AKV is NOT far away :)

[cropman]

For my family, we weren't sure which seemed farther, rides to the parks or Downtown Disney, or the walk to our room. I have seen the average times to the parks from AKV, it just seemed a lot longer to us. That being said, it really is a great resort. The dining situation is great, the rooms are nice, the pools are good, and the views from the rooms are incredible. It justs seems like it is an isolated resort to me.

 

[Wedgeh]

A few thousand miles and 18 months away for me But I can't wait to get back home! The location hasn't bothered me yet, and it's hard to find giraffes anywhere else

 

[toniosmom]

I have never felt like I was located on the outskirts of the world at AKV. The bus rides never felt very long to me. Our last trip was at BLT and that walk to MK was awesome. I shall have a new point of view of the MK buses from now on.

Having said that, I love how peaceful and relaxing the atmosphere is because you are not in the middle of it all. Last Spring, we skipped the parks a couple of days and really enjoyed just hanging out watching the animals or swimming in the pool.

We're staying at BCV for the first time in April and I've heard negative stuff about the buses there since they service several resorts. However, one of the reasons we are staying at BCV is to be THERE. With SAB, I suspect that we will have a few park-less days where we will just do lots of swimming.

 

[Mississippian]

I stayed at the AKL hotel some years ago. It's a great resort, and back then the bus service was great. BUT, it was quite a long trip to get everywhere except to AK park.

Add to this the fact that food is a major problem. While there are good dining options, they are limited, and for a longer stay you will definitely need to travel elsewhere to eat. At other resorts, this means just walking a short distance or taking the monorail. At AKV, it means a very long wait and tiresome ride on a bus.

Make no mistake, I'd like to stay again, but I would not like to stay for an extended period because of the isolation and food shortage.

 

[hockey6]

We stayed for four days last August at Jambo value studio. While I loved the room decor, that is the only thing I liked about it. Our bus rides were looooonnnngggg. Unless I can't get SSR, that will be the only time I'll be back to AKV.

Oh, I really do not mind any of the bus rides, in fact I had longer waits @ SSR than I did at AKV but I still didn't mind, I am on vaca! I just love being at Disney.
The reason I am replying though is because the dog in your photo looks just like mine- is that a schnoodle?

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

I enjoyed our 10 night stay at Jambo in August 2010 and felt that the transportation was excellent. Part of the charm for me is being removed from the hustle and bustle of the parks though - if you want to stay right in the action, then I think you need BCV, BWV, or BLT if you are confing yourself to the DVC resorts.

The bus ride to MK is on the long side when you are used to staying at VWL, but the rides to other parks do not feel that long. When we stayed at BWV, you could not beat the walk to Epcot for proximity ... but the bus rides to MK were long due to the multiple stops and it took us an HOUR to make it to DHS by boat the one time we tried (we walked after that).

 

[lakohls]

Last trip with family we stayed at Kidani, trip before at Yacht Club (before DVC).

From Yacht/Beach Club we loved being able to walk from Epcot & spent alot of time there as DD thought Test Track was THE BEST.

But on our more recent trip & stay at Kidani, the bus rides were really not an issue. When on our way somewhere everyone was excited to be heading out, and on the rides back having the time to sit & talk about the recent activities made the minutes go really quickly.

We have been a little torn on where to stay for our next trip Nov 2011. Since we own at AK we booked the 2br at the 11 month window. When the 7 month comes up I'll be torn on whether to try to switch over to BC. I suspect based on the lower points to keep our current res & the fact that we had such a great time at AK last trip we'll just stay where we are.

We are still "young" to our DVC, so maybe I'll feel differently after a few more trips. I do want to try a few of the other resorts at some point too.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

It's not really a big deal to me, but it took us 20 min from DTD to AKL to eat at Jiko and almost 25 min back with stops. We were staying at SSR so we caught the bus at DTD. It's about the same (20 min) from SSR to MK. So....depends on where you stay and where you want to go. I like to be in the middle so its not far from anything, like BCV.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Oh, I really do not mind any of the bus rides, in fact I had longer waits @ SSR than I did at AKV but I still didn't mind, I am on vaca! I just love being at Disney.
The reason I am replying though is because the dog in your photo looks just like mine- is that a schnoodle?

Yes, my dog is a schnoodle! That is too funny! Aren't they the best dogs?(sorry OP!)