Disney Ends Evening EMH Monorail Service

[jade1]

Thank you for contacting DISNEY VACATION CLUB®.

We appreciate your concerns about limited Monorail Service Operations as related to the Evening Extra Magic Hours. I am happy to inform you that after careful consideration, WALT DISNEY WORLD has decided to eliminate the Evening Extra Magic Hours. We are hopeful that this remidy will be satisfactory to all. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

Nice, hey maybe they will eliminate the "additional cost" MK party nights then as well to remedy those nights, oh and of course Illuminations to remedy that, and of course close the dining at monorail resorts a 7PM.

 

[pilferk]

There has been no official announcement of what they plan to do for MNSSHP or MVMCP but if they are not finished with the maintenance by then, then buses or boats will be used.

The parties are going to be the bigger issues.

For EMH...there are watercraft to handle some of the load already, and adding resort buses is relatively easy and the infrastructure is in place to handle it, already.

But with MNSSHP and MVMCP...there are a LOT of "locals" who attend those parties. They are going to have to find an efficient (and the boat is NOT efficient) way to shuttle folks from MK to the TTC/parking lot EN MASSE.

They haven't done that in a LOT of years...since the resort buses started going direct to MK.

It'll be interesting to see what they do. Maybe they'll run the monorail those nights (since, really, they're not MUCH later than "normal" park closing hours). Maybe the maintenance will be complete by then.

If not, it'll be an interesting (or, maybe not so very for those stuck in it) logistical situation to watch.

 

[aan1701]

Thank you for contacting DISNEY VACATION CLUB®.

We appreciate your concerns about limited Monorail Service Operations as related to the Evening Extra Magic Hours. I am happy to inform you that after careful consideration, WALT DISNEY WORLD has decided to eliminate the Evening Extra Magic Hours. We are hopeful that this remidy will be satisfactory to all. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

Not funny. Now this would make me fume. I love EMH. As to the monorail closing, I don't care.

 

[Sammie]

Please see my earlier post below. I have written DVC and WDW to complain. DVC called me to discuss my complaint for 30 minutes. I was told in plain terms that this change is PERMANENT. She expressed hope that customer complaints might lead to a change, but stated that change can take a while and there are no gaurantees. DVC is compiling quotes from members that complain to forward to their "transportation partners." Hopefully they will hear us...

Thanks I missed your comment you had contacted Member Satisfaction.

 

[dancnorris]

Thanks I missed your comment you had contacted Member Satisfaction.

No worries. I just didn't want to re-type the entire post.

 

[Sammie]

No worries. I just didn't want to re-type the entire post.

Understand and I sometime lose track of what I have read and what I haven't.

 

[tara98]

For us, that was one of the perks to staying at the close resorts... I guess now it will not make much of a difference.

 

[spiceycat]

Thank you for contacting DISNEY VACATION CLUB®.

We appreciate your concerns about limited Monorail Service Operations as related to the Evening Extra Magic Hours. I am happy to inform you that after careful consideration, WALT DISNEY WORLD has decided to eliminate the Evening Extra Magic Hours. We are hopeful that this remidy will be satisfactory to all. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

is this real - or just a joke.

taking away EMH for all hotel guests will definitely cause them more problems.

 

[disneynutz]

is this real - or just a joke.

taking away EMH for all hotel guests will definitely cause them more problems.

Joke

Bill

 

[castleri]

If you read my post again I said yes it's possible that some of those people might have been going to the Magic Kingdom. As for the chance those getting off at the TTC they might have been going to Epcot however considering that by the time the Monorail got to the TTC Epcot was closing in half an hour, so they wouldn't have made it and other times it had already closed for the evening.

They may be people like us who when we are not staying on site but come from home for the day, may have parked at EPCOT in the morning and taken the monorail to the MK or to one of the resorts for dinner and then need to get back to EPCOT to pick up the car.

 

[Lost in Neverland]

What I am wondering is if this change in reaction to some sort of safety mandate after the last monorail accident and they do not have a choice in the matter. The accident occured late after EMH and I think it might be due to some sort of ruling about operator hours and their required off the clock times. Even truck drivers are required to be off the road and resting for a specific number of hours a day. Either way yes it will be an inconvienance for people staying at BLT but if my family is going to be safer due to these changes then sign me up. Please do not flame me for taking this stand because we all want to have the transportation but if we are not as safe without the interruption do we really want to get on them?

 

[MonorailBeebz]

Okay guys, everybody seems to have this wrong. As a WDW Monorail Pilot, I am fully qualified to explain the early closing of the Monorail system.

#1) This has nothing to do with money; in fact, both bus drivers and watercraft operators get paid MORE than Monorail Pilots (yes, really).

#2) Disney is 100% about safety. The WDW Monorails are extremely complex machines that require daily maintenance to function properly. Typically, monorails run 2 hours after EMH, so if EMH ends at 3am, monorails run until 5am, and the morning crew comes to work at 4:30am to begin opening procedures. So when are the trains supposed to get maintenance? Sorry, repairs don't happen magically.

#3) The ferry boats and buses are perfectly capable of providing adequate and efficient transportation from Magic Kingdom to the TTC and resorts just as the Monorails do. In fact, the ferry boats hold MORE GUESTS than do the monorails (600 for ferry boat, 360 per monorail). So stop complaining about efficiency.

#4) Lastly, don't be snobby. The monorails are a CONVENIENCE to get you from one place to another, not a requirement by the Walt Disney Company. For those who are disappointed or who think that calling a Disney Vacation Club Reservation Specialist is going to solve the problem, you're in for a surprise. Safety is Disney's number one priority.

 

[aan1701]

Okay guys, everybody seems to have this wrong. As a WDW Monorail Pilot, I am fully qualified to explain the early closing of the Monorail system.

#1) This has nothing to do with money; in fact, both bus drivers and watercraft operators get paid MORE than Monorail Pilots (yes, really).

#2) Disney is 100% about safety. The WDW Monorails are extremely complex machines that require daily maintenance to function properly. Typically, monorails run 2 hours after EMH, so if EMH ends at 3am, monorails run until 5am, and the morning crew comes to work at 4:30am to begin opening procedures. So when are the trains supposed to get maintenance? Sorry, repairs don't happen magically.

#3) The ferry boats and buses are perfectly capable of providing adequate and efficient transportation from Magic Kingdom to the TTC and resorts just as the Monorails do. In fact, the ferry boats hold MORE GUESTS than do the monorails (600 for ferry boat, 360 per monorail). So stop complaining about efficiency.

#4) Lastly, don't be snobby. The monorails are a CONVENIENCE to get you from one place to another, not a requirement by the Walt Disney Company. For those who are disappointed or who think that calling a Disney Vacation Club Reservation Specialist is going to solve the problem, you're in for a surprise. Safety is Disney's number one priority.

Well said.

 

[hakepb]

Last week, I heard WFLA report Disney was (finally) buying a replacement monorail...and wondered regarding the timing of reports. Did transportation agree to the 11:00 extension only if they got the train?


Cost wise, I assumed the difference was the CM's running each monorail station. So while an individual monorail train may be similar in operation to a bus, the entire monorail system may cost more than adding a few buses to the existing bus system.

 

[erionm]

Last week, I heard WFLA report Disney was (finally) buying a replacement monorail...and wondered regarding the timing of reports. Did transportation agree to the 11:00 extension only if they got the train?


Cost wise, I assumed the difference was the CM's running each monorail station. So while an individual monorail train may be similar in operation to a bus, the entire monorail system may cost more than adding a few buses to the existing bus system.

It's not an entirely new train. From the OrlandoSentinel.com:

Disney said the new train is made with a combination of new parts and components recycled from the two trains that collided. Another of the resort's trains is made entirely of vehicles from the trains involved in the accident.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-new-monorail-20110812,0,980863.story

 

[TriSeb°o°]

Just got a call back from the GS CM that I hadn't heard from since July 21st...

She called to let me know that she finally had an answer regarding hard ticketing events (all my other questions were previously answered)

At any rate, she indicated that the MonoRail would operate for 1 hour after the fireworks (Holiday Wishes in my case) which is 1.5 hours before event/park close, however, the express monorail would only operate 1 hour after park closing.

Now this CM has been accurate with all previous info and waited over a month to provide me the most recent answer so I am inclined to give this update some credence.

Of course, we all know the track history with such second hand information but nevertheless wanted to share.

 

[DenLo]

Just got a call back from the GS CM that I hadn't heard from since July 21st...

She called to let me know that she finally had an answer regarding hard ticketing events (all my other questions were previously answered)

At any rate, she indicated that the MonoRail would operate for 1 hour after the fireworks (Holiday Wishes in my case) which is 1.5 hours before event/park close, however, the express monorail would only operate 1 hour after park closing.

I think I'm confused. During an hard ticketed event when does the express monorail stop running? One hour after the regular park hours or 1.5 hours after the special event fireworks?

Did she mention when the resort monorail would close?

 

[TriSeb°o°]

My apologies... I didn't make it super clear how I wrote it... This is how it was explained to me in linear format:

MVMCP Example:

7 PM - Regular Sked Park Closes / HT Event Starts
8 PM - Express MonoRail stops operating
9:30 PM - Holiday Wishes
10:30 PM - Resort MonoRail stops opearting
12 PM - HT event/Park Closes

This is what was explained to me by the GS CM.

 

[smidgy]

so what about the guests staying at , say, the contemporary , not going to the MVMCP, but going to epcot that evening. wouldn't the resort monorail stay openfor them (since they would take the monorail to the ttc. how would they get from the ttc to the contemporary, or GF (I know you can walk to the poly from there)

 

[DenLo]

Thanks TriSeb°o° I think I get it in connection to the Hard ticketed events.

smidgy Doesn't Epcot usually close before MK? So would the resort monorail be running later than the Epcot monorail? The resort monorail still stops at the TTC. So you would switch from the Epcot to the resort monorail.

I just realized on Hard ticketed evenings MK closes earlier. This is so confusing. I think I'll double check with guest services at the resort before I venture out. And see if there is bus service in lieu of the monorail when it shuts down, just in case.