Train from San Diego to Disneyland?

[Aspencreek]

We're going to be down in San Diego in March and I learned on these forums about the Amtrak Surfliner that runs from SD to Anaheim. Dying to give the train a try and wondering if it is feasible to do a same day trip up to Disneyland and back? Or is that too far and too much hassle for a single day? If that doesn't seem like a good idea is there another great place to ride to and spend a few hours or most of a day? Not familiar enough with the areas when I look at the Amtrak stops to know where would be fun if not DL. Thanks!

 

[ParkHopper1]

Yea...you can train from SD to Anaheim then Uber or bus to the parks from the station...not really a time saver over driving and we had some friends that did just as you were proposing but did not arrive till later morning and were rushing to get back and catch the last return train vs staying in the parks later...so check the schedules.

Seems like a good idea but they regretted not just renting a car for the day so they were not beholden to the trains schedule and would have been about the same price but been able to get a full day in.

 

[DLgal]

That is not a feasible option, IMO. If you needed to get up to Anaheim from SD and were staying up there, it would be. But that ride is long and requires a transfer or Uber ride to Disneyland from the Anaheim station.

If you will be in San Diego, there is not really any reason to just ride the train sometimes else and back in the same day. SD has plenty of things to see and do. Nothing up north is worth traveling by train for a day trip.

If you want to visit Disneyland, rent a car for the day and get on the road by 6am.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Amtrak has not had through service from San Diego to Orange County for many months due to track issues (you have had to transfer by bus) but I just saw that they will resume direct trains from San Diego to Orange County starting this weekend (weekends only).

 

[Aspencreek]

Yea...you can train from SD to Anaheim then Uber or bus to the parks from the station...not really a time saver over driving and we had some friends that did just as you were proposing but did not arrive till later morning and were rushing to get back and catch the last return train vs staying in the parks later...so check the schedules.

Seems like a good idea but they regretted not just renting a car for the day so they were not beholden to the trains schedule and would have been about the same price but been able to get a full day in.

Yeah, probably way too much hassle for the time frame. Thanks for the reply.

That is not a feasible option, IMO. If you needed to get up to Anaheim from SD and were staying up there, it would be. But that ride is long and requires a transfer or Uber ride to Disneyland from the Anaheim station.

If you will be in San Diego, there is not really any reason to just ride the train sometimes else and back in the same day. SD has plenty of things to see and do. Nothing up north is worth traveling by train for a day trip.

If you want to visit Disneyland, rent a car for the day and get on the road by 6am.

Ok, will skip the train idea. We actually will have a car rented but I'd thought from a post on here somewhere that the train was a mellow, scenic, fun way to go up to DL from SD. Maybe it can be but certainly not as a day trip back and forth. Thanks for the info DLgal. Been looking through some of your advice on SD hotels on old posts and will probably take the advice to stay in the Gaslamp or maybe Little Italy area. I do enjoy the ease of walking everywhere.

 

[Aspencreek]

Amtrak has not had through service from San Diego to Orange County for many months due to track issues (you have had to transfer by bus) but I just saw that they will resume direct trains from San Diego to Orange County starting this weekend (weekends only).

Really? Oh, that'd be awful if a bus transfer was in the mix. Probably going to skip the train with the feedback given. Thanks for the heads-up!

 

[felice]

Yeah, probably way too much hassle for the time frame. Thanks for the reply.



Ok, will skip the train idea. We actually will have a car rented but I'd thought from a post on here somewhere that the train was a mellow, scenic, fun way to go up to DL from SD. Maybe it can be but certainly not as a day trip back and forth. Thanks for the info DLgal. Been looking through some of your advice on SD hotels on old posts and will probably take the advice to stay in the Gaslamp or maybe Little Italy area. I do enjoy the ease of walking everywhere.

Don't necessarily discount the 2-star hotels in the Little Italy area - we stayed in one recently (Harborview Inn & Suites) in SD. Whilst there was no on-site restaurant for meals, the hotel itself was comfortable and clean. and the room was a decent size too. Our hotel also had a small car park, but there were plenty spaces available. Restaurants in Little Italy are slightly more expensive than those elsewhere so do bear that in mind, although the service was fantastic so we had no complaints.

 

[StormyCA]

IDK about to DL, but you can take the train from San Diego to LA's Union Station (once service is restored to the SD leg). There are things to do within walking distance; Olvera Street, Chinatown, Phillippe's Original (home of the French Dip-YUM!). Union Station itself is a pretty cool old building and worth a look-around. It's easy to catch an Uber if you want to explore further afield and there is plenty to see within a few miles radius. If you want to catch a game, the 'Dodger Express' buses leave from Union Station and drop you off right up front of the stadium. There's also the Grand Central Market about a mile away. Foodie heaven!

As with most 'Big City downtowns', the area around the station can be kind of 'sketch' at times, although we've never encountered any problems.

 

[kristensideaoffun]

Yeah, probably way too much hassle for the time frame. Thanks for the reply.



Ok, will skip the train idea. We actually will have a car rented but I'd thought from a post on here somewhere that the train was a mellow, scenic, fun way to go up to DL from SD. Maybe it can be but certainly not as a day trip back and forth. Thanks for the info DLgal. Been looking through some of your advice on SD hotels on old posts and will probably take the advice to stay in the Gaslamp or maybe Little Italy area. I do enjoy the ease of walking everywhere.

As someone that took the train the DLR all the time from San Diego (before the service between north SD County and OC was temporarily discontinued), it’s absolutely doable for a day trip if you’re looking for a more relaxing trip than driving. If you’re driving up there or back during rush hour, it’s absolutely time saver. It’s a wash without traffic if you take into account that you’re dropped off directly at Harbor security in an Uber while you’d have to park if you have a car and then take a tram or bus in. I can’t tell you how many times I have sat with a glass of wine in my hand on the trip home watching all the red lights of cars stuck in traffic. Trains leave about every 90 minutes starting at around 4:30am. Last train service out of Anaheim is usually around 11:30pm.

A little known fact about the trains - you can purchase a ticket for the last train out of town and use that ticket on any of the trains beforehand without having to change your ticket. As long as you don’t miss the train your ticket is attached to, you can take any train before it. If you’re worried you will miss your train, you can easily change your ticket to a later train on the website or in the app, there are no change fees.

Traveling by train is way less flexible than traveling but car but it’s definitely doable.

 

[nalabear]

We've done the train when a person needs to meet up with rest of crew that leaves earlier in either direction. It's not a fun day trip as the time spent dwelling at the station simply sucks away the benefit -- use only if no car available IMHO.

March -- weekends still probably only available until the tracks at San Clemente get fixed since they are single tracking it there and cargo trains get priority.

The scene is beautiful - between Solano Beach and Capistrano. Hard to beat.

 

[Aspencreek]

Thanks for the great info Kristen and Nala. Looks like the train MAY resume full through service by the time we get there in late March but might not. If it does maybe we'll give it a try but otherwise will save it for the future.

 

[starlite_]

A few friends took it once, they agreed it was better than the bus but not better than a car.

 

[bcla]

That is not a feasible option, IMO. If you needed to get up to Anaheim from SD and were staying up there, it would be. But that ride is long and requires a transfer or Uber ride to Disneyland from the Anaheim station.

There are several ways to do that and all it requires is showing a valid Pacific Surfliner ticket. And it's supposed to be a Pacific Surfliner ticket, although once I was thinking of seeing if I could just show an Amtrak bus ticket (San Joaquin to Bakersfield then an Amtrak contracted bus to Anaheim) and get a free ride on OCTA 50. But that was the first day of their maintenance workers' strike so I didn't get to test that out. But supposedly one can ride specific OCTA routes or even get a scheduled or on-demand ride on ART. My understanding is that they should be able to give a ride to pretty much any ART destination, but they don't make it terribly clear. I've actually paid for ART tickets and have gone from the train station to Buena Park. My understanding is that ART Route 15 doesn't really exist any more and it's pretty much only on-demand rides from the train station. I haven't had the greatest luck with those rides. I've waited up to 40 minutes for an available driver to pick me up.

https://www.pacificsurfliner.com/plan-your-trip/connections/local-transit-services/​

ANAHEIM STATION: Free transfers to Orange County Transportation Authority and Anaheim Resort Transportation buses.​

• Disneyland® Resort: Anaheim Resort Transportation Route 15 (request ride).
• Anaheim GardenWalk: Anaheim Resort Transit Route 15 (request ride) or OCTA Route 50 (16 minutes).
• Anaheim Convention Center: OCTA Route 50 (16 minutes) or Anaheim Resort Transit Route 15 (request ride).

https://www.pacificsurfliner.com/blog/take-the-train-to-the-happiest-place-on-earth/​

3. You can call an Uber or Lyft to the station for a trip to the park (app required, costs apply), or you can request a free Anaheim Resort Transit bus pickup with the A-Way WeGo app (Apple and Android devices). Download it on your mobile device and sign up with an email address, and select "ART" or "ANAHEIM – ART AND FRAN" as your transit region. Select "On-Demand" and tap the option that says "Disneyland Main Transportation Center – 14". Your starting "From" area is ARTIC Bay 12 and 13. Wait at Bus Bay 12 for the next Anaheim Resort Transit bus to arrive. It will take you from the train station to the Disneyland® Resort.​

The last time I took the Pacific Surfliner was from Anaheim to Santa Barbara. I was going to take an OCTA bus because of some mild knee pain. I had my paper Amtrak ticket out along with the fare, and when an OCTA driver saw it she said it was fine if I was just going to the train station. It wasn't route 50 like it says.

 

[chezcurrie]

Yeah, probably way too much hassle for the time frame. Thanks for the reply.



Ok, will skip the train idea. We actually will have a car rented but I'd thought from a post on here somewhere that the train was a mellow, scenic, fun way to go up to DL from SD. Maybe it can be but certainly not as a day trip back and forth. Thanks for the info DLgal. Been looking through some of your advice on SD hotels on old posts and will probably take the advice to stay in the Gaslamp or maybe Little Italy area. I do enjoy the ease of walking everywhere.

I live in San Diego and do day trips to Orange County (and Disneyland) often. Depending on where you are in San Diego it can be an hour to 90 min, and it’s a pretty drive for the first stretch, and then again when the mountains come into view.

That said, if it’s simply a scenic drive you want there are plenty in San Diego county. I’d suggest hopping on the 101 and driving up through carlsbad. Once you hit the Encinitas/carlsbad border it opens up and is all ocean - lots of free parking on the southbound side as well. Further south you have Cardiff, del mar and La jolla that also have some amazing views and are fairly easy to pull over and check out (again, easier if driving southbound as that’s where the parking and turnoffs are, but we Californians love our u turns so no big deal. If you’re headed into La jolla look up the Torrey pines glider port and pull off the freeway for a spell and take in the views of Torrey pines. It’s stunning.

 

[glocon]

That is not a feasible option, IMO. If you needed to get up to Anaheim from SD and were staying up there, it would be. But that ride is long and requires a transfer or Uber ride to Disneyland from the Anaheim station.

If you will be in San Diego, there is not really any reason to just ride the train sometimes else and back in the same day. SD has plenty of things to see and do. Nothing up north is worth traveling by train for a day trip.

If you want to visit Disneyland, rent a car for the day and get on the road by 6am.

I live in San Diego and do day trips to Orange County (and Disneyland) often. Depending on where you are in San Diego it can be an hour to 90 min, and it’s a pretty drive for the first stretch, and then again when the mountains come into view.

That said, if it’s simply a scenic drive you want there are plenty in San Diego county. I’d suggest hopping on the 101 and driving up through carlsbad. Once you hit the Encinitas/carlsbad border it opens up and is all ocean - lots of free parking on the southbound side as well. Further south you have Cardiff, del mar and La jolla that also have some amazing views and are fairly easy to pull over and check out (again, easier if driving southbound as that’s where the parking and turnoffs are, but we Californians love our u turns so no big deal. If you’re headed into La jolla look up the Torrey pines glider port and pull off the freeway for a spell and take in the views of Torrey pines. It’s stunning.

How long is the drive to DL from SD?

My son is a slow starter so we probably wouldn’t leave til about noonish.

First day wouldn’t be a park day but I’d like to have time at whatever resort we stay at.

Once out of San Diego (Mission Bay area) is the traffic not too bad until closer to Anaheim?

Thanks for your input!

 

[chezcurrie]

How long is the drive to DL from SD?

My son is a slow starter so we probably wouldn’t leave til about noonish.

First day wouldn’t be a park day but I’d like to have time at whatever resort we stay at.

Once out of San Diego (Mission Bay area) is the traffic not too bad until closer to Anaheim?

Thanks for your input!

From mission bay l’d give yourself closer to 2 hrs to get to your hotel. It’s a very easy drive once you are on the 5. I used to live in Toronto and Boston and have never encountered traffic anything close to either of those cities, so I am biased. Usually it is because of an accident or you could have small pockets of delay due to rush hour. Again, nothing like I have ever experienced in other cities. At the time of day you are leaving I wouldn’t anticipate anything crazy.

 

[nalabear]

2hours from Mission Bay - DLR. traffic in legoland area, sometimes through camp Pendleton then again irvine and just before DLR at the cube. 3-7pm worst times to transit.

 

[glocon]

Hi!

My family and I did our first trip to DLR last summer! Feel free to DM or look through my trip report if you have any questions!

From mission bay l’d give yourself closer to 2 hrs to get to your hotel. It’s a very easy drive once you are on the 5. I used to live in Toronto and Boston and have never encountered traffic anything close to either of those cities, so I am biased. Usually it is because of an accident or you could have small pockets of delay due to rush hour. Again, nothing like I have ever experienced in other cities. At the time of day you are leaving I wouldn’t anticipate anything crazy.

2hours from Mission Bay - DLR. traffic in legoland area, sometimes through camp Pendleton then again irvine and just before DLR at the cube. 3-7pm worst times to transit.

Thanks- hopefully noon will be the latest we head up.
You all are so helpful!

 

[DLgal]

How long is the drive to DL from SD?

My son is a slow starter so we probably wouldn’t leave til about noonish.

First day wouldn’t be a park day but I’d like to have time at whatever resort we stay at.

Once out of San Diego (Mission Bay area) is the traffic not too bad until closer to Anaheim?

Thanks for your input!

So, we live in Irvine and my husband just spent the last 3 years commuting to San Diego a few times a week.

If you are doing this drive on a weekday, try as hard as you can to leave BEFORE noon. If you do that, you will get to Anaheim within 2 hours.

If you leave too late, you will hit traffic snarls in several places. If you aren't past Irvine before 2pm, the last leg to Anaheim will take you a LONG time. It can be up to 45 min to just go those last 15 miles.

If this trip will be on a weekend, Saturday you will be fine. Sunday will be like a weekday.

The ideal time to do this drive is 10am.

 

[glocon]

So, we live in Irvine and my husband just spent the last 3 years commuting to San Diego a few times a week.

If you are doing this drive on a weekday, try as hard as you can to leave BEFORE noon. If you do that, you will get to Anaheim within 2 hours.

If you leave too late, you will hit traffic snarls in several places. If you aren't past Irvine before 2pm, the last leg to Anaheim will take you a LONG time. It can be up to 45 min to just go those last 15 miles.

If this trip will be on a weekend, Saturday you will be fine. Sunday will be like a weekday.

The ideal time to do this drive is 10am.

Probably a Friday.
I’ll tell him about traffic so hopefully we can get on the road by 10.
Thanks!