Is transport from AKL to Parks really "that bad?"

[torchlight]

Hello! Love these boards - great resource for planning. Hope it is ok to ask a similar question here to one I asked in a different thread elsewhere...

We are strongly considering renting points to book a stay at AKL for our family trip next year. Everything about the resort and room seem wonderful and a great match for our group.

The one thing that I do see mentioned fairly often aboutAKL is the perception that it is isolated by distance from the theme parks (except AK of course) and how this is less than optimal and results in much time during your stay being "wasted" on transportation instead of in the parks. I also have found comments suggesting that these concerns are overblown and it really is not that bad.

We plan to stay for 6 nights, and our plan is to take advantage of rope drop each day and return to the room each day around lunchtime for pool or nap or just relax. Then returning to the parks late afternoon. So, for our plan, I do want to learn more about the realities of transportation between our room and the parks.
From the reading I've done here on DIS boards, it seems there are mixed opinions - some say bus transport from AKL is way too far and awful, and other say it is a "best kept secret" that it seems far but actually doesn't really take longer to the parks by bus than most other resorts. I'd appreciate any opinions or experiences any of you would like to share about staying at AKL and using the buses to get to the parks.

One other specific question I have is to ask for any experiences you may have had staying at AKL and using the Minnie-Van service. I know that this service is not currently running, and there is no certainty that it will return at all. However, I think there are good indicators that it will return, and my trip is far enough out that I'd like to assume the Minnie Vans will be available. It seems like the Minnie Vans would make transportation to the parks from AKL even easier, faster, and more reliable. Wondering if anyone has experiencing using these from AKL before they were shut down? We will not have a rental car, and would probably not use Uber/Lyft (at least in the morning) because of the need to get right to the gates for the (new version of) Extra Magic Hour.

Thanks!

 

[Boopuff]

Following… this is my DD concern as well! I’d love to stay at AKL but DD thinks bus transportation will stink (we don’t rent a car) so bus is important

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

We never really had issues there. The worst is AKL to MK because it's pretty far

 

[StageTek]

From the reading I've done here on DIS boards, it seems there are mixed opinions - some say bus transport from AKL is way too far and awful, and other say it is a "best kept secret" that it seems far but actually doesn't really take longer to the parks by bus than most other resorts.

AKL is farther from MK and Epcot than other resorts so the trip does take longer. But it's a pretty quick journey to AK.

People can take the exact same bus on the exact same day and feel differently about the experience. If you're in a hurry every minute seem like forever. Rope drop from every resort can be a challenge because so many people want to get there early. AKL is no different. I know it comes off as trite; but the bus transportation is what it is. There are good and bad aspects of it.

If you don't book at AKL, where would you book? Have you read about the bus experiences at that resort? I suspect no matter the resort you will read that some people hate the bus experience and others are just fine with it.

 

[Alana20]

Hello! Love these boards - great resource for planning. Hope it is ok to ask a similar question here to one I asked in a different thread elsewhere...

We are strongly considering renting points to book a stay at AKL for our family trip next year. Everything about the resort and room seem wonderful and a great match for our group.

The one thing that I do see mentioned fairly often aboutAKL is the perception that it is isolated by distance from the theme parks (except AK of course) and how this is less than optimal and results in much time during your stay being "wasted" on transportation instead of in the parks. I also have found comments suggesting that these concerns are overblown and it really is not that bad.

We plan to stay for 6 nights, and our plan is to take advantage of rope drop each day and return to the room each day around lunchtime for pool or nap or just relax. Then returning to the parks late afternoon. So, for our plan, I do want to learn more about the realities of transportation between our room and the parks.
From the reading I've done here on DIS boards, it seems there are mixed opinions - some say bus transport from AKL is way too far and awful, and other say it is a "best kept secret" that it seems far but actually doesn't really take longer to the parks by bus than most other resorts. I'd appreciate any opinions or experiences any of you would like to share about staying at AKL and using the buses to get to the parks.

One other specific question I have is to ask for any experiences you may have had staying at AKL and using the Minnie-Van service. I know that this service is not currently running, and there is no certainty that it will return at all. However, I think there are good indicators that it will return, and my trip is far enough out that I'd like to assume the Minnie Vans will be available. It seems like the Minnie Vans would make transportation to the parks from AKL even easier, faster, and more reliable. Wondering if anyone has experiencing using these from AKL before they were shut down? We will not have a rental car, and would probably not use Uber/Lyft (at least in the morning) because of the need to get right to the gates for the (new version of) Extra Magic Hour.

Thanks!

AKL is by far our favorite resort. We have stayed at many of the deluxe resorts and nothing compares to the theming and ambiance of AKL. I just find it so relaxing and a totally different experience. I will agree that the bus to MK is a longer ride but it does not outweigh how great the resort is. We have stayed there 3 times (all Jambo House and all pre pandemic) and never had an issue with the buses. Unless your trip is MK heavy and you have a lot of dining reservations you need to get back and forth from I would highly recommend AKL.

 

[CynBeth]

If you plan to leave the parks every day for a break and come back I would stay at either one of the MK resorts or one of the Epcot resorts so you do not waste a lot of time on transportation going back and forth. We stayed at AKL once and we usually are at a park from open to close and the bus rides to the other 3 parks did not feel long to us at all. We have stayed at some moderates where all you had was the bus prior to the skyliner and I did not notice a difference between how long the buses took from them verses how long it took from AKL.

 

[Cheburashka]

Hello! Love these boards - great resource for planning. Hope it is ok to ask a similar question here to one I asked in a different thread elsewhere...

We are strongly considering renting points to book a stay at AKL for our family trip next year. Everything about the resort and room seem wonderful and a great match for our group.

The one thing that I do see mentioned fairly often aboutAKL is the perception that it is isolated by distance from the theme parks (except AK of course) and how this is less than optimal and results in much time during your stay being "wasted" on transportation instead of in the parks. I also have found comments suggesting that these concerns are overblown and it really is not that bad.

We plan to stay for 6 nights, and our plan is to take advantage of rope drop each day and return to the room each day around lunchtime for pool or nap or just relax. Then returning to the parks late afternoon. So, for our plan, I do want to learn more about the realities of transportation between our room and the parks.
From the reading I've done here on DIS boards, it seems there are mixed opinions - some say bus transport from AKL is way too far and awful, and other say it is a "best kept secret" that it seems far but actually doesn't really take longer to the parks by bus than most other resorts. I'd appreciate any opinions or experiences any of you would like to share about staying at AKL and using the buses to get to the parks.

One other specific question I have is to ask for any experiences you may have had staying at AKL and using the Minnie-Van service. I know that this service is not currently running, and there is no certainty that it will return at all. However, I think there are good indicators that it will return, and my trip is far enough out that I'd like to assume the Minnie Vans will be available. It seems like the Minnie Vans would make transportation to the parks from AKL even easier, faster, and more reliable. Wondering if anyone has experiencing using these from AKL before they were shut down? We will not have a rental car, and would probably not use Uber/Lyft (at least in the morning) because of the need to get right to the gates for the (new version of) Extra Magic Hour.

Thanks!

No. It's the same as bus transportation at any other deluxe resort. I stayed at Kidani this March, and stayed at Jambo a few years ago, and did not notice any differences between bus availability at AKL than bus availability at any of the other deluxes we've stayed at (and we've stayed at every deluxe resort, some multiple times). Depending on which park you're going to, the bus ride itself can be 5-10 minutes longer (and obviously when going to Animal Kingdom or Blizzard Beach, the bus ride is shorter than from other resorts), but a few minutes one way or the other is no big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Yes, the monorail & skyliner & walking are all more efficient than buses, but comparing bus to bus, AKL's service is the same as those other resorts.

When you're in a particularly big hurry, just walk out to Bell Services and have them call a taxi for you (be considerate and tip them a dollar or two for their trouble). That's faster than Uber or Minnie Vans (we waited about 20 minutes for a Minnie Van once- should have just taken the bus) Taxis typically show up in less than 5 minutes, and yes, I've used them at different resorts including Kidani since reopening.

 

[Skippyboo]

Done multiple stays at AKL Jambo, I didn’t really see huge problems with the buses. Each park has a covered hut to wait for the buses. MK takes about 30 minutes to get too. Epcot & HS are shorter drives. AK is like 5 minutes. What parks are you going to spend most of the your time at? If it’s MK, I would look at the MK area resorts. If it’s Epcot & HS then look at the crescent lake resorts or resorts on Skyliner.

 

[Cheburashka]

Done multiple stays at AKL Jambo, I didn’t really see huge problems with the buses. Each park has a covered hut to wait for the buses. MK takes about 30 minutes to get too. Epcot & HS are shorter drives. AK is like 5 minutes. What parks are you going to spend most of the your time at? If it’s MK, I would look at the MK area resorts. If it’s Epcot & HS then look at the crescent lake resorts or resorts on Skyliner.

It definitely does not take 30 minutes to ride the AKL bus to Magic Kingdom. It's about a 20 minute bus ride from AKL to MK, and yes, the ride to Epcot & HS is significantly shorter, and yes, the ride to Animal Kingdom is about 5 minutes.

 

[Skippyboo]

It definitely does not take 30 minutes to ride the AKL bus to Magic Kingdom. It's about a 20 minute bus ride from AKL to MK, and yes, the ride to Epcot & HS is significantly shorter, and yes, the ride to Animal Kingdom is about 5 minutes.

But you don’t magically instantly get on or off the bus when it shows up. You have to line up for maybe wait for scooters to load and on return trips the buses stop at Kidani before backtracking back to Jambo. All of this adds time. Stuff you don’t have to bother with some of the other deluxes where you can just walk to a park.

 

[Cheburashka]

But you don’t magically instantly get on or off the bus when it shows up. You have to line up for maybe wait for scooters to load and on return trips the buses stop at Kidani before backtracking back to Jambo. All of this adds time. Stuff you don’t have to bother with some of the other deluxes where you can just walk to a park.

Without all of that other stuff, it takes about 10-12 minutes to drive from AKL to Magic Kingdom. That's why on a bus, it takes about 20 minutes.

Yes, as I said above, buses are the least efficient form of transportation at Disney World. But I also don't want to spread the false idea that it's a 30 minute ride from AKL to MK. That's how long it takes to get from Disney World to the airport.

 

[torchlight]

So, here’s what I’m struggling with a bit. I know there are a couple resorts where you can easily walk to MK (like contemporary), but don’t most other “close” ones still require to get on a monorail or boat or skyliner… don’t those take the same type of waiting and transport time you are describing for the AKL buses? The boat from Wilderness Lodge may be faster than the bus from AKL, for example, but it isn’t instant - what is the actual difference?

And would the “MK” resorts have essentially the same (or worse?) travel time to the other three parks and water parks as from AKL?

Also thinking about crescent lake resorts - obviously quick and easy walk to Epcot. They say you can walk to DHS from Beach Club, for example, but isn’t that like a 30 minute walk? Is that any faster than a bus from AKL? And you can’t walk to AK, MK, or the water parks…

You can probably tell my brain is trying to justify AKL because I really like the resort. But I also want to make sure my eyes are wide open about the realities of the transportation options because I can see if I’m off base on that we could end up pretty unhappy if we feel like huge chunks of our day are “wasted” on transportation. I think spending time on transport seems like a part of life no matter where you stay at WDW, so I’m just trying to learn if there is really a huge difference between AKL and the other Deluxe resorts in that regard.

 

[Lilsia]

I stayed at AKL one time and I felt like I was on the bus for a good chunk of my trip. I have been staying onsite for over 25 years and have never felt that way with any other resort. I guess it depends on your touring style. If you stay at one park all day, then it is probably not a big deal. But I like to go back to my room mid day for a bit and then go to another park or to DS, so I was on the bus much more then I would have been staying at any other resort. I don't think that I will ever stay there again because of how far it is from most everything.

 

[HolRae]

The bus rides themselves are not that much longer. The bus ride from the MK resorts to AK is the same as the bus from AKL to MK. If you plan most of your park days at MK then a MK resort is more convenient. Same with Epcot and HS but if your park days are evenly spread at all parks then the difference doesn’t matter as much. Any time you can walk it is faster than a bus. AKL is my favorite resort overall. The worst part of buses is waiting for it to arrive and that happens at every resort.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

I never had a problem with it. It was actually nice at the end of the night feeling secluded. The only one slightly annoying is MK but it’s not the bus ride there, it’s the ride back to the resort. Id usually just Uber from contemporary at that point.

 

[Cheburashka]

most other “close” ones still require to get on a monorail or boat or skyliner… don’t those take the same type of waiting and transport time you are describing for the AKL buses? The boat from Wilderness Lodge may be faster than the bus from AKL, for example, but it isn’t instant - what is the actual difference?

And would the “MK” resorts have essentially the same (or worse?) travel time to the other three parks and water parks as from AKL?

Also thinking about crescent lake resorts - obviously quick and easy walk to Epcot. They say you can walk to DHS from Beach Club, for example, but isn’t that like a 30 minute walk? Is that any faster than a bus from AKL? And you can’t walk to AK, MK, or the water parks…

The waits for monorail & skyliner (about 5 minutes unless there's a huge crowd) are a lot shorter than typical bus waits (10 - 30 minutes is typical, & waits are unpredictable regardless of the video monitors), so no, that's not the same. Buses are often also slowed down by people on scooters having to be lifted on & strapped in, and that's no issue on the monorail, for example.

Boat waits are about the same as bus waits.

Walking from Beach Club to HS takes about 20 minutes. It is faster than a bus because you don't have to wait for the bus to arrive & unload/load. You just begin walking whenever you're ready. Waiting for the bus & the loading/unloading of people on scooters is always the biggest issue with buses, in my experience. The actual rides themselves are no big deal, and not significantly worse from AKL than from any other resort.

The bus waits at the other deluxe resorts are the same as at AKL. It's just less of an issue as you're riding the bus less often. That's what most people are referring to when they complain about buses at AKL. The more reliant you are on buses, the less efficiently your time is being used.

However, "huge chunks" of your day will not be wasted on the bus unless you're going back & forth all day.

 

[Heather07438]

So, here’s what I’m struggling with a bit. I know there are a couple resorts where you can easily walk to MK (like contemporary), but don’t most other “close” ones still require to get on a monorail or boat or skyliner… don’t those take the same type of waiting and transport time you are describing for the AKL buses? The boat from Wilderness Lodge may be faster than the bus from AKL, for example, but it isn’t instant - what is the actual difference?

Ahhh the dilemma in resort choosing. Many varying factors multiplied by individual plans, like the desire to take a daily break, who you’re traveling with or which parks you visit most could be important.

The option to walk or take resort boats between park/room is little as 10-20 minutes, where bus rides and some skyliner resorts commonly average 30-45mins and longer for park close.

For example, EP resorts are 10-15min walk to 2 parks, leave your room and arrive at security well within 20 minutes (as little as 5 minutes from BC to EP). But you still need to get to AK & MK from these 5 resorts, personally I’d do bus to MK which avoids the extra 20mins+ between TTC & MK, and maybe rideshare AK and skip break on AK day with the shorter park hours.

On a 6 day trip
12 room to park trips for park open/close
Plus
12 more for the 6 round trips taking a break.

That difference in time starts to add up. There is no right or wrong, just things to consider and weighing how much each means personally to your party. We absolutely loved AKV and never regretted trying it, awesome resort vibe from the animals, hospitality, QS/TS food and pool. Loved OKW too because the extra space meant a lot to us that particular trip (and it came with DDP free food lol). It’s always a trade off We have gravitated toward the park resorts because we enjoy having the extra downtime taking longer breaks and getting back earlier at night. But we still have plans to do AKV and WL in the future because those experiences are unique enough to be worth the trade off. Our choice comes down to what is most important and each trip that’s different.

 

[FastPasser.]

I don't know where those stories that the AKL is out in the boondocks come from but as others have posted it's not true. AK was my home bus hub for 6 years so I drove from AKL to MK countless times. It's less than 5 minutes longer than the next furthest Disney resort.

 

[Dave006]

It just appears remote @FastPasser. part of the theming.

The major issue is bus transportation to all locations. No ability to walk or talk alternate transportation like a boat as other Deluxe resorts.

Crescent lake resorts has ease access to 2 parks (Epcot and HS) and MK resorts have the monorail to 2 parks (Epcot) when it returns and alternate access to other hotels very near by for dinning or exploring. WL is just a short hop by boat or bus and there is even Ft. Wilderness for a wilderness experience.

I do love the 2 Savansas at ALK which is unique.

Dave

 

[RanDIZ]

I own at AKV and don’t regret it one bit. Arguably the best resort on property with some of the best restaurants! It’s a vacation in itself. I would deal with transportation any day of the week to have a chance to stay here if you never have before. We’ve never had issues. Yes, it’s the farthest away from MK, but probably equally distanced to EP and HS from monorail resorts. I’d bet it’s even closer to EP and HS than the monorail resorts. Although, the monorail will drop you at EP. Right next door to AK which is a plus. I actually love the remoteness that many talk about. Being away from all the madness is nice.