Welcome to Ask The Duchess – Vol. 60, a monthly Q&A post covering a variety of resort-related topics. Ask The Duchess answers questions submitted by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, send me a message here.
1. Is Disneyland still free on your birthday? (submitted by Jocelyn)
This is why I’m so weary of Disney advice you see on Pinterest! Sorry to say that despite many pins claiming this exact thing, Disneyland has NEVER been free on your birthday.
2. If I am staying on the other side of Anaheim at a Good Neighbor hotel, will Disneyland provide transportation? (submitted by Brenda)
Disneyland itself will not provide any transportation, but many of the Good Neighbor hotels offer shuttles to guests. Reach out to your hotel directly and ask what they offer; most shuttles to the park cost a small daily fee and are exclusively for hotel guests.
3. Should I fly into LAX or Burbank? (submitted by Chloe)
If you can, John Wayne in Orange County is the best airport to fly into – it’s the closest and will require navigating the least amount of SoCal traffic. Otherwise, LAX is probably your best bet. Rain or fog can ground, delay, or re-route flights in Burbank – a friend of mine got re-routed all the way to San Diego once!
4. Is Disneyland super buggy at night? (submitted by Kathy)
Not AT ALL. Even in the dead of summer, you’ll have very minimal bug swatting to do.
5. When does Innoventions reopen now that Star Wars Land is there? (submitted by Glenn)
Oh no! So sorry, but Innoventions closed permanently in 2015. It won’t reopen, even after the Launch Bay inevitably leaves Tomorrowland.
I second the recommendation to flying into John Wayne/SNA/Orange County (I can’t believe it goes by so many times!) as the Super Shuttle is like $10 (at least it was that a few years ago) to go from there to so many of the hotels. Long Beach is a good second place to fly into as well.