Weather tips and directions to the park

WEATHER in the Los Angeles region is almost always temperate, (C'mon you remember all those New Year's Day Rose Parade broadcasts don't you?) with Summer days usually not exceeding the mid-80's, and winter days rarely going below the low 70's.

Winter can bring rains - but nothing like some other parts of the country. (Although L. A. drivers seem to always forget how to drive when it gets wet). But it's always best to check the weather before you go, so just click on the "Weather Sticker" in the column on the right to go right to a forecast page for the city of Anaheim provided by THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND.

Keep in mind that evenings in Anaheim, even on the warmest days, can be quite chilly - so do visit the PLANNING AHEAD section of this guide for apparel suggestions so you won't be caught unaware.

VIA AUTO:

Disneyland is located in Anaheim, which is about 45 minutes south (with no traffic) of the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, on the I-5 freeway. By selecting this Yahoo! LINK it will take you directly to an online map showing you where the park is.

TIP: The Disneyland Resort area is undergoing a MAJOR construction overhaul, including new facilities for the parks and a huge freeway expansion. Keep in mind traffic will be dodged all around this construction, and could possibly delay your arrival during peak periods.

TIP: If coming by car to park at the park early during the day, AVOID entering the TIMON, SIMBA, and PUMBA lots which access off of Harbor Blvd. In the evening, it is often possible to park in the TIMON lot near the last tram stop before reaching the park. 

The Simba and Timon lots, known as the LION KING TRAM stops are poorly designed and will often increase your entrance and exit time to and from the park. The PUMBA lot has NO tram service at all, and is a long walk!

In general, it is best to park in the MICKEY AND FRIENDS Parking Structure which accesses off of Disneyland Drive [formerly West St.] Access is from the Southbound side of Disneyland Drive - stay to the left as you head south from Ball Road. A printable parking structure map can be found at THIS LINK.

If you are visiting the park on a weekday, you may want to take into consideration the L.A. area morning traffic, which gets quite heavy from 7:30 to 10:30 AM. On weekends you also may want to keep in mind that CalTrans [the California state department that oversees freeway maintenance] just adores shutting down major portions of the system since this is the only time they get to work on them. A favorite time is late Saturday night - with construction sometimes not finishing until mid-day Sunday. CalTrans maintains a excellent traffic map on the web (updated every few minutes), and you can pull it up on your screen via THIS LINK to check on traffic conditions. (Note that the park is located just South of the intersection of the 91 and I-5 Freeways.)

You can also always check traffic conditions on the L.A. area freeways by tuning in one of the two major AM news radio stations while visiting here. KFWB 980 provides traffic reports at :01, :11, :21, :31, :41, :51 ("traffic on the ones"). KNX 1070, a CBS radio affiliate, provides traffic reports every six minutes.

For the kids, 710 AM - RADIO DISNEY has finally appeared in the L.A. market, and can help keep them amused during your drive to the park, but don't count on hearing any local traffic or news updates since it's basically a national feed.

• If you are driving South down the 5 (Sign says: SANTA ANA)... 
  From L.A. / Hollywood area, take the Ball / Disneyland Dr. exit with a left turn right onto Disneyland Dr. [formerly West St.] Go over Ball Road and enter the new parking structure by staying left and watching the signs.
• If you are heading North (LOS ANGELES)...
  Take the Harbor Road exit, make a right turn onto northbound Harbor Blvd toward the Holiday Inn, then an immediate left onto westbound Ball Road.  Go over the freeway overpass, past the Disney Administration building complex and Sheraton, then left on to Disneyland Drive.  Stay to the left and enter the parking structure by following the signs.

Depending on what crowds they may be expecting sometimes they will allow you to enter the parking lot up to an hour early before posted opening times.

From the LA Airport (LAX): Take the 405 Fwy. South (SAN DIEGO) to the Artesia Blvd. exit, going East. This street turns into the 91 Fwy (RIVERSIDE), which then intersects with the I-5. Take the I-5 South to the exit at Harbor Blvd. [details above].

Many types of Shuttles are also available from LAX - disnerd@ccnet.com posted the following helpful info. on the RAD newsgroups:

There are several shuttle bus services that run between LAX and Disneyland. They are all in the $20+ range and I have found that if you go out to the street where they are all lined up you can haggle with the drivers for the best price. On our last trip my wife and I went to the Disneyland Hotel for $19 for both of us. Just go to one driver ask his price and then go to the next and say that guy wants $X to go to Disneyland, what's your price? Most drivers will drop their price just to get a fare than just sit at the airport. Best time to try this is in the middle of the week when things are kind of slow.

There are also busses leaving from LAX every 5 minutes making stops at all the major and the small motels at. Just tell the driver which one you want to be let off at. Around $14 one way.

From the John Wayne Airport (Orange County): Take the 55 Fwy. East / North to the I-5 North, exit at Harbor Blvd. [details above].

From the Ontario Airport: Loring Fiske-Phillips loring@pobox.com suggests the following:

Take either the I-10 or 60 Fwys. to the 57 South Fwy., then take the Ball Rd. exit and turn right. It's about two or three miles to Harbor Blvd, with a left turn onto Harbor, then back over the freeway, and make a left on Ball.  

Continue on Ball, behind Disneyland, until you come to West St. / Disneyland Dr. Make a left, go on past the new parking structure, but before the Disneyland Hotel [and Monorail station].  Make a right at this light there, and you will enter into the parking lot. 

[This route avoids the 91/5 interchange which can be very busy, and is a couple of miles shorter.]

Also the following links may be of help for more specific information about Los Angeles area airports:

Los Angeles International Airport:
http://www.quickaid.com/airports/lax

Burbank Airport:
http://www.bur.com

John Wayne Airport (Orange County):
http://www.ocair.com/

Ontario International Airport:
http://www.csz.com/ont.html

Lani Teshima has also provided a wonderful guide here on MousePlanet to the less crowded John Wayne Airport - which you may want to consider if you want to avoid the crowds and distance of LAX.

L.A. BUS INFO.:

The Los Angels Metropolitan Transit Authority now offers on an online trip planner - you can type which city or area you are in, and where you want to go, and a custom itinerary will be created for you.

You can access this site via the following LINK.

TRAIN:

(Thanks to MHigby@primenet.com for providing this info.):

Catch the LAX shuttle bus that will take you to the Metro Green Line train. The shuttle is free. Then, buy a ticket for the Green Line with a transfer, which should cost you around $1.75. Take the Green Line to the Imperial-Wilmington station and transfer to the Metro Blue Line, which connects downstairs. Very easy to find. Take the Blue Line to its northern terminus, at the 7th & Metro Center in Downtown LA. There, you can transfer to the Metro Red Line subway, downstairs. Ride the subway to its final stop at LA Union Station. From there, you can transfer to either a Metrolink or Amtrak train to Anaheim, or the Amtrak DL bus.

Not only will you save a lot of money, but you will get to see a slice of Los Angeles, as well as the grand LA Union Station. If you have time, while you are at Union Station, stop by Union Bagel right there in the station, and enjoy one of LA's best bagels. If you take the Disney shuttle from LAX, you might save a few minutes (but with freeway traffic, don't count on it) but all you will see is the view from a lousy freeway. I really recommend taking this route, at least when you first arrive in town.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM DISNEYLAND AREA

This wonderful new service may save you on rental cars if you plan to visit both the Disneyland resort and Universal Studios while in Los Angeles:

Shuttle Service From Anaheim to the World's Largest Movie Studio and Theme Park - Fleet of Colorful, Comfortable Buses to Depart Several Times a Day From Convenient Anaheim Location

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Studios Hollywood has launched The Universal Studios Express to provide free round-trip luxury shuttle service from Anaheim to Universal City beginning Thursday, February 1.

Transportation will be provided on one of AirportBus' deluxe 50-passenger buses to each guest who purchases a full-price ticket to Universal Studios Hollywood from AirportBus. The buses, to be colorfully decorated with Universal Studios-themed images and icons, will feature video monitors displaying highlights of Southern California attractions, including current and archival material from the world's largest movie studio and theme park, Universal Studios Hollywood.

Tickets may be purchased in Anaheim at the Airport Bus Terminal conveniently located near Disneyland at 1415 Manchester Avenue.

The Universal Studios Express Bus to Universal Studios Hollywood will pick up guests from various Anaheim-area hotels several times per day and transport them to the Airport Bus Terminal, where they will board a Universal Studios Hollywood-bound bus for the 45-minute trip.

The buses will depart from Anaheim three times a day, with departure times tentatively scheduled at 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Return trips from Universal Studios are tentatively scheduled at 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. with extended hours during peak season. For further information guests may call 1-800-Universal.

Admission to Universal Studios, including round-trip transportation is $43 for ages 12 and older; $32 for ages 3 to 11; children under 3 are free.

WEATHER

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UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM DISNEYLAND AREA

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