AKL Transportation Strategies

[sharona]

Hi. Staying at AKL the last 3 nights of our trip and no car. Have read some reviews that are not good about the buses and travel times.

Our plans for those days include AK for RD and TH bfast (easy right?) then MK that night. Best to head straight from AK or no diff than getting there from AKL?

Hope to hit a WP the next day. Suggestions based on convenience?

DHS later that 2nd night (4pm) for F! dinner package.

Unplanned day - on our last day we hope to go to either EP or MK. Still need an ADR for that day but not sure where we are heading.

Any tips/advice on travelling to/from AK? Any shortcuts? I'm not adverse to the occasional taxi if the situation calls for it.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

We didn't find the bus service at AKL any better or worse than other resorts we've stayed at. Most of the buses arrived within the 20 minutes they advertise. Yes, there were a few times when we waited much longer. I could make the same exact statement about our stays at the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, Boardwalk, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and Port Orleans. The bus rides for AKL are a little longer, but not by much.

If you're heading straight from AK to MK, you can catch a bus directly from park to park. (You'll be dropped at the TCC for the MK.) If you want to go back to your room to freshen up or relax for a while between parks, you shouldn't let the transportation change your mind about that.

Typhoon Lagoon is closer to AKV than Blizzard Beach. (It actually shares a bus with Animal Kingdom Park.) If you're looking for a quick trip back to the room to change and get ready for dinner, you'd have a slight advantage at TL. Blizzard Beach is near Downtown Disney, and shares a bus with it.

 

[sharona]

Thanks!

Any idea how long to get from AKL to DHS and then enter and walk to Mama Melrose's? I had this all planned out from POP then changed to a split stay and now reworking my plan. I know I saw a chart with a travel time guide to and from parks/resorts/dtd. At this point I have been on too many sites and can't remember where I was when I found that I have touringplans membership, the UG (2008 version) and have been on wdwinfo, easywdw and allears!!!

 

[gillep]

DH and I stayed at AKL Jan 5-12 of this year and we had no issues at all with the buses. We actually had much better service at AKL than we had at the Epcot area resorts when we stayed there in October 2010 (not that we had bad service at these resorts it was just not quite as good). If I remember correctly it took somewhere between 13-17min to get to DHS once the bus arrived (we made this trip about three times during our stay) from there it depends on how fast your group walks as to how long it will take you to get to MM.

 

[sharona]

DH and I stayed at AKL Jan 5-12 of this year and we had no issues at all with the buses. We actually had much better service at AKL than we had at the Epcot area resorts when we stayed there in October 2010 (not that we had bad service at these resorts it was just not quite as good). If I remember correctly it took somewhere between 13-17min to get to DHS once the bus arrived (we made this trip about three times during our stay) from there it depends on how fast your group walks as to how long it will take you to get to MM.

Thank you! Glad to hear that the service is not always a negative.

 

[joelkfla]

Typhoon Lagoon is closer to AKV than Blizzard Beach. (It actually shares a bus with Animal Kingdom Park.) If you're looking for a quick trip back to the room to change and get ready for dinner, you'd have a slight advantage at TL. Blizzard Beach is near Downtown Disney, and shares a bus with it.

You've got that backwards.

TL is across the street from DTD and is served by the DTD bus.

BB is closer to AKL. BB is served by the AK bus, except for AKL and All-Stars. From AKL, the DHS bus stops at BB.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

You've got that backwards.

TL is across the street from DTD and is served by the DTD bus.

BB is closer to AKL. BB is served by the AK bus, except for AKL and All-Stars. From AKL, the DHS bus stops at BB.

Oops, thanks for the correction.