Disneyland and universal trip - where to stay

[Skippy918]

Hi. Hoping this group can help. We’re planning to go to Disneyland and universal studios Hollywood and trying to figure out if we should stay near each park for a couple nights or somewhere in between for the trip. Any tips? We’ve never been to LA and I heard the traffic is bad. Is it feasible to stay somewhere halfway between both parks? Thanks!

 

[Disney0010]

Yes, traffic in Los Angeles lives up to its reputation. Personally, I would split my trip up and stay near each park to make the day easier.

 

[ady2glude707]

Separate both trips if you can

 

[SFMommy]

Either have 2 separate hotels or stay near Disneyland and have 1 day of driving. Don’t stay half way between the two areas.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

So I was pushing for separating the trip so much but we couldn’t give up the incredible deal we got at the Fairfield Inn across from Disneyland. We will be renting a car for a couple days and ubering. In discussing with those going on the trip last night as well as friends and family that live in LA and CA, we’d rather fight LA traffic on a weekend then a weekday and are trying to plan as much as possible in LA for a weekend. While this might and most likely will backfire in terms of traffic, we’d rather be in basic traffic then rush hour traffic (I’ve even checked maps at various times of day to see what the deal is because we live on the east coast.)

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

The trade off for Universal on a weekend vs a weekday is potentially saving time with traffic, but from the trip reports I've been reading Universal is much busier on weekends than weekdays, so that's something to consider too.

 

[CeCe0906]

Don't know when you are going, but we are doing a similar trip in August. We are arriving on a Monday and stating at DLH Mon, Tues, Wed nights and then transferring to the Hilton near Universal on Thursday night, after spending the day at the parks. That way we can both miss the heavy traffic ( I was told to go after 8pm) and be able to go around opening at Universal without getting up extra early to take advantage of lower crowds.

It doesn't look far, but a poster here said there are regular miles and LA miles. I'd rather spend my time in the parks than in traffic.

Let us know how it goes, I'd love to hear about your trip.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

The trade off for Universal on a weekend vs a weekday is potentially saving time with traffic, but from the trip reports I've been reading Universal is much busier on weekends than weekdays, so that's something to consider too.

This is the hardest part for us with figuring stuff out. Do we do Knotts on a weekend and fight the LA traffic on a weekday to get to universal or the reverse?

 

[Steven G]

On my last trip in March, we did this:
We got a VRBO house near Universal (about 10 minutes away) and stayed there for a few days (did Universal and other stuff)
We then packed up, and drove to Knotts Berry Farm with our luggage in the car.
At the end of the Knotts day, we drove to our harbor blvd hotel and spent the rest of the time there (and disneyland).

 

[Skippy918]

Don't know when you are going, but we are doing a similar trip in August. We are arriving on a Monday and stating at DLH Mon, Tues, Wed nights and then transferring to the Hilton near Universal on Thursday night, after spending the day at the parks. That way we can both miss the heavy traffic ( I was told to go after 8pm) and be able to go around opening at Universal without getting up extra early to take advantage of lower crowds.

It doesn't look far, but a poster here said there are regular miles and LA miles. I'd rather spend my time in the parks than in traffic.

Let us know how it goes, I'd love to hear about your trip.

We’re going May 26th thru part of the following week. Also going to San Diego but staying with a friend there.

 

[chezcurrie]

I second everyone saying do 2 stays if you can. It will make *everything* more enjoyable. You can also do a fair bit of sightseeing on your way out of LA e route to Orange County. We did the Griffith Observatory (inc seeing the Hollywood sign from there) and Brea Tar puts on our “travel day”

We did a triple split stay trip in December - 2 nights @ Universal (The Garland Hotel, amazing, HIGHLY recommend!!!), 5 nights at GCH/DLH and 3 at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach. Of all the hotels my favourite was The Garland, and that’s saying a lot because all the hotels were awesome. The staff were amazing, they have a great activities calendar (old school movies by the pool), it feels like you are staying at a old school swanky Hollywood execs estate, and the trolley to Universal is just dang adorable.

Have a great trip!

 

[Skippy918]

We have a plan to do 3 days at Disney, 1 at universal, and also go to knotty berry farm. Hoping to find an Airbnb near Anaheim.

 

[shosh1530]

Of all the hotels my favourite was The Garland, and that’s saying a lot because all the hotels were awesome. The staff were amazing, they have a great activities calendar (old school movies by the pool), it feels like you are staying at a old school swanky Hollywood execs estate, and the trolley to Universal is just dang adorable.

We are also planning a Disneyland/Universal trip and trying to decide where to stay for the Universal portion. I'm debating between the Garland and the Hilton, which is walking distance.

Can you tell me more about the Trolley? Is it free? Provided by the hotel? How often does it run.

 

[DLgal]

Stay at the Hilton Universal City for your LA time. Stay near Disneyland for that portion.

 

[Geemo]

Hi. Hoping this group can help. We’re planning to go to Disneyland and universal studios Hollywood and trying to figure out if we should stay near each park for a couple nights or somewhere in between for the trip. Any tips? We’ve never been to LA and I heard the traffic is bad. Is it feasible to stay somewhere halfway between both parks? Thanks!

When Universal is part of our trip, we fly into Burbank and stay at the Sheraton right there at Universal. There is a free shuttle bus from the hotel to the park entrance. I believe it runs every 15 minutes. We usually get a rental car to make it easier to get to DLR. There are several return offices in the area. But Alamo is the easiest because they have an office right in Paradise Pier Hotel.

Then we transfer down to a hotel at DLR. Sometimes we stay on-site and other times we stay on Harbor. We want to be walking distance to the parks.

Enjoy you trip!

 

[robert_j]

We stayed at the Hilton last week. It is nothing special in terms of accommodations, but the location is very good. We arrived the night before our visit to Universal after flying into LAX, had breakfast at the hotel (overpriced for what you get), and checked out before walking to the park.

We left our bags in the rental car, and we were able to keep it in the garage until 5:00 without incurring additional fees. We got express passes at Universal (expensive but worth it) so we were done by 4:00. It took a solid 2 hours in LA traffic to drive to the DLH on a Wednesday.

 

[soniam]

Do Knott's while staying near Disneyland. They are really close. Move to a hotel near Universal to do it. That's what we are doing in June. We will have a rental car though.

 

[hsmamainva]

We are planning on the Sheraton Universal for 2 nights after our 6 night Disneyland trip — it looks very nice & has a free shuttle to Universal

 

[chezcurrie]

We are also planning a Disneyland/Universal trip and trying to decide where to stay for the Universal portion. I'm debating between the Garland and the Hilton, which is walking distance.

Can you tell me more about the Trolley? Is it free? Provided by the hotel? How often does it run.

The trolley is free and runs every hour int he morning and every 2 hrs in the evening afternoon. It’s a fun short 7min ride to Universal through the windy streets. Felt like a ride of its own. I seriously can not wait to go back for a staycation in the future!

 

[DontSpamMe]

This is the hardest part for us with figuring stuff out. Do we do Knotts on a weekend and fight the LA traffic on a weekday to get to universal or the reverse?

There is a fairly significant difference between Knotts on a weekday vs Knotts on a weekend. If you are going during the summer then the difference isn't as big.

We visited all 3 parks in January just before COVID (perfect timing) and stayed in Montebello. It was about 30 minutes to the parks (on a weekend). Next time, I would just split the hotel to be closer to each.