AKL transport situation

Pluto777

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 10, 2017
It seems to me that AKL is beautiful (havent stayed there yet), but ON THE OTHER HAND, the only transport option I see are busses. Now while that probably is not a big deal if you are visiting AK park; the other 3 (HS, EPCOT & MK) will be a longer trip - and if a bus is the only option, I wonder how much of a hassle that is.

If this is considered a deluxe resort, are there any future plans for a gondola type service that will make transport easier?
 
We have had good and bad experiences with buses at all of the resorts we have stayed at. We have stayed at AKL many times and the buses there are no worse than anywhere else, I actually prefer the service there to resorts like SSR and OKW where you have to pick up at multiple stops.
 


I agree with all the previous posters - bus service from AKL wasn’t an issue on the multiple times we’ve stayed there. We might have gotten bored riding buses everywhere (as opposed to boats at BWV, monorail at Poly/VGF, etc.), but they didn’t take any longer than the transportation to parks from the other DVC resorts.
 
You see this question alot. To me it’s not any worse then all the other resorts. But for some reason it’s faster and easier to get from akl to mk. Then it is to get from poly to ak. Don’t know why. But wdw is so large that there is no perfect place to stay to get everywhere in the snap of a finger.
 
We prefer that resorts with other resorts and parks nearby.
Epcot area has BWI, BWV, YC, BC, BCV, Epcot and DHS.
MK area has GF, VGF, Poly, PVB, BLT, CR, WL, CCV, BRV, and the MK.
Endless places to see and things to do.
At AK you have Kidani, Jambo and AK.

:earsboy: Bill

 


As to the transportation issue, I have found the bus service from AKL to be excellent.
 
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We found the busses took a little longer, but not enough for it to bother us, and the resort itself more then makes up for it IMHO. It is a beautiful resort.
 
I remember being kind of surprised that it didn't take very long to get to Epcot and HS from AKL. That wasn't bad at all. Magic Kingdom takes longer, but it's not our favorite park, so it wasn't a big deal to us.

Worth staying and seeing what you think yourself. It's an awesome resort and it'd be silly to skip it just over that.
 
I am a bit biased as AKV is my family's (including extended family) resort, but IMO the "long bus rides" from AKV is one of the bigger myths on disboards, and has been for years.

MK and Downtown Disney bus rides are longer, but to the other 3 parks they are short.

Actually a question to the OP - why do you think a "gondola-type service" will make transportation "easier?"
 
Stayed at AKL multiple times. Disney buses are awesome. Maybe it is just me. But no matter how crowded the bus gets, I am able to zone out and just relax for the 10-15 minutes it takes to get me back to my resort.

When on vacation, a crowded bus is still way better then driving a car. Tourists don't know how to drive. And a bus is a happy designated driver so I can partake in all the beverages I want.
 
If you look at maps, the reality is that AKV is more central to 3 of 4 parks than any of the MK-area resorts. However, everyone measures distance based on MK.

The monorail is slow, clunky and prone to breakdown. Buses are actually more reliable.
 
AKL isn't any further out than the moderates or values. Everything is far from MK except the monorail resorts and WL. As far as how often the buses run, the buses are the buses no matter where you stay. They are going to have good service and bad service, I have stayed just about everywhere on property, including AKV, and have seen this at every single one. I think they are better than the monorail. I'll walk to the IG at Epcot and catch a bus to MK from one of the resorts there, even when I'm not staying there, most of the time instead of taking the monorail.
 
AKL doesn't share buses with other resorts, just usually between the two buildings. Most other resorts either have multiple stops within the resort (SSR, OKW) or share with another resort or two. This makes the bus service much better for AKL/AKV than some places. 21 minutes from Kidani to MK which is the furthest away the one time I timed it and that included the stop at Jambo. I've had it take an hour to ride the monorail(s) from Epcot to CR/BLT. That was an extreme but I'd generally plan on at least 20 minutes of bus ride from any resort either coming or going and not be terribly surprised if it took a little longer.
 
I will echo what others have said. While the drive is farther, there are no other stops once you leave AKL property. I have stayed at Bay Lake Tower with the monorail and Saratoga Springs with its short boat ride, but would take AKL every time over these because the theming is so spectacular.

Shellybird
 
As others have said, the distance issue is overblown. AKV is pretty close to Epcot and HS, and obviously Animal Kingdom. We usually have a car, but we have done the bus to MK as well and there are no issues.
 
Stayed at AKL multiple times. Disney buses are awesome. Maybe it is just me. But no matter how crowded the bus gets, I am able to zone out and just relax for the 10-15 minutes it takes to get me back to my resort.

When on vacation, a crowded bus is still way better then driving a car. Tourists don't know how to drive. And a bus is a happy designated driver so I can partake in all the beverages I want.
^^^This Exactly:thumbsup2
 

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