Pacific Surfliner: Travelling from Anaheim to San Diego

WE ARE A FAMILY OF TWO ADULTS AND TWO CHILDREN AGED 12 AND NINE TRAVELLING TO THE US IN SEPTEMBER. WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GET FROM ANAHEIM TO SAN DIEGO AND THEN FROM SAN DIEGO TO LAS VEGAS? WE ARE NOT KEEN ON HIRING A CAR. ARE WE BETTER OFF BUYING TICKETS FOR DISNEYLAND, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS AND SAN DIEGO ZOO ONLINE BEFORE WE GO OR PURCHASING WHEN WE ARE THERE? I HAVE HEARD IT IS POSSIBLE TO AVOID QUEUES IN DISNEYLAND WITH SPECIAL PASSES, HOW DOES THAT WORK?

M. LUCHTMEIJER, BAULKAM HILLS

Your best bet for getting from Anaheim to San Diego is probably the Pacific Surfliner train, which operates between San Luis Obispo north of Los Angeles and San Diego. There are several trains daily from Anaheim Amtrak Station at about one-hourly intervals in the morning and slightly less frequently in the afternoon. The taxi fare to get from your Anaheim hotel to the station should cost around $25.

From San Diego to Las Vegas I suggest Southwest Airlines southwest.com which operates more than a dozen times daily between the two cities, and San Diego Airport is convenient to downtown.

Buying tickets online for Disneyland and all the other attractions on your list is definitely a time saver, as is the Disneyland Fastpass, which allows you to register for a popular attraction, wander around and take in other sights and rides, return at a pre-arranged time and go straight to the front of the queue. You need to get to the Main Entrance gate early to pick up a Fastpass, it's first-come, first-served. You can find out more information on the Disneyland website disneyland.disney.go.com.