bus service between resorts?

[pamjk]

OK I've been searching for this for days as I'm sure something similar has been asked before! How difficult is it to use the WDW buses between resorts? I understand that we'd need to change at a hub, but I can't find actual schedule info anywhere. Specifically, we're spending the day at AK on Sunday Jan. 25. We have ADR at Boma at AKL for 5:30pm then we'll head back to our resort, POR.

So our tranportation options would be:
1. drive to AK from POR in the morning, take the bus to AKL for dinner, then take the bus back to AK to pick up our car again. How late does the park bus run since AK closes at 5pm that day?

2. take the bus from POR to AK, then AK to AKL for dinner, then AKL to ....well, exactly where would we change buses to get back to POR? This will probably take the longest to get back to POR?

3. drive to AKL in the morning, park the car, then take the bus over to AK and back to AKL again at suppertime. Then our car is already there to drive back to POR after dinner. Is this allowed since we have ADR? This would require us to leave our resort at least an extra half hour early in the morning, I imagine.

4. or we can just take the car for each leg of this journey and avoid the buses altogether that day. I have heard that AK parking lot opens very close to park opening time though.

I'm trying to streamline the process but somehow getting around WDW has me baffled.

TIA!

PamK in NC

 

[Jestocost]

Resort-to-resort travel is the most complicated thing you can do using Disney transport. In my opinion, your only viable options are #2 and #4. You likely won't be able to get back to AK from AKL after 5:00 p.m. if the park closes then, so #1 won't really work. Number 3 isn't really workable, since you can park at AKL only for about two hours if you have an ADR. You could try to use valet to leave your car at AKL for the day and there are those that will tell you it's OK, but you never know for sure. It's one of those grey areas with WDW.

Number two would work, except your way home will involve a transfer of buses. If a park is open late, you can take a bus from AKL to that park, then hop a POR bus from there. If you are leaving AKL after all parks are closed (or even close to closing), your only option is a bus to DTD and then a transfer to a POR bus or the POR boat from there. Number four obviously works and if you have a car it will be the least time consuming by far. One adult will have to curb their drinking at dinner, but that's the only complication.

 

[pamjk]

I think you are totally right that just taking the car that day will be the easiest. It was helpful to see your reasoning written out. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing some important info.

Thanks again!

PamK in NC

 

[Jestocost]

Always glad to help!

 

[MICKEEP]

2. take the bus from POR to AK, then AK to AKL for dinner, then AKL to ....well, exactly where would we change buses to get back to POR? This will probably take the longest to get back to POR?

It is not too bad.. take the bus from AKL to either HS, EPCOT or AK and switch to a PO bus

Make sure that the park you are going to is open and also make sure that it is not near that parks closing time. For example if you leave AK at 7:30 don't go to a park that closes at 8:00.

 

[JUDYKN]

You could take the bus for Downtown Disney from AKL and get the bus for PO from there. We had a similiar situation and didn't have a problem doing that.

Judy

 

[clkelley]

You could take the bus for Downtown Disney from AKL and get the bus for PO from there. We had a similiar situation and didn't have a problem doing that.

Judy

That would be my choice. Then you could plan to do something at Downtown Disney after dinner such as shopping or going to a movie, then you wouldn't be just transferring. I always plan my dinners or resort hopping so that I'm not just "transferring". I always do something at my middle stop.