Absolutely unacceptable

[Sammie]

So comparing death and loss with the shut down of a monorail provides perspective? I think it's disrespectful and reaching to say the least.

No what it does is say that in life some things are small stuff and this is small stuff.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

I just think at times everyone needs a does of reality that is what. There is no way, in light of this week's horrific loses I could complain about something so very minor.

I HATE IT when people do that. "Think of all of the poor, starving people... think of all of the dying people... oh, I wish this was all that I had to worry about... you should be thankful for what you have!"

I really doubt that the OP thinks that her monorail inconvenience measures on the same scale as any event regarding one's life, death, or health.

Perspective? This is a Disney trip planning forum. Putting this in perspective with all of the magical, wonderful things at Disney does make it seem like a bit of a bummer, don't you think?

 

[smidgy]

exactly, compare apples to apples.

it is NOT the "end of the world"... they will still have a "magical" vacation.

they are just not happy, want to vent. want wdw to know they are unhappy.

of course you are grateful you didn't have a nature disaster, or death in the family, etc.

I still say if you booked at a MK resort connected to the monorail, you considered that in your planning AND budgeting. (me? I prefer the epcot resorts!) and I understand why you would be upset by this news.
and I dont' think someone complaining is necessarily looking to "get free stuff". (that sounds rather crass).
and I don't have a horse in this race anyway. (always wanted to "steal" that line)

 

[TLSnell1981]

Wrong. The answer is "demand."
SSB

Asked..

But why are they in demand? At least part of that answer is the monorail.

and, answered.

...wouldn't the solution be switching resorts?

.While I do understand the hassle I don't see how demanding compensation is a real solution.

Moving from one resort to another, doesn't solve a thing....changing resorts could be even more problematic. Many of us, design our touring plans and dining reservations, according to our resort.

 

[dimndgal1]

Moving from one resort to another, doesn't solve a thing....changing resorts could be even more problematic. Many of us, design our touring plans and dining reservations, according to our resort.

My point was mainly addressed to those referencing the additional cost they were paying to stay at a monorail resort v. Other, with the solution being to then go cheaper since the 'draw was gone.

However, if the monorail bring closed is problematic for znyone I don't see how moving resorts is a greater inconvenience. As was pointed out earlier, how many midday trips does a guest expect to make and maybe a different resort would help - being close to EPCOT would allow for ease of a midday break on a non-MK day that would normally have needed a transfer or bus ride to do.

I can't fault Disney for doing their best to build but work around guests... the monorail could've been shut down entirely and they probably would get through the project faster... at least this way the rails run during open/close. I get it's not ideal, but it's also not awful.

We visited friends at Poly and walked to the monorail for MK days. Twice, there were issues on the tracks that stopped service, so we hopped the boat. Still got to the park, still managed to make it work. Had they known in advance that I would've been relying on bus/boat, they probably would've gone with WL or CR to save $$$. As it was, it added 10 minutes to our trek and made for high-seas adventure.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

I disagree with the few people saying "complaining won't change anything". It won't change whatever is happening now. However 1) Disney and all companies should be aware when a customer isn't happy. Voice your concerns! 2) If they receive another complaints, they would look at better ways of doing it for next time

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Wow... I just read the first post and skimmed over the first page. We stayed at the Poly consecutively from 2007 - 2010. There were a lot of issues with the monorail during our 2010 stay. After that trip, I was ready to start trying different resorts.

Last year, was the first time we tried a different resort and we had one of our best trips ever. This year we'll do a split stay but it will be our first time at an Epcot resort.

I still think it's worth it to stay at a monorail resort, especially with babies and toddlers who require strollers, this was invaluable to me. I will always love the MK resorts and want to go back but I "probably" wont until those monorail issues are resolved.

OP ~ I can certainly empathize with your concerns and I would most certainly make those concerns known to Disney! In spite of the wacky monorail hours, I'm sure you will have a fabulous trip! Have Fun!

 

[fla4fun]

While I understand the disappointment, I don't understand the anger. It's not like this is a scheduled maintenance thing that they just forgot to mention until the last minute. Personally, I think they thought they would be able to work on the construction at night while the monorail was down, and have found that this just isn't enough. So they are trying to work out the best compromise possible - leaving the monorails running during peak times and offering extended alternate transportation during the shut down. It's not like they have a lot of control over the timing either. They can't just halt construction for several weeks because March is busier than May. The people at Poly have it a lot easier than the people at GF, because they do have the added option of walking to the TTC and taking the ferry to MK if they don't want to use the Poly transportation. I remember back when the monorail was shut down because they had to enlarge the openings in CR for the new monorails coming on line. They were shut down for quite a while. We still had great vacations - you just make lemonade out of your lemons and move on.

I do feel that Disney should be more on the ball when it comes to announcing their scheduled maintenance. Twice I've booked deluxe resorts only to find out at the last minute that the feature pool would not be available. I'm not a pool person, so it wasn't a big deal for me, but one of those times I was at BC and SAB is a big deal for a lot of guests. There's no reason something like that should be communicated at the last minute. But this is different.

I just feel like people are way overreacting to something when Disney has tried hard to minimize the impact to guests. At least they are still getting you where you need to go.

 

[Experiment_626]

But why are they in demand? At least part of that answer is the monorail.

Never said otherwise.

I guess the thing that really bothers me is that the OP calls the monorail situation "absolutely unacceptable," yet later says she'll still go and have a magical trip. I'm glad to hear that's the case, but that tells me it is not, in fact, "absolutely unacceptable."

SSB

 

[bigtony777]

It simply comes down to communication and courtesy. I'm sure Disney, just like all companies, ran the numbers and came to the conclusion that it would be more profitable to compensate upset guests than to let everyone know about the shutdown ahead of time.

I think everyone, regardless of your viewpoint on this issue, can agree on a couple
things. 1. Disney knew of this shutdown more than a day or two before it was to start. 2. If the news was given a month or a few months ahead, people could have made better decisions on where to stay if they felt this would inconvenience them.

 

[LaurenT]

Should all of the thousands of people at these resorts get something, or just those that whine about it enough?

As an individual I'd say compensate everyone who is affected (I don't mean a free trip, I mean something appropriate for the amount of inconvenience).
But, if it were my company, I'd just compensate those who asked or complained. Doing otherwise would be fiscally foolish.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

According to what I read, the closure is for two reasons:

1. A crane will be lifting construction materials over the monorail track and, for safety reasons, they don't want the monorails to be in service.

2. They are doing work on the track in the area that was damaged this winter, causing the previously complained about monorail slowdown, and scheduled work on another part of the monorail track.

It sounds like, since the closure is due to both construction and damage to the track, it was really unavoidable. A frustration for those in a monorail resort, sure, but it had to happen.

Disney has said they are ramping up bus service to these resorts as well as ferry service, as well as service to the TTC, and initial reports from folks is that the delays this has caused are not that dramatic and there is a very noticible improvement in the bus service that these resorts usually get.

I hope the follks who operate the monorail aren't seeing their hours cut this month and can be placed somewhere else for the duration, or are still being paid despite loss of the service... I know how rough it can be to expect to work X hours a week/month, and to have that cut is a real ding on the paycheck. But with those hours being lost, that's an entire shift.

 

[goofy4tink]

We leave for our trip on Friday and it was only posted yesterday that the Magic Kingdom monorails will not be operating between 11:30am and 6pm EVERY SINGLE DAY WE ARE THERE

So let me get this straight. I'm paying 300 dollars a night to ride the bus to MK? During crazy Spring Break crowds we all know how long the boat line will be to get back to the Poly. Why would Disney schedule this during such a busy time???

Where do I email my complaint?

Thanks all. It always feels good to know I'm not the only one that has these feelings. (I'm obviously excluding the Joker who told me to cancel my trip). It will still be a magical trip, but I will not understand why they don't do the work at night instead.

I will admit that I stopped reading after the first page of posts. There really wasn't any need to continue...I pretty much know what was going to transpire here.
So.....yes, it is disappointing to not be able to ride the monorail at will when staying at a MK resort. BUT...the monorails are operating on a limited schedule. I find it hard to believe that the boats will be overcrowded during the times of day that the monorail is 'down'. There just isn't all that much traffic heading to the Polynesian and GF between noon and 6pm.
Why can't they do the work at night???? Seriously?? How would you feel about paying the huge amount to stay at the GF and have construction going on, right outside your window at night??? They would need to light the area...which would be less than desirable for those staying at the GF.

In all reality, doing it the way they are is probably the best overall solution. Is it perfect? No. But then again, the monorail had nothing but issues when I was there in April (last year), in Oct and then again in Dec. I finally just started avoiding it all together!!! Way too many delays.
And really, I would hate to have some kind of tragic accident happen at the GF because Disney kept the monorail running during the day time construction...I can only imagine what 'could' happen.
So, if shutting down the monorail for 6.5 hrs a day, midday, allows Disney to do what needs to be done, so be it.

This time of year always sees some kind of shutdown...be it at resorts, transportation, or attractions. And it always impacts someone. There is always going to be a group that are unhappy with the situation....and I can completely understand that. But things have to be accomplished at WDW, with the least amount of disruption to the vast majority.

Plan accordingly for your MK days. You can still get to the MK by monorail in the morning, and then in the evening. If you choose to leave MK during the afternoon, I can't imagine you are going to have to face an hour long wait with the boats. Maybe a bit longer than usual, but to the best of my understanding, Disney is putting a lot more boats in service between the MK and GF and Polynesian. That will really help.

 

[SaraJayne]

While I understand the disappointment, I don't understand the anger. It's not like this is a scheduled maintenance thing that they just forgot to mention until the last minute. Personally, I think they thought they would be able to work on the construction at night while the monorail was down, and have found that this just isn't enough. So they are trying to work out the best compromise possible - leaving the monorails running during peak times and offering extended alternate transportation during the shut down. It's not like they have a lot of control over the timing either. They can't just halt construction for several weeks because March is busier than May. The people at Poly have it a lot easier than the people at GF, because they do have the added option of walking to the TTC and taking the ferry to MK if they don't want to use the Poly transportation. I remember back when the monorail was shut down because they had to enlarge the openings in CR for the new monorails coming on line. They were shut down for quite a while. We still had great vacations - you just make lemonade out of your lemons and move on.

I do feel that Disney should be more on the ball when it comes to announcing their scheduled maintenance. Twice I've booked deluxe resorts only to find out at the last minute that the feature pool would not be available. I'm not a pool person, so it wasn't a big deal for me, but one of those times I was at BC and SAB is a big deal for a lot of guests. There's no reason something like that should be communicated at the last minute. But this is different.

I just feel like people are way overreacting to something when Disney has tried hard to minimize the impact to guests. At least they are still getting you where you need to go.

You mean they forgot to mention, period. How many people that are staying at a monorail resort have been notified by Disney this would be going on (once the dates were known/released?). So far, I haven't seen one person say they received a courtesy call about the monorail being unavailable during their stay.

That is unacceptable. Disney really seems to be dropping the ball on everything the last six months or so.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I disagree with the few people saying "complaining won't change anything". It won't change whatever is happening now. However 1) Disney and all companies should be aware when a customer isn't happy. Voice your concerns! 2) If they receive another complaints, they would look at better ways of doing it for next time

Fine. Except that (1) while we can't speak for other companies in a thread about partial day, temporary monorail shutdowns by WDW it's reasonable to think/know that Disney is already aware guests wont be happy about the change - especially in light of the response to last year's monorail schedule change - which is likely why they scheduled the shutdown to have as little impact as possible; and (2) what next time? Is there another resort or DVC property being built around Seven Seas Lagoon that might, someday, temporarily interfere with monorail operations?

 

[kaytieeldr]

As an individual I'd say compensate everyone who is affected (I don't mean a free trip, I mean something appropriate for the amount of inconvenience).
But, if it were my company, I'd just compensate those who asked or complained. Doing otherwise would be fiscally foolish.

Disney is doing exactly that.

They're appropriately compensating guests inconvenienced by not having the monorail available between 11:30 AM and 6 PM by boosting the alternative modes of transportation available during those work periods.

Apples for apples.

 

[goofy4tink]

You mean they forgot to mention, period. How many people that are staying at a monorail resort have been notified by Disney this would be going on (once the dates were known/released?). So far, I haven't seen one person say they received a courtesy call about the monorail being unavailable during their stay.

That is unacceptable. Disney really seems to be dropping the ball on everything the last six months or so.

I have to disagree. Those arriving at the TTC also expect to use the monorail to get to various MK resorts as well as the MK. Now, they too have to take boats or buses. MK resort guests are not the only people being inconvenienced here.
There are never any guarantees when it comes to types of available transportation. What happens if the monorail has a severe maintainence issue and Disney decides to take it out of service for 3 weeks....during your stay? Are you going to be as upset?? I know, I know...it's all about 'why doesn't Disney communicate these things to us'...but they are providing addlt services for you..no, it's not the monorail, but you are still getting to MK.
What do you expect the end result of those 'courtesy calls' would be??? Do you think that maybe Disney should compensate you in some way? Do you think they should move you to a different resort?? Do you think that if enough people complain Disney will handle the construction differently?
Really, I can't imagine any of those things happening. So, why bother putting CMs to all that addtl work???

Again, I understand the disappointment, I do. But, when I stay at BWV, and find upon arrival, that the pool is not going to be available during my stay, but hey..they'll cart me over to SAB if I want...well, it's disappointing. And really, that's a big disappointment when you have someone that really has looked forward to that particular pool. But, that's just the way of it at WDW....stuff happens. And for the most part, there is little that Disney is going to do to let us know about it.

 

[Jennasis]

I understand the disappointment. But isn't taking the boat FASTER than the monorail? The monorail has to make tow stops before dropping off at the Poly. The boat will be faster especially if they are adding more boats to handle the crowds.

Construction HAS to happen sometime. I was really bummed that back in 2010 they had those nasty tarps up all over Main Street, but in the end it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the trip like I thought it would.

Make the best of it and try to have a great trip.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You mean they forgot to mention, period. How many people that are staying at a monorail resort have been notified by Disney this would be going on (once the dates were known/released?). So far, I haven't seen one person say they received a courtesy call about the monorail being unavailable during their stay.

That is unacceptable. Disney really seems to be dropping the ball on everything the last six months or so.

Best of my knowledge, the dates were known/released either February 29 or March 1 - to Cast Members and I don't know who else.

Also to the best of my knowledge, Walt Disney World doesn't have a special staff available to provide the type of contact you describe, and likely doesn't feel that's necessary because there are alternative modes of transportation in place. Nobody's stranded, just some people can't get where they're going how they want.

 

[goofyernmost]

There are expensive Disney resorts but high end, no.

Thank you...that confirms that Disney is grossly overpriced. That is the reason that after 30 visits to WDW I have stayed on-site only once.

Demand due largely to the monorail.

In connection with the first thread...I understand that people like the monorail and since it is kinda fun and not something that most people can do at home it is natural that some would be more attracted than others. That said, the day that it is worth that much extra money for something that I, staying off-site for $100 per night can do for free, (ride the monorail) is something that I cannot wrap my brain around. Until this happened I was unaware that folks are willing to pay that for such a freely given perk.

Wrong. The answer is "demand." SSB

For those that so freely throw in the description of "Disney Apologist" might wonder, at least for a minute, what one would call someone that continuously justify what is practically extortion for a stay at a resort that charges exorbitant prices for a "good only" resort because it's Disney. Same thing...different reason and subject. If you cannot tell me what, other than the monorail, is worth that kind of costs then I'm not buying the value connection. The reality of WDW or any other Disney Park is that Fantasyland actually starts at the entrance to the property. It is all what we want it to be, nothing more.