AKL Transportation

[Deb & Bill]

Don't you get free parking at MK if you are a DVC owner? Wouldn't it just be easier to drive to the park? I'm a newbie who is just waiting for his first contract to get through ROFR and haven't been to the parks in 20 years so pardon my ignorance. I'm ok with driving myself but not sure if that would be slower in the long run as I'm sure the bus drops you off a lot closer.

Being a DVC owner doesn't get you any parking privileges in the theme parks. Being a guest of a WDW resort (DVC or not) or being an AP holder gets you free parking.

 

[drusba]

Don't you get free parking at MK if you are a DVC owner? Wouldn't it just be easier to drive to the park? I'm a newbie who is just waiting for his first contract to get through ROFR and haven't been to the parks in 20 years so pardon my ignorance. I'm ok with driving myself but not sure if that would be slower in the long run as I'm sure the bus drops you off a lot closer.

Having a car at AKV means you can likely get to the parks other than MK quicker than using the bus. However, not everyone wants to bear the expense of having a rental car. Moreover, a car creates no advantage for MK and can actually result in a longer trip. For MK, you need to park, then take a tram to the Transportation and Ticket center, and then take a monorail or boat to MK. The time needed from the moment you park to actually getting to the front gate at MK is itself often longer than the total time it takes for the MK bus from AKV to get to MK, particularly during the morning rush hours or when returning after fireworks. The bus depot is right near the front entrance to the park.

 

[rg35]

We are AKV home resort owners and while we normally have a car (rental or drive down), we did take the bus to the Magic Kingdom a few times and had no issues.

AKV is also pretty close to Epcot and DHS.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

We have stayed at AK many times. Occasionally we have to wait a while for a bus. But, that has also happened to us at other resorts. Once we stayed at the Poly just to be on the monorail and it was closed the whole 2 days we were there. AK is a little further out but to me it is worth it. The resort is so unique and beautiful! I love the art and the animals and the great places to eat and great pools. It is unlike any other DVC resort to me. I could stay there every time and be 100 percent happy. I will say that for shorter trips I see the point of being someplace closer {BLT, POLY, BW, BC etc...} but in general , AK is my first choice. As DVC members, we can relax and deal with it if the transportation is not zippy...we have been before and we are coming back

 

[RoadDogg723]

Staying at AKL later this month and just wondering where do the buses drop off at MK from there, right at the park entrance or transportation center? Also getting back to AKL from MK do buses pickup at the park or transportation center?

 

[GoofyCoaster]

Buses from AKL drop off and pick up right in front of MK. Minnie Van service does as well.

 

[Bobb_o]

Last time I was at AKV was Feb 2016 and we find the buses to be great (we are early rope droppers)

The only problem was when we tried to squeeze in a little more time and on the way back from AK we missed our magical express bus. Thankfully they just put us on the next bus and we still had plenty of time at the airport.

 

[Lindsay's4littles]

I know this is an older thread but we just left AKV after a week stay and transportation was excellent. Hardly waited for a bus and only was on a standing room only bus once and that was when all of the Run Disney peeps came in Friday! It was an MK bus mid afternoon so a loaded bus was expected.

 

[TikiBabe]

I know this is an older thread but we just left AKV after a week stay and transportation was excellent. Hardly waited for a bus and only was on a standing room only bus once and that was when all of the Run Disney peeps came in Friday! It was an MK bus mid afternoon so a loaded bus was expected.

We stay there all the time and the buses are always great! Glad you had a good time!

 

[Lindsay's4littles]

We stay there all the time and the buses are always great! Glad you had a good time!

Thanks!!!! We love our home resort! It’s amazing!

 

[GeorgeM]

MK will take you longer to drive. You need to park in the lot then either take the ferry or the monorail from the lot to MK. The bus drops you off in front of MK. All other parks are a regular lots. If you are staying at Kidani the parking lot is under the resort so you can get from your room to your car pretty quickly.

 

[Divaofdisney]

If taking the bus to either MK or EPCOT, what is the approximate time to allow in order to get there? We will have a pre-park breakfast at MK so this is why I am asking. Thanks so much.

 

[CarolynFH]

If taking the bus to either MK or EPCOT, what is the approximate time to allow in order to get there? We will have a pre-park breakfast at MK so this is why I am asking. Thanks so much.

The general recommendation is to allow an hour for travel between resorts and parks. The actual driving time from AKL to MK is 15-20 minutes, less to Epcot, but you need to allow for time waiting for the bus to arrive and then walking from park bus stop and getting through security before entering the park and walking to the restaurant. BTW, buses start running to parks at 6:30 each morning, but they don’t always run as frequently as later in the day.

 

[Divaofdisney]

If we are booking directly through Disney do we still have to pay to park daily at AKL- Kidani? I think we do since it is not through DVC. Am I correct and what is the current price for parking per day- we are going in November. Thanks so much in advance.