AKL transportaion comments

[tjmw2727]

Hi All

Currently booked at ASMu considering an upgrade to AKL. We have stayed at AKL as a family last year and loved it, but spent little time at the parks as it was toward the end of our vaca. We also had a rental car so didn't ride the WDW transportation. This time its just myself and my 6yo and we will not have a car and will be spending time in the parks. Does anyone have any recent experience staying at AKL and relying solely on the bus system? When doing my solo trips with the girls we always stay at the Polynesian or Contemporary but so far I havent' been able to get a good enough rate for this trip. I am trying to decide whether to stay with my ASmo / preferred room or switch to AKL.....

TIA
TJ

 

[DarthGoofy]

When we were at the AKL this past February, we had absolutely no problems with transportation. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus from the resort.

Also, the AKL has a dedicated bus system. So you know that when that bus pulls up to the resort, it will be empty.

 

[soccer mom]

We have stayed at the World seven times and never used a car, even when we drove. Stayed at AKL last November and transportation was great. There is direct transportation to every park and DD. We didn't have to share a bus with any other resort which was the best. I think AKL is the only resort to have that pleasure. Never waited more than 10 minutes for any bus.

The only thing that takes time is going resort to resort, but that is a problem no matter where you stay. I would recommend a cab if you plan on visiting another resort.

 

[wdwstar]

hi, we stayed at the akl this year and when my husband would golf we would take the wdw buses everywhere. an according to my transportation guide you would also have to take the buses from the asmo. i can send you a pm what to take to get to the parks. just let me know if you would like the info and from which resorts to whick parks

 

[two-foxes]

I'll second or third or fourth the posts that say there is no problem. We stayed there last month and got to and from everywhere easily. True, you don't have the options to walk or monorail anywhere, but the buses are quick, timely and easy!

 

[Demosthenes]

We stayed at All-Star Sports and AKL lodge in the same trip last May, and the transporation at AKL is head and shoulders above that @ the All-Stars. Not that the All-Stars have bad transportation, but the busses were packed and came less frequently than the less crowded AKL busses.

 

[kdibattista]

although we did have a rental car, we did not use it for any of the Disney parks. We had no problems whatsoever with the buses. They were either very consistent or we were very lucky and the buses came within 5 minutes of us getting to the bus stop!!!!

You will LOVE AKL!!! We loved it so much that we already booked our vacation for next year. Just remember to plan time to enjoy the hotel.

 

[Eljay]

When you check in at the AKL, ask for a "Transportation Guide". It's a nice big property map that gives you a nice overview of the "world". You won't really need it to tell you how to get places though, it's a choice of bus or bus. I agree with all the others, no problem with those dedicated busses.

 

[tjmw2727]

Thanks guys - I am a veteran of WDW so I do have a good understanding of the WDW transportation system. I have stayed at both AKL and All Stars so I know what to expect from each, although we didn't use the WDW bus system last year at AKL. I have had great bus service from All Stars, great from CBR and fair from S/D and BWI - to many resorts on one bus. We had very bad service from Wilderness Lodge so I was trying to compare bus service only. Thanks for all the advice- sound like if I can get a good code or a/p rate I will switch to AKL.
TJ

 

[jennymouse]

Just returned today from and 8 night stay at AKL and found the bus service to be excellent!

 

[crusoemom]

I've used the bus service from AKL, POFQ and BWV. The service from AKL is superb, with a total travel time from AKL to MK of 13 minutes. The buses were always empty and frequent. I can't say the same about the other two resorts. I had significantly longer waits and therefore longer travel times from the other resorts, despite their closeness to the theme parks. The only slight deviation is that the bus to MGM stops at one of the water parks as well, so this adds another 5 minutes to your trip.

Now it won't compare to being at a MK resort, but if you're not staying on the monorail, you can't get any better than the AKL for transportation. Just don't tell anybody - I think the transportation fear factor is the only thing keeping the AKL from being totally overrun.

Enjoy!

 

[Tinkbell]

I spent one week at AKL this past July and relied soley on bus transportation. The transportation was EXCELLENT! I found it to be much better than the GF, WL or the Contemporary. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus. The great thing is that you don't have to share the bus with other resorts.

 

[tjmw2727]

Thanks all, of course now that I have decided to switch I can't get my dates :-( -

Wish me luck.....
TJ

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

You know... I drove the AK Lodge route tonight... and something about it surprised me... I actually had a few folks standing on my bus... that's something that rarely happens with AKL. Of course, Fantasmic had JUST let out...

But... one other pro about AK Lodge busses... they're hardly ever crowded.

In defense of the All-Star busses though... yes, they can get crowded... but the All-Stars receive the most amount of busses by far. (which means shorter intervals)