That false narrative is repeated so much that people think it's true.
It's the only knock I have ever hear on AKL, But that's filled mostly with Disney logic as people are just trying to justify spending the extra 1K to 4k on the other deluxe resorts. That are not as nice as AKL IOO. Haha Time is money, but 4K to stay are CR so I can save 30 minutes in 10 days is a bit insane. Ha
I timed the bus rides the last time we stayed at AKL for that very reason. I also went to mapquest for directions from MK resorts to the parks and AKL to the parks. The furthest bus ride is AKL to MK, and it's 18 minutes.The rest of the parks are all 13 or less. The Poly is 18 minutes from AK and within a minute or two of being the same as AKL to EPCOT or HS. Taking the Monorail from the resorts to TTC and then waiting for the EPCOT monorail isn't as fast as any of the buses typically. Ha
The mileage between AKL and Poly to the parks is within a mile or two max. So it' can't take WAY longer. Plus, I'm at the parks for 10+ hours per day. DS is the exact same distance from both AKL and the MK resorts.
We stayed at Gran Destino Tower in Sept and Uber everywhere other than MK. That resort is within 5 minutes of AK, HS and EPCOT. We save 3 or 4K on a 10 day stay over the deluxe resorts, so spending almost double so I can take a 5 minute walk to Epcot or MK doesn't move the needle much when I can take a 5 minute Uber for $7.00.
There is no accounting for Disney logic however! Haha
AKL is certainly cheaper than the other Deluxes, but Disney didn’t price it that way for no reason. Close proximity to parks really is that important to a lot of people. You may not see the value in it, but I did when I stayed at POFQ to save money last summer and didn’t have it. Getting home at night from my favorite parks (MK and Epcot) was so much more stressful than on Poly or BC stays. And I don’t even have kids and strollers to wrangle on trips. Rideshare has leveled the playing field a lot, but it’s not teleportation tech and it has downsides also. That drive time doesn’t include the time you’re waiting for your ride to be located and your driver to get to you. Which is not insignificant when you’re trying to make an early AM EMH to rope drop an E-Ticket like Slinky Dog (I found that out the hard way last summer). Also? Rides also come a lot faster to MK area resorts than others, in my experience. They came so fast at the Poly in the morning that we had to remember not to book until we were standing outside. Midday it’s more of a crapshoot but understand that it’s still the most heavily trafficked area on property and thus will have better availability. Also understand that for folks with multiple kids with need for car seats/strollers, rideshare can be a non-starter and Minnie Vans would quickly eat up any cost savings for the room.
I do everything I can to avoid taking Disney buses regardless of where I’m staying, so if all a resort has to offer me are buses, that’s a huge knock against it regardless of what the actual commute times are like. On vacation, I need novelty and the change from my daily routine where I’m crammed in packed buses to get to work daily. You also don’t have to transfer monorails to get to Epcot if you’re staying at the Poly, since the TTC is a 5 minute walk away. The only bad thing was having to do security twice, which is no longer an issue.
Don’t get me wrong, AKL is a stunning resort, but it very much is isolated compared to other Deluxes. “Isolated” isn’t necessarily referring to park commute times, either (I agree they’re inflated by people though). Like...AKL has fantastic dining, but if you end up not liking it or if you ever want to mix it up or try something else, or even if you just want character dining one day, you’re looking at getting on a bus or rideshare. Meanwhile at Beach Club when I wasn’t a fan of the options at my resort, all I had to do was walk less than 5 minutes to Crew’s Cup. I also had the whole Boardwalk right outside my door, and World Showcase. The MK resort area is the same way, with a bunch of great resort dining a quick monorail or boat ride away. No one reasonable would ever claim Chef Mickey’s is on par with Jiko, but the point stands that you’ve got more variety in other resort areas. All of this translates to a higher price point that people are fine with paying.
“Niceness” is relative and very subjective, tbh. AKL is a gorgeous resort, and I like the theming a lot, but I prefer the kitschy retro 70s vibe at the Poly, and I don’t like the rooms at all at AKL.