Hey everyone,

I am planning on a Disneyland trip next year for my wife and her parents. She is graduating from grad school, and this is going to be a thank you trip for everything her parents have done for us over the years. Now, I have never been to DL, or to California for that matter. We are going to take Amtrak out because my wife’s parents do not like to fly. So here are a couple of questions.

1) What is the best way to get from the Amtrak station to the Disneyland Hotel?
2) We are planning on going to the San Diego Zoo and Universal as well, what is the best way to get to these places? We do not want to rent a car if we can avoid it.
3) We are planning on going the week after Labor Day, is this a good time to visit?
4) Any tips or advice, or just fun things to do let me know. There will be 4 adults, no kids with us.

Thanks for any help or advice…

I don't know the answers to many of your questions, I'm certainly no local, but I think you should purchase the citypass through www.citypass.com or through Costco.com, [for admission to those venues you spoke of, and for a 3-day parkhopper DLR pass] and just pay for the transport of $72 per person [using the coupon in the citypass booklet] through gray lines from your hotel, return, to see San Diego and Universal studios. The remainder of your time can be spent in Disneyland and California Adventure Park! :) :) :)

Enjoy your trip!!

You will get a great response from the others on this board, they all really know their Disneyland 'stuff!' :)

1) What is the best way to get from the Amtrak station to the Disneyland Hotel?You didn't say which station, so I am assuming it is the Anaheim Amtrak. There is a bus that runs from the there to the Disneyland Hotel. Here's a link to the Route 430 map (http://www.octa.net/bus/pdf/june07/route430.pdf) (pdf file). You can also call for a taxi from the station.
2) We are planning on going to the San Diego Zoo and Universal as well, what is the best way to get to these places? We do not want to rent a car if we can avoid it.You can take Amtrak to San Diego from the Anaheim station. Here's the MouseSavers.com page with information and links (http://www.mousesavers.com/train.html#dl). There is a free shuttle from Anaheim to Universal Studios Hollywood if you buy a one day admission ticket. Here's the webpage with details (http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/vi_freeshuttle.html).
3) We are planning on going the week after Labor Day, is this a good time to visit? If you will be there after Labor Day, the crowds should be lower, especially on the weekdays.
4) Any tips or advice, or just fun things to do let me know. There will be 4 adults, no kids with us. I would suggest browsing through this forum. There's a ton of information here. Have fun!

First off, which Amtrak station will you be getting off at?

My preference is Fullerton, as for most folks it is the earlier stop (coming from Union Station), and the transporation is right outside the doors, Route 43 of the OCTA runs about every 15 minutes and only costs $1.25 a person, or a Taxi would be about $10 plus tip. So you could be at the park around the same time the Train is arriving at Anaheim.

The biggest problem with the Anaheim Station is that it is in the middle of the Angel Stadium parking lot, and it is a long walk to the public bus (Route 50), the nearest stop is on Katellla Ave. Route 430 is mentioned above, but it only runs for commuters and is based on the arrival of Metrolink trains, and doesn't offer service for Amtrak trains.

You could take the ART, they have a route that stops just outside the station. If you plan to do that, purchase your ART tickets in advance

www.rideart.org (http://www.rideart.org)

And make sure you get them shipped to you. It is $3 a day with a pass, but if you pay cash on the tram, then it is $3 for just the one trip, and if you need to transfer, you would have to pay another $3.

A taxi would also be about $10 plus tip from the Anaheim station (it is about the same distance to the DLR from either Fullerton or Anaheim.

I recommend getting the CityPass, and get it thru Costco.com (If you are not a member, you can still order it for a 5% fee). CityPass has a deal with Gray Line and you can buy a Transportation package that take you to the other three parks (USH, SeaWorld and the Zoo) on three different days for $72 per person.

http://www.citypass.com/transportation/socal.html

Does the bus run 24 hours from fullerton train station? Two adults and two children, we are arriving from oregon about 10:00 to midnight after 30 hours on the train and catching transportation at Fullerton would be less time on the train then the next stop. And once at the hotel we would be taking the bus to Disneyland for the rest of the week.

Does the bus run 24 hours from fullerton train station? Two adults and two children, we are arriving from oregon about 10:00 to midnight after 30 hours on the train and catching transportation at Fullerton would be less time on the train then the next stop. And once at the hotel we would be taking the bus to Disneyland for the rest of the week.

Route 43 runs up and down Harbor 24 hours a day, though it cuts back to 30 minutes or 1 hour (midnight to 4 AM) between buses overnight, here is a link to the schedule...

http://www.octa.net/bus/pdf/june07/route043.pdf

To be honest, the bus fare will be between $2.50 and $5 ($1.25 for folks 7 and older, kids 6 and under are free (3 kids per adult) depending on the age of the kids, and a taxi will be about $10 plus tip, maybe a couple of dollars more depending on which hotel you are staying.

Usually a taxi or two is waiting at the station, otherwise there is a special free telephone that can get a cab dispatched to the station.

After that long trip, I would personally just take a taxi.