hillskip

My husband and I are thinking of going to a concert in Ontario in mid-December. I thought it would be great to wake up early the next morning and drive to Disneyland; but, I don't even know if this is feasible. Any ideas or advise? If we don't go to Disneyland, are there many things to do around Ontario? thanks in advance!

lvk

Will this be a weekend or weekday? Ontario to Anaheim is only about 30 miles, so your plan is definitely feasible. On the weekend, you should make it down there in 30 minutes or so, but the park will be more crowded. If it is during the week, the park should not be crowded, but with traffic, the drive could take you closer to an hour.

It should be nicely decorated for Christmas at that time. Have fun!

MichelleY

Yes, do it. If it is a week day, traffic will be worse, but the park will be easy to get around. The Xmas decos & parade are worth seeing.

Have fun,

MY

janisj

And to answer the rest of your question " . . . . . are there many things to do around Ontario? "

Uh - no

You can easily work in Disneyland (or other sites in the general LA area) - but except for Ontario Mills ( a huge outlet mall ) there is no "there" in Ontario.

mlgb

It will take about an hour to get to Disneyland (less on the weekend). It takes nearly another hour to get from the parking lot to inside the gates, especially if you wait for the shuttle vans from the parking lot (you can walk too). It wasn't clear if you had to be back anywhere that evening? If not, it is worthwhile to stay late and watch the fireworks (inside Disneyland). One good thing about going in December, although it is VERY crowded, is that they have long hours almost every day, even during the week. Check their website, the longer the hours, the more people they expect. I would definitely purchase your tickets ahead of time if possible, as it will avoid a wait at the ticket booths.

I would definitely go! Another tip..in the middle of the day, when you're dragging, be sure to see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies inside the Golden Horseshoe Theater. They're almost worth the price of admission. Also, you can make a reservation at the sit-down restaurants such as Cafe Orleans, Carnation Cafe or Blue Bayou (expensive). Call Disney Dining (714) 781-3463. We prefer to go on rides during the normal lunch hours and eat at off-hours.

logandog

The morning drive to Disneyland will be heavy traffic on weekdays before 10:00am. But it is not too far.
You could drive up to Mt.Baldy from Ontario to enjoy some mountain scenery.

hillskip

You guys are great!!! We would fly into Ontario, see the concert, wake up on a SATURDAY morning and drive to Disneyland. We have all day and all night. I plan on staying at the MArriott Residence Inn Maingate because the Disneyland hotels are SUPER expensive. We don't have to be anywhere until the next day. So, do i fly out of LAX or go back to ontario?

RBCal

Actually Victoria Gardens is much nicer than Ontario Mills and is only a couple miles away from it. There are many high end shops and restaurants there. They usually ship in snow for the Xmas shoppers. Also, if you are willing to drive an hour up to Lake Arrowhead there are a lot of outlet malls at the village and usually a reindeer and outdoor concerts. Skiing in Big Bear is only an hour or so too.

logandog

General Disneyland advice: Arrive as early as possible,you'll own the park for the first couple of hours and can walk right on most rides.
At about 11 am the park will be crowded, but you will have picked up fast passes from the most popular rides.
The best food IMO is in the adventure land/ New Orleans area. Mexicanfood in Adventure land and The Blue Bayou inside "Pirates".
Don't miss" It's A Small World" at Christmas.

janisj

"So, do i fly out of LAX or go back to ontario?"

It mostly depends on which airport has the best connections/fares to your destination. LAX, LGB, BUR, ONT, or (closest) SNA are all good. On a Sunday the traffic makes any of the airports viable options.

5alive

Hi, hillskip,
our family just went to Disneyland in June. I would definitely agree that if you can get there early when it opens, that would be ideal. Also, if you have a Disney store at your local mall, buy your tickets there; you'll stand in only one line not two that way.

Not sure if you've been to Disneyland or Disneyworld before. As an adult I really enjoyed California Adventure too. With only one day you may want to stick to one park. It is an additional charge to buy a "park hopper ticket." One thought: if it turns out to be more crowded than you like, CA is sometimes a little less so. CA closes much earlier than Disneyland.

Concur with the Mexican restaurant at Disneyland as being decent food. Also like the New Orleans Square clam chowder bowl.

Would recommend you read up on the "Fast Pass" and use that to your advantage. It will allow you to get an "express lane" entry for certain popular rides.

Besides the fireworks,there is also the Fantasmic Show in the evenings at Disneyland.

annieO

Disneyland at Christmas time is magical. Our last trip to Disneyland, we stayed at a Disney hotel & won't do it again as it really isn't worth the extra expense. If you can choose where to fly back from, do SNA. It's the closest airport to Disneyland & is a smaller airport than LAX. We had a late afternnon flight home so we made a quick visit to Newport Beach before flying out of SNA. I also agree you should try to get to Disneyland as early as you can. Have a good trip.

mlgb

I would prefer Ontario to LAX if they are the only two choices (ONT isn't much farther if at all than LAX and it will take much less time to return the car and check in). As others mentioned also look into SNA (John Wayne) or LGB (Long Beach).

ltr

If you are thinking of flying into one airport and out of another, make sure your car rental company does not charge you a drop off fee.

Cali

Fly in and out of ONT - it is a very nice and easy to navigate airport.

karn

If you drive from Ontario to Disneyland on a Sunday it may be less than an hour. We have done it often, around 10AM, and at that time parking in Disneyland only takes about 45inutes from entry , thru shuttle, to entrance. However, most hotels have their own parking and shuttle. We have often stayed at the Howard Johnson's, right down the street, for about $100. We park there and then walk-only takes about 10 minutes. Can also take a shuttle, if you don't care to walk.
I agree with the others on staying late. It clears out about 5:30, and you have the place nearly to yourself. As for airports, Ontario is much faster and easier to navigate. Have a great time!

mlgb

If they're going in December, I can guarantee that it isn't going to clear out at 5:30 pm. I've noticed that quite a few "Guests" come in the evening to catch the parade and fireworks. Or they've got a parkhopper pass and when Cal Adventure closes, they come over to the Disneyland side. It's a good idea to make sure you're back inside the Disneyland side at least an hour before Cal Adventure closes, or you may get caught in the lines or (rarely) get shut out because of capacity controls.