AKV and the quarter-mile long hallways

[Maistre Gracey]

POFQ shares with POR

POFQ has 1,008 rooms and POR has has 2,048 rooms for a total of 3,056 rooms.
At present AKL has about 1200 rooms.

Do you know if they run more often? Do you think they're over crowded?

MG

 

[jarestel]

True. But remember once the Villias are open they will share buses with AKL. There will be 2 bus stpos instead of 1.

Don't forget about the Blizzard Beach stop during the daytime hours.

 

[pilferk]

Don't forget about the Blizzard Beach stop during the daytime hours.

Can I ask Jarestel...have you had a stay at AKL?

I only ask because MOST of the time the people posting they are worried or concerned about the transportation, or that the bus rides are "too long" are those that haven't stayed at AKL. For my own information, I'd like to see if you've actually STAYED and disliked the trasportation system or find it "too remote".

 

[pilferk]

As far as bus transportation, AKL to/from anywhere is already the longest bus ride at WDW. The construction of AKV won't make it any shorter.

Longest in what sense? From the exit of the resort to the MK (which is the furthest resort.)? About 20 min or so...but it's the only 20 min you'll spend ON THE BUS. And you won't wait more than 10 min for a bus to show (in my experience) You can easily spend MUCH more time on a bus to MK from SSR, OKW, any of the mods or values, etc and much more time WAITING for a bus, too.

The transportation is extremely efficient. Those that have stayed there typically rave about it, and assure prospective guests it's not NEARLY as bad as people who hav not stayed there think it is. I'm not sure WHAT the AKV building will do to that transport system, of course. We'll have to wait and see....

 

[crisi]

I've stayed at AKL. Bus transportation is OK - adding a second stop will not make it any more efficient. But I wouldn't rave about it any more than any other resort (and I like Disney transportation).

 

[castleri]

Don't forget about the Blizzard Beach stop during the daytime hours.

I thought the BB stop was related to busses going to AK - did not know it was the busses going to the lodge also.

 

[ebenmax]

not to hijack I wonder if AKV will have a high amount of split stays?
I have stayed at AKL....
anyway My wife and I were talking and thought about staying at AKV but both agreeded we would only do so for a few nights and than move....
It would seem OP has the same idea....

We think exactly the same way. We will try to book AKV for short stays or a split stay at the 7 mo. mark. but not for any long term ones.

 

[jarestel]

I thought the BB stop was related to busses going to AK - did not know it was the busses going to the lodge also.

You may be right about this for buses running to AK from other resorts. There is bus transportation from BB to AKL and back as well though so they have to stop there at least some of the time, though as I'm trying to remember, maybe it's only the DTD bus that makes this stop.

 

[jarestel]

Can I ask Jarestel...have you had a stay at AKL?

I only ask because MOST of the time the people posting they are worried or concerned about the transportation, or that the bus rides are "too long" are those that haven't stayed at AKL. For my own information, I'd like to see if you've actually STAYED and disliked the trasportation system or find it "too remote".

I've stayed at AKL many times. I'd also note that nowhere did I state I found the bus transportation to/from AKL to be objectionable. There's a handy chart I saw on these boards that lists the distances from each resort to the parks and it is simply a fact that AKL to anywhere (except AK) is a longer ride. Rather than gloss over this, I simply chose to post for the benefit of those who might have concerns about transportation times. The conclusions, good-bad-indifferent, to be drawn are entirely up to the individual.

Reference:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Resorts/resort-distances.htm

 

[minnie61650]

I've stayed at AKL. Bus transportation is OK - adding a second stop will not make it any more efficient. But I wouldn't rave about it any more than any other resort (and I like Disney transportation).

The extra stop at VAK should only add a few minutes onto the bus ride times to and from the parks.


Here is a comparison chart from my PassPorter book of bus ride times from some of the resorts to the parks:

All Star trans----AKL trans---WL trans----------YC/BC trans
MK 20 min------- 20 min-------8 min(boat) min---20 min
Epcot 10 min-- --15 min------10 min-------------10 boat or 10 min walk
MGM 10 min------10 min------15 min-------------15(boat)min
AK 10 min---------5min-------15 min--------------20 min
DTD 15 min--------15min------25 min--------------15 min

My concern would be that the buses will be more crowded going to and from the parks.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

The extra stop at VAK should only add a few minutes onto the bus ride times to and from the parks.


Here is a comparison chart from my PassPorter book of bus ride times from some of the resorts to the parks:

All Star trans----AKL trans---WL trans----------YC/BC trans
MK 20 min------- 20 min-------8 min(boat) min---20 min
Epcot 10 min-- --15 min------10 min-------------20 min
MGM 10 min------10 min------15 min-------------15(boat)min
AK 10 min---------5min-------15 min--------------20 min
DTD 15 min--------15min------25 min--------------15 min

My concern would be that the buses will be more crowded going to and from the parks.

Maybe I'm reading that thing wrong...
20 minutes from BC to Epcot, but only 10 from WL to Epcot??
There are others I think are incorrect, but that caught my eye right away.

MG

 

[pilferk]

I've stayed at AKL. Bus transportation is OK - adding a second stop will not make it any more efficient. But I wouldn't rave about it any more than any other resort (and I like Disney transportation).

Interesting...the majority of the reports I've read (and I've stayed there a few times, and agree with them) disagree. They peg the AKL transport as the most efficient bus transportation on property, and right up there with any of the deluxes...you're just not as "close" to any one park as many of the deluxes are.

I wonder why the perceptions are so different....

Crisi, can I pick your brain a bit? I really am trying to understand this discussion a bit better:

1) What's your favorite park?
2) Are you an EPCOT resort owner?
3) What type of setting do you LIVE in? Urban, rural, suburban? What's your daily commute like?

PS: Are we SURE they're going to add another stop to be serviced by the same "line"? I mean, they probably will, but do we have a definite answer on that?

 

[pilferk]

Maybe I'm reading that thing wrong...
20 minutes from BC to Epcot, but only 10 from WL to Epcot??
There are others I think are incorrect, but that caught my eye right away.

MG

They're probably (and I'm guessing) going by walking times from BC/YC to the front entrance of Epcot (not the international gateway) compared to bus times from AKL.

 

[DVC Grammy]

Maybe I'm reading that thing wrong...
20 minutes from BC to Epcot, but only 10 from WL to Epcot??
There are others I think are incorrect, but that caught my eye right away.

MG

I agree that the time seems weird, but maybe the boat going over to BW next, waiting for the BW folks to board, and then first going to Epcot really does take 20 minutes.
I do know that sometimes when we're staying at BW and taking the boat to MGM, the time spent at the YC/BC dock and then the S/D dock makes the trip very long!

 

[minnie61650]

Maybe I'm reading that thing wrong...
20 minutes from BC to Epcot, but only 10 from WL to Epcot??
There are others I think are incorrect, but that caught my eye right away.

MG

I looked at the book wrong.
It read walk/boat
10/10min

I added the the 2 10 minutes together and got 20
instead of posting it was a 10 minute walk or a 10 min boat ride.

Thanks for pointing that out to me.

The other times are what my PassPorter book posted.

 

[crisi]

My favorite park is Epcot, and yes, we own BWV. My second favorite is AK.

We live in the 'burbs - I have a 40 minute one way commute by car in a city with poor suburban public transportation - though its Monday morning, my commute was thirteen steps and into my home office this morning.

We've had trips at BWV (known for bad bus transportation) where the bus was "magically there with open seats" every time we wanted it. We also had a WL stay during its "buses are horrible" phase with the same sort of experience. I've also had a BWV stay were we took cabs because we were always just missing a bus, or standing (we were travelling with Seniors - and I didn't want them standing a lot - so what we would have tolerated (and griped about) became a cab trip.

Our AKL trip was short, we didn't take too many buses, but I don't recall them being remarkably efficient. We wanted more than 10 minutes for a bus - as we often do for all resorts. The bus rides - with the exception of AK - were long and we stood at least once. This would have been a few years ago.

AKL also has fewer "alternate" options - staying at WL if we missed the bus from Epcot we'd grab the monorail to the MK and boat from there - it was probably longer, but we weren't standing in the heat waiting for a bus. We often end up going from AK to MGM on a bus to get back to the Boardwalk - and walking or taking the boat. Cabs are more expensive from AKL than from pretty much anywhere else because its on the edge of property. This is critical for us - we do a lot of resort eating and resort to resort transportation is cab time.

It wasn't bad - it just was not notably better or worse than any other resort we've been at - actually it was notably worse than our magical BWV buses - but I know that was just one of those "lucky" trips.

ME from AKL was HORRIBLE because it made multiple stops at the All Stars or POP or something way out in the boonies - that was an hour long bus ride. It was also late getting there, making for another "Orlando arrive at the airport" mess for our family.

 

[crisi]

The extra stop at VAK should only add a few minutes onto the bus ride times to and from the parks.
[/B]

Sure, but that few minutes is proportionally longer. If the entire ride only takes 20 minutes now, and it take another five to pick up at Kidani thats a 25% increase.

People don't mind moving (at least, this is my perception). If you load the bus and take off, people are happy. When you stop, and load more people, and some of those people are folding strollers, and someone is in an ECV, people start getting cranky. AKL has an efficient bus in part because its single stop. (I hear Coranado Springs has the same reputation for the same reason).

 

[minnie61650]

Sure, but that few minutes is proportionally longer. If the entire ride only takes 20 minutes now, and it take another five to pick up at Kidani thats a 25% increase.

People don't mind moving (at least, this is my perception). If you load the bus and take off, people are happy. When you stop, and load more people, and some of those people are folding strollers, and someone is in an ECV, people start getting cranky. AKL has an efficient bus in part because its single stop. (I hear Coranado Springs has the same reputation for the same reason).

You made some very good points.

I just want to clairify that CSR has 4 bus stops within the resort but as Buzz2001 will remind us CSR does not share with any other resort.

I think maybe you were thinking of Pop which at present only has the 1 stop. If the 2ed half of Pop (the Lengendary years) is ever finished than Pop will have 2 bus stops.

 

[BCVBRUCE]

From this chart:

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

BC to Epcot.......3 miles !

Me thinks the distances are rather inflated.

My goodness, the difference of 5-10 minutes travel time to the parks is not going to make a difference no matter where you stay.

 

[jarestel]

The "science" of guess-timating transportation times is extremely imprecise, to say the least. Some measure from the moment one steps onto the conveyence to the time one steps off. Others will factor in their wait times. Still others add in time spent walking to/from the transportation depots as part of the trip. I suspect many don't measure at all but simply go with a general "That wasn't bad" or "That was horrible" perception. All of these conflicting methods contribute to the confusion whenever the topic arises.

As crisi mentioned, if you have a "magical" trip where every bus/boat/monorail is pulling in just as you arrive, your perception of that resort will be that the transportation is fabulous. On the other hand, if your ride seems to always be pulling out just as you arrive and you have to wait for the next one, your enthusiasm for the transportation at that resort will be tempered somewhat.

Of course, neither of these scenarios is the norm, but they do happen and people without a lot of experience at a resort tend to assume this is what they can expect, good or bad, on future trips. The reality lies somewhere in between. Sometimes it's a fairly short trip & sometimes it's not. I don't expect AKV will be any different in this respect than any of the other DVCs.