Buses at AKL???

[mccathy]

I'm trying to decide between AKL (savannah view) and BLT (standard view).

It's going to be a trip with my mom (almost 70), my sister (over 40), me (33), and my two boys (4 and 6).

AKL looks more relaxing - and with a savannah view we might be able to relax more and hang out at the resort. We always go back to the resort mid-day for naps/pool time, but if we're at AKL I'm thinking we can relax, have an easy dinner in the room, and then head back to the parks later for fireworks. But I'm worried about the buses? With going back midday and then heading back to the parks will we spend most of our time on a bus or waiting for a bus?

At BLT I'm afraid I'll feel rushed to get back to it all. We'll still go back to the rooms, but I just can't imagine being That Close to all the magic and not heading back into the parks right away. Of course - it'll be easy to get to MK and even EPCOT from there so going back and forth might not seem like a hassle.

I'm just stuck because it's about the same amount of points - just very different locations. Pre-DVC we stayed at Caribbean Beach and didn't mind the bus situation at all - and we came back every day for a nap. Our last trip at the Boardwalk totally spoiled us with location and the ease of going to and from the parks.

Any opinions? Thoughts? Horrible experiences with the buses at AKL? Great experience with the buses?

 

[erionm]

We've never had any issues with the buses at AKL/AKV. The buses are direct to/from the resort with two stops within the resort. The Downtown Disney bus order is Jambo House, Kidani Village then Downtown Disney. The Theme Park buses go from Kidani Village to Jambo House to the Theme Park.

 

[TiaMaria]

On our last visit to Kidani, the longest trip we had after leaving the gates of the resort was 23 minutes - that was to Downtown Disney. All other parks ranged from 8 minutes to about 15 minutes maximum.

Keep in mind that the buses to the parks stop first at the Kidani stop, then at the Jambo stop. The buses to Downtown Disney stop first at Jambo and then at the Kidani stop. My times listed above were travel time from leaving the resort gates.

There will be people who will respond on here that have never stayed there that will tell you how gosh-awful far it is from everything, but it is simply not true.

Except for DTD, I didn't find it any longer to be on the bus than staying at SSR or OKW (and they have several more in-resort stops also). I also didn't find I spent more time on the buses than the multiple stops you have to make at all the Epcot resorts (going anywhere other than Epcot, of course).

If you are at BLT - you have quite an easy commute to MK. Taking the monorail or bus to any other park will be equal in time to staying at AKV in my opinion. The monorail to Epcot involves disembarking at the TTC, walking down one ramp and up another to board another monorail. Buses to other parks, if I remember correctly, may sometimes stop at the Poly and the GF (I'm sure someone will correct me if my memory is faulty!) - I might be thinking of Magical Express however.

I will admit, that coming home from DTD at peak closing times seemed like a very long trip back to Kidani, so plan accordingly.

Whichever you choose, you will have a great time, I'm sure, as these are two awesome resorts!

 

[Eddie]

Stayed 2 weeks at AKL Jambo house with Sav. view. Very relaxing numerous afternoons just stayed around the hotel and watched animals. If you have the chance go down near the pool at Jambo House after 9 PM as they have night vision googles which you can use to see tha animals at night.

Yes BLT certainly easy to get to MK and Epcot via monorail but otherwise your trips to other parks would probably be about the same as from AKL to MK and Epcot.

 

[disneychic]

I have to say that the savannah view rooms at AKV (I've I only stayed in Kidani) are WONDERFUL! I cannot say enough how happy we were each and every time we've stayed there. I love animal watching, at all different times of day -- it's just got a different atmoshpere. It kind of forces you to slow down a bit and enjoy the view. For example, when we stay at BWV, we love to be out walking around the Boardwalk, and sometimes feel like you're on the go go go -- I don't feel that way at all when staying at AKV. I recently stayed there with my mom for her birthday in August. She'd never stayed there before and she wasn't sure if she was going to like it or not -- well, she LOVED it! Also, on that trip we did not have a rental car, and used WDW transportation -- we never had an issue. When leaving the resort and going to the parks we never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus. I think the longest time we waited for a bus back to AKL was from DTD, and maybe it was 15 minutes?? No problems with WDW transportation at all. Don't let the transportation hold you back from trying AKV.

 

[drusba]

What I have found with busses:

1. AKL: Better than busses at any other resort.

2. Worst busses: BWV to MK and AKL (share with Swan Dolphin and sometimes with YC/BC and for no explainable reason often has long periods for a bus to show up at MK to return to resort); second worst is MK resorts (including Contmporary/BLT) to Studios and AKL because of the sharing among all MK resorts (GF, Poly, Contemp).

 

[mccathy]

What I have found with busses:

1. AKL: Better than busses at any other resort.

2. Worst busses: BWV to MK and AKL (share with Swan Dolphin and sometimes with YC/BC and for no explainable reason often has long periods for a bus to show up at MK to return to resort); second worst is MK resorts (including Contmporary/BLT) to Studios and AKL because of the sharing among all MK resorts (GF, Poly, Contemp).

I totally agree about the buses from BWV.

That's great to hear.

 

[CT_Pats_Fan]

We stayed at Kidani with a Savannah view in August. I was just as nervous about the busses and worried that Animal Kingdom is so far away from everything. What a waste of time worrying about it. The busses were better than what we were used to at the Beach Club and we never felt like we were so far away from the rest of Disney.

The theming is incredible. Take some time to explore the resort and speak with the cast members. They are awesome. Having coffee with Giraffes and beers with the Zebras is priceless, the restaurants were great.

 

[ShuisFan584]

I've stayed at all the DVC resorts except for BLT and I have to say the buses were the best at VWL and AKV. They didn't share a bus with a bunch of other resorts like BWV and BCV (although VWL sometimes picked up GF) and they didn't have 5 bus stops like SSR or OKW.

I'm a little biased since I own at AKV, so I definitely would choose AKV. Especially with your boys, I think they would really enjoy staying at AKV in a savanna view room.

 

[mccathy]

Thanks Everyone!

We're going to try and get our one-bedroom with Savannah view! Wish me luck - I just have to wait a month to book it.

My son saw my DVC planning book out and saw the pictures for AKV and asked, "Is that a hotel? You can sleep with the animals right outside?" "Can we stay there next time?" So - I know he'll love it! Just doesn't know we're going yet.

My sister is also excited about the animals and tells me not to worry about the buses...

so thank you again... It's good to hear they run better than BWV.

 

[dianeschlicht]

One of the things we love about both our home resorts (AKV and OKW) is that bus service seems to be so much better than some of the other DVC's. We always joke at AKV that they know when we are leaving the room, because the bus is always there when we get to the bus stop. I only remember waiting once at AKV, and that was one morning to MK when a bus didn't come, and they had to send two buses to take all the people waiting.

 

[mybabesuz]

We love AKV and stay there for the very reason's you mentioned.
We love the relaxed feeling...being away from it all.

We have never had any issues with the buses.

 

[cvjw]

We have always had great luck with the buses from AK. We just stayed at BLT with my husband's parents (in their 80's), and the monorail trip to EPCOT was more involved than we thought it would be. By the time we actually walked into the EPCOT turnstiles, they were already tired. It took us over an hour to get back to BLT from EPCOT at lunch one afternoon - we were wishing there was a bus that we could ride home. For a relaxing vacation, I would chose AKV. Nothing is more inviting than sitting on your balcony with animals right below. We find ourselves spending much more time relaxing there than at BLT.

 

[mccathy]

We have always had great luck with the buses from AK. We just stayed at BLT with my husband's parents (in their 80's), and the monorail trip to EPCOT was more involved than we thought it would be. By the time we actually walked into the EPCOT turnstiles, they were already tired. It took us over an hour to get back to BLT from EPCOT at lunch one afternoon - we were wishing there was a bus that we could ride home. For a relaxing vacation, I would chose AKV. Nothing is more inviting than sitting on your balcony with animals right below. We find ourselves spending much more time relaxing there than at BLT.

Thank you! This is exactly what I needed to hear to confirm my decision! AKV it is!

 

[carmic]

Thinking about AKV in April but was worried about buses after previous problems on a stay at All Star Movies. Looking for info during busier period like two weeks before Easter. Thanks, Geoff

 

[Aggiegrl]

Thinking about AKV in April but was worried about buses after previous problems on a stay at All Star Movies. Looking for info during busier period like two weeks before Easter. Thanks, Geoff

Bottlenecks can occur at any resort during busy periods. You just can't predict it.

However, my preference for a busy time would be to stay at Kidani instead of Jambo House, especially if you are traveling to the parks for rope drop/in the morning. Since the park buses stop at Kidani first, you have a better chance of getting on/getting a seat. I also feel like, as a DVC resort, the competition for the bus is less since more DVCers tend to have cars.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I also feel like, as a DVC resort, the competition for the bus is less since more DVCers tend to have cars.

Possibly, but of all resorts AKV - Kidani lends itself greatly to those with cars because of the parking garage below the resort and the elevators that go directly to the garage level from each floor.

 

[CarpeDisney]

My family stayed at Kidani during the week between Christmas and New Years. Definitely a "busy time".

With the exception of leaving the parks at closing (at which time all resorts deal with the long lines waiting for buses), we never had an issue with the buses from Kidani to any of the parks. We caught buses from AKL (kidani) to the parks and DTD at various times of the day including early morning for rope drops, mid afternoon, and evenings. We never waited longer than 15 minutes for a bus, and were never turned away due to over-crowding. (That's one HUGE advantage of staying at Kidani.....it's the first stop for all of the park buses in AKL)

Last February we stayed at All Star Sports for two nights prior to checking into Kidani. The bus systems cannot be compared. It was a very nice change to get to Kidani and have buses that didn't stop at 2 other resorts.

Side note: Plus, the background music on the Kidani buses (drums, and other African instruments) is very relaxing.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with the bus system at AKL.

 

[mccathy]

My family stayed at Kidani during the week between Christmas and New Years. Definitely a "busy time".

With the exception of leaving the parks at closing (at which time all resorts deal with the long lines waiting for buses), we never had an issue with the buses from Kidani to any of the parks. We caught buses from AKL (kidani) to the parks and DTD at various times of the day including early morning for rope drops, mid afternoon, and evenings. We never waited longer than 15 minutes for a bus, and were never turned away due to over-crowding. (That's one HUGE advantage of staying at Kidani.....it's the first stop for all of the park buses in AKL)

Last February we stayed at All Star Sports for two nights prior to checking into Kidani. The bus systems cannot be compared. It was a very nice change to get to Kidani and have buses that didn't stop at 2 other resorts.

Side note: Plus, the background music on the Kidani buses (drums, and other African instruments) is very relaxing.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with the bus system at AKL.

Awesome!

 

[jblrn2b]

Haven't stayed at BLT yet but stayed at AKV last Nov and had great experience getting around the World.