Getting to the AKLodge via disney busses

[GaRedHead]

If I were to take a bus to the Animal Kingdom from the Yacht Club, would these bus driver drop us off at AKLodge if we asked?

[Kate0716]

My guess would be no...

[mmmears]

No because the bus drivers have routes that they follow, but you could then take a bus from AK to AKL (those are pretty quick). For the fastest option, you could just take a cab from the YC to AKL.

[figment_jii]

As others have said, it's very unlikely that the driver would take you to AKL because he had a route to follow.
1. You can take the bus to AK and then transfer to a bus for AK. AK is very close to AKL, so the ride is very short. Still allow enough time in case you just miss the bus to AKL and have to wait for the next one.
2. You can take a boat or walk to DHS and catch a bus to AKL from there.
3. You can take a taxi from the YC to AKL. It'll be about $20 plus tip each way. There are usually taxis waiting near the front of the resort.

When you head back to YC, you can either take a bus to an open theme park or DTD and then transfer to a YC bus or take a taxi.

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Another thought if you wanted to take the time - you could take the boat to HS then the bus to AK - I often like the boat route to HS but is does make a few stops so might take close to 30 minutes.

[sndral]

Originally Posted by GaRedHead

If I were to take a bus to the Animal Kingdom from the Yacht Club, would these bus driver drop us off at AKLodge if we asked?

With bus drivers you never know - last year I had one take me from the YC to the GF - I didn't ask just wanted to know if any buses were still running to the MK since my dinner ADR ran really late and she said hop on I'll take you to the GF - she took a family to one of the values, too. It was late and most parks were closed.
Likewise a couple of years ago a bunch of people were trying to get from AKL to MK resorts for various ADRs after MK closed someone asked a bus driver if he'd take us there and he did - there must have been 4 or 5 groups of people and we'd been waiting forever for a bus to an open park to transfer to various MK resorts and he just took all of us straight to MK.
But generally the bus will be full and the driver needs to get everyone on the bus to AKL as promised. Once the driver drops that group all those people waiting at AK to get back to YC, BC and maybe Swolphin and BWI (or whichever resort the bus is going back to) deserve to get to their destination without time wasting detours to nearby resorts.

[spiceycat]

Originally Posted by sndral

With bus drivers you never know - last year I had one take me from the YC to the GF - I didn't ask just wanted to know if any buses were still running to the MK since my dinner ADR ran really late and she said hop on I'll take you to the GF - she took a family to one of the values, too. It was late and most parks were closed.
Likewise a couple of years ago a bunch of people were trying to get from AKL to MK resorts for various ADRs after MK closed someone asked a bus driver if he'd take us there and he did - there must have been 4 or 5 groups of people and we'd been waiting forever for a bus to an open park to transfer to various MK resorts and he just took all of us straight to MK.
But generally the bus will be full and the driver needs to get everyone on the bus to AKL as promised. Once the driver drops that group all those people waiting at AK to get back to YC, BC and maybe Swolphin and BWI (or whichever resort the bus is going back to) deserve to get to their destination without time wasting detours to nearby resorts.

you are luck -know of bus drivers who were fired for doing that. Disney does not allow the bus drivers the freedom they had in 70, 80, 90 and early 00 - now they have to report to a control. the bus is monitored and if they don't do what they are suppose to do they are fired.

HATE THE NEW SYSTEM!!!

for the resorts that have more than one stop - well at night when the parks were closed - they use to be able to just go to the stops that were needed (where guests were to get off) - now (assuming it has not changed since 2011) - they have to stop at every one - no matter how senseless that is...


the only way the driver could do what you say was not to tell the controller he had delivered - until he dropped you off - but if they still were monitor then the controller knew - have you seem that bus driver since?

[lynn46356]

We were staying at Pop and had an ADR for breakfast at Boma. We hopped on the AK bus at Pop (we were the only ones on it as it was early morning). Once we got to AK we asked the bus driver where the AK bus was located because we had a breakfast adr at AKL. She radioed someone and proceeded to tell us she could bring us to AKL. . We were very appreciative of her thoughtfulness!!!!!

[sls404]

Originally Posted by spiceycat

you are luck -know of bus drivers who were fired for doing that. Disney does not allow the bus drivers the freedom they had in 70, 80, 90 and early 00 - now they have to report to a control. the bus is monitored and if they don't do what they are suppose to do they are fired.

HATE THE NEW SYSTEM!!!

for the resorts that have more than one stop - well at night when the parks were closed - they use to be able to just go to the stops that were needed (where guests were to get off) - now (assuming it has not changed since 2011) - they have to stop at every one - no matter how senseless that is...


the only way the driver could do what you say was not to tell the controller he had delivered - until he dropped you off - but if they still were monitor then the controller knew - have you seem that bus driver since?

Yes, this is true. We were headed back to our resort from Downtown Disney and a couple thought the bus would stop at West Side after Pleasure Island. So when it didn't they walked up to the driver and asked him if he would drop them off there. He made a call to get permission to and they gave him the okay. He had to make a detour and and turned the bus around to drop them off. It was really nice of him but a bit annoying for the rest of us on the bus...

[Lynne M]

Originally Posted by sls404

Yes, this is true. We were headed back to our resort from Downtown Disney and a couple thought the bus would stop at West Side after Pleasure Island. So when it didn't they walked up to the driver and asked him if he would drop them off there. He made a call to get permission to and they gave him the okay. He had to make a detour and and turned the bus around to drop them off. It was really nice of him but a bit annoying for the rest of us on the bus...

And that's the thing......what's convenient for the one getting the special side trip is inconvenient for everyone else on the bus, who may have an ADR they need to get to and were counting on the bus taking its normal route. That's why this is discouraged, and why drivers have to get special permission to do it.

OP, as you can see, this really isn't something you can count on. Think of the Disney transportation system as a big-city mass transit system, not as a taxi service. Buses are centrally dispatched on predetermined, timed routes, and the drivers are not supposed to divert from those routes.

I'll be the first to say that I really hate the whole transferring-at-parks-or-DTD thing in getting from resort to resort. If I have to go from resort to resort once or twice on my trip, I take a cab. If I'm going to be doing a lot of it, I rent a car.

[sndral]

Originally Posted by spiceycat

you are luck - ....
the only way the driver could do what you say was not to tell the controller he had delivered - until he dropped you off - but if they still were monitor then the controller knew - have you seem that bus driver since?

Actually in both cases the drivers were on the radio talking to dispatch letting them know before the bus left. W/ the YC to GF last Dec. I actually just asked her if the buses were still running to MK because if they weren't I was going to head back to the lobby and grab a taxi, so I was a bit surprised when she said she'd just drop me @ GF.
I don't think I've ever seen the same bus driver twice and I'm usually there 10-11 days once a year.
I've also been on a loaded standing room only bus picking up at closing at a park that detoured to the AK parking lot to drop one family long after AK closed in 2009, and there were some pretty irritated people on the bus about that.
I allow plenty of time to get from resort to resort for ADRs and know the WDW transportation system fairly well and don't mind using it.