Animal Kingdom Special Offer?

[Chili327]

I wonder if that will still be the case post-renovation though. I won’t stay there with the current state of their rooms, and imagine lots of other people won’t either.

I would not be one of them.

For example as of directions this morning:
AKL to AK=6 minutes
AKL to Epcot=12 minutes
AKL to HS=10 minutes
AKL to MK=13 minutes

We noticed that AKL tends to run busses more frequently at park open.

We had similar times during our October, December, and January trips from AKL to these parks.

Are those wait times or travel times?? I can't imagine MK is only 1min further than Epcot.

AKL's transportation issue is more emotional than it is logical. If Disney installed a manmade lake between the park/resort and provided safari-themed boat transport, it would have totally resolved the issue (even if a boat wound up being just as practical as a bus).

I imagine it's too late to add now, but the hotel would be way more appealing if it did (with no practical improvement).

That would be great for sure!!

 

[hhisc16]

I would not be one of them.



Are those wait times or travel times?? I can't imagine MK is only 1min further than Epcot.



That would be great for sure!!

Travel times on the bus.

 

[byurick]

For example as of directions this morning:
AKL to AK=6 minutes
AKL to Epcot=12 minutes
AKL to HS=10 minutes
AKL to MK=13 minutes

We noticed that AKL tends to run busses more frequently at park open.

We had similar times during our October, December, and January trips from AKL to these parks.

We’re here at Kidani right now. It’s moderately busy and I’d say those travel times are about right. Maybe add a few minutes here or there depending on time of the day.

 

[Brian Noble]

I can't imagine MK is only 1min further than Epcot.

MK is an easy shot from AKL: Once you cross Sherberth Road on Osceola, there are no other traffic lights between you and Seven Seas Drive.

 

[ThatCubT]

Is this for new members or is it existing members to add on points?

 

[Chili327]

MK is an easy shot from AKL: Once you cross Sherberth Road on Osceola, there are no other traffic lights between you and Seven Seas Drive.

Is that the same for the bus as a car?

Is this for new members or is it existing members to add on points?

I believe it is for both, but there might be 2 different scales, one for each.

 

[Brian Noble]

Is that the same for the bus as a car?

The car doesn't make it all the way to Seven Seas unless they are going to one of the Monorail resorts; they would instead park at the MK lot. But otherwise yes. Osceola and World Drive are two high-capacity/mid-to-high speed arteries, with ramps that connect the two.

 

[Tigger1]

For example as of directions this morning:
AKL to AK=6 minutes
AKL to Epcot=12 minutes
AKL to HS=10 minutes
AKL to MK=13 minutes

We noticed that AKL tends to run busses more frequently at park open.

We had similar times during our October, December, and January trips from AKL to these parks.

If it is in the afternoon, going from AK to AKL is about a 30 minute wait for a bus.

Also, seems like it usually takes 20 minutes from AKL to MK. Could depend on traffic.

 

[Girlstar30]

I understand why people think the "bus triad" are somehow lesser. But I really don't share that view. During my trips, I tend to visit most of the various destinations around WDW, and each of them typically more than once. At this point, I've hit a wide variety of resorts across each of the "areas" in WDW. While some things are very convenient from a particular resort, other things are very much not. No resort is close to everything, and over the course of the week the time and hassle factor tends to balance itself out.

As they say on the Transportation Board: "There is no pixie dust in transportation."

I think for many people it's just the fact that the resorts only have bus transportation, period. Most people would not say it this way, even to themselves, but I think at least part of it is "I'm better than Those Bus People."

Now if you are going to spend more than half of your time in any one park, then location starts to make a bigger difference. But that's just not me, and it never was. Not when I had small kids, and not now that I'm doing adult-only trips.

I agree with this. We stayed at Jambo and Kidani. Jambo bus transportation was actually super efficient getting us to the theme parks. Kidani we did have a challenge (buses not coming) but the front desk took care of us and actually ordered us a lyft for free because we had disney springs dinner plans (was very impressed by that) Riv was actually the worst bus experience we had trying to get back to CCV. It was night time and it took FOREVER (over an hour transferring because MK had just closed and we had to go to DS) so I think timing really has to do a lot with the worst bus experiences. The kidani issue also happened later at night. Other than that the bus ride was longer to theme parks from AKV but who really cares if it's 10 min longer drive, it's an amazing resort with free transportation to parks. Lots of the resorts you have to take the bus too and if you happen to just miss it youll be waiting just as long I also remember on the way to ccv the bus actually stopped somewhere else first elongating that trip way longer than any animal kingdom bus we took. Buses still have to be taken for at least two theme parks for every resort if I'm not mistaken

 

[Brian Noble]

Riv was actually the worst bus experience we had trying to get back to CCV.

Relying on Disney for resort-to-resort transportation is pretty much always miserable. I either drive, take ride share, or don't go.

 

[MICKIMINI]

I wonder if that will still be the case post-renovation though. I won’t stay there with the current state of their rooms, and imagine lots of other people won’t either.

We were pretty shocked when we stayed at a 1BR Value at Jambo in October! Not only dark and dreary, but paint was chipped and scarred and it just felt like a dirty motel - yikes! We just built a new home and to be on vacation at a place we'd stayed many times before and feeling that "ickiness" was pathetic...and then the door knocks began. Must be an aggressive CM. We had just come from three nights at Poly (okay, so the doors didn't work) which was glorious, sunny and comfortable so it was a never again.

 

[The Jackal]

I would think the Cabins at FW bus ride is by far worse thank AKV/L, SSR and OKW for Epcot, DHS and AK. Get on a bus, go to several stops. Get dropped off, wait for a bus then get dropped off at Wilderness Lodge. Wait for the correct bus to the theme park of your choice. You’re gonna need probably 1-1.5 hours to get to the theme park. Then you have to come home the same way. The THV at SSR are similar, but you can walk over to SSR at the first bus stop and get on, instead of waiting for the internal bus.

 

[WB1971]

Travel times on the bus.

That doesn’t include the mandatory 5-10 minute slog from jambo to kidani, half of the time which involves scooter loading. That internal time waste is what gets me. We drive since we are only an hour from home, so always have our own car or uber to avoid most of the busses when staying there.

 

[CarolynFH]

Get on a bus, go to several stops. Get dropped off, wait for a bus then get dropped off at Wilderness Lodge. Wait for the correct bus to the theme park of your choice.

If you ride the internal bus to the Outpost, you can catch buses directly to the other parks from there. No need to take the internal bus to the Settlement then take another to WL and then a third to the parks. I admit it’s awkward and aggravating either way, which is why we drove when we stayed in the cabins, but two bus rides are all you need, not three.

 

[Cfabar1]

My view is Skyliner and Monorail and in some instances boats are better than bus... There is one magical word as to why: STROLLERS

If you're on the bus, you have to take the kids out of the strollers, collapse the strollers, etc. it is a pain.... Get on the skyliner or the monorail and there you go voila!

Walking is even better, but it isn't always possible...

For us, when going to resorts for dinner we always drive... We did RIV back to VGF once (after spending the day in EPCOT and going to Toppolinos for dinner...) it was bearable, but probably not worth it.

 

[atthebeachclub]

Hats off to the parents who navigate WDW with a stroller. I literally would never. Sounds terrible (for the parents). I waited to go until my kids were independently mobile.

 

[stat]

Hats off to the parents who navigate WDW with a stroller. I literally would never. Sounds terrible (for the parents). I waited to go until my kids were independently mobile.

We're still going strong with a stroller even though my youngest has technically been independently mobile for years. We'd never make it in the parks 12+ hours without pushing her around half the time. And the storage is nice- backpacks in Orlando weather aren't my fav given how much water and stuff we lug around. Might try going without a stroller next trip but I'll definitely miss the convenience, transportation aside.