Designated busses and resort questions

[bettybooplove]

Grand Floridian has pretty good transportation. I've stayed there a handful of times and the monorail was never an issue and the boats were consistent.
The longest wait I ever had for a bus was 10 minutes.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is beautiful but as I've said before, it's not just the commute you have to worry about (and 20 minutes to a theme park is a long time in my opinion) but you also have to factor in the wait. I've had 30 plus minute waits for buses while at Kidani. When you add in the additional 20 minutes just to get to Magic Kingdom, that's ridiculous. To me it's a resort for those who don't really care for MK, spend their time at AK or aren't planning to go to the parks at all.

The MK resorts aren't perfect at all and I really prefer the Epcot resorts, but if I had to choose between an AKL stay or say, the Contemporary, I would go with the latter.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

We dropped and picked up at bwi while staying at bc. Don't remember which park it was for

When did you stay at BC? The BW has only had one stop for the past two years. However, I've only been going during thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

[monica9]

When did you stay at BC? The BW has only had one stop for the past two years. However, I've only been going during thanksgiving or Christmas.

It was 2013 in the beginning of November. Wasn't a busy time of year. We ALWAYS shared with YC and BWI but I don't remember if it was for only one park or all the parks. Maybe they designate during the busy times and during the slow times they do multiple stops? No idea but I clearly remember the front of BWI (well, it felt like the back of BWI since I always felt like the front was the part we saw from the board walk and BC).

 

[disneygolfer1985]

It was 2013 in the beginning of November. Wasn't a busy time of year. We ALWAYS shared with YC and BWI but I don't remember if it was for only one park or all the parks. Maybe they designate during the busy times and during the slow times they do multiple stops? No idea but I clearly remember the front of BWI (well, it felt like the back of BWI since I always felt like the front was the part we saw from the board walk and BC).

Starting around October of 2015, the BW no longer shared buses with any other resorts. It's been a fairly new feature, but has been very nice. The other resorts I can't say for sure but BW does have its own bus for MK and AK.

 

[Pennstate6411]

Grand Floridian has pretty good transportation. I've stayed there a handful of times and the monorail was never an issue and the boats were consistent.
The longest wait I ever had for a bus was 10 minutes.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is beautiful but as I've said before, it's not just the commute you have to worry about (and 20 minutes to a theme park is a long time in my opinion) but you also have to factor in the wait. I've had 30 plus minute waits for buses while at Kidani. When you add in the additional 20 minutes just to get to Magic Kingdom, that's ridiculous. To me it's a resort for those who don't really care for MK, spend their time at AK or aren't planning to go to the parks at all.

The MK resorts aren't perfect at all and I really prefer the Epcot resorts, but if I had to choose between an AKL stay or say, the Contemporary, I would go with the latter.

We love MK and we stay at at AKL- I think 20 minutes is reasonable to get to a theme park- it's not like it's 20 miles away its 8 so much of it is lights and traffic. Let's say other resorts on avg 10 minutes to get to MK, some take more some less I know - but at most 10 minutes difference (from other posts e avg is 17 min AKL to MK) I'm on vacation- im not sweating the extra 10 there and extra 10 back - it's such little time in the scheme of things , you get an unbelievable resort in AKL and you're not paying gouged prices because you save 5-10 minutes to 1 theme park.

EDIT: all prices are gouged but monorail resorts even more so

 

[monica9]

everyone keeps saying 8 miles from AKL to MK but this link is saying 12 miles. Not that that's a huge deal because like pp said, it's not a taxi service but curious as to which one is that accurate one? 5 miles is substantial.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/resorts/resort-distances.htm

 

[DisBuckMan]

everyone keeps saying 8 miles from AKL to MK but this link is saying 12 miles. Not that that's a huge deal because like pp said, it's not a taxi service but curious as to which one is that accurate one? 5 miles is substantial.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/resorts/resort-distances.htm

Here....you tell me which one is right....

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bus...6550!2m2!1d-81.6026741!2d28.3512101!3e0?hl=en

That 8.2 miles shown is even taking into account the slight detour around the road construction on World Drive.

 

[Shanti]

When did you stay at BC? The BW has only had one stop for the past two years. However, I've only been going during thanksgiving or Christmas.

We stayed at BWI last summer and did share buses. So I think the fact that you've been going at peak times is why you've never shared while at BW.

 

[bettybooplove]

To MK:

AKL....8 miles
CSR...5.5 miles
AS....6.5 miles
AoA...6.3 miles
POP...6.5 miles
CBR...6 miles
SSR...7.4 miles
OKW...6.5 miles
BWI...5.4 miles
BC/YC...6.2 miles
POFQ...5.3 miles
POR....5.1 miles

Other than the "MK resorts" (Poly, CR, GF, WL)...what's really THAT much better than AKL...especially given the dedicated buses?

Epcot resorts have more dining options, not only at the three resorts but at the Swan and Dolphin as well as Epcot. AKL is isolated.

Epcot resort rooms are larger and brighter. AKL rooms are smaller and darker.

You're able to walk or use a boat to two other parks. AKL only uses buses.

 

[FastPasser.]

Pop Century and Art of Animation are the only resorts I know of that have their own exclusive bus transportation at all times, with only one bus stop at their respective resorts.

By exclusive, do you mean that they have their own fleet of buses that service only them?

 

[Shanti]

By exclusive, do you mean that they have their own fleet of buses that service only them?

Yes. I wouldn't call it a "fleet" necessarily, but neither Pop nor AOA ever share buses with other resorts, unlike the All Stars, which do share buses with each other at times.

That's one reason why Pop & AOA cost more than the All Stars.

 

[FastPasser.]

Yes. I wouldn't call it a "fleet" necessarily, but neither Pop nor AOA ever share buses with other resorts, unlike the All Stars, which do share buses with each other at times.

So you mean that whatever buses happen to arrive at those two resorts from the attractions go directly back to the attractions. It's not that PC and AoA have a certain number of buses that work just for them.

 

[Shanti]

So you mean that whatever buses happen to arrive at those two resorts from the attractions go directly back to the attractions. It's not that PC and AoA have a certain number of buses that work just for them.

The buses are WDW buses, just like all the other resorts use WDW buses. Many resorts share buses with other resorts, at least part of the time. Pop & AOA do not. Neither does AKL. That's what "dedicated bus service" means. But their buses are nothing special besides that. They are standard WDW buses.

 

[Lynne M]

So you mean that whatever buses happen to arrive at those two resorts from the attractions go directly back to the attractions. It's not that PC and AoA have a certain number of buses that work just for them.

No Disney resort has their own fleet of buses. There's one centrally managed, centrally dispatched bus system that serves all resorts, theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs. There are generally standard routes, but routes are sometimes changed on the fly depending on need.

What the PP is getting at is that when you get on a bus to a theme park from Pop, or a bus to a theme park from AoA, you won't stop to pick up people at other resorts on the way.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Epcot resorts have more dining options, not only at the three resorts but at the Swan and Dolphin as well as Epcot. AKL is isolated.

Epcot resort rooms are larger and brighter. AKL rooms are smaller and darker.

You're able to walk or use a boat to two other parks. AKL only uses buses.

Agree with all of that.

But, this thread is not about dining options, or how well lit the rooms are, etc.

This thread is about how long it takes to get back and forth from MK to AK. Transportation.

 

[Pennstate6411]

Epcot resorts have more dining options, not only at the three resorts but at the Swan and Dolphin as well as Epcot. AKL is isolated.

Epcot resort rooms are larger and brighter. AKL rooms are smaller and darker.

You're able to walk or use a boat to two other parks. AKL only uses buses.

Clearly you have preferance to the Epcot resorts which is perfectly fine, everyone has their own style. As mentioned above this is about transportation not restaurants etc.

Having said that, you also pay a lot more for the Epcot resorts and the theming isn't for everyone, ( I personally like AKL because of the things you dislike it and I personally feel like the theme at Epcot resorts is too beach- I can go to beach whenever).

Transportation conversation- you can walk to parks from Epcot and 10 minutes to AK or MK they are the most central , however the extra 5 to 10 from AKL should not be a vacation destroyer- overall its not a bad journey and it's 5 minutes to AK and only 10 to the the other parks.

 

[monica9]

Grand Floridian has pretty good transportation. I've stayed there a handful of times and the monorail was never an issue and the boats were consistent.
The longest wait I ever had for a bus was 10 minutes.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is beautiful but as I've said before, it's not just the commute you have to worry about (and 20 minutes to a theme park is a long time in my opinion) but you also have to factor in the wait. I've had 30 plus minute waits for buses while at Kidani. When you add in the additional 20 minutes just to get to Magic Kingdom, that's ridiculous. To me it's a resort for those who don't really care for MK, spend their time at AK or aren't planning to go to the parks at all.

The MK resorts aren't perfect at all and I really prefer the Epcot resorts, but if I had to choose between an AKL stay or say, the Contemporary, I would go with the latter.

oh wow really? that bad?

 

[DisBuckMan]

oh wow really? that bad?

There is not one single resort on property that is better or worse than the next when it comes to waiting on a particular park bus. We waited 30 minutes for a Hollywood Studios bus last month at the Poly. We waited 30 minutes for an AK bus at Contemporary/BLT last year.

It's hit or miss, no matter the resort.

 

[bettybooplove]

oh wow really? that bad?

Since you asked me, yes it was that bad.

Again, I think Kidani and the Lodge are beautiful resorts. But I felt the waits were way too long. It's one thing if it takes 15 minutes to get somewhere. It's another when you have a long wait. One lonely cast member was outside frantically trying to call for more buses because (not surprisingly) other families were complaining about the long wait.

I don't know if Kidani has its own bus now, but when you factor in the wait for the bus, having to head over to Jambo House to pick up and pack in even more guests and then drive another 15 minutes, it's a bit much.

I've stayed at Kidani more than once and each time this was an issue, years apart.

My family and I actually met up with a friend who flew in from California. He'd never been to Disney World, only Disneyland, and the first thing he said before we opened our mouths was, "Wow, you're really far away from everything."

I just don't want to sit here and pretend you'll have 10 minute waits and a 10 minute journey, especially if you have young children or elderly people with you.

 

[bettybooplove]

Clearly you have preferance to the Epcot resorts which is perfectly fine, everyone has their own style. As mentioned above this is about transportation not restaurants etc.

Having said that, you also pay a lot more for the Epcot resorts and the theming isn't for everyone, ( I personally like AKL because of the things you dislike it and I personally feel like the theme at Epcot resorts is too beach- I can go to beach whenever).

Transportation conversation- you can walk to parks from Epcot and 10 minutes to AK or MK they are the most central , however the extra 5 to 10 from AKL should not be a vacation destroyer- overall its not a bad journey and it's 5 minutes to AK and only 10 to the the other parks.

And clearly you didn't read the post I was quoting.

He asked what else can the other resorts offer. I named the other things they offer.

Epcot resorts are around $75 more per night. I don't think that's a lot more.
Magic Kingdom resorts are around $150 more per night.

I never said anyone's vacation would be destroyed. I just said it's something to consider especially if you only rely on Disney transportation and you can't or don't want to drive.

It is longer than 10 minutes to the other parks. Even with zero traffic you won't make it to Magic Kingdom from AKL in 10 minutes.