WL versus AK - transportation

Indecisive

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
So, everyone says the WL is great for transportation and that AKL is far from everything. How true is this? Obviously WL is by far closer to MK (and the MK area resorts), but what about the other parks? On the map, AKL appears closer than WL to Epcot and DHS. Between WL and AKL, how does the bus commute to those parks compare? Thanks!
 
So, everyone says the WL is great for transportation and that AKL is far from everything. How true is this? Obviously WL is by far closer to MK (and the MK area resorts), but what about the other parks? On the map, AKL appears closer than WL to Epcot and DHS. Between WL and AKL, how does the bus commute to those parks compare? Thanks!

It is a pretty long bus ride from WL to Epcot, HS and AK. The bus shares with another resort, often FW, which makes the ride longer.

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So, everyone says the WL is great for transportation and that AKL is far from everything. How true is this? Obviously WL is by far closer to MK (and the MK area resorts), but what about the other parks? On the map, AKL appears closer than WL to Epcot and DHS. Between WL and AKL, how does the bus commute to those parks compare? Thanks!

We have experienced great bus transportation at both resorts. AKL is kind of out away from everything, but the buses only go to AKL and Kidani so there's no sharing with any other resorts. We didn't think it took more than about 5 extra minutes to get to the parks from AKL compared to WL (MK being the exception).
 
Do the AKL buses make straight trips to the parks? Does any park route stop at a water park on the way to one of the main four parks?
 


I don't particularly care for Disney transportation, however, we usually use it to go to MK. From MK to AKL, it was a 19 minute bus ride! (At like 1 am, standing in the aisle trying to hold my children on major highways)

WL is very close to MK. So close, in fact, that you're already inside the MK parking toll lanes. (You veer off to the right and pass through).

I thought AKL was beautiful, but will probably not go back unless it's by some weird chance. It was just too far away. The only place you can get to quickly is AK. Everything else was a long ride.
 
I really enjoyed my stay at the WL. Getting to the MK was blissfully easy because it is a ferry boat ride. But EPCOT was another story because of the bus. In my case, it was especially difficult on my autistic child, waiting on line is torture for her and for anyone around her.
So for our next trip, we are staying at AKL only because we have yet to experience AK. We stay close to the park we are going to visit.
 
I think WL is easier transportation wise. I do everything I can to avoid Disney buses (not always successful)... However, from WL you can take the boat to MK. You can also catch the monorail at MK to the TTC then to Epcot. From Epcot, (assuming a park hopper) you can go to International Gate and take a Friendship Boat to HS. The only time I'd bus it from WL is to AK. All this might take a big longer, but lord knows the buses are hit and miss on wait times...with IMHO, AK being the absolute worst.

From AK there is little choice but to use the Disney Bus.

That all being said the absolute best is a rental car and then you get anywhere and everywhere quickly! ;)
 


I think WL is easier transportation wise. I do everything I can to avoid Disney buses (not always successful)... However, from WL you can take the boat to MK. You can also catch the monorail at MK to the TTC then to Epcot. From Epcot, (assuming a park hopper) you can go to International Gate and take a Friendship Boat to HS. The only time I'd bus it from WL is to AK. All this might take a big longer, but lord knows the buses are hit and miss on wait times...with IMHO, AK being the absolute worst.

From AK there is little choice but to use the Disney Bus.

That all being said the absolute best is a rental car and then you get anywhere and everywhere quickly! ;)

You can also take the boat to CR and the monorail to TTC, then get on the Epcot monorail from there. You don't have to go all the way to MK to do it. The bus back from Epcot and HS is much faster, since it travels a more direct route and stops at WL first.

I've decided that one of the things that makes the buses so unpleasant is the fact that most of the seats face to the center rather than forward. Instead of looking out the window, you're looking at the people who are either standing or sitting right in front of you.
 
AKL is about the same distance from EPCOT, maybe a little farther, than WL is to EPCOT. AKL is slightly closer to DHS than WL is. AKL is certainly closer to AK than WL is. WL is much, much closer to MK than AKL is. I just did these comparisons on Googlemaps, using streets rather than "as a crow flies".

I'm sure AKL is nice, and it's very similar to WL in a lot of respects, but it compares poorly to WL in the transportation aspect. WL only has a boat to one park, but that's a HUGE difference in the overall quality of the transportation when that park is MK. AKL doesn't even have non-bus transportation to the park it's named after. I understand that is due to the lay of the land, etc., but it really does make AKL seem more remote than most of the other deluxe resorts. If you have a car it doesn't make a lot of difference, but if you don't it's a factor worth considering if you want to maximize your time at the parks, unless your only other option is to stay at moderate or value resorts.
 

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