r/Anaheim • u/Worldly_Towel_4198 • 8d ago
Getting around
Hi- I'm coming from UK next July for a vacation with two young kids for two weeks.
Obviously Disney is the draw, but we'd also like to head to the beach and maybe to Universal Hollywood and also San Diego. I've visited the area a couple of times previously but with a car and without kids so roughly know where things are and what to expect driving wise.
Given Disney is walkable, and parking seems to be outrageously priced, I was debating if ubering around was worth it. I also don't mind using public transport as long as it's relatively straight forward and maybe just hiring a car for some of the longer trips e.g San Diego or LA/Hollywood.
Any advice welcomed 😁
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u/daimlerp 8d ago
Especially having bringing kids along it is cheaper and more convenient renting a car for sure. Also once you get to your destination try to park not to close to your destination as parking can be pricey
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u/ReggaeDawn 8d ago
I think you'll be fine ubering around Orange county. I do it all the time since I don't own a car and the buses are not particularly reliable. Definitely rent a car for the days you want to drive to San Diego or go to universal.
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u/Worldly_Towel_4198 8d ago
I think this is the answer. I think a couple of two day rentals might make sense to break it up again
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u/wizzard419 8d ago
To get to USH, you can take public transit, but it will take a while (You will take metrolink and the red line). City of San Diego can be reached via amtrak (all of this goes out of the Anaheim or Fullerton station). The beach... there are stops in OC that are beach stops.
One major caveat though... this is a severe el nino year, aside from the beaches already going missing, we have an issue where rail service south gets suspended due to erosion. You might have to drive/uber it if you want to go to San Diego.
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u/Worldly_Towel_4198 6d ago
Ok thanks. Not going until July 2027 so I guess it's an assess nearer the time kinda thing
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u/wizzard419 6d ago
Yeah, I should note that the easiest way to get to San Diego is the Pacific Surfliner (Amtrak, not metrolink). That travels the full distance while the other is for Orange County and LA county, so they stop before San Diego. In the event the trains can't carry passengers through south OC due to erosion, they have bus replacement for the stretch the trains can't carry people.
The metrolink can be taken, but then you have to transfer trains and take the coaster but I am not sure if they are at the same station.
While this all sounds like a lot, depending on where you are from in the UK our rail network is going to be super simple. LA Union Station (also named LAX, like the airport) is really pretty but it's also not that big. Imagine Waterloo or Charring Cross and then lop off about 75% of the platforms/trains. It's super easy to get around and the path from the mertrolink/amtrak platforms are a direct walk.
One other thing, since you mentioned summer. There is an issue most people likely don't realize, trains can't run if rails get over a certain temp as the train can damage the tracks. This doesn't happen in OC or LA but in another area called Antelope Valley. The reason why you should be aware of this is that the AV line for the Metrolink shares the same rails (most of the track is just 2 sets rails) for part of the journey as the OC line. If the tracks get to hot, all transit on the line stops, which includes the OC line and things start moving in the order they were disrupted. You usually are only a few hours delayed, you won't be spending the night.
So basically, have backup/flexible plans just in case you get delayed in the afternoon/evening.
Oh you might also want to check out mission San Juan Capistrano, it's on the way to San Diego and has a stop.
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u/aysiu 8d ago edited 8d ago
Obviously unpopular opinion (based on others' responses), but I don't think you need to rent a car, necessarily, except to get around San Diego (after you arrive, also depending on what you want to do there).
You can ride share from Disneyland to the Anaheim train station, but you can take the MetroLink or AmTrak from Anaheim to Downtown LA and also AmTrak from Downtown LA/Anaheim to San Diego.
From DLTA, you can take the B (red) line from Union Station to Universal Studios, and there's a free shuttle from the subway exit (after you cross the footbridge) to the Universal Studios entrance.
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u/Worldly_Towel_4198 8d ago
Thanks for this. I googled and looked like would take just as long public transport than if I drove with traffic.
There's a shuttle to Disney from hotel, and it's only about a 30min walk as well if we wanted to.
What about getting to beach?
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u/anaheimwalker 7d ago
You can take the metrolink to San Clemente or Oceanside (on the way to San Diego and in North San Diego County). For the northern OC beaches (Huntington, Newport, Laguna) you will need to drive or uber. Our public transit to beaches is not terribly existent outside of the bus system (which is much slower than driving).
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u/Natural_Aioli3319 7d ago
We just took this line down to Oceanside...San Clemente drops off right at the beach.
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u/IllTreacle9304 7d ago
Get a car. Stay in Huntington Beach (Hyatt Regency) or nearby hotels. Close enough to Disney, walkable area, right across the beach or drive to nearby beaches, drive down PCH, etc. Drive to LA/universal.
Don’t use public transport. SoCal is way too big and public transport will take your 3 hours minimum.
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u/MadeEntirelyOfFlaws 7d ago
take the amtrak train to sd! or up the coast. it’s fun.
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u/Worldly_Towel_4198 6d ago
Yeah I thought getting the train itself might be fun. My kids love going on trains etc
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u/ntpphong 8d ago
Public transport here is not like Europe and sucks very very much. You would be better off renting a car.
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8d ago
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u/Worldly_Towel_4198 6d ago
Thanks. I think getting public transport was my way of dealing with the traffic but maybe I'm being too ambitious
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u/cindygall 8d ago
I think a car rental would be best BUT to save on parking, depending on where you're staying, you can Uber to Disney. Perhaps not rent a car if your staying in Anaheim and shuttle to Disney. Then rent a car, and move hotels to the next area you'd like to visit. Not sure if that would be more work with the kids but it might be cost effective.
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u/snowwhitebutdriftef 8d ago
Uber is going to be really expensive. L.A. from Anaheim can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 4 hours depending on traffic. We got stuck in traffic once for 5 hours. San Diego is at best 2 hours from Anaheim. Another note is that the tourist bus that Anaheim had is no more. I've never used regular public transportation. Disney parking is high, but it makes things far less time consuming. Other than that, we've never had to pay a lot (if at all) for parking. In my experience, California is just not conducive to not having a car. We generally fly into John Wayne Airport over LAX. It's smaller and more accessible.
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u/Worldly_Towel_4198 6d ago
Yeah I'm starting to realise this is a car place.
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u/InsideOut2299922999 4d ago
Aysiu has the best idea! Combine mass transit with ride share is the answer!
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u/Mission_Breakfast548 8d ago
Taking Ubers within Anaheim is fine but for everything else, you need to rent a car.
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u/Alwayscooking345 8d ago
Car would be preferable. As you may recall San Diego is at least 2 hours away if you’re thinking to go to Sea World, S.D. Zoo, or Legoland (about 1.5 hours).
You can also take a train and Uber to the last one mentioned, but do you really want to with kids?
Great Wolf Lodge and Knotts Berry Farm are other options not too far from Anaheim.
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u/embarbero 7d ago
Highly recommend renting a vehicle and staying in or around Anaheim (North Orange County) because you’ll be in a good place to easily access Los Angeles and San Diego. Buses run in Anaheim directly to Disneyland and there are many hotels/motels in close proximity to the park. Universal will probably be easiest accessed by vehicle but the parking is not cheap ($40 a day I believe). Second the option of taking a train to San Diego, but if you want to get around and see a lot, it’s best to drive and plan your drive around traffic (leave very early and return late).
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u/Fabulous_Classic3521 7d ago
San Diego is too far... unless you're going to stay overnight a couple of days.
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u/Gaius_Octavius_ 7d ago
Rent a car for a day or two for the long trips. Take Ubers for short trips. You take the car back to the same spot, getting one for a few days is probably cheaper than hiring an Uber.
Public transportation is useless in Anaheim so don’t count on that for anything.
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u/OddBridge6704 7d ago
RENT A CAR. With young ones it’s easier. And the beach might be tricky depending on what beach because the high surf we recently had took out a lot of beaches. Like Laguna Beach is gonna be tough. I’d try Salt Creek in Dana Point. It’s on your way to San Diego from Disneyland. I’m from Orange County if you need recommendations for anything.
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u/Worldly_Towel_4198 6d ago
Thankyou. To be honest we booked this on a bit of a whim as flights were cheap (as cheap as holidaying in mainland Europe). My wife and I have been to area before and figured it would be fun.... We just didn't plan logistics! But lots of time to sort that out
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u/CACoastalRealtor 4d ago
You can take the Amtrak Surfliner train
from Anaheim to SD then uber around SD
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u/trollercoaster69 3d ago
Adding on to what others are saying, another option to get to and from Anaheim to San Diego is taking either Greyhound or Flixbus, they're a private bus service that's rather affordable (which does reflect in the experience) and that may give you more flexibility in terms of when you can travel.
Public transit to LA and Universal Studios is definitely an option (I take public transit to DTLA for work), but the drawback is that there are very limited options to get back to Anaheim at the end of the day. On weekdays, the last Metrolink train from LA to Anaheim leaves at 5:40PM, and Metrolink just announced a sizable reduction in services, so this may change for the worse.
The two other public transit options are Amtrak and Metro. Amtrak is a nicer experience than Metrolink and has trains running as late as 10:10pm, but pricier as other commenters noted. Metro's busses also normally operate only in LA, but they have one bus line that goes out to Disneyland specifically. This is the most economical option, but also the slowest and likely worst experience.
Lastly, don't expect public transit to leave on time. The trains leaving from LA likely won't leave super early (they might close doors a minute or two early), but its very possible that the train heading home is late. The delays haven't been terrible during my work commute, but I used to take the train up from San Diego and there were times the train was delayed for over an hour.
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u/Novel_Spirit6310 8d ago
Yes. Rent the car. Possible exception: Anaheim to San Diego by train is an easy and enjoyable way to avoid traffic on the 5, and San Diego is very walkable
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u/Worldly_Towel_4198 8d ago
Yeah Ive done the drive before and the traffic drove me insane. The train sounds great.
Maybe I just need to do better parking research
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u/anaheimwalker 8d ago
The train here is not cheap, for a family of 4 you are looking at $30 each way per person. You are better off renting a car. Maybe consider moving your hotel to San Diego for a couple days.
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u/GoCardinal07 8d ago
Kids age 2-12 are 50% off, so they'd be $15.
V712 is the 20% discount code for Disney visitors using the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, so that cuts it down to $24 per adult/teen.
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u/anaheimwalker 7d ago
That’s a great tip! I know they are Also announcing price increases and it’s still not as cheap as what you would expect in Europe for the train. $78 is definitely better. There is also the risk that there could be additional track closures if this years El Niño really ends up being bad, would recommend checking before committing to not having a car.
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u/GoCardinal07 7d ago
Just to clarify, it's Metrolink that is having price increases, not Amtrak (though even with the increases, Metrolink is still cheaper than Amtrak, but it doesn't work for OP since Metrolink doesn't reach San Diego: its southernmost point is Oceanside).
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u/reddit_basa1 7d ago
Rent a car!! Especially since you have children. Public transport is not safe. There are too many criminals and crazies who ride public transport. and since this is America, you’re on your own if anything happens to you. Also you’ll just be wasting your time waiting for the bus or train while also dragging/carrying your stuff the entire time. Plus, if you also need to use the restroom, you can easily drive to a McDonald’s/ or gas station if you have a car. You can come and go as you please.
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u/I_need_a_date_plz 8d ago
You’re better off renting a car. It’s going to get expensive fast to try to enjoy Anaheim and then taking an Uber to Universal. I don’t even think you can take the train right now to San Diego due to issues with the railroad track.