AKL- how bad is the transportation

[corey2]

I will be staying in early Feb 06. The only thing i read that is bad about this resort is transportation. I am curious. how hard is it to get around? Do i need to get a rental car if i don't plan to leave disney?

Thanks in advance

 

[HopperFan]

I think they have great transportation. We never waited long at the resort to get anywhere and always had a seat. Now coming home from Magic Kingdom at closing was tough, but every resort had a long line of tired guests waiting. The longest ride was to the MK and it was a whole 10 minutes.

 

[brentalex]

we found the transportation to be great. Of course if you just miss a bus, you have to wait, but that is the same for any resort. But it has its own bus, no stopping other at the park you are going to. We never had a problem at all with the buses.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I found the transportation to be outstanding last May! We rarely waited for buses and they were never crowded. Actually, I think one time it was standing room only, but that was after a parade, then the rain came pouring down and everyone ran for the buses. But other than that, there were always seats available. Longest ride was to DTD (about 1/2 hour). MK was only about 10 minutes. We loved AKL!

 

[Laurajean1014]

We've stayed there a few times and love it.

I think the transportation is a mis-perception. Everyone thinks AKL is sooo far from everything and it really isn't. It's not too far from MK (looking on a map).

We've not had more than a 15 minute wait for a bus.

I think the only thing that is missing at this resort from others, is the option to use a ferry or other water transportation.

We had much longer waits waiting for the Ferry at WL than at AKL.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

We also have found the transportation to be among the best at WDW.

 

[tekmom]

Stayed there last month and never waited long for a bus and they were never crowded. We drove down from NY in a rental and never used it once our entire stay. Bus transport was so good, we're booked again for next July, also.

 

[puffkin]

Bus transportation is great at the AKL. I really don't understand why people say it is so bad and that you need a car to stay here

There is only one bus stop at the resort and it takes you directly to the park. No stopping at a numerous stops (like the moderates) or at other resorts (like the other deluxes). This cuts off a lot of time in my opinion and makes this resort one of the best resorts relying solely on busses.

 

[Nuchi15697]

Another thumbs up. We thought the bus service was great.

 

[ReggieB]

Another thumbs up for the buses at AKL. No route sharing with other resorts, which even outs the time thing in some ways and also makes the buses a little less crowded. It's nice to have a boat or a monorail, but I think you will find that the AKL transportation is pretty good. For our stay at AKL we had taken the autotrain, thinking we would need the car with our DS3 and my parents-in-law. We used the car once, and only for my DH to show it off to his Dad.

 

[ReggieB]

Plus a quick thing to add, the waiting area is completely covered, plenty of benches out of the sun/rain whatever!!

 

[4greatboys]

I stayed there in 2002 and didnt have any transportation problems. Busses came regularly and it didnt take that long to get anywhere we were going.

 

[minnie61650]

The bus rides from AK to the parks is not bad at all according to my
PassPorter book:

Bus ride times from AK
MK----20 min.
Epcot--15 min
MGM---10 min
AK 5 min
DTD--15 min.
See you are closer than you thought.
Have a great time at Disney!
Linda

 

[stinkerbelle]

Plus a quick thing to add, the waiting area is completely covered, plenty of benches out of the sun/rain whatever!!

AND sometimes there is a CM out there with some African Artifact or a "feel box" for the kids. (stick their hand in and feel what's inside)

 

[kgkmom]

We just returned from AKL, and the transportation was fine! We rented a car, and it sat in the lot the entire trip. The longest wait for a bus was at Epcot, and it was just before Illuminations was due to begin. We had to wait about 20 minutes.

The great thing about the bus stops for AKL (and the other deluxes) is the location of the pickup queues (always one of the closest to the park entrances). We've stayed at the values, and let me tell you-the hike to the bus stop can be the last straw on a hot, humid day!

I agree with another poster who said that a wonderful benefit is the covered bus stop at the Lodge. Again, at the values, you are wide open to the elements.

 

[candleonwater]

Of course I have to be the only one complaining... we were there for spring break last year (2004)... and had a 45 minute wait for a bus to MK. I could understand later in the day, maybe, but this was 7am. It's the sole reason I'm not choosing to stay there this trip.

 

[Danadisney]

We also give it a thumbs up! Never had a problem with the buses.
36 days until our trip to AKL and MNSSHP!!!
and free dining

 

[DutchsMommy]

We were there in Feb of '05. The transportation was great. As others have said, always room to sit, never crowded, bus stop is short distance from main lobby (like 30 second walk). In fact, I remember thinking when leaving several parks that I was happy we were going back to AKL because some other resort bus line-ups were quite long. Because in general crowds are lower in Feb (for the most part) I think you will find transportation is no issue at all.

 

[rt2dz]

So many people complain about AKL because of the location, but in my experience, most of these people have never stayed there. The transportation is among the best of all the WDW Resort Properties. It is actually faster, and less crowded, because it doesn't share stops. I'm sure there are people who have had an issue from time to time, but that is the same with anything. Nothing is perfect 100% of the time, but I see very few problems with AKL. Plus, it is one of the best themed resorts in all WDW which, imho, makes the transportation a non-issue anyhow.

 

[Stitches]

Of course I have to be the only one complaining... we were there for spring break last year (2004)... and had a 45 minute wait for a bus to MK. I could understand later in the day, maybe, but this was 7am. It's the sole reason I'm not choosing to stay there this trip.

I was there over spring break and witnessed this happen one morning. We were heading to a different resort, but I felt really bad for all those waiting to get to MK. This was an EMH morning and they missed it completely! I hope this was the same day you had your experience; I'd like to think this was an isolated event.

I asked our driver; he said there should have been one or two buses by that time. Here are all these families who have gotten up early to get to the park early and beat the crowds. What a way to start the day! I think all those people should have been given a set of 'go to front of the line' privileges for a number of rides to make up for missing the least crowded time of the day. Has anyone ever received something like that at Disney? I know I received it at the local amusement park one day when the ride we were on had a breakdown; they gave us tickets to get to the front of the line on other rides.