Limited Monorail? NOOOOOOOOO

[siskaren]

At the Contemporary there is no boat option unless you go to the Fort Wilderness resort then to MK.

Then you can walk. If I remember right the resort monorail goes clockwise, which means that if you take it from CR to the MK, you have to go almost all the way around the loop and make three stops before you get there, which means that walking would be much quicker anyway. (If it goes counterclockwise, then obviously this applies to going from MK to CR instead.)

 

[letsgoreds]

Then you can walk. If I remember right the resort monorail goes clockwise, which means that if you take it from CR to the MK, you have to go almost all the way around the loop and make three stops before you get there, which means that walking would be much quicker anyway. (If it goes counterclockwise, then obviously this applies to going from MK to CR instead.)

It does go clockwise...waaaay faster just to walk. This is a HUGE perk at park closing. Even during slow times, the monorail gets way backed up.

 

[maxiesmom]

And that's why I see no advantage to staying on the monorail line. Construction, limited hours, lots of breakdowns, waste of moolah.

The monorail line per se, no. But at a monorail resort, yes. They are so close to the Magic Kingdom that even when the monorail isn't working, it is only 5 minutes away.

Honestly, they need to shut the whole line down for a while and get it back up to snuff. I won't ride it now, too much of a chance of a breakdown. And I would worry more about that, then about the monorail not being available during the middle of the day.

Try to look at the bright side--The monorail is down 11-6. So if it affects you at all odds are it will only affect you one way. Either going to or coming from the Magic Kingdom. It is a small number that will be affected both ways. Also, most people don't go to the Magic Kingdom every single day. So odds are it won't affect you more than a couple of times during your vacation.

Btw, not everyone got the $15 a night fridge compensation. There have been plenty of posters who did not.

 

[angelaroseub]

Then you can walk. If I remember right the resort monorail goes clockwise, which means that if you take it from CR to the MK, you have to go almost all the way around the loop and make three stops before you get there, which means that walking would be much quicker anyway. (If it goes counterclockwise, then obviously this applies to going from MK to CR instead.)

When leaving mid-day the Contemporary is the first stop after MK- a perk for the Contemporary. Plus, if my mom wanted to go back sooner (just finished serious chemo) she could be in the A/C going back on the monorail vs. walking or sitting waiting for a bus. A bus could take her to the Yacht Club for much less. I'm not the only person that works really hard to save up for a trip like this. Disney happily takes the money. I'm happy to hand it over if I get what I paid for.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

When leaving mid-day the Contemporary is the first stop after MK- a perk for the Contemporary. Plus, if my mom wanted to go back sooner (just finished serious chemo) she could be in the A/C going back on the monorail vs. walking or sitting waiting for a bus. A bus could take her to the Yacht Club for much less. I'm not the only person that works really hard to save up for a trip like this. Disney happily takes the money. I'm happy to hand it over if I get what I paid for.

I would suggest you switch resorts then.

 

[fla4fun]

OP, I am sorry you are disappointed. If your trip is still two weeks away, have you considered changing resorts? I'm not saying it will be easy, but it should still be possible, unless you are staying DVC on points. There have only been a couple times in all the trips I've made over the years where I got hit with a similar issue (only no internet back then, so I got hit at check in) and although I still had a good vacation, it did make a difference.

For those of you who say CR is an "easy" walk, that depends entirely on the person. For an elderly person, or someone with medical conditions (or both) it's not so simple. I know when my Mom was going through cancer treatments we would sometimes do a weekend at Disney just to get away from the routine, and things that many visitors take for granted when it comes to stamina and distance became so difficult at times. So I can understand the OP's concerns, and if I were in their place, I would be looking at alternatives if possible (if not changing resorts, then perhaps renting an ECV for the duration of the trip, if that is within your budget). Of course, for someone with issues walking, that ramp up to the MK monorail station can be a big challenge as well (ever try to push a wheelchair up that thing? UGH!)

That being said, I don't believe Disney owes anyone any compensation if they are providing adequate but alternate transportation. If the transportation change doesn't work for you, then you need to make other plans. Disney has to do what is best for the majority of guests, and sometimes we just don't fit in with what's best for the majority. I would hope that they would be providing bus service to MK and not just assuming everyone had the ability to walk back and forth.

OP, I hope things work out so you have a great trip.

 

[maxiesmom]

Ok I'm a little confused. Looking at the in room flyer that one of my facebook friends posted, it says the monorail to the Magic Kingdom will still be available. That it is the one between the Poly and the TTC that will be down between 11 am and 6 pm.

"Traveling between your resort (the Poly) and the Magic Kingdom Park Monorail 7 am to one hour after park closing.

Traveling between your resort and the Transportation and Ticket Center
Monorail 7 am -11 am
Bus 11 am - 6 pm
Monorail 6 pm to one hour after park closing."

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

Dear Angelaroseub,

There is a beautiful path between the CR/BLT and MK that is a 5 min walk or a lovely 10-15 min stroll. I promise you your mom will enjoy the peacefulness of this quiet path anytime she wishes to return to the lovely room at the resort after the hustle and bustle of MK and she will most definitely appreciate the stroll even more with you by her side. It is, quiet honestly, much nicer and faster than making her way up the ramp to the monorail and then waiting... and waiting. It's fun to change things up a bit and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

Our favorite resort is the WL and although we do not have the luxury of a beautiful path to MK or the monorail, we do have a boat! Your family may enjoy venturing onto the WL boat launch (can't miss it when exiting MK), enjoy the peaceful ride to the most peaceful WL. Night and day compared to CR/BLT. The WL lobby and grounds are stunning and your kids will especially enjoy a fun lunch at Whispering Canyon. You can then take a dedicated boat back to CR/BLT.

WDW in October is beautiful and you are blessed to be able to enjoy it at a time other than the summer months.

 

[DCDisney]

Things have to close sometimes for repair, you just have to roll with it or ask for a change. There are times the pools have to be closed, etc. We did the platinum plan for a trip when the seas pavillion was closed for a repair so we lost the majority of the "value" of what we had booked under the plan but didn't want to lose the rest of what we had booked so we just rolled with it and they gave us some extra fast passes which was lovely. Ended up that once we got there another 2 things were cancelled because a boat engine needed repair. They gave us a gift cert to do the activity on a different trip. I personally would not want to stay at a monorail resort without the monorail so I would probably wait until the dates were definite and switch. We switched at the DL hotel when their pool was being refurbed and they gave us a free upgrade to the Grand Californian. I was perfectly willing to pay as long as we kept our discount %....

 

[Spunky946]

They are running special buses between the monorail resorts and the ttc. We are staying at the poly and had breakfast at chef mickeys. We got there on the monorail ok, but on the way back it was running between the contemporary and the mk. So we could have taken it and then the boat, but we ended up taking the bus. No big deal.

 

[DebbieB]

Ok I'm a little confused. Looking at the in room flyer that one of my facebook friends posted, it says the monorail to the Magic Kingdom will still be available. That it is the one between the Poly and the TTC that will be down between 11 am and 6 pm.

"Traveling between your resort (the Poly) and the Magic Kingdom Park Monorail 7 am to one hour after park closing.

Traveling between your resort and the Transportation and Ticket Center
Monorail 7 am -11 am
Bus 11 am - 6 pm
Monorail 6 pm to one hour after park closing."

Right, you can get the express monorail to MK from the Poly by walking to the TTC. GF is really the resort that loses the most, you can't walk to MK or the TTC to get to Epcot. Contemporary you can walk to MK and get the express monorail to the TTC.

 

[andrewilley]

Sadly, you are NOT paying big bucks to stay on a monorail, you are paying big bucks to stay at a deluxe hotel where one of the advertised amenities happens to be a monorail. You may feel differently, but unfortunately that's the way it is.

Sadly maintenance or other construction work may sometimes impact on any hotel amenities - swimming pools, restaurants, shops - and yes, some of their transportation options.

Disney will try their best to get everyone to their destinations as efficiently as possible, and they may even offer to voluntarily compensate some people in some situations (like they did for some guests over the recent fridge safety issues) but they most certainly are not obliged to.

Andre

 

[quigs3]

Right, you can get the express monorail to MK from the Poly by walking to the TTC. GF is really the resort that loses the most, you can't walk to MK or the TTC to get to Epcot. Contemporary you can walk to MK and get the express monorail to the TTC.

We are staying at GF in a few weeks, and I have to admit that I was a little perturbed when I read about the daily shut-down. I'm trying not to let it get to me, and hopefully the construction will be over by the time we arrive. This will be our first stay here, and it is definitely not something that I would normally spring the extra money for. The monorail is certainly one of the main draws to this resort, and it is irritating to think it may not be in use. I know that we can take the boat to MK, but if it's anything like the boat at Wilderness Lodge, the wait is often ridiculously long. At any rate, I'm not going to worry about it until we get there. It's out of my control, and I'm not going to let it ruin our trip.

 

[maxiesmom]

As much as I love the Poly, I don't think I would be booking it anytime soon, without a good discount. Between the monorail being iffy at best, and the construction, it would be less than I think it should be. I guess I could take either construction, or a less than 100% operational monorail, but not both.

Though if they would offer it for $200 a night I might force myself to deal.

 

[kmb584]

Sadly, you are NOT paying big bucks to stay on a monorail, you are paying big bucks to stay at a deluxe hotel where one of the advertised amenities happens to be a monorail. You may feel differently, but unfortunately that's the way it is.

I have to respectfully disagree. The three resorts on the monorail line are the most expensive because of their access to the monorail. Yes, it's nothing more than a very convenient amenity, yet it's also one that people (myself included) pay through their teeth for. In the event of the monorail not being available for a good portion of the day for part of or the entire portion of someone's stay, compensation of some form should be given. Whether that's a room discount, free breakfast, a box of Mickey Bars.. Disney ought to step up to the plate in realizing that the single amenity (most) people have paid ~$500/night for is not available for 7 hours each day.

It's just my $0.02. Some will agree, others won't, but I completely understand the disappointment of not only the OP but also for others who were hit with this new development via a flyer slipped under their doors.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

It's not just the monorail. Here are the resort boat changes in October:

Several resort boats will have shortened schedules
The resorts affected are Old Key West, Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter and Saratoga Springs. Additional buses will be running during these times.
The boats will not be running during the following times:
October 9: 4:35pm-6:45pm
October 10-17: 10:00am-11:00am and 3:15pm-6:45pm
October 18: 10:00am-11:00am and 3:15pm-closing
October 19: 10:00am-5:30pm

 

[kaytieeldr]

They were happy to take my money back then. I'm not saying they can predict exactly what day they will be doing things like this but have a contingency plan. A small effort in the name of customer service goes a long way. They've made lots of changes that create many restrictions over the past 2 months and the prices keep going up. They are going to turn lots of people to go other places. It's too bad really.

Look, we'll survive, but there are lots of people this could cause problems for. If your fridge doesn't work they give you a $15 credit back to your room per day. It's not unreasonable when they are charging upwards of $1200 a night for a monorail hotel. At the Contemporary there is no boat option unless you go to the Fort Wilderness resort then to MK.

They have a contingency plan: buses and extra boats.

The changes are to provide a better customer experience overall.

You don't get a $15 per night credit if your room refrigerator doesn't work. You get it repaired or replaced. Some guests did get that credit when Disney chose to remove over 20,000 potentially dangerous refrigerators from all three locations.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have to respectfully disagree. The three resorts on the monorail line are the most expensive because of their access to the monorail.

But they are not the most expensive. Both the Beach Club and the Boardwalk base rooms are more expensive than the base rooms at the Contemporary.

Disney doesn't price rooms based on access to the monorails alone. That is but one of a lot of amenities factored in to the cost. As I had one resort manager tell me when I was unhappy an amenity was unavailable for my whole stay, Disney doesn't have to give you any prior notice when something is closed. And they don't have the habit of offering discounts because part of a resort is not available.

 

[maxiesmom]

It's not just the monorail. Here are the resort boat changes in October:

Several resort boats will have shortened schedules
The resorts affected are Old Key West, Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter and Saratoga Springs. Additional buses will be running during these times.
The boats will not be running during the following times:
October 9: 4:35pm-6:45pm
October 10-17: 10:00am-11:00am and 3:15pm-6:45pm
October 18: 10:00am-11:00am and 3:15pm-closing
October 19: 10:00am-5:30pm

That has something to do with dragon boat races. And they are adding extra buses to the route to make up for the lack of the boats.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Let's imagine that they dismantled the monorail entirely...I don't think that the room prices at the GF, Poly or CR would stay at the same levels.