It's NEVER Too Late, for Number 8 - the most UNOFFICIAL, 'official' AKL thread yet!

[zima-cheryl]

Thank you for posting this - I was curious about this and had been meaning to ask. None of those are terrible amounts of time on the bus. From the way I have read some posts, I was expecting 30+ minutes on the bus for several of the parks and was trying to figure out how that was possible.

As others have said, the bus ride itself may be short, but if you get there right after a bus left, your total wait time could end up being longer. I guess this just doesn't bother me, even the times we've waited, it is just the way it is & my getting upset won't change it. And in my mind, waiting for the bus is less painful than getting lost trying to drive to the park myself (and since I can get lost driving in a straight line I'm sure getting around WDW is well beyond my navigational skills).

It also depends on other stops & guests. I've seen stops where it took 10 minutes for people to realize this is their stop, collect their stuff & all the people in their group, ask the driver 57 questions & finally pile off the bus. Obviously that slows the trip down for everyone else still on the bus.

 

[Pinkocto]

Sweet!! That's what I was hoping. Do Zebras roam over the entire Arusha savanna? If I want to make sure we can see them from the balcony, should we request a room on the Zebra Trail.

Also, a bus-type question from the hubby. When we stay at the Pop, it seemed like we were always the last bus stop at the parks. I'm not sure if they change bus stop numbers around or not, but about what number bus stop is the AKL at all of the parks? I tried Google'ing it, but couldn't find anything.

Zebras roam the entire Arusha savannah, problem is they can go wherever they like so sometimes there could be a bunch of them and other times none at all. The best times to see them are feeding times when they all congregate at the food.

At HS the bus stop is the first one right next to the information booth. At AK it is in the closest group, not the one you have to walk all the way around to. At MK it is the first one on the right side. Epcot's is a little further, about halfway. That was on my last trip in September and they hadn't changed them from when I was there in March.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I'm soooooo torn about whether to book CL instead of our pool view room....
1) we would get the savannah view instead
2) we did CL at WL and LOVED it, and would love to experience it at AKL, but for those of you who have done it, did you find that it was a little difficult to enjoy the AKL lounge because of AKL's location???

At WL, it was easier I would imagine to get back and forth from the parks...maybe not....pondering, pondering....

We do like going to night time EMH's so maybe if we leave the daytime park around 3 or 4 and come back for rest and lounge snacks and then head back out to night time park....

Just thinking out loud...

 

[prairiesarah]

As others have said, the bus ride itself may be short, but if you get there right after a bus left, your total wait time could end up being longer. I guess this just doesn't bother me, even the times we've waited, it is just the way it is & my getting upset won't change it. And in my mind, waiting for the bus is less painful than getting lost trying to drive to the park myself (and since I can get lost driving in a straight line I'm sure getting around WDW is well beyond my navigational skills).

It also depends on other stops & guests. I've seen stops where it took 10 minutes for people to realize this is their stop, collect their stuff & all the people in their group, ask the driver 57 questions & finally pile off the bus. Obviously that slows the trip down for everyone else still on the bus.

I'm not too worried about waiting a bit for buses if that's how it works out. And really, I think a lot of the stuff about bus times is all relative. My ds has a 45 minute school bus ride to school everyday and it takes me 25 min to get to the edge of the city driving from where we live, so sitting on the bus for a bit isn't a big deal to us. I knew AKL was on the edge of the WDW property but had been trying to figure out how it could be a 45 minute bus ride. But I think some people were including wait times in their calculations. In any case, it is all a-ok to me - I'm going to be on vacation and out of this freakin' blizzard we have today! (rain, then freezing rain, then freezing slush, then snow = no leaving the house)

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm soooooo torn about whether to book CL instead of our pool view room....
1) we would get the savannah view instead
2) we did CL at WL and LOVED it, and would love to experience it at AKL, but for those of you who have done it, did you find that it was a little difficult to enjoy the AKL lounge because of AKL's location???

At WL, it was easier I would imagine to get back and forth from the parks...maybe not....pondering, pondering....

We do like going to night time EMH's so maybe if we leave the daytime park around 3 or 4 and come back for rest and lounge snacks and then head back out to night time park....

Just thinking out loud...

Good things to consider. I absolutely love CL but since it closes at 10pm I do find that on evenings I stay for fireworks or parades some food items are missed. They do the appetizers from 5-7 and then desserts from 8-10.

 

[letthewookiewin]

Zebras roam the entire Arusha savannah, problem is they can go wherever they like so sometimes there could be a bunch of them and other times none at all. The best times to see them are feeding times when they all congregate at the food.

At HS the bus stop is the first one right next to the information booth. At AK it is in the closest group, not the one you have to walk all the way around to. At MK it is the first one on the right side. Epcot's is a little further, about halfway. That was on my last trip in September and they hadn't changed them from when I was there in March.

As long as there is a chance to see them. I know they can't guarantee they will be there all of the time.

Also, thanks about the bus stop info. It seemed like the longest walk was the walk to the bus stop at the Pop.

 

[Cloudless Nights]

So based on the map, the Giraffe trail and Zebra trail contain all the pool-view rooms correct? We are booked in a pool-view room, and wanted to know if anyone had a preference for one trail or another. It looks like the Giraffe trail will be better for us because it's closer to the bus stop.

 

[RachelTori]

So based on the map, the Giraffe trail and Zebra trail contain all the pool-view rooms correct? We are booked in a pool-view room, and wanted to know if anyone had a preference for one trail or another. It looks like the Giraffe trail will be better for us because it's closer to the bus stop.

Yes, that is correct.

The only pod of pool view rooms I (personally) wouldn't want is the first pod off the lobby on Zebra Trail (rooms 2407 to 5422 on the map) -- those will give you a Restaurant Roof View.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am heading over to AKL today to see the Christmas decorations and have dinner at Sanaa. I can't wait.

Corinna

 

[pilferk]

2) we did CL at WL and LOVED it, and would love to experience it at AKL, but for those of you who have done it, did you find that it was a little difficult to enjoy the AKL lounge because of AKL's location???

Nope. At least not in my opinion.

The elevator really makes the "commute" pretty painless. And the concierge rooms on the 4th floor are not really all that far from the lobby overlook (which is close to the elevator you have to use to get up to 6, where the lounge is). While it "sounds" far away to be 2 floors away...really, it's not that bad.

IMHO, it's actually a better set up, in some regards, than the "pre-DVC" setup. "Pre-DVC", the concierge rooms were spread out pretty much all over the fifth floor's Kudu and Zebra trails. It could be a MUCH longer walk to the elevator you use to access 6 than it is, now, for the "new" rooms on 4.

The downside is...the rooms are now a bit smaller (but comparable to WL CL rooms) than they were.

 

[pilferk]

I can add a bit, if you don't mind.

We stayed AKV, Savannah view last month. Me and DH, no kids.

The time: Midnight.
The scene: We return to the resort after a packed day. DH is exhausted as we enter the room.

He puts down his backpack, heads to the sink area to brush his teeth, change into PJs, etc... and crawls into bed. Me? I walk straight by the bathroom, pass by the bed, kick off my shoes, open the balcony door, and stand on the balcony while my eyes adjust to the darkness of the savannah. I have the camera in my hand. I sit down on the chair, hearing DH crawl into bed. I know they are out there. Giraffes. Zebra. Antelope. Cattle. I can hear them. My eyes continue to adjust. Then... - GIRAFFE!!! - Eeek! Two! Sleeping, right in front of our balcony! Eeeek! How can DH sleep at a time like this?!?!?! THERE'S a GIRAFFE IN OUR BACKYARD!!! And I am simply mesmerized. I can't go inside and go to sleep. There are giraffes RIGHT THERE! I can sleep in a few days, back at home, when the only critters in my yard are such that my pup will chase after them. Right now, 2am, there are WAY too many exciting things in my backyard for me to go to sleep.

Well, at least by choice. At least two mornings, I woke up at 4am in that chair on the patio. AHAHAHA! Then I finally gave in and crawled into bed next to my sleeping DH, feeling sorry for him for what he missed, and feeling the exhilaration of a six year old who just saw the tooth fairy. I tell people that AKV is an almost magical place. And it is. Where else can you see a giraffe, much less FOUR(!), having a slumber party right in front of your balcony? Yeah, I love it there.

- Dreams

My wife and I agree.

NOTHING beats having your morning coffee while watching zebra, giraffe, or whatever has found you that morning, eating their breakfast.

And nothing caps the day better than a glass of wine while watching those same animals settle down for the night (or at least a decent sized portion of it).

We've talked about trying out other DVC resorts....and haven't, yet. We REALLY want to try out the "new" Contemporary DVC building, and maybe the new GF DVC offering when it opens. But I'm not sure we ever will...

 

[Mousemommy1]

Nope. At least not in my opinion.

The elevator really makes the "commute" pretty painless. And the concierge rooms on the 4th floor are not really all that far from the lobby overlook (which is close to the elevator you have to use to get up to 6, where the lounge is). While it "sounds" far away to be 2 floors away...really, it's not that bad.

IMHO, it's actually a better set up, in some regards, than the "pre-DVC" setup. "Pre-DVC", the concierge rooms were spread out pretty much all over the fifth floor's Kudu and Zebra trails. It could be a MUCH longer walk to the elevator you use to access 6 than it is, now, for the "new" rooms on 4.

The downside is...the rooms are now a bit smaller (but comparable to WL CL rooms) than they were.

Thank you!!! I don't actually mind the lounge being on a different floor, I meant the actual location of AKL on Disney property. Being that you have to take buses to get there for everything, was it tough going back and forth to enjoy the lounge offerings...? As opposed to say one of the Epcot resorts, where you could just walk back for a snack if need be...

 

[pilferk]

Thank you!!! I don't actually mind the lounge being on a different floor, I meant the actual location of AKL on Disney property. Being that you have to take buses to get there for everything, was it tough going back and forth to enjoy the lounge offerings...? As opposed to say one of the Epcot resorts, where you could just walk back for a snack if need be...

Nope, not for us.

We've done it both ways...we drive down sometimes (and have our car) and fly down sometimes (so are beholden to Disney transportation).

I've never had a problem with the commutes. AKL/AKV doesn't share bus lines, so it's only used by people staying at Jambo and Kidani. The bus ride to MK is the longest..about 15 min..but is actually QUICKER than driving because you bypass the TTC and end up right outside the MK (no monorail or boat to get to the main gates). That's even considering the waits for a bus. AK is a 3 min bus ride...not really any longer than taking your own car...and the bus comes pretty frequently.

Epcot and DHS are about 10-ish min commute. Driving is probably quicker, because you don't have to worry about waiting for the buses both at the resort and at the parks. But the commutes, for us, have never been terrible. After Illuminations and Fantasmic...they're what you would expect. But otherwise? Not too bad, IMHO.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

So based on the map, the Giraffe trail and Zebra trail contain all the pool-view rooms correct? We are booked in a pool-view room, and wanted to know if anyone had a preference for one trail or another. It looks like the Giraffe trail will be better for us because it's closer to the bus stop.

We had a FABULOUS stay in a Pool View room this past May - I am embarassed to tell you I can't rememeber if it was the Giraffe or Zebra trail - but we were near the hot tub/ pool slide on the second floor. We loved this location - 2 minute walk down to the pool and a 4 minute walk to the food court for our morning coffee. It was on the same side as the bus stop so I assume it would be closest. We had a car and from the time we left our room, we were in our car and off in under 10 minutes.

 

[Tonyslady]

Ok ladies i need some of you're wisdom. We arrive at wdw on dec 19th and are staying one night at AoA before moving over to AKV from the 20th till the 26th. We are not renting a car so will be using disney transportation. How does switching resorts work? I would like to check in early and hit a park till our room is ready. will they switch out luggage over for us or do we do that ourselves? I'm rather clueless as to the whole resort hopping thing so any and all info is greatly appreciated.

TIA
Jodi

 

[RachelTori]

Ok ladies i need some of you're wisdom. We arrive at wdw on dec 19th and are staying one night at AoA before moving over to AKV from the 20th till the 26th. We are not renting a car so will be using disney transportation. How does switching resorts work? I would like to check in early and hit a park till our room is ready. will they switch out luggage over for us or do we do that ourselves? I'm rather clueless as to the whole resort hopping thing so any and all info is greatly appreciated.

TIA
Jodi

Jodi, the resorts will take care of moving your luggage from AoA to AKV, but unlike DME, the bags will not just show up in your new room. Bell Services at AKV will hold them until you 1) call from your room to have them delivered or 2) stop at Bell Svcs and pick them up yourself.

You plan to head over to AKV early and check in, here's what I do in that case. Grab a cab at AoA, bring your luggage with you, check in at AKV and store your luggage with Bell Services there. Head to the parks, then when you come back to AKV, you know your luggage is there already! (in rare cases, your room might actually be ready; then you can put all your stuff in there before heading to the parks!)

When you have the resorts transfer luggage, it won't happen until that afternoon, or in some cases - yes, been there/done that - not until late that evening because your bags are on an adventure of their own!

 

[dgbg100106]

Ok ladies i need some of you're wisdom. We arrive at wdw on dec 19th and are staying one night at AoA before moving over to AKV from the 20th till the 26th. We are not renting a car so will be using disney transportation. How does switching resorts work? I would like to check in early and hit a park till our room is ready. will they switch out luggage over for us or do we do that ourselves? I'm rather clueless as to the whole resort hopping thing so any and all info is greatly appreciated.

TIA
Jodi

The next morning call bell services when everything is packed up and let them know about the resort change and they will handle getting the luggage moved for you. It is very easy.

 

[dgbg100106]

Laura, did your bags at least have a fun adventure seeing WDW?

 

[RachelTori]

Laura, did your bags at least have a fun adventure seeing WDW?

They refused to say, but when they finally arrived they were looking a little too happy!!

 

[kimmar067]

....just bumping....