Double Security from Contemporary Monorail to Epcot

[StaceyWI]

Hello,

This is my first post! I have been searching the disboards for years and finally decided to join because I could not find an answer about security. We will be traveling to Disneyworld and staying at Bay Lake Tower (our home resort) next spring. I heard with the recent security changes that guests are required to go through security twice when traveling by monorail from the Contemporary to Epcot. One security checkpoint is at the Contemporary before the monorail and I'm not sure if the second checkpoint is at the TTC or Epcot.

Do you know if this is still the case or if there are changes in the works to consolidate it to 1 security check?

I have nothing against security and I am grateful they are working to keep the parks safe. However, I was hoping to go through the line just once, especially since we have young children in a stroller. Thanks!

Stacey

 

[mattsdragon]

This is still the case. When they started checking at the Monorail resorts, they did not change the way that guests route off the monorail at EPCOT. There will eventually be a change to the configuration of the EPCOT exit, but this is a long, on-going process that involves several phases to make changes. Your patience is appreciated by security, don't attack the poor bag checkers, they are only doing their jobs. They understand the problem, and they hear enough complaints about it. Nobody is telling them anything new.

 

[AngiTN]

The interesting part is if you go from Epcot to MK you don't go through any security at all. So yes, you have it twice coming in to Epcot but if you hop to MK, you have none. So it evens out for hoppers.

PP nails it all perfectly though. Other than one point, I don't think it is that long of a process and I'm not positive they are even thinking of it. I'd like to think they are but honestly, no idea one way or another. There's been enough time and it wouldn't be THAT hard to move the check points out so that they are on the other side of the ramp that comes down from the monorail platform. There's been enough time to do that if they really wanted to do it. That's the only reason I wonder if they truly intend to adjust things.

 

[krsb09]

We also stay at the Contemporary, and we had one morning a few weeks ago where we went to 'Ohana for breakfast then went to Epcot for the day. We had to go through security to board the monorail to the Poly, then we walked over to the TTC and went through a very long line of security there, and had to go through a third security point at Epcot. It was a bit much. I really hope they move the security tables to before the monorail ramp at Epcot at least.

 

[Tomh]

Yup, gotta go through security twice to get to Epcot. Silly way to do things. Hopefully, they will eventually adjust the entrance of Epcot to bring the monorail exit inside of the security perimeter there.

 

[PanamaMike]

The interesting part is if you go from Epcot to MK you don't go through any security at all. So yes, you have it twice coming in to Epcot but if you hop to MK, you have none. So it evens out for hoppers.

That's not true.

The entrance to the Monorail station is inside the security perimeter so you've either gone through security entering Epcot at the International Gateway or you've passed through security at the main entrance before boarding the monorail.

 

[bcactus]

I noticed it on my August trip but honestly the time it took for either checkpoint was negligible.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Unfortunately the Epcot monorail exit is in a location ‘outside’ the current security bubble. It would require a more substantial reconfiguration / re-routing of inbound guest traffic in that whole area to ensure that monorail guests coming from the Epcot monorail into the park had a direct shot past security. I suspect Disney will ultimately do a larger re-design of this area to seperate auto, bus, and monorail traffic at some point down the road.

FWIW, the bagless security coming from the Epcot monorail is always very quick/efficient for those that can go bagless.

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

How does security work in reverse? If you are taking the monorail from Epcot to the TTC and planning to end at the MK? Where do you go through security for that?

 

[HarperLeigh]

How does security work in reverse? If you are taking the monorail from Epcot to the TTC and planning to end at the MK? Where do you go through security for that?

No where.

 

[AngiTN]

That's not true.

The entrance to the Monorail station is inside the security perimeter so you've either gone through security entering Epcot at the International Gateway or you've passed through security at the main entrance before boarding the monorail.

The bold incorrect for exiting Epcot. You enter Epcot and go through security yes. However, when you exit Epcot through the main entrance you are inside the secure zone and you remain there when you go up the ramp. You never go through security again if you go to MK via Monorail. I've done it many, many times.

 

[AngiTN]

How does security work in reverse? If you are taking the monorail from Epcot to the TTC and planning to end at the MK? Where do you go through security for that?

You do not. Which is what my post above said.

The interesting part is if you go from Epcot to MK you don't go through any security at all. So yes, you have it twice coming in to Epcot but if you hop to MK, you have none. So it evens out for hoppers.

PP nails it all perfectly though. Other than one point, I don't think it is that long of a process and I'm not positive they are even thinking of it. I'd like to think they are but honestly, no idea one way or another. There's been enough time and it wouldn't be THAT hard to move the check points out so that they are on the other side of the ramp that comes down from the monorail platform. There's been enough time to do that if they really wanted to do it. That's the only reason I wonder if they truly intend to adjust things.

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

No where.

That just feels weird!

The bold incorrect for exiting Epcot. You enter Epcot and go through security yes. However, when you exit Epcot through the main entrance you are inside the secure zone and you remain there. When you go up the ramp you do not exit secure zone. You never go through security again if you go to MK via Monorail. I've done it many, many times.

Ahhhhh. This is the piece I was missing! I didn't realise that getting onto the monorail at Epcot you were already in a secure zone!!

 

[PanamaMike]

The bold incorrect for exiting Epcot. You enter Epcot and go through security yes. However, when you exit Epcot through the main entrance you are inside the secure zone and you remain there when you go up the ramp. You never go through security again if you go to MK via Monorail.

That was my point. When you board at the Epcot monorail station, you are still in the security zone. You cannot get to the boarding platform without having gone through security either at the International Gateway or having already entered through the front entrance.

 

[AngiTN]

That was my point. When you board at the Epcot monorail station, you are still in the security zone. You cannot get to the boarding platform without having gone through security either at the International Gateway or having already entered through the front entrance.

Then you missed the entire point of my post. Pretty sure I even stated right in the post that you go through security to enter Epcot, but you don't go through it when you leave and then go to MK. So I'm really at a loss where what I state is not true.

The interesting part is if you go from Epcot to MK you don't go through any security at all. So yes, you have it twice coming in to Epcot but if you hop to MK, you have none. So it evens out for hoppers.

 

[PanamaMike]

Then you missed the entire point of my post. Pretty sure I even stated right in the post that you go through security to enter Epcot, but you don't go through it when you leave and then go to MK. So I'm really at a loss where what I state is not true.

I was commenting on this line in your post:

The interesting part is if you go from Epcot to MK you don't go through any security at all.

That is not the same as saying "you don't go through security when you leave though Epcot and then go to the MK".

 

[AngiTN]

I was commenting on this line in your post:

The interesting part is if you go from Epcot to MK you don't go through any security at all.

That is not the same as saying "you don't go through security when you leave though Epcot and then go to the MK".

Geeze, of course it is. How did you get TO Epcot in the first place? You went through security to get there. In this conversation in this thread, the subject is going from CR, where they have already acknowledged that they went through security to board that monorail and then they went through security to enter Epcot at the front entrance. I just added a note that so happens if they left Epcot via the monorail to go to MK they didn't go through security again at all. That's it.

 

[yulilin3]

I think it's a matter of semantics and points of views
If you are already inside Epcot then you do not go through security from Epcot to MK
Obviously to be inside Epcot means you went through security either at the front entrance or international gateway
To be able to ride from Epcot to MK via monorail means you were already checked

 

[mickeyluv'r]

When last we went to Epcot from CR, had a car. Only one security checkpoint for us. We avoided the worst of the security traffic jam by going through the far left entrance.

Still, when staying at CR, you get to bypass the BIG Security jam at MK. THAT was nice! To get to MK, we walked, and security was very quick.

We never tried to take the monorail in the morning rush hour; only to go between monorail resorts in the evening, which wasn't bad security-wise.

My biggest complaint is how they now channel everyone when boarding the monorail at CR. Folks didn't/couldn't get out of the fenced area fast enough to board. If folks at the at the front of the queue aren't paying attention; everyone else misses their chance.

 

[mattsdragon]

PP nails it all perfectly though. Other than one point, I don't think it is that long of a process and I'm not positive they are even thinking of it. I'd like to think they are but honestly, no idea one way or another. There's been enough time and it wouldn't be THAT hard to move the check points out so that they are on the other side of the ramp that comes down from the monorail platform. There's been enough time to do that if they really wanted to do it. That's the only reason I wonder if they truly intend to adjust things.

I know for a fact that there are plans to correct this. It is a lot more complex than you think it may be. Trust the process, you are not a part of the planning.