[Question] Trains to/from Disneyland

[The Shadoe]

Hi all!

I haven't been to the Disneyland Resort since the 45th Anniversary - so it's been awhile! My sister was a competitive dancer, and her national dance competitions were held at WDW so that's where I always went, save for the year of the 45th when it was at Disneyland.

I absolutely love WDW but the past 10 years have seen a shift from WDW being the better-maintained attraction to DL being the better-maintained attraction and I'd like to check out all the new stuff, and now I'm not tied down by dance stuff.

I would like this to be a very train-centric trip. I am coming from Minnesota via Amtrak (seems like a nice, chill way to see a lot of the country).

My questions are:

I am planning on getting 2 day park-hoppers to experience Disneyland and DCA. The days I will be in Anaheim are July 29-Aug 1. I'm thinking of visiting the parks on July 30 & 31st (Monday and Tuesday). How busy are these days usually?

I'd also like to take a day trip to Hollywood (perhaps hit up Universal), as well as the beach. Any recommendations? I would like to avoid renting a car; is Hollywood accessible by train from the Disneyland area? And any particular recommended beaches that are accessible via train?

[sediment]

Re: Trains to/from Disneyland

It's mid-summer, so pretty busy. New stuff in DCA, so plan accordingly.

AMTRAK to Union Station, then Metro Red Line to Hollywood.

San Clemente Pier has a stop on AMTRAK. Probably the closest to a beach, seeing that the stop is right at the beach.

[Ryan120420]

Re: Trains to/from Disneyland

1. Are you staying in the Disneyland area?



Amtrak IS NOT your only option. You can take either a Metrolink train from Anaheim Amtrak/Metrolink station or Fullerton Amtrak/Metrolink Station to LA Union Station. From there you would transfer to the MetroRed Line (subway) to go to Hollywood.

OR

You can take LA Metro 460 bus from Disneyland (picks you up right in front of the park on Harbor Boulevard) and go to 7th Street Metro Station. From there you would transfer to the Metro RedLine to Hollywood.


One of the awesome benefits of using Metrolink instead of Amtrak, is that your Metrolink ticket is good for most LA Metro and OCTA buses and trains all day. So if you are going to sight see in Hollywood/LA, keep your ticket as it will come in use for transfers.



Yes, there are beaches that are reachable by train. Metrolink serves: San Clemente, San Clemente Pier, and Oceanside.

LA Metro

LA Metro Home


Metrolink.

Welcome to Metrolink

[alphabassetgrrl]

Re: Trains to/from Disneyland

Yep- you can get to Hollywood on the trains! Red line goes to Hollywood and North Hollywood, Gold line to East LA and Altadena. I wouldn't recommend the Blue line- it's very slow but if you do take it, it goes to Long Beach. All the colored lines start at Union Station.

I love the trains! My only wish is for a later train in the evening; on the route I take, I have to leave Disneyland around 5/5:30 which is kind of a drag.

I hope you have a great trip! (I miss Minneapolis.....)

[sediment]

Re: Trains to/from Disneyland

Problem with Metrolink is its lack of late-night trains. Which is why I chose to ignore it as a choice.

Woohoo, you save $3 with a metrolink pass.
So, optimal method is to take metrolink in the morning (lots of choices of trains then), then take Amtrak back to Anaheim. (More Metrolink trains at afternoon rush hour.)

[DisneyIPresume]

Re: Trains to/from Disneyland

You can probably do Universal and Hollywood on the same trip especially since they are both on the Red Line. Keep in mind that Universal is not really in the heart of Hollywood, which most people consider as being Hollywood Blvd and the Walk of Fame. To visit both places requires you get on and off at the Hollywood/Highland station for the Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre. And to get on again and get off at the Universal City station for Universal Studios. I suggest going to Universal first and then go to Hollywood for late afternoon and/or dinner.

You also mention going to the beach on the same day. I highly do not recommend this as there really is no time. Also please don't make the mistake many people from out of state do and assume that the only beach to go to is Venice. Disneyland is a lot closer to the beach in Orange County than most people realize - 15-20 miles tops. The most popular and closest beaches would be either Newport Beach or Huntington Beach. You can't get there by train but you can find a bus route on Ohio Cable Telecommunications Association | OCTA (or maybe .net?).

[steamboatpete]

Re: Trains to/from Disneyland

The closest train station to Disneyland is the Anaheim station at Angel Stadium. From there to Disneyland. A bus option is available, but honestly, I would take a cab. You can take buses to Newport Beach, which is awesome. You can schedule your bus trips using information here:
Welcome To The Orange County Transportation Authority

It has great info. For example, you can do a trip plan and tell it you want to search from landmark "Disneyland" to landmark "Balboa Pier" and it will tell you to take bus 43 to Newport and 18th (Triangle Square) and then transfer to bus 71, which takes you to the beach.

http://justclick.octa.net/Hastinfoweb/TVPOptions.aspx?moniker=Q3JlYXRlVFZQOlRWUE9wdGlvbnM6ODg3NzJhOWItODU4YS00YzYxLWJkZDctNDU5OWE3MzNhODQ4

From Anaheim, train-wise, you can take Amtrak or Metrolink. Metrolink can take you to two beaches - San Clemente, about 30 minutes south, or Oceanside (my adopted home town) about an hour south. O'side is the end of the Metrolink line. The Amtrak stop at Central Station in L.A. also has connections to the Metrolinks that take you all over L.A. My favorite stop in Hollywood drops you off right across from the Pantages Theatre. However, as someone already noted, these trains do not run very late. Make note of te latest trains, Amtrak or Metro, or you might have a $100 cab ride as your only option.

[DisneyIPresume]

Re: Trains to/from Disneyland

You can probably do Universal and Hollywood on the same trip especially since they are both on the Red Line. Keep in mind that Universal is not really in the heart of Hollywood, which most people consider as being Hollywood Blvd and the Walk of Fame. To visit both places requires you get on and off at the Hollywood/Highland station for the Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre. And to get on again and get off at the Universal City station for Universal Studios. I suggest going to Universal first and then go to Hollywood for late afternoon and/or dinner.

You also mention going to the beach on the same day. I highly do not recommend this as there really is no time. Also please don't make the mistake many people from out of state do and assume that the only beach to go to is Venice. Disneyland is a lot closer to the beach in Orange County than most people realize - 15-20 miles tops. The most popular and closest beaches would be either Newport Beach or Huntington Beach. You can't get there by train but you can find a bus route on Ohio Cable Telecommunications Association | OCTA (or maybe .net?).

The closest train station to Disneyland is the Anaheim station at Angel Stadium. From there to Disneyland. A bus option is available, but honestly, I would take a cab. You can take buses to Newport Beach, which is awesome. You can schedule your bus trips using information here:
Welcome To The Orange County Transportation Authority

It has great info. For example, you can do a trip plan and tell it you want to search from landmark "Disneyland" to landmark "Balboa Pier" and it will tell you to take bus 43 to Newport and 18th (Triangle Square) and then transfer to bus 71, which takes you to the beach.

http://justclick.octa.net/Hastinfoweb/TVPOptions.aspx?moniker=Q3JlYXRlVFZQOlRWUE9wdGlvbnM6ODg3NzJhOWItODU4YS00YzYxLWJkZDctNDU5OWE3MzNhODQ4

From Anaheim, train-wise, you can take Amtrak or Metrolink. Metrolink can take you to two beaches - San Clemente, about 30 minutes south, or Oceanside (my adopted home town) about an hour south. O'side is the end of the Metrolink line. The Amtrak stop at Central Station in L.A. also has connections to the Metrolinks that take you all over L.A. My favorite stop in Hollywood drops you off right across from the Pantages Theatre. However, as someone already noted, these trains do not run very late. Make note of te latest trains, Amtrak or Metro, or you might have a $100 cab ride as your only option.

Thanks for putting up the correct link! It's Orange County - NOT OHIO!