AKL with 12 mo. old- should we rent car or use buses?

[Steamboat Girlie]

First trip with our baby. Was wondering whether or not to rent a car. I was thinking about getting back to resort for mid-afternoon nap and so forth. Will it be easier to just have a car, or are the buses pretty available?
Also, one of the mornings, we have a 8:05 ps at Crystal Palace, and MK doesn't open till 9am.
Will AKL have a bus early enough for us to make our ps?

 

[chrissyk]

We only use the rental car now, after 2 trips of waiting forever for buses. I would use the car, especially with a baby in tow.

 

[GEM]

We were there in May with our 12 month old and loved it. AKL was the best! We used the bus system and never had a problem. We never waited more than a few minutes. We did all the parks and always went back to the resort for a mid-afternoon swim and nap. No problems. For us, the bus system is MUCH nicer than using a car. We hate trying to find a parking spot, taking the tram from the lot to the entrance, etc. The great thing about the AKL busses is that they don't share with any other resorts, so, even though the ride itself is a little longer, it actually takes less time because you don't have to stop anywhere else. I wouldn't hesistate to stay there again with a baby and no car. We've stayed at LOTS of the resorts, and the bus service at AKL is the best we have encountered. We had no problem getting to our 8am ps at the Crystal Palace on a day the MK opened at 9am. Actually, our little guy thought the bus was the best ride at Disney. He loved talking to everyone and making friends. By the way, we took our own stroller (a full size) and had no problems getting it on and off the busses. Have fun!

 

[ksc37]

I would also recommend a rental car. We were there with an 11 month old and a 3 year old earlier in the year and we quickly switched from using the bus to using our rental car.

Maybe our timing was really bad, but we found that we had extremely long waits in bus lines at the parks. Our kids did much better if we were moving, so even if we had a long walk to our car in the parking lot, it was much more tolerable than dealing with impatient children in a bus line. Also, once you're there, you can feel safer because your child is in a car seat, you all have seats, and the stroller is safely stowed in the trunk.

I say if you get a good car rental deal, go for that. Many people feel the bus service at the AKL is exceptional, it was just not our experience.

 

[chancellor]

Having taken about a dozen trips since my DS was 14 mos. old, I can definitely say it's better to have a car. You are in total control of when you go or when you leave, which is very necessary with a toddler (he will basically be setting your schedule for you, and that mid-afternoon break is essential). The one exception may be the MK, because you need to deal with the whole TTC/monorail/ferry thing. At all of the other parks the parking lot is adjacent to the front entrance, so even though you may have to deal with the tram, you don't have to cross a lake to get there. We always drive to the other parks.

Of course, I'm assuming you will have a stroller and are not planning on renting one. I have tried the rental approach a couple of times and always regretted it - you have to leave the stroller at the park exit, and it's a LONG trip back to the car (or bus) with a tired, cranky or sleeping kid (compound that with waiting for a bus, and then cramming on a bus with all the other tired and cranky kids, and you'll end up renting a car the next day).

Sorry I can't answer any of your specific questions about AKL or the early PS, but I'm sure others can. I've been doing the toddler at WDW thing for a while now, though, and pretty much have it down pat. I'll be attempting to do it with 2 for the first time this fall. I'm sure I'll have to start the learning curve all over again....

 

[lucysdad]

We just got back from a late June trip and loved our stay at AKL. However, we were very unimpressed with the buses. We regularly had to wait for 20 minutes or more and the buses were crowded. Having said that, however, I still would not want to deal with a rental car. Consider the parking at the hotel and at all the parks. You'll have to take a tram from the parking lots to each entrance. Then, when you return to your car, it and the baby seat will be scorching hot! Also, driving around the World isn't exactly as easy as it seems when you let the bus driver do the navigating. The last time we had a rental car we took a good hour driving around (and around, and around) trying to get from the CR to the Dolphin. We also lost the white rental car in a sea of other white rental cars in the EPCOT lot. It just wasn't worth the hassle. If you really are worried about the baby and the buses, maybe consider staying at one of the monorail resorts this year and try AKL another time, although there were a lot of wee ones at the resort when we were there.
Lucy's Mom

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

We've travelled with a variety of ages.

Trip 1 - DD 18 mo
Trip 2 - DD 2 1/2, DD 8 mo
Trip 3 - DD 4, DD 2, DS 10 mo

We have always flown before and never rented a car. We did not have any problems with this. We've stayed at several repsrts including the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and were fine without a car even with young children. Sure waiting on bus lines can be a hassle, but so can parking and car seats.

For kids under three, I think the huge advantage is in bringing your own stroller. (For older kids I think it's more convenient to rent).

I used a very compact, light weight stroller and it was easy to take the baby in and out when needed and easy to collapse and carry on the bus. With 2 adults and one small child, one of you can carry the stroller on/off the bus and one can carry the baby.
(Three kids was starting to get a bit trickier, but one was smooth sailing!)

Anyhow, I used a Combi. They fold very easily, and they are very small and light weight. You want more than a basic umbrella stroller because you'll want a hood for shade and the ability to recline so the wee one can sleep.

Enjoy!!