in Anaheim instead of taking it back to LAX. Have to carefully check the rates before you do that though as they can change day by day and locations, and be clear to agents about return location city different from pick up.

I'm not sure details as I've not done that before but just how I read their original post.

 

[cindy17]

I think they're actually referring to renting a car (from Enterprise car rental company), just returning it in Anaheim instead of taking it back to LAX. Have to carefully check the rates before you do that though as they can change day by day and locations, and be clear to agents about return location city different from pick up.

I'm not sure details as I've not done that before but just how I read their original post.

thank you ... sounds a bit complicated for my son lol!

 

[gelatoni fan]

thank you ... sounds a bit complicated for my son lol!

I've done it before and don't recommend it if your main goal is just one way transportation to the Disneyland area. You wait a long time for the rental car shuttle and return at the Hilton. I had rented a red car and a few days after returning it, they called me saying my rental car was stolen but then was named some other color and make of car which wasn't mine. It took a bunch of phone calls to get everything sorted out. I now only use Alamo, Hertz or National if doing a one way rental to Disneyland area.

I recommend just doing Uber/Lyft unless they need to go to a bunch of other places and aren't just going from the airport to Disneyland area.

 

[jodeja]

We flew into SNA at stayed at a Harbor hotel in September and again last week. We paid between $25-$30 for Lyfts during both trips.
We used Lyft for all 4 trips (two roundtrips). They always arrived within 15 minutes. The Lyft pickup area in the airport was a little confusing to find, but the drivers called and were very helpful and patient.

 

[cindy17]

I've done it before and don't recommend it if your main goal is just one way transportation to the Disneyland area. You wait a long time for the rental car shuttle and return at the Hilton. I had rented a red car and a few days after returning it, they called me saying my rental car was stolen but then was named some other color and make of car which wasn't mine. It took a bunch of phone calls to get everything sorted out. I now only use Alamo, Hertz or National if doing a one way rental to Disneyland area.

I recommend just doing Uber/Lyft unless they need to go to a bunch of other places and aren't just going from the airport to Disneyland area.

Thank you, yes I think they'll be doing uber/lyft from LAX, this is a quick trip and as of now have no intention to drive out of the area. At the most, if they need a break from DL they'll take an uber to Knotts. He lives in Philadelphia and is very comfortable with the concept of Uber/Lyft

 

[OlliePop27]

Has anyone had a recent experience RETURNING a rental car to the Alamo on Katella? I'm curious how quickly the process goes and whether you need to wait in any lines to drop off the car/keys.

I'm not asking about picking up, as I realize that would be a totally different experience!

 

[gelatoni fan]

Has anyone had a recent experience RETURNING a rental car to the Alamo on Katella? I'm curious how quickly the process goes and whether you need to wait in any lines to drop off the car/keys.

I'm not asking about picking up, as I realize that would be a totally different experience!

I returned a car after hours there once so there was no wait. I just parked the car in front of another car and dropped the keys in an after hours box they had there. I doubt there will be any substantial lines because it's not a common place to drop off a car. I've also dropped off cars with several other rental car companies in the area and never had to wait for more than one person.

 

[Geemo]

Traveling solo for my trip the end of the month and wondering what the current rates are for UBER compared to Yellow Cab.

 

[Becca1007]

Traveling solo for my trip the end of the month and wondering what the current rates are for UBER compared to Yellow Cab.

You can look at the uber app for a good idea of what the fares are now. The taxi usually has a flat rate to disney but I havent been in a while to know what that amount is.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Traveling solo for my trip the end of the month and wondering what the current rates are for UBER compared to Yellow Cab.

Last two times there Uber had surge pricing of $97. Lyft was $48...we just hopped in a Taxi one trip for $45 and waited over 15 min for the Lyft second trip since there were no taxis.

Used to be a die hard Uber fan but now with the hike to the the new pickups areas and wait times we have experienced with Uber and Lyft we now head for a Taxi and only go for Rideshare if there is a taxi line or no taxis on standby, A loft of Uber drivers now cancel rides when they realize it is an airport pickup (especially Terminal C) cuz it is such a cluster to get in and out of the parking garage pickup area.