AKL & Airfare Questions

[sgirlsmom]

Have some questions for the DIS experts:

We (me, DH, DD7 and DD5) are Disneyland AP holders planning our first trip to Disney World. We currently have reservations for the AKL 2/16-2/21 w/ pool view for $123/night (from the research I've been doing I think this is a great rate--am I right?). We could get the savannah view for approx. $28 more/night...wondering if this is worth the extra $$?? With the expense of airfare, car rental, etc. that we're not used to having I'm trying to be realistic with costs. Does it make that big of a difference to have the view?? We usually go to the parks early a.m., take a midday break for rests and then head back at night. Any words of advice would be appreciated.

How is it really taking the busses to the various parks? I've been reading that it can take an hour to get to the MK...this just seems so extreme to me since we're used to staying at the GCH in CA and walking 4 minutes to the front gate to Disneyland...I know it's a totally different environment, but does it really take that long to get places?? I had originally wanted to stay at one of the Deluxe resorts that is on the monorail just for this reason, but the lowest rate I could find was $340 at the Poly. I just can't justify paying that much more simply to be on the Monorail. I am right in thinking this way, or will we be really sorry we're not able to use the Monorail or boats?

Also, just wondering if anyone is familiar with airfare prices to Orlando. We live in Las Vegas and have been finding fares around $250 RT to MCO. Is this an o.k. price, or should I wait to see if any sales come up?

It's so hard when you're trying to make plans for places that you've never been to before!

Thanks in advance to anyone with some insight!!

 

[johnsonet]

sgirlsmom I highly recommend the savanna view for your first trip to AKL. After that, you might be satisfied with a beautiful pool view or standard view but I truly believe in the savanna view for your "first time" (especially at such a terrific rate! )
you're talking a difference of just over just over $150 for a "world" of difference...

An hour to MK is ridiculous! The actual bus ride (once the bus arrives, which should be no more than 15 minutes) is 14-20 minutes long. The ride to AK is about 4 minutes. Epcot is about a 10 minute ride.

AKL is a resort to truly be savored! They also have wonderful tours for you and your husband (like the Culinary Tour) and fabulous activities for children... You might find that you aren't quite as "commando" as you expect

Can't help you w/ the airfare...but GOOD LUCK!

 

[TaurusSES_Sport]

Do you check out:

www.spiritair.com

We got dirt cheap prices to fly from Detroit to orlando. 4 of us are flying for like 500-600.

 

[safetymom]

I would suggest asking your transportation questions on the transportation board. You will get more answers and ideas.

 

[ILuvWDWorld]

My family was there in September with my parents. It was an amazing experience. We had no complaints about the WDW transportation. The most we had to wait was about 10 - 12 minutes. We always enjoyed the bus ride (both directions). We planned on the ride there, and relaxed a bit on the ride home. We had booked a standard room, but were upgraded to a savannah. There are a lot of places to view the animals, but if your heart is set on a savannah view, book it - especially at that reasonable price.

 

[scoutsmom99]

sgirlsmom,
I just stayed at AKL in October for the first time and we had a waterview and it was fabulous. I wouldn't worry about upgrading to savannah view there are so many places around the resort to view the animals...we had no problems seeing animals all over at different times of day. The transportation at AKL was good we never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus and the longest ride was about 20 minutes or so to MK.

 

[TaurusSES_Sport]

I would just request an upgrade at check-in.

 

[#1hockeymom]

You will love AKL! I also recommend a savannah view if you can wing it. We spent hours on our balcony just watching the animals. By we, I mean even my commando teen and preteen kids! AKL's transportation is all by bus, but it is excellent! I have NEVER waited long for a bus, and I have never had to stand up in a bus going or coming from a resort.

I don't know the Vegas area, so you might want to ask that on the transportation board. The best advice I can give is to find out what the cheapest airlines are for your area, and start from there.

Debbie

 

[sgirlsmom]

Thanks so much everyone--I knew I'd get great advice! I'm so happy to hear that there has been good experiences with the busses. That really puts my mind at ease and helps to get us really excited for our stay at AKL! We're still undecided on the savannah view....I know the kids would love it, but since there are other areas in the hotel to view the animals I think right now it's best to save the extra $$ for our other expenses. We'll probably just keep pool view and hope for some pixie dust at check-in in the form of a possible upgrade Although, I may get a crazy random impulse and call to change it, we'll see!

As suggested, I'll check the transporation forum and see if anyone knows about LAS-MCO fares. I did check Spirit Air as someone had suggested, but right now the fares are really high. Guess we just have to hope for an air war.

Thanks again to all that replied, your information really helps in our family's vacation planning.

Lisa

 

[Buttercup]

Hi Lisa,
We've paid $216-235 phoenix-mco. We like to fly America west cuz they have nonstop, but it seems like other airlines have had similar fares. We usually buy 'em about 3 months out.
Buttercup

 

[Schmeck]

Get the savannah view! The pool area can be noisy, and the chlorine smell was strong when we were there in August. Next time we're at AKL again, we're getting savannah!

 

[Jridou]

cheap flights to Orlando. I hope it's ok to cut and paste it here:

For 3 days only (you must book by Thursday), several airlines are offering great sale fares to Orlando from 50+ cities across the country from $34-$94 each way, even from the West Coast. These low fares are available all the way through April 1, which is prime season in Florida.

Sample fares to Orlando include:

Ft. Lauderdale ... $34 Each Way / $68 Roundtrip
New York ... $59 Each Way / $118 Roundtrip
Indianapolis ... $59 Each Way / $118 Roundtrip
Raleigh-Durham ... $67 Each Way / $134 Roundtrip
Detroit ... $69 Each Way / $138 Roundtrip
Seattle ... $94 Each Way / $188 Roundtrip
San Diego ... $94 Each Way / $188 Roundtrip
Other departure cities include: Albany, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, El Paso, Hartford (CT), Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Manchester (NH), Louisville, Nashville, New Orleans, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland (OR), Sacramento, San Jose, San Antonio, St. Louis, Tulsa, Tucson and more.
For the lowest fares, book in advance. Fares during holiday periods and/or last-minute bookings are higher.

How to book:
(1) Book at your favorite airline Web site: aa.com, delta.com, united.com and others.**
OR
(2) To locate available dates/seats for these fares most easily, we recommend Travelocity's "Best Fare Finder" (please note that the $5 booking fee will be included in the fares displayed, so a $188 R/T fare will show up as $193).
1) Click on the above link
2) Enter your departure city and choose "Orlando" as your destination
3) Check "flexible dates" in the flight search box
4) Click the "Search Flights" box to find your fare