Help with Universal and LA Portion of trip

[GoofyforDisney3]

After multiple attempts and cancellations I finally getting to take my DD for her graduation gift trip and I’m getting a little overwhelmed. I feel like so much has changed since this originally started in 2020 and nothing I learned before applies.

Our dates are May 13th to the 20th. Because she requested we end our trip with DLR we are hitting up Universal and LA/Hollywood stuff the first few days. I booked flights were we fly into Burbank and fly out of SNA because it was a) cheaper than flying in and out of LAX and b) the proximity to the areas we want to focus on. We want to see the Hollywood touristy stuff like Walk of Fame, The El Capitain, The Observatory, Warner Brothers Studio tour, Universal, etc.

Now my dilemmas and questions…..
1) anyone have better suggestions for a hotel than the Sheraton or The Garland by Universal? I saw Loews, the price is similar to the others and under $300 a night but I’m not sure I love the location. Is it a bad area to stay, be at at night? It seems convenient for what we want to do. Just wasn’t sure if I should be concerned about the area walking around.
2) how do we get from the hotel in LA to our hotel near DLR if I do not have a car? I’ve booked the Home2 Suites Anaheim already. Is there a better time of day to try and transfer or is it just luck of the draw?
3) how many days do you suggest for DLR if we’ve never been before? My DD is a Disney kid through and through and we’ve been to WDW upwards of 15 times. I’m worried we will want more time than I’m allotting but also don’t want to miss out on other things. Currently I’m planning two days, one for each park. Purchasing Genie+, but on the fence for hoppers. Should I do three days and add hoppers?
4) is Disney Springs worth spending any time at? I haven’t researched much but is it a good place to get dinner or should we stick to other places?

 

[sjmac42]

I think your flights are perfect, into Burbank and out of John Wayne is definitely easier than in and out of LAX. I’d also say that if you can drive you should get a car for at least 2-3 days touring LA and getting to Anaheim. Otherwise you’ll have to spend money on Uber and Lyft to get around which can really add up in LA, it’s a very spread out city. I’d probably split the stay with 3-4n in each.
So to your questions.
1. I know many here love the Garland and Sheraton near Universal but that’s the problem with them. They aren’t near anything besides Universal. The Loews Hollywood is a good hotel and Hollywood itself is perfectly fine to stay in. It’s not an attractive area but there’s plenty of dining options there and while some areas can get seedy at night, stay where the crowd are and it’s perfectly fine. It’s an easy metro ride to Universal and you’ll have more options than citiwalk. If you want better areas, Beverly Grove is my current favourite. Close to a few attractions like the Original Farmers Market, Petersen Automotive Museum, La Brea Tarpits and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Plenty of good dining options along 6th street that are far better than anything around Universal and most of Hollywood plus 2 great shopping Centres, The Grove and The Beverly Centre. It’s a truly walkable area at any time and there are rapid buses to easily get you to Hollywood, Santa Monica and other areas. Again, a car will make life easier for a couple of days. Sofitel, Elan, Beverly Laurel Motor Inn, Wilshire Crest and Short Stories are all good options for accommodation at various price points.
2. Rideshares (Uber/Lyft/ if you have to, renting a car as I said before is easier imo. You can pick up a car near your LA hotel and drop it at a rental agency in Anaheim where you probably won’t need it.
3. I’d suggest 3 days with parkhoppers. You may be familiar with WDW and think there’s less to do but in reality, the 2 parks at Disneyland Resort have just a many rides as the 4 WDW parks and nearly 100 attractions between them. it also only takes a minute or 2 to parkhop as the 2 parks face each other across a wide plaza. Parkhopping is also possible from 11am at DL. If it’s the Home2 Suites Anaheim Resort you’ve picked, they are in a great location, only 10-15 mins walk from the parks.
4. The Disney Springs equivalent at Disneyland Resort is called Downtown Disney. It’s much much smaller than Disney Springs but some time here is worthwhile. You can just go to and from DD when visiting the parks easily enough as again, it’s right there. Disneyland is also in the middle of Anaheim so there are tons of great dining options outside the parks. Try Panera Bread on your way to the parks for breakfast as just one example.

So I hope that helps some. LA like any big city has its dodgy areas but just use common sense. Don’t wander around unlit isolated areas at 2am, guard your valuables, don’t walk around with the Hope Diamond, flashy jewellery and expensive electronics on display and you’ll be fine, even in Hollywood. I’ve never felt unsafe there on my many visits. If I come across a street that looks deserted and poorly lit, I just turn around like I would in any city, even here in Newcastle Australia.
Have a great trip.

 

[bcla]

After multiple attempts and cancellations I finally getting to take my DD for her graduation gift trip and I’m getting a little overwhelmed. I feel like so much has changed since this originally started in 2020 and nothing I learned before applies.

Our dates are May 13th to the 20th. Because she requested we end our trip with DLR we are hitting up Universal and LA/Hollywood stuff the first few days. I booked flights were we fly into Burbank and fly out of SNA because it was a) cheaper than flying in and out of LAX and b) the proximity to the areas we want to focus on. We want to see the Hollywood touristy stuff like Walk of Fame, The El Capitain, The Observatory, Warner Brothers Studio tour, Universal, etc.

Now my dilemmas and questions…..
1) anyone have better suggestions for a hotel than the Sheraton or The Garland by Universal? I saw Loews, the price is similar to the others and under $300 a night but I’m not sure I love the location. Is it a bad area to stay, be at at night? It seems convenient for what we want to do. Just wasn’t sure if I should be concerned about the area walking around.
2) how do we get from the hotel in LA to our hotel near DLR if I do not have a car? I’ve booked the Home2 Suites Anaheim already. Is there a better time of day to try and transfer or is it just luck of the draw?
3) how many days do you suggest for DLR if we’ve never been before? My DD is a Disney kid through and through and we’ve been to WDW upwards of 15 times. I’m worried we will want more time than I’m allotting but also don’t want to miss out on other things. Currently I’m planning two days, one for each park. Purchasing Genie+, but on the fence for hoppers. Should I do three days and add hoppers?
4) is Disney Springs worth spending any time at? I haven’t researched much but is it a good place to get dinner or should we stick to other places?

1) Can't say. When I stayed in Hollywood I was solo and stayed in hostels. Some of them have private rooms, but I'm not sure if you'll enjoy the vibe.

2) There are various forms of public transportation that can get you there. For heavy rail, there's the Metrolink Orange County Line or Amtrak Pacific Surfliner that go between LA Union State and Anaheim (ARTIC). If you ride either, your ticket also gets a one-way ride to from the station on Anaheim Regional (formerly Resort) Transportation. Service frequency can be an issue though. Amtrak tickets can be purchased in advance, but most days they're "unreserved" which means one can ride on an earlier or later train that specified on the ticket up to maybe a year after the ticket is purchased.

Another possibility if you have a few hours (like a travel day) is the Metro 460 bus from downtown LA to Anaheim in about 2 hours. And once you get to Anaheim you can get around on ART (previously mentioned). Bus fare is theoretically $2.50 (might be $1.75 if they're not requiring the express surcharge?) for that bus, but there are various things you can do including a $3.50 day pass that includes all routes. I have seen the whole gamut of humanity riding on Metro though.

3) 3 days is pretty good. But it really depends on how long you spend in line.

4) There's no "Disney Springs". Still called Downtown Disney.

 

[GoofyforDisney3]

I think your flights are perfect, into Burbank and out of John Wayne is definitely easier than in and out of LAX. I’d also say that if you can drive you should get a car for at least 2-3 days touring LA and getting to Anaheim. Otherwise you’ll have to spend money on Uber and Lyft to get around which can really add up in LA, it’s a very spread out city. I’d probably split the stay with 3-4n in each.
So to your questions.
1. I know many here love the Garland and Sheraton near Universal but that’s the problem with them. They aren’t near anything besides Universal. The Loews Hollywood is a good hotel and Hollywood itself is perfectly fine to stay in. It’s not an attractive area but there’s plenty of dining options there and while some areas can get seedy at night, stay where the crowd are and it’s perfectly fine. It’s an easy metro ride to Universal and you’ll have more options than citiwalk. If you want better areas, Beverly Grove is my current favourite. Close to a few attractions like the Original Farmers Market, Petersen Automotive Museum, La Brea Tarpits and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Plenty of good dining options along 6th street that are far better than anything around Universal and most of Hollywood plus 2 great shopping Centres, The Grove and The Beverly Centre. It’s a truly walkable area at any time and there are rapid buses to easily get you to Hollywood, Santa Monica and other areas. Again, a car will make life easier for a couple of days. Sofitel, Elan, Beverly Laurel Motor Inn, Wilshire Crest and Short Stories are all good options for accommodation at various price points.
2. Rideshares (Uber/Lyft/ if you have to, renting a car as I said before is easier imo. You can pick up a car near your LA hotel and drop it at a rental agency in Anaheim where you probably won’t need it.
3. I’d suggest 3 days with parkhoppers. You may be familiar with WDW and think there’s less to do but in reality, the 2 parks at Disneyland Resort have just a many rides as the 4 WDW parks and nearly 100 attractions between them. it also only takes a minute or 2 to parkhop as the 2 parks face each other across a wide plaza. Parkhopping is also possible from 11am at DL. If it’s the Home2 Suites Anaheim Resort you’ve picked, they are in a great location, only 10-15 mins walk from the parks.
4. The Disney Springs equivalent at Disneyland Resort is called Downtown Disney. It’s much much smaller than Disney Springs but some time here is worthwhile. You can just go to and from DD when visiting the parks easily enough as again, it’s right there. Disneyland is also in the middle of Anaheim so there are tons of great dining options outside the parks. Try Panera Bread on your way to the parks for breakfast as just one example.

So I hope that helps some. LA like any big city has its dodgy areas but just use common sense. Don’t wander around unlit isolated areas at 2am, guard your valuables, don’t walk around with the Hope Diamond, flashy jewellery and expensive electronics on display and you’ll be fine, even in Hollywood. I’ve never felt unsafe there on my many visits. If I come across a street that looks deserted and poorly lit, I just turn around like I would in any city, even here in Newcastle Australia.
Have a great trip.

1) Can't say. When I stayed in Hollywood I was solo and stayed in hostels. Some of them have private rooms, but I'm not sure if you'll enjoy the vibe.

2) There are various forms of public transportation that can get you there. For heavy rail, there's the Metrolink Orange County Line or Amtrak Pacific Surfliner that go between LA Union State and Anaheim (ARTIC). If you ride either, your ticket also gets a one-way ride to from the station on Anaheim Regional (formerly Resort) Transportation. Service frequency can be an issue though. Amtrak tickets can be purchased in advance, but most days they're "unreserved" which means one can ride on an earlier or later train that specified on the ticket up to maybe a year after the ticket is purchased.

Another possibility if you have a few hours (like a travel day) is the Metro 460 bus from downtown LA to Anaheim in about 2 hours. And once you get to Anaheim you can get around on ART (previously mentioned). Bus fare is theoretically $2.50 (might be $1.75 if they're not requiring the express surcharge?) for that bus, but there are various things you can do including a $3.50 day pass that includes all routes. I have seen the whole gamut of humanity riding on Metro though.

3) 3 days is pretty good. But it really depends on how long you spend in line.

4) There's no "Disney Springs". Still called Downtown Disney.

Thank you! I wanted to call it DTD, but thought I’d seen it had changed names there too.

I went ahead and booked the Sheraton just in case but will take a look at the Beverly Grove area. I can cancel it with no penalty if I decide to try something different.

Good point about the car. I will need to look into that more. I just assumed it would be cost prohibitive to do a one way rental like that. I don’t mind driving in a city although I do like not needing to worry about parking and all of that while on vacation, but also need to keep my budget in check. I agree cost of Lyfts and Uber add up fast, but the flip side of that are all the parking fees so I’ll need to analyze it all.

I think I’ve decided on the three day with hopper at DL. The first day will be a later start but I like the idea of having more time to explore. Now to learn all about the Genie + and Lightening Lane.

 

[DonnerB]

1) Agree with @sjmac42 on all points about Beverly Grove, because it’s my neighborhood, but if you aren’t planning on doing anything down this way…stick to the Loew’s. It routinely takes me 20-25 minutes to drive the 3 miles to that part of town. It will be very convenient for many of the places you listed.

2) Even in a city with ridiculous parking fees, it’s often been cheaper to drive myself and pay to park than take a ride share lately (if I can even get a ride). Of course, the hotel parking fees may negate that. You can do a search on this forum for car services folks recommend (Midwil shuttle sticks out in my mind). Would likely cost more than a Lyft, but you’ll be able to plan and confirm your departure time in advance.

4) I find the dining options in DTD fine, but nothing I would go out of the way for. If you will be there on a weekend night, make reservations in advance. Wait times will exceed 90 minutes and places will close their walk-up lists.

 

[sjmac42]

Parking isn’t the issue many make it out to be, apart from hotels and theme parks where yes it can be expensive. You can always use the metro from Hollywood and Highland to get to Universal anyway. While at Loews you can park in the Ovation Mall shopping Centre for about $20 per night. Some of the BG area hotels include parking in their rate and parking at other attractions is pretty much always going to be easy enough except for places like Griffith Park up near the Observatory on the weekends. Again, you can park down near the Greek Theatre and catch a bus up. Or rideshare to the Greek Theatre, then jump on the bus.

Sheraton Universal is a good hotel but I wouldn’t want to be stuck out there for 3-4n when there’s so much more to LA than Universal and Citiwalk.