bus tranportation to and from AKL?

[mojara]

In the unofficial guide to WDW it says that it takes almost an hour to get back and forth from AKL to MK via the buses - is that really true? We're only going to be there for a short stay and will go to MK and AK - will it be too time-consuming to try to return from MK to the AKL for an afternoon swim/nap? Would it be much much more time-efficient to rent a car?

 

[Colinsmom]

We stayed at AKL last month, and it was a pain to get back for naps from MK. It wasn't an hour bus ride, but could take up to an hour depending on how long you had to wait for a bus. Unfortunately, driving isn't much better since you must park at the TTC and take a boat or monorail to MK.

If you are spending most of your time at MK, I'd recommend staying at, say, the WL instead. You'll spend a lot less time in transit for those afternoon breaks.

 

[latexscooter]

We stayed at AKL last year and this was a huge concern of mine. As a result I timed every single bus trip I took my entire stay. We took the bus to and from every park, DTD, and took afternoon breaks. My longest bus ride was 20 minutes and that was a ride back from DTD which stopped at another stop in DTD and TL before heading back. Not bad for 20 minutes. But specific to MK, don't worry about it. We always made it there in 15 minutes both to and from. This was without a doubt the best bus service I have ever had when I've stayed on site at Disney. I loved the dedicated busses and it was so quick.

I think the whole "AKL is so far and takes so long" argument is grade A bologna and I can say that because I've experienced it. I have a friend who refuses to stay there because it's so "remote" and it will "take so long." Even though we played phone tag during a previous stay and it took me less time to get back on bus from MK to AK then it did for him to go from MK to WL on the boat!

 

[Tiggerrn2]

The AKL does not share its' busses with any other park/resort stop. Therefore, it would take no longer to get from AKL by bus than by car. Maybe shorter since the bus drops you at the gates. The only time it may take a little longer would be if you just missed the bus you wanted. We never had more than a 5 minute wait for a bus from AKL then entire week we were there. I loved that resort, also. It is beautiful and there are many things to do without ever leaving the resort.

 

[ScarletFire]

The AKL does not share its' busses with any other park/resort stop.

Not true. We caught the bus from AKL to EPCOT in the afternoon. The bus made a detour to AK to get guests traveling from AK to EPCOT. The bus became packed third world style. I've never been on a bus this crowded. People were jammed to the doors and leaning on the doors.

The ride times are: MK 15 minutes, MGM 10 minutes, EPCOT 10 minutes, AK 5 minutes. This does not include wait times which were never long. The buses were dependable except X-mas eve morning EMH, no bus came.

Truthfully, I spent way too much time on the bus during my AKL stay. I'll be staying in the EPCOT resort area for future trips.

 

[busymomma123]

We were there in October and never shared a bus the whole trip. The bus service was a big concern for us too. The bus service with how wonderful the resort is sold us on AKL. Only one time did we wait for over 10 minutes for a bus. Normally we only waited for one at the most 5 minutes. The bus ride to MK was around 15 minutes.

No matter where you end up enjoy your trip.

 

[disnut8]

An hour? Does the guide say when that was? If you just missed a bus from Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Magic Kingdom, you would have to wait the maximum of twenty minutes for the next one. The drive to Magic Kingdom isn't that long - it's not like Animal Kingdom Lodge is up near Universal. I'd say 45 minutes if you just missed the last bus.

 

[GovieMom]

I think the whole "AKL is so far and takes so long" argument is grade A bologna and I can say that because I've experienced it. I have a friend who refuses to stay there because it's so "remote" and it will "take so long." Even though we played phone tag during a previous stay and it took me less time to get back on bus from MK to AK then it did for him to go from MK to WL on the boat!

After having stayed at AKL I can vouch for this ... it never took us more than 15 minutes to go back and forth to MK, and the AKL buses run continuously. We did take the boat over to WL one day from MK, and we waited forever for that boat to show up, get everyone loaded on, and then putt-putt over to the Lodge. That alone took much longer than any of our AKL bus trips!

 

[Allensfan]

We stayed at AKL and we had no trouble with the buses and my husband was in a wheel chair...even with all the unloading and re-loading it was quick and the buses came all the time. I found the drive to the parks to be short and pleasant. In fact after all the walking, I was thrilled to sit for the 15 min ride. No way would I have wanted to deal with the hassel of driving...and AKL is worth it, very magical place to visit.

 

[global_mom]

We found the AKL bus service to be some of the best during our stay in Oct. We had our car but used buses most of the time b/c they were quite efficient.

We are returning to AKL in July and this time we will fly and have no car to rely on. We are only doing this b/c our 1st experience was so good. hopefully this will again be the case.