Animal Kingdom Lodge Bus Transportation

[Disneylvr]

Okay I have a choice of staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, standard view, using Disney transportation to the parks and Mears to/from airport. OR Port Orleans Riverside standard view and rental car to parks and to/from airport. Rental car prices are VERY HIGH right now and we are on a budget so I must decide.

How bad/good is the Disney resort transportation at the Animal Kingdom Lodge?

 

[scanne]

We stayed at AKL in December (Christmas week) and I thought the bus transportation was great! We didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes for any bus, either at the resort or at the parks. I have had more trouble with buses to and from the Polynesian and Grand Floridian.

I'd go with the deluxe and skip the car rental. We've rented a car on every trip and BARELY ever use it. It's a waste....but my DH likes the freedom of knowing he has a car.

We never drove to any parks except MGM. That was when we stayed at the Polynesian and the bus service was SLOOOOWW!!!

 

[sharoncity]

We were at AKL late April. We had a rental car, but did not use it to/from parks. The bus service to/from parks is fine. No more than a 10 min wait and it is direct to the park. The only time you'd need a car is to go from AKL to another resort. If you only plan to do this once or twice, it would still be cheaper/easier to use a cab. You can also do it by bus, but it does tend to take some time. We went from BC back to AKL by way of DD and it took 1 and 1/2 hours.
But given the choice between AKL and POR, I'd go AKL without a second thought! Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by Disneylvr
Okay I have a choice of staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, standard view, using Disney transportation to the parks and Mears to/from airport. OR Port Orleans Riverside standard view and rental car to parks and to/from airport. Rental car prices are VERY HIGH right now and we are on a budget so I must decide.

How bad/good is the Disney resort transportation at the Animal Kingdom Lodge?

Have you tried using the FVG code with Dollar Rent a Car? We are getting a compact for five day for $127 including all tax and fees in August. The FVG code through Dollar was alot cheaper then any Avis codes I had and even beat the DC discount through National by a bunch.

As far as choicing between the two. I would go with the AKL and try the FVG code to get a good deal on a rental car.

 

[luvdzny]

We just returned from AKL, this was our first trip that we did not rent a car. I think the busses from AKL are great, we rarely waited, and always had a seat. When we stayed at AKL in Nov. our rental car stayed in the parking lot. We used the busses to go to all the parks, and even to other resorts without any problems. We used Yourride for tranportation from the airport and it was great. We have used Mears in the past (and got a rental car later on in the trip.) but I would definately use Yourride again. Price wise I think it was about the same, maybe a little cheaper. It was much more convenient. On our next trip we will not be renting a car, and will use Yourride and the AKL busses again.

 

[MrsPotatoHead]

We found the bus service at AKL to be very quick and efficient. It's nice that there is only one bus stop at AKL, and you don't share buses with any other resorts. Just one pickup, and you're off to the parks! We had no trouble finding a seat. The ONLY time we had to stand was when we left EPCOT one night after Illuminations... of course, with the massive crowds leaving the park at that time, the buses were filling up quickly. Other than that one instance, I recall that everyone had a seat on the AKL buses when we rode. My sister had driven down from Atlanta so we had her car in the parking lot but never used it. The bus service was excellent!

 

[hallie]

We drove down and stayed at the AKL and only used our car once and that was to go to Wal-mart. The great thing about AKL is that it doesn't share it's busses with any other resort.

Have a great trip, the AKL is awesome!

 

[Disneylvr]

On our 2 most recent trips to WDW we have rented a car and I must admit to preferring using a car to get to the Disney parks over buses. I never thought I would be saying this but after 16 trips to WDW I have grown to dislike the buses very much. That is why this decision is so hard for me to make. And for just two people there is about $50 difference in price between Mears and using a towncar service.

 

[sharoncity]

What is it exactly that you don't like about WDW buses? While I certainly would agree with you that it is NOT a perfect system, AKL is pretty decent as far as buses go. It is direct to the parks, not shared with other resorts. And other than immediately after a parade or fireworks, there is rarely anyone standing on the bus. And we found that we waited only 5 -10 min for the bus no matter where we were (resort or parks.) So I guess if you have to deal with the buses, this is definitely one of the better resorts for it. Hope this helps disspell some of your concerns!

 

[Disneylvr]

I suffer a little bit from claustrophobia and the buses are extremely crowded at park opening and closing. I don't like being squeezed in with other hot/tired bodies. I don't like standing on buses and then falling over or having strangers fall on me when the driver makes a sharp turn. I have come off the buses with bruises in the past. I don't like someones stroller on my feet or pressed against my legs. Buses are fine until they overcrowd them, squeezing in every possible body they can. Please know that it is just my own personal feelings and I have nothing against those who loves the buses. I used to be one of those persons until we rented a car. And keep in mind I am talking about the buses at the moderate and value resorts which are often packed full and their bus stops are the furthest away from the park entrance. It does sound like AKL buses are much less crowded.

 

[sharoncity]

Disneylvr - I know exactly what you mean about all those bodies on the bus! Nothing worse, especially after a long, HOT day at the parks. P.U.!
If these are the issues you are concerned with, fear not! Just be aware not to expect too much after parades and/or fireworks, which was the ONLY time I felt like a sardine. We went to the parks in the morning, usually getting there within a half hour of opening times. No squishing what so ever! Usually had our choice of seats! I'm talking more empty seats than full. We were there end of April/beginning of May. Certainly not peak season, but I know the AKL was fairly full. So go and enjoy yourself! I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the buses at AKL!

 

[DeeP]

When I first started reading this thread I was going to say stay at AKL because they don't share buses, etc., until I read your second post regarding how uncomfortable the buses make you. Maybe it would be better for you to stay at POR and you can always drive over to AKL to eat at one of their great restaurants or see the animals. We last stayed at AKL last July(peak season) and the buses were fine but they were very crowded especailly at park opening and closing times. If you are not going at a crowded time of the year though it seems from others posts the AKL buses are not crowded.

 

[Kellyh123]

We just returned from 3 nights at POR and 5 at AKL. Boy was there a difference in the bus transportation. We had to wait and wait at POR one time for 45 minutes to get a bus and they were very crowded. They also had all of the stops. The buses for AKL we never had to wait over 15 minutes at the lodge or any park. This includes after illuminations and fantasmic. My husband is also claustrophobic and had a hard time with the POR buses but did much better on AKL. They may be farther away but they don't make all the stops and so they can travel on a much more straight path making them that much quicker.

 

[Disneylvr]

Well, we made our decision. We are staying at the AKL September 2-o)ctober 2nd. Since it is value season, I am hoping the buses will be less crowded. But it does sound better than the moderates and values! Depending on rental prices (I hope they go down) we may rent a car anyway and cut some out of our food budget. But I am so excited about staying at the AKL!!! Thank you everyone.