disappointed with disney buses from AKL

[TeamSy]

that's interesting because we have had the opposite experience. With maybe a couple of exceptions, we never waited more than about 15 min for a bus, even in summer.

I sort of wondered because it was such a slow time if they didn't think it was going to be that busy and weren't prepared? Like they know during busy season it's going to be busy so they have more buses. I dunno but it was so annoying always having to wait so long and then having to be packed on. It happened every time we used the bus. Not going to the parks but coming back. I always find it so strange how people can have such opposite experiences!

 

[stinkpickle]

I've experienced long waits at various resorts, and they usually occur during the slow times. The busy seasons seemed much more reliable.

 

[aaarcher86]

We experienced something similar at AKL during our last trip a few times. It was really frustrating. It wasn't the whole trip and I'd say they all occur during the late September portion of our stay, but man they were really irritating!

It was our first time trying the busses instead of having a car and I'll never do it again. I'd rather drive myself everywhere, including MK, then deal with that again!

 

[Happy_Haunt999]

We've always had the opposite with AKL and AKV/Kidani buses. Spot on excellent service!!
Honestly, if you want to make rope drop you need to leave earlier than you did. Also, there are bus ETA monitors at the bus stops at AKL/Villas. So IDK why everyone was so "lost" about when a bus for their intended destination was going to arrive because those have always been pretty accurate.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

Unfortunately it does happen, at all the resorts.
We typically have good luck with the buses at the resorts we are staying at but we have had waits in line for 30+ minutes to get to a park or back to the resort. While waiting for our bus we saw many buses going to the same destination, one after the other. So after the first bus arrived; there is no one there waiting for the next one (or the next or the next) that shows up and it leaves empty. There definitely is room for improvement, but we like Disney transportation enough that we have only rented a car once during all our WDW resort stays. That is when we brought my mother along and stayed at Fort Wilderness Lodge for a week.

 

[MermaidMommy]

We've always had the opposite with AKL and AKV/Kidani buses. Spot on excellent service!!
Honestly, if you want to make rope drop you need to leave earlier than you did. Also, there are bus ETA monitors at the bus stops at AKL/Villas. So IDK why everyone was so "lost" about when a bus for their intended destination was going to arrive because those have always been pretty accurate.

Kidani has the bus monitors, but Jambo doesn't.

 

[DM Minnie]

We stayed at kidani last year during off peak season and sometimes the bus would not go to jambo if it was close to being full. 55mins for mk one day then epcot was always 40 mins. Actually we were there this week last year and parks were not busy so no reason for the long waits. I said to my husband after a packed bus from epcot that I would drive to every park other than mk from now on if we don't stay at a monorail resort. AoA had great bus service over AKL hands down that trip.

 

[aaarcher86]

We've always had the opposite with AKL and AKV/Kidani buses. Spot on excellent service!!
Honestly, if you want to make rope drop you need to leave earlier than you did. Also, there are bus ETA monitors at the bus stops at AKL/Villas. So IDK why everyone was so "lost" about when a bus for their intended destination was going to arrive because those have always been pretty accurate.

We were at Kidani, but the time for the bus just kep getting pushed back on the monitor in our case.

 

[DisGuy]

Almost no touring plan would suggest trying to bus after 8 for a rope drop at any park, FWIW. They had buses running earlier. Every resort has Cms that claim otherwise, but they actually start around 6:30.

You need to be at a bus stop by 7 for legitimate rope drop aspirations.

Rookie error, here, was to think 50 minutes is sufficient for rope drop (it's not -- they start letting people into the courtyard usually by 8:20, and there's bag check too), and to believe the Cm who says buses start at 8 (they start at 6:30 and I don't know why there are CMs who claim otherwise anymore!).

I understand the buses were frustrating, but you would have missed rope drop from any resort with an 8:10 bus.

7:00 to make rope drop? Really? That is complete overkill in my opinion. I do rope drop all the time and I've never left more than an hour early. I can't remember a single time when I didn't make it in time. I'm a DVC Member and I've visited WDW around 25 times. I can't just be that lucky. OP just had horrible luck that day.

 

[MrsHammer]

I read in another thread that they are in the process of installing the bus monitors at Jambo House now. I hope it's true, because we are staying there in April

 

[Happy_Haunt999]

We were at Kidani, but the time for the bus just kep getting pushed back on the monitor in our case.

Sorry, then you were just unlucky. We've been there many times and never had a problem.

 

[aaarcher86]

Sorry, then you were just unlucky. We've been there many times and never had a problem.

Probably. I'm sure it doesn't happen majority of the time, the bus system just isn't something as a whole that we enjoy.

 

[Huff]

Had a good experience with AKL buses. Needed to go from AKL after dining at Boma to POP where we were staying. Normally we'd have to take a bus from AKL to AK then another bus from there to POP. A bus pulled up headed to Epcot. Driver asked where we were headed. Told him POP and he said hop on, he'll take us. Driver said he was ending his shift and his bus would go offline so he took quite a few people to various other resorts along the way. Worked out much faster for us.

 

[ariane37]

We stayed at AKL/Jambo for the first time last month. DH was concerned about the bus service but it was excellent. I do agree with pp's who said it really can be hit or miss at any resort. You can also have great service at a particular resort on one stay and then have spotty service at the same resort on another stay. We've had great service at a value, great service at a mod and then great service at another mod followed by horrible service at the same mod 10 months later. In 4 stays at the BW bus service has been all over the place. And at the Poly, we thought the bus service was better than the monorail lol! I do think bad bus service can certainly affect your overall view of a resort but a bad transportation day or week doesn't necessarily mean it's always that way.

 

[quandrea]

Our bus service during the last two weeks of January was fabulous. It was our first time using the buses and we won't rent a car when we go again in September. Rarely a wait over three minutes, usually less. Great family time too.

 

[tinawv]

We had the almost exact experience with the bus service during our trip in May of last year. Also experienced some long waits for the bus when leaving the parks. I loved AKL, but it has made us a little camera shy about staying there again.

 

[Minniesgal]

Why were Disney Springs buses running at 8:15 am when it does't open until 10am?

 

[TippeeCanoe]

We've always had the opposite with AKL and AKV/Kidani buses. Spot on excellent service!!
Honestly, if you want to make rope drop you need to leave earlier than you did. Also, there are bus ETA monitors at the bus stops at AKL/Villas. So IDK why everyone was so "lost" about when a bus for their intended destination was going to arrive because those have always been pretty accurate.

There weren't monitors at Jambo House until a week or so ago. We were there the second week of January and there were no bus monitors. OP, our bus service at AKL was similar, though we never waited more than 30 minutes for a bus. The only way I'll stay at AKL again is with a car.

 

[hotblooded]

I've stayed on property about 10 times, and I've only ever had bus issues at Kidani. Buses are very frequent at Pop, so it's hard to lower expectations and wait much longer at a deluxe.

 

[kaytieeldr]

We tried to get to DHS at rope drop and left our room at 8:10am on Monday morning. Got to the bus stop at 8:15am and we were the only ones there.

There were almost 100 people waiting to go to DHS, non EMH mind you. We literally waited 80 minutes (9:20am) until the bus finally arrived and left AKL. And there was another DHS right behind it.

Reasonably, you waited 75 minutes. Still entirely unacceptable, but the time spent walking from one's room isn't time spent waiting. At any rate, with a completely empty bus queue, you would have just missed a bus.

i did see the guy with the walkie talkie the day we waited 45 minutes to go to MK. didn't really help much

Why didn't anyone approach him for help? Or talk to another bus driver?