Getting to Universa

[skellinton]

We will be going to DL and staying an extra day so we can do Universal. Our trip is September 16-23, with 17-22 being park days.
‘We will be staying at the Tropicana and are not interested in staying at a different hotel for the night before U, I know it isn’t super close, but the hassle of moving is not worth it to me.
‘What day would you choose to go to U? We will be trying for OBB on the Tuesday or Thursday of our trip, so one of those days will be out.
How would you get to U? My husband gets a great discount on rental cars, but then we would have to pay for parking. It is just us, so would an Uber situation be better?
We are going primarily for HP, we will want to see other stuff, but HP and the tram ride is our focus.
‘Thanks for any info you can provide, it has been about 20 years since we have been to UHS.

 

[mdmost]

You're looking at probably 1-1.5 hours in the car that morning depending on when you leave. I would leave as early as possible to get ahead of the morning traffic. I would utilize the HOV lane as much as possible but that will be fairly limited. Straightest path is the 5 to the 101. Uber will take a while so I would just rent a car for the day. There are some rental companies close by.

As far as days to go, I could be wrong but I believe UH opens at 9am during the week in the fall. I would see if you can find that information somewhere as the website only goes a month out as far as park hours. According the site, Tuesday or Thursday are set ticket wise at the cheapest single day price. I would assume that means limited hours. So please be aware you're probably getting only a 9-7/8 park day. But it's a small park and if all you want to do is HP and the tram tour, you'll be able to blow through that pretty quickly. Definitely get there for rope drop and you can walk right on the HP rides. Everyone rushes to Super Nintendo Land now.

Something to think about since you mentioned HP is the WB Studio Tour. There's a HP specific section with a sorting hat and other items from the movies that's pretty good. It's a 3 hour tour and is only 10-15 minutes from UH.

https://www.wbstudiotour.com/tour/studio/

 

[bcla]

UberX might start at $60, but surge pricing might double it on weekends.

If you’re especially adventurous, there is public transportation, which can save you a boatload, but is slow and can include interesting characters along the way. LA Metro’s Red Line has a stop right at Universal Studios. I took it last year just to go to CityWalk, but I had a weekly pass for LA Metro and no car. And if you have a day pass for LA Metro, that’s just $3.50 per passenger with no child discount. I’d think the 460 bus to Pershing Square and then the Red Line subway.

Not sure if Amtrak or Metrolink are more your style, but taking the train can be fun and a ticket comes with a free ride to the train station via OCTA or ART buses. That would be to Union Station and then to LA Metro’s Red Line.

 

[China Expat]

You will have to do a pricey Uber

 

[DLgal]

If all you want to do is HP and the tram tour, you can arrive whenever you want and have PLENTY of time. You could arrive at noon and you'd be done by 3pm.

I would go on a weekday. Park hours will likely be 10-6 or 10-7.

I'd rent a car. It's the easiest way. Uber is going to cost you an arm and a leg of you choose a weekday, because the majority of the day will be in surge pricing due to traffic.

 

[bcla]

Again - it's not for everyone, but I kind of enjoyed my Southern California public transportation journeys. The absolute cheapest would be LA Metro Route 460 followed by LA Metro Red Line from Pershing Square to the Universal station.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Tro...2m2!1d-118.3533783!2d34.1381168!3e3?entry=ttu

The fare is kind of complicated, but by September they're going with a "fare cap" model of $5 per day, which requires the $2 interagency TAP fare card with cash value. One way fare will be $1.75 with 2 hour free transfers (with the fare card). There are no free transfers if paying a cash fare, and the TAP card is required for the Metro subway.

The train is an alternative and might be interesting if you have kids. MetroLink is primarily a commuter service and a bit cheaper than Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner. And if you've got a ticket you can show that to ride on ART (will require an on-demand ride) to the ARTIC train station. Some of this information is stale as ART has discontinued Line 15 in favor of an on-demand system sort of like riding Uber, but only for specific stops. ART picks up at the Disneyland Main Transportation Center, which is the closest stop they have to Tropicana Inn.

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

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

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

https://metrolinktrains.com/rider-info/general-info/stations/anaheim/​

• Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) & Station Link
• ART Anaheim Resort Transportation Route 15 operates to Anaheim and Disneyland® Resort every 30 minutes. ART provides a free service to Disneyland® Resort, The Anaheim Convention Center and all surrounding Anaheim Resort Hotels. A valid Metrolink and/or Amtrak ticket must be presented upon boarding.

 

[skellinton]

Thanks everyone, looks like we will rent a car for the day.
We want to do as much as we can, so not just HP and the tram, those are just the must dos. We will do as much as we can, but those are the highest priority.
Is Sunday a bad day to go? Trying to choose which day to go is a bit of a nuisance.

 

[DLgal]

Thanks everyone, looks like we will rent a car for the day.
We want to do as much as we can, so not just HP and the tram, those are just the must dos. We will do as much as we can, but those are the highest priority.
Is Sunday a bad day to go? Trying to choose which day to go is a bit of a nuisance.

At that time of year, go during the week. Attendance drops off massively.

 

[skellinton]

At that time of year, go during the week. Attendance drops off massively.

We are thinking of getting the VIP tour since it is our 25th anniversary trip, then we could go Sunday and not worry too much about crowds, correct?

 

[DLgal]

We are thinking of getting the VIP tour since it is our 25th anniversary trip, then we could go Sunday and not worry too much about crowds, correct?

I suppose, yes.