Wilderness Lodge to MK to AK strategy?

[tentaguasu]

Here's my plan, and I'm hoping you can help me figure it out! So I'm hoping to go to Wilderness lodge late morning to noon and stop in for a bite to eat and a look around at the Christmas decorations. Then, I want to pop over to Magic Kingdom for a few hours - perhaps 1:00-4:00 or so - just to pick off a few of the easy, low wait attractions (some Tiki Room and Jamboree and such). Finally, I'd like to head over to Animal Kingdom just to wander a bit at or after sunset and end the night by walking around Pandora, doing Navi River and ending by jumping into line for FoP right before close.

Given that my times are fairly short, I'd rather avoid really convoluted transportation options. I'm driving and I'm off site.

Any suggestions on the best, most efficient way to handle this using my own car?

Ideally, I'd drive over to Wilderness Lodge and pay for parking. Eat at Wilderness lodge, then take the boat over to MK for a few hours.
Take the boat back to WL, get the car, and drive over to AK.

I'm thinking that's a no-go because:

First, do they even allow you to pay for parking at a resort if you're not a guest?
Second, if they do, does that cover my later parking at AK?
Third, can I pay for parking and keep my car at WL for, say 4-5 hours? I'm sure they don't want you generally parking at resorts to get to the parks, but this is more of a "pop by when I'm in the neighborhood" kind of thing.

Or am I better off just accepting that I'll have to park at the TTC and deal with the planes-trains-automobiles journey of getting to my locations?

Any insight is appreciated!

 

[Ross Kratter]

What about parking at AK in the morning, taking the bus to WL, the boat or bus to MK, and then the bus back to AK?
The only way you can park at a resort for the day is if you pay for valet parking. However, that does not cover theme park parking.
Otherwise:
Park at the TTC
Ferry, monorail, or bus to MK
Boat or bus to WL
Boat or bus back to MK
Ferry or monorail back to TTC
Drive to AK

 

[CarolynFH]

I agree with Ross - the only way to park at WL will be to pay for valet, and then you'd still have to pay to park at AK. Parking at AK and using Disney transportation the rest of the day would actually make a lot of sense and would probably be more effective use of time as compared to parking at TTC, traveling to MK, taking boat MK to WL and back again to MK, then across the lagoon again to TTC and driving from there to AK.

 

[tentaguasu]

What about parking at AK in the morning, taking the bus to WL, the boat or bus to MK, and then the bus back to AK?
The only way you can park at a resort for the day is if you pay for valet parking. However, that does not cover theme park parking.
Otherwise:
Park at the TTC
Ferry, monorail, or bus to MK
Boat or bus to WL
Boat or bus back to MK
Ferry or monorail back to TTC
Drive to AK

I agree with Ross - the only way to park at WL will be to pay for valet, and then you'd still have to pay to park at AK. Parking at AK and using Disney transportation the rest of the day would actually make a lot of sense and would probably be more effective use of time as compared to parking at TTC, traveling to MK, taking boat MK to WL and back again to MK, then across the lagoon again to TTC and driving from there to AK.

Thanks to both of you, I just may take this approach.

A question, however - mid-morning, will there be busses going from Animal Kingdom to Wilderness Lodge? That seems like kind of a "niche" route for 11:00 a.m.-ish.

 

[Ross Kratter]

Thanks to both of you, I just may take this approach.

A question, however - mid-morning, will there be busses going from Animal Kingdom to Wilderness Lodge? That seems like kind of a "niche" route for 11:00 a.m.-ish.

Yes. People have to return to their resorts for various reasons. Happened to my girlfriend and I a few weeks back when she left her ID at the hotel, so we had to head back there from EPCOT in the morning.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks to both of you, I just may take this approach.

A question, however - mid-morning, will there be busses going from Animal Kingdom to Wilderness Lodge? That seems like kind of a "niche" route for 11:00 a.m.-ish.

As above, yes, the buses make continuous trips to and from the resorts. Your advantage will be that the bus going from AK to WL mid-morning will be a lot less crowded than the one coming from WL to AK!