AKL Advice

[AndyMcV]

Hi Gang

The Animal Kingdom Lodge looks very very cool from the pictures I've seen. A savanna room at the AKL sounds pretty interesting.

However... the Animal Kingdom is probably our least favorite park. MK will always be #1 to us. We have a 4 year old son and a 6 month old daughter now. Is it realistic to stay at the AKL when we'd be travelling to MK most of the time? From what I understand it's pretty far out from the other parks and really the only transportation is the busses.

Just curious
Andy

 

[ksc37]

In my opinion, you'd be better off staying at a MK resort. We stayed at the AKL in February with a 3 year old and an 11 month old and found that the location was a bit too far away for the mid-afternoon breaks. We will be staying at the Poly next time simply because of its proximity to the MK and the transportation options. The Contemporary is also a great choice because you can walk or monorail to the MK.

If you were considering other 'bus-service only' resorts, then AKL would be a fine choice, because once you're on the bus, the drive is really only a few more minutes.

The resort is amazingly beautiful and there is a lot to do, but I think we won't stay there again until the kids are much older.

 

[daannzzz]

Depending on where you would stay if you didn't choose the AKL your bus ride could be anywhere from 7 minutes to 20 minutes longer from the AKL. IE: If you stay at at MK resort, obviously the ride would be much less. But if you stay at one of the moderates or an Epcot resort the ride would be longer to the MK. If you stay at the AKL it will add anywhere from 5-10 minutes longer of a bus ride to the MK.

 

[heffalump9]

I love the bus transportation system from the AKL. We have never waited for more than five minutes for a bus to any park, plus during the day it is very easy to catch a bus to AK and then go any other resort for dinner, etc. It is great that AKL does not share it's busses with any other resort, once in a while the Downtown bus makes stops at Blizzard Beach. My husband is on call 24/7 so it is very important for him to be able to get back to the resort if necessary during our vacations. Plus I am sure your children will enjoy seeing the animals on the property, I love breakfast with giraffes on our balcony.

 

[GEM]

We stayed at the AKL in May with our 14 month old and we thought the bus transportation was great! We've stayed at lots of the resorts, and AKL definately had the best bus transportation (with Coronado Springs a close second). We never waited more than 10 minutes and we didn't mind the ride at all. We went to all the parks many times and always went back for a nap and swim at the lodge in the afternoons. We wouldn't hesitate to stay there again with a young child. We didn't think getting to or from any of the parks took very long at all - especially since you don't share with any other resorts. When we stayed at the Boardwalk it seemed to take much longer.

 

[gracieboo]

The Animal Kingdom park is also our (family of five, with children ranging from 1-11yo) least favorite, but AKL is awesome. We consider it our "make-up" for not visiting the park.

 

[goin2disneyagain]

I guess it is a matter of personal opinion but I really don't think it matters if you stay at a particular resort just because you don't care for the closest park. We have stayed at the AKL for the last 2 years for 5-8 nights each time but we only visit AK once during our visit. I would not let that stop me from staying at a particular resort. AKL is an awesome resort.

 

[#1hockeymom]

I would agree with the above poster and say that it doesn't matter if AK isn't your favorite park. We usually go there once during our stays, and that is the day we do our sunrise safari! We keep on going to AKL because we love the beauty of the resort and the calmness it gives us after long hot days in the parks. It is a major plus to see animals on my balcony, too! No one gets upset if somone is taking longer than usual to get ready if they have giraffes cavorting outside their window!

Happy Planning!
Debbie

 

[lucysdad]

We just had a wonderful stay at AKL at the end of June. We loved the resort and spent a good deal of time just enjoying the lodge activities and safaris. We did not experience the much touted good transportation, however. We regularly waited at least 20 minutes for buses that were crowded. Often people were standing in the aisle. On the EMH day for MK we were at the stop at 7:30, but did not get to the MK until 8:10. The first half of the hour was wasted by the late arrival and the wait in the stroller line! The AKL is a fantastic resort and we look forward to going back there someday, but we too are MK lovers and I will admit that when we were at the MK, the boat launch to the POLY made us feel nostalgic for our past stays there. Next year we will be going back to the POLY, but we are really happy that we had an AKL trip this year.
Lucy's Mom

 

[dizneefreak29]

I am just back from my first stay at AKL and fell in love. We thought the bus transportation was great! We never waited more then 10 minutes except one afternoon for a bus to Downtown Disney. One night we ate at Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge. We caught a bus to Magic Kingdom and it took longer to make the trip there (with all the Ft. Wilderness stops) than our bus trip from AKL to Magic Kingdom.

 

[jandklumley]

Just came back from AKL and loved it. DH, DS (age 3.5) and myself. It was fabulous!!! The room was a bit small (although very luxuriously decorated) but I have nothing to compare it to as it was my first Dis. Resort. DS loved the bunk beds. DS also LOVED the pool (beautiful), the animals, the daily craft activities, arcade. Bus service was not a problem as this is the only hotel the bus services. We went to MK3 times in 3 days. DS thought of the bus as another amusement ride (strange but true) he even loved that. I would highly recommend this resort. Everthing was spectacular. Only down side is the size of room (but hey, how much time do you spend in it?).