Animal Kingdom Lodge Buses

[Stephie77]

I am curious as to the buses at AKL. I know it is the farthest hotel from the parks (except AK obviously) but are the bus rides long to the parks and do they come to the hotel often? Also, are the only stops at the designated park(s) and the hotel or do the buses stop at another hotel along the route? Thanks in advance.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I think the AKL has 2 bus stops now because the villas are open. The bus rides are long to the parks (except AK lol) and they did come frequently.

The main reason we will not stay AKL again is because of the distance from the resort to all the action

 

[Stephie77]

That is what I thought. We usually stay at the Grand Floridian but figured we would try a different deluxe. Can you just tell me if it is more than a half hour to MK, epcot or DHS? Thanks.

 

[MickeyNicki]

It was about 20 minutes to MK, 15 to HS

 

[Stephie77]

Double Post

 

[Stephie77]

OK. Besides the buses, did you like the resort as a whole? We were looking to get a standard room-club level which has a Savanna view(i assume that means a view of the animals). Thanks again for your help.

 

[thewesterberg]

I don't know if this will help you or not, but I found it here:
ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE:
Magic Kingdom: 12 miles
Epcot: 8 miles
Hollywood Studios: 6 miles
Animal Kingdom: 2 miles

I've stayed at AKL twice and both times found the bus system to work well. Yes, it's a little further out, but I never felt annoyed by a long bus ride or anything. We've always gone in the summer and it felt good to sit down in the AC for a bit!

There are two stops at AKL - Kidani and Jambo. The pick up/drop off order when going to the parks is: Parks - Kidani - Jambo - Parks.

If you're going to DTD, the pick up/drop off order is: DTD - Jambo - Kidani - DTD.

By doing this you can ride the bus between Kidani and Jambo (if you're going to a different pool or restaurant that's located at the other building).

Hope that helps a little. We love AKV... only 109 days until our next trip home!

 

[Stephie77]

I don't know if this will help you or not, but I found it here:
ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE:
Magic Kingdom: 12 miles
Epcot: 8 miles
Hollywood Studios: 6 miles
Animal Kingdom: 2 miles

I've stayed at AKL twice and both times found the bus system to work well. Yes, it's a little further out, but I never felt annoyed by a long bus ride or anything. We've always gone in the summer and it felt good to sit down in the AC for a bit!

There are two stops at AKL - Kidani and Jambo. The pick up/drop off order when going to the parks is: Parks - Kidani - Jambo - Parks.

If you're going to DTD, the pick up/drop off order is: DTD - Jambo - Kidani - DTD.

By doing this you can ride the bus between Kidani and Jambo (if you're going to a different pool or restaurant that's located at the other building).

Hope that helps a little. We love AKV... only 109 days until our next trip home!

That does help. I don't think it will be too bad should we decide to stay there. You must be very excited for your trip. I love Disney at holiday time(we are going back hopefully for our 1 year anniversary). That is one of the many reasons why DH and I decided to get married there around that time, so our guests could enjoy it. Thanks again.

 

[Chip and Dale]

Buses at AKL seem to run more frequently than the other resorts and they are usually less crowded. The buses now stop at the Villas which means two stops compared to multiples at the other resorts. We've had the savannah view rooms and liked them, but they're only necessary for one visit. The thing we don 't like about AKL is that the rooms are dark because of the dark woods and heavy drapes. We would go back, though.

 

[cigar95]

Those distances seem to be fictitious. The drive to the entrance to the Studios is almost exactly four miles. To Epcot, just under six miles. (That's along the toads, not a straight line.)

For comparison, from Wilderness Lodge to Epcot is just about five miles, and just a smidge longer to the Studios. Just from the layout, it seems that AKL-MK will be about the same as WL-AK.

Interestingly, to get to Downtown Disney, is only about 3/4 mile longer from AK Lodge.

So if you have taken busses from WL, you have some idea what the bus rides will be like from AK Lodge.

 

[SarRoc1020]

Stayed at AKL twice: pre-Kidani and post-Kidani. The difference in bus service was extreme. Post-Kidani service was not great, to say the least, coming from the resort or returning from the parks. We love AKL, but would rather stay someplace more centrally located, even if not a deluxe.

 

[Stephie77]

Buses at AKL seem to run more frequently than the other resorts and they are usually less crowded. The buses now stop at the Villas which means two stops compared to multiples at the other resorts. We've had the savannah view rooms and liked them, but they're only necessary for one visit. The thing we don 't like about AKL is that the rooms are dark because of the dark woods and heavy drapes. We would go back, though.

Dark Rooms don't bother me as we are gone most of the time and rarely spend time in the room except at night and once in a while during the day but who needs light-

Those distances seem to be fictitious. The drive to the entrance to the Studios is almost exactly four miles. To Epcot, just under six miles. (That's along the toads, not a straight line.)

For comparison, from Wilderness Lodge to Epcot is just about five miles, and just a smidge longer to the Studios. Just from the layout, it seems that AKL-MK will be about the same as WL-AK.

Interestingly, to get to Downtown Disney, is only about 3/4 mile longer from AK Lodge.

So if you have taken busses from WL, you have some idea what the bus rides will be like from AK Lodge.

I guese wdwinfo is wrong? I have never been to the WL but the bus ride from AKL to parks does not seem to be as bad as I thought. I mean the bus ride to DHS from GF (where we usually stay) is about 15-20 mins.

Thanks for the opinions.

 

[MickeyNicki]

OK. Besides the buses, did you like the resort as a whole? We were looking to get a standard room-club level which has a Savanna view(i assume that means a view of the animals). Thanks again for your help.

No we didnt...we stayed savanah view CL which is the only way I would ever stay there again (although DH will never go back there). The resort was nice and it is great to go visit it while going to Boma breakfast but I would not want to stay there again, stay that far removed from Epcot and MK.

The room was not cleaned, the staff were not that friendly, the noise level was ridiculous..we could not believe how loud it was all the time, the only time it wasnt so bad was 1-3 in the afternoon. The ac was never cool and the service people said it was a green resort so the ac doesnt work when you are not in your room?? They gave us a handicapped room (which we didnt need) and the bathroom was so huge it cut out the living space to the room so we felt very cramped (they would not move us either).

I knew the resort was having construction but for 8 months I was told by the CL that there would not be any noise or any work going on in the area I requested for the dates of my stay but they were WRONG! There was scaffolding right outside my balcony the entire time, workers from 8-5 every single day! They painted the interior halls so we had to be very careful and everything smelled like new paint, including my room which made me feel a tad ill.

The one thing that made the entire stay worth it was the special AK safari (morning) that only CL guests can pay to go on...that was unbelievable. It was nice seeing the animals from our room but I didnt like seeing the guys working (did they count as animals?) There were birds in the am, afternoon were some African cows, later in the early evening we saw zebra and giraffes.

If you want to see a ton of pics click on my Oct 08 link. I have pics of the CL lounge and food, Jiko, Boma breakfast and dinner, the pool bar and the room and view and the Sunrise Safari and breakfast

 

[hellodisneysunshine]

First off, AKL rules. Bottom line.

... Now with the rest:

The bus service is awesome. Personally, I'm very happy that I'm not driving or paying to park, so the bus rides do not bother me at all. They have nice themed music and are air conditioned Thats always a plus. I laugh at all the people who complain about AKL being far away from all the 'action' and that it takes longer to get to parks from there. In all reality, if you were traveling to MK from AKL it may take 10-15 mins to get there. Thats nothing. Take a breather, look at pictures on your phone/camera, chat with your family, or make friends with a complete stranger. Enjoy the bus rides. Thats one of the things that make the whole 'Disney magic' an experince. Why complain? You're staying at a drop dead gorgeous resort and your at DISNEY!!! For me, WDW is my happy place So, you will never hear something negative come out of my mouth.

That is all. I'm ready for my trip!

 

[snowy76]

First off, AKL rules. Bottom line.

I was going to post, but why bother now? You summed it up.

That being said, I will put in an endorsement for AKL. If we didn't have a family of 5 now, I would go back in a heartbeat (we're staying off property to save money... but just a couple of miles from AKL so I can eat at Boma a bajillion times LOL). My best memories of WDW as an adult involve our two oldest on their first trip and the excitement of seeing the animals at every turn.

Last fall I took my sister to WDW for the first time since we were kids. We had dinner at AKL and when she walked into the lobby I remembered why I loved the resort. Her jaw-dropping reaction was a great "welcome back" moment for us both.

We actually enjoyed the darkness of the rooms. It was a welcome change from the heat of the summer. As for the AC issue someone mentioned, AKL isn't the only place that does this (I can definitely say Swan/Dolphin). Many hotels are going this route to save energy and money. The ACs have motion detectors and from what I've read on the DIS, there is a way to override it at night (because obviously you're not moving!)

Dining options are great. Even the food court is good for a deluxe IMO.

As far as the bus service, I agree with PP who said there actually seems to be more/more frequent buses for AKL (probably because it's a ways removed from other resorts). I love that it's a dedicated bus. But mostly, I'm on vacation, so why am I in such a rush?

 

[Stephie77]

Thanks for everyones opinions and comments. I appreciate it.

 

[scdufek]

I have to agree with the pp's-we LOVE the AKL and are going back for another stay there in Nov. We never had any problems with the buses and the resort is amazing!

 

[nancyjvanwyk]

I am curious as to the buses at AKL. I know it is the farthest hotel from the parks (except AK obviously) but are the bus rides long to the parks and do they come to the hotel often? Also, are the only stops at the designated park(s) and the hotel or do the buses stop at another hotel along the route? Thanks in advance.

We stayed at AKL Sept 09. husband, sister, mother and myself. We all loved it and nobody complained about the length of time on the buses. The wait at the lodge was not long to any park. The resort is fabulous and all of the staff could not have been more helpful and friendly. Did the night vision goggles to see the animals at night, great hot tubs, nice pool, very relaxing atmosphere. It did not seem as busy or loud as the WL where we stayed in 2008. Have a great time!

 

[saintstickets]

iPhone OLP Trip Wizard app states the following route times from AKL to ....

MK Bus-18 minutes
EP Bus-17 minutes
HS Bus-16 minutes
BB Bus-8 minutes
TL Bus-18 minutes
DD Bus-23 minutes

This app is pretty accurate. Of course it does not include wait time until the bus arrives.