This 70-Year-Old Disneyland Hack Is So Obvious It’s Genius
A surprising Disneyland tip has been sitting in front of visitors for decades, yet most people still overlook it. Families routinely pay around forty dollars just to leave their cars in the lot, but a small group of regulars found a smarter way to reach the park for a fraction of that cost. It sounds almost too simple, yet it comes straight from Disneyland’s early history and still works today. It might be one of the most practical ways to get to the gates without spending much at all.
The Parking Price Shock
Image via Getty Images/dlewis33
For most visitors, the Disney experience begins with a wallet shock. Ticket prices range from $100 to $225 per person, depending on the date. The cheerful parking garages, with names like Mickey & Friends or Pixar Pals, charge around $40 per car. Add in food, merchandise, and snacks, and a single day for a family of four can cross $900 before anyone even hears “Let It Go” echoing through Main Street.
But there’s another literal route that can slash at least one of those costs to practically nothing. The Los Angeles Metro Express Line 460 runs directly from downtown Los Angeles to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. The 460 starts in the heart of downtown LA near Pershing Square and travels south, making multiple stops before arriving at Disneyland.
On weekdays, the route operates every 19 to 40 minutes from early morning to late night. The ride can take anywhere between 90 minutes and two hours, depending on traffic, so it’s not the fastest way to reach the park, but it’s easily the most affordable. If you pay with a TAP card, you also get two hours of free transfers, which means anyone coming in from other Metro lines can connect without spending extra.
Time vs. Convenience
Of course, no hack is perfect. The time commitment is the biggest trade-off. If you’re the type who likes to arrive at rope drop and squeeze every second out of your ticket, you’ll need to plan carefully. The trip takes longer than driving, and depending on traffic, you might want to build in an extra cushion. Still, the bus can be ideal for those who prefer a laid-back start, don’t mind the scenic route, or want to save some cash. It’s air-conditioned, comfortable, and you don’t have to deal with freeway parking meltdowns before the fun even starts.
The bus’s schedule and flexibility make it practical for more than just Los Angeles locals. Travelers flying into LAX can connect via the Metro C Line to Norwalk Station, one of the 460’s main stops, and head straight to Anaheim. Disneyland itself even lists this route as a recommended option for visitors arriving from the airport.
And for visitors staying nearby, Orange County Transit Authority also runs local routes into the park, with fares at about two dollars a ride. Some hotels even offer complimentary shuttles to Disneyland! Compared to Disney’s $40 lots, that’s still a deal, but none of these options come close to the sheer simplicity of the $1.75 Metro fare.