which airport to fly into?

We are considering a weeklong trip to Disneyland and area with our three children in September. Seat sales give us great rates to the LAX and Expedia has a decent deal to Orange County Airport. What I am wondering is how long and how difficult is it to drive(rental car)to and from the LAX? As well, weatherwise is September still nice and warm?

which airport to fly into?

If you can I would recommend flying into John Wayne (Santa Ana). It%26#39;s the most convenient for the Anaheim Resort area. As a local I really detest LAX and don%26#39;t use it unless I have to.

September is typically warm, if not down right hot. Make sure you pack shorts and bathing suits for during the day and a lightweight jacket for the evening.

which airport to fly into?

I%26#39;d go with Orange County Airport (John Wayne). It%26#39;s a nice, small airport and much closer to the Disney Resorts. September is a great time to visit. Most likely it will be nice and sunny and warm.

Spend the extra bucks and fly into Orange County. As far as driving, not really a problem. Just make sure you get an Orange County map ahead of time and study it, so you will have an idea where you are going. Take care and Merry Christmas. Chuck...

My ratings...

The top 2 airports are about 14 miles from Disneyland.

1. Long Beach (LGB)

2. John Wayne (aka Santa Ana/Orange County/SNA)

Long Beach is a very small airport, with very easy access to Disneyland (just exit west from the airport, and you will end up at Disneyland (taking Wardrow which turns into Ball Road). The drawback, small slow airport, not many flights, the main Airline is Jet Blue, your other choice is Alaska, you would fly Alberta to Seattle, then change planes.

John Wayne is much bigger than Long Beach (but John Wayne is small compared to LAX). More flights, also longer waits in Security, etc.

The next two are about 35 miles from Disneyland.

3. LAX

4. Ontario

For many folks, especially international flights, is LAX. Lots of flights and choices, but easy to get confused as to where to go. Also, taxis are expensive, but you do have the Disneyland Express Airport Bus as a better option.

Ontario is newer and fairly slow, but doesn%26#39;t have much in transportation choices. You only real choice is a rental car. Big Drawback, the freeways to Disneyland usually have heavy traffic much of the day, and can seem to take forever to get to Anaheim.

As for taxis, all major companies serve all 4 airports mentioned above, and seems to have the same rates.

I like using Hotwire.com to check the rates on the exact days of your visit. Great tool, and no obligation to just check the rates based on the type of car you want.

A drive from Long Beach or John Wyane would take about 30 minutes or less, the Rental Cars are very close to the luggage pick up at both airports.

From LAX, it is about an hour%26#39;s drive. But you will have to catch a shuttle bus from your terminal to the rental cars, which are located away from the airport.

As for September%26#39;s weather, it can be Hot or just nice, not much chance for cold and/or rain.

here%26#39;s another vote for Orange. Even when it is extra $$ to fly into Orange, we do. It is very small and easy to find your way around.

The weather should till be warm in September too.

The only reason I%26#39;d consider LAX is if you can get a non-stop flight from Alberta. Very unlikely you%26#39;d be able to do that to Long Beach or John Wayne.

Another vote for Orange County! The only problem I have with Orange County is actually when taking off from the airport.

I wasn%26#39;t paying attention to the pilot announcement due to a meditation I was doing to be calm since I don%26#39;t like to fly. All of a sudden, we are blasting down the runway, and up and away at a very steep angle! Luckily the gal across the aisle saw my face and explained why. The takeoff pattern is over residential and is to minimize neighborhood impact.

Your kids will consider it the last ride of the trip like my nephews did when we took them!

I%26#39;d take the non-stop flight from Calgary or Edmonton to LAX. You will not find a non-stop to SNA. A non-stop flight is always preferable to a connection.

We fly from Victoria to Seattle, then Seattle to Orange

No big deal, the luggage is checked and you usually have time for a bite to eat too. You could probably get the same idea from Edmonton or Calgary.

The drive from LAX to Anaheim is CRAZY. And the shuttles and buses take a long time.

Hi Kimbra:

If your savings are more than $50 a ticket, it is probably worth the hassle to fly to LAX. Be warned though, you do not want to get into LAX during the evening rush hour, from about 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Traffic is a nightmare. If your savings are less than $50 a ticket, it is worthwhile to fly into SNA (Orange County).

As a family of four we have flown in and out of LAX to save money, but only on peak times such as Christmas. Generally airfares fall in September so you should be able to find a good price to SNA. I have heard that Air Canada is trying to get a gate at SNA, if they do that could really help you save on airfare from Canada.

With regard to the weather, SoCal is hot from about the Fourth of July to late October, September can be right in the middle of our hot weather. However, summers here tend to range from mild to hot. This year September was a hot month.

Have a nice trip.