Hi everyone. My partner, and two kids (5 and 11) are travelling to NZ from ther UK in September and have scheduled a 2 day layover in LA to give the kids a break and also give ourselves a chance to see something new. Both of us are well travelled but have never been to the states... we are also on a budget.
We fly into LAX and at the back of my mind was just doing the Disney thing for the kids and the big kid (me).... Alternatively its getting an el cheapo hotel local to the airport and day trips by public transport to something. I don't intend to hire a car - left hand drive and all that.
Obviously there is more to it than Disneyland but given the circumstances are there more convenient theme parks? What is the drive time to Anaheim after 7pm.
Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

PaS: A couple of comments - first of all, getting around southern California by public transport is pretty difficult. Not impossible by any means, but not nearly as efficient as in the UK (even w/ all delays/problems w/ parts of the UK rail system). On a short lay over like this you will waste a lot of time just getting from place to place.

Using the LAX area as a base for seeing things also isn't that great since things are VERY spread out. Take greater London and multiply by 4.

Driving really isn't that hard. I'm a Californian who mostly holidays in the UK and have to do the left/right conversion too. Millions of Brits successfully drive on holiday on the Continent, Florida, California, etc every year. And you will find that rental cars are much less expensive in teh States than in the UK.

But if you really don't want to rent a car you could take airporter shuttles to Anaheim - there are many low-ish cost motels/hotel w/i walking distance of Disneyland/Downtown Disney/California Adventure and they mostly also have shuttle buses to the front gates.

Are you talking about 2 days/1 night -- or 2 days/2 nights? If it is just the 1 night then Disneyland will be about all you could manage. But if it is 2 full days/2 nights you could stay in Anaheim the first night for Disney, and Santa Monica the 2nd for a different SoCal experience and be not too far from LAX.

LAX airport is not the greatest base, but is a good budget choice if the stay is a Fri and Sat.

Disneyland has good transport options from LAX since so many travelers are headed that way, check out airportbus.com, though a private shuttle may be cheaper for 4 persons. Disneyland has a great number of budget lodging choices within a 3-4 blocks walk.

You say you're on a budget. I'm not sure what that means in dollars per day, but I think contemplating Disneyland for four people would make for an expensive 2-day layover. I would research Disneyland's entrance fees, transportation costs and hotels.

I think Disneyland would work out nicely for a 2 day layover. You can catch the airporter bus from Disneyland or use Supershuttle. There is an Anaheim shuttle bus between the hotels and Disneyland, although they do charge a fee. Once in Anaheim, there are many good and reasonably-priced hotel choices within walking distance of the park.(That question gets asked here a lot, so a search should turn up some choices). Many hotels include breakfast, which should save a bit of money. If you are going in September, it is after school starts here so you should be able to enjoy the parks without the summer craziness. Purchasing park tickets in advance would save you some money. Check the official Disney website, and also mouseplanet.com, for trip planning.
Just visiting the two official parks will probably chew up all of your time. Two of the Disney hotel properties (Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian) are worth a walk around, as is Downtown Disney. The latter has outdoor musical performers most evenings. Snacks and drinks within the park are overpriced, and you can bring your own.

Hi everyone - thanks for your help. We land in the evning (730pm) and two days later we fly at 1130pm so its 2 nights and two full days.
After all your advice it looks like it'll be the disney scene...
Is it best to book hotels through their website and get the whole package, transfers, tickets etc or source individually. I saw they had some affiliated hotels in the lodge mode which looked reasonable.
My other concern was getting to the airport with enough time to spare on departure - what is the drive time from Anaheim to LAX in the evening?
Finally by 'on a budget' meant that 3 star hotels / lodges are good - we want to have a nice time but not break the bank!

I'll leave the lodging questions and home in on the Anaheim-LAX drive. Since you have an 11:30 PM international flight, plan on being at LAX no later than 9:30 PM (and that's at the very latest-- check with your airline for their recommendation). If you leave Anaheim by 8:30, you could be at LAX by 9:30, IF you don't have a rental car. If you have a rental, plan on leaving Anaheim no later than 7:30 to give time for rental return and shuttle to the terminal.

Hey guys and gals. All the help has been great and was put in touch with some great web sites that kick onto others - superb (best was web.info.com). One recurring theme seems to be wait times on certain rides. Look we are going so will deal with it but any tips about where to be at certain times etc and advice on daily planning will help. And the use of 'Ridemax' and 'Fastpass'? Any thoughts....

Fastpass tickets are available on some of the rides with long lines (most coasters but not the Matterhorn). It doesn't cost anything extra. I don't know what Ridemax is!

You should get a FP for your most must-see ride first. In Disneyland, FP is most advantageous on Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, and (now open!) Space Mountain (high speed dark rollercoaster). There are no Fastpasses for any of the Fantasyland "kiddie rides", I'd advise doing them first thing (Peter Pan especially). The lines for Buzz Lightyear (DL), Haunted Mansion, and Pirates move pretty quickly and I think they've even stopped with the FP on the latter two.

In California Adventure, FPs are most advantageous for Soarin' over California and,if it's a hot day, the Grizzly River Run. Early in the morning, I often can walk onto Tower of Terror without needing a FP.

The Residence Inn in Anaheim is a good choice for a family, roomy and the breakfast is included - with four people that's a good savings to take into account over other hotels that only offer coffee & donuts.

Rates here tend to vary but you should get in at $99 or less

www.marriot.com

Once again thanks to one and all. Now a question which might seem stupid but is really confusing me... On all the web pages for hotels I put in dates and number of people (2 adults and 2 children - 5 years and 11 years); and they keep coming back with one room with queen beds. Is it common practice to have 4 in a room ie doubling up? I am not sure whether the price i see is it or I need two rooms at that price? What is the norm in the states? I will obviously phone before booking but it can get tedious phoning all hotels whilst searching.

Those are quotes for rooms w/ 2 queen beds which is what a lot of folks would book for a family of 4. Generally, rooms are large and have either one king-sized bed or two queen-sized. So if you enter 2 adults/2 children the quote will be for one room w/ 2 Queen beds.

But around Disneyland many of the hotels/motels have two room suites. The Holiday inn, Desert Palm, Carriage Inn, and many others have suites w/o paying Embassy Suites-type rates.

Thanks Janis. Taken the plunge and booked into the Carousel Inn after lots of ohhing and ahhing about the Park Vue too - both around 38 quid a night which is remarkably cheap by Brit standards. Also saw tickets in advance on ARES - I assume there are no catches to them. They save up to $25 a person on a 3 day park hopper.
Is it necessary to get a guide book for the Resort in order to know whats going on and what all the rides are?