Front of the Monorail

[disneyplanner76]

Does anyone know if they are letting guest ride in the front of the monorail again? My family has always taken advantage of this "ride" each trip - very much looking forward to continuing it for our trip in October. I know after the crash they were not allowing it but wasn't sure if it's a permanent stop or if it was just temporary?

 

[WEDWDW]

No,and there are no indications it will return anytime soon(if ever).

 

[ancestry]

I believe the change is permanent. I doubt they will allow people to ride up front ever again.

 

[DISNEY1975]

They are not.

Im happy my daughter got a "monorail license" in 2008 before things changed, but obviously, Im very sad about why it changed.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Nope.
2) It used to be fun - kind of a C-Ride.
3) The crash made it well beyond an E-Ride attraction.
4) No more riders up front.

 

[Little Bit]

I hadn't heard that they discontinued it. I'm so glad I had the chance to ride up front!

 

[Eliza32]

I think this is a real bummer....safety for safety's sake. What are the chances of it happening again?? Next they'll not be letting anyone ride in the front car of RNR or BTMRR. Guess they're afraid of litigation, but c'mon, we all loved it!!!

 

[WDSearcher]

I think this is a real bummer....safety for safety's sake. What are the chances of it happening again?? Next they'll not be letting anyone ride in the front car of RNR or BTMRR. Guess they're afraid of litigation, but c'mon, we all loved it!!!

I think that part of the consideration here was also for the monorail pilots. Not putting riders up front eliminates the possibility of someone asking questions or making inappropriate comments (like, "Did you know the guy that died?" or "Did you do all your safety checks? Becuase I don't wanna crash!").

People can say things without thinking, and I think part of the reasoning behind eliminating the up-front riders was to help the pilots not have to go through that. My guess would be that, at some point, front-of-monorail rides will resurface. But not in the immediate future.

 

[doconeill]

....safety for safety's sake.

Is there another kind?!?

A man died, proving that existing equipment, procedures, etc. made it unsafe for anyone to be up front. The only reason guests weren't killed or seriously hurt was because there weren't any up front on that ride.

Disney has not said what their future plans are, or if they are still evaluating the situation.

 

[pdmedic]

Without hashing up everything that has been said about this in the past I don't think one fatal accident in the years that the monorail has operated is that surprising. This appears to have been a case where people failed to follow their protocols and unfotunately it ended in tragedy. Look at the interstate system and think of how many people have died in tragic accidents on it and ask yourself do you still drive?

I'm glad my family had the opportunity to ride in the front before this tragic accident and hope that one of these days we will have the opportunity to do so again.

 

[Micca]

Picture this scenario: They resume letting guests ride in the front again and another tragedy happens. Can you imagine the outcry? "Disney knew it was risky because they already lost an employee and yet they allowed the public with children ride in front???!!!" In addition to more tragic loss of life they have to deal with that PR disaster? If I'm a Disney attorney no way am I going to advise they resume offering guests a seat in the front. I think the safety record of the WDW monorail system is remarkable, but there's no way they can risk the exposure of another possible accident involving the public.

 

[Hugpug]

Picture this scenario: They resume letting guests ride in the front again and another tragedy happens. Can you imagine the outcry? "Disney knew it was risky because they already lost an employee and yet they allowed the public with children ride in front???!!!" In addition to more tragic loss of life they have to deal with that PR disaster? If I'm a Disney attorney no way am I going to advise they resume offering guests a seat in the front. I think the safety record of the WDW monorail system is remarkable, but there's no way they can risk the exposure of another possible accident involving the public.

I agree with you and I feel lucky that I did have a chance to ride up front a few years back and I will treasure that time in my memory. The safty of the public does have to come first by all means.

 

[TDC Nala]

Nope. No guests in the cabin. But I understand it's still done at Disneyland.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

2) It used to be fun - kind of a C-Ride.
3) The crash made it well beyond an E-Ride attraction.

Wow, way to date yourself there buddy. Want to share what those tickets cost so everyone can have a heart attack? I know I did when I saw the tickets at 50 something, and I wasn't paying back then.


With regard to the risk management of this situation, WDW is not the only one under pressure. There was another employee death on property recently, not to mention the Sea World incidents and others in the area parks. I noticed at the tomorrowland speedway that they don't jump on the car and pull you in anymore (at least when I was there).

OSHA came down hard on all area attractions for not paying more attention to employee safety practices.

I'm afraid the days of risk we remember are gone until they figure something foolproof out. Maybe one day they'll engineer a solution to bring the "risks" back, but for now it's cheaper to just eliminate the risks.

Besides, at the rate the monorails keep breaking down, we may be seeing new, roomier, safer monorails in the near future. All it takes is a better safety cage, and elimination of seats to make things better, and yes you may even be able to ride up front again with a clear partition between you and the pilot.

 

[pdmedic]

If they closed every ride that someone died on their would be quite a few fewer rides then there are currently. But then again that goes for any theme park.

As for making things "Foolproof" they can try but you can alway find more efficent fools at least in my experience.

 

[Robo]

The WDW monorail trains' construction offer a lot of reinforced protection in the guest cars, but very little protection in the pilot cabin.

Much of the pilot cabin is simply plexiglass.

In a train-contact situation, there would be little to protect any guests in that cabin.

 

[pdmedic]

The WDW monorail trains' construction offer a lot of reinforced protection in the guest cars, but very little protection in the pilot cabin.

Much of the pilot cabin is simply plexiglass.

In a train-contact situation, there would be little to protect any guests in that cabin.

Your right it's a decision that people have to make on their own if they are willing to accept the risk. You can't take away all the risk in life or it wouldn't be worth living.

 

[sissy_42]

Your right it's a decision that people have to make on their own if they are willing to accept the risk. You can't take away all the risk in life or it wouldn't be worth living.

This is your argument about the monorail? No, it is Disneys decision as they own and operate it. The monorail is one of the last places I want to risk my life.

 

[jpmandan]

We never got to ride up front. I never thought anything that bad would ever happen, but it did. Now if they ever offer to ride up front again, I would jump at the chance.

 

[flicx]

Your right it's a decision that people have to make on their own if they are willing to accept the risk. You can't take away all the risk in life or it wouldn't be worth living.

I agree 100%. You know people have been killed on rides at disney too.Should we shut them down also? Because of an error in judgement by one pilot they should not end this program! Unfortunately thats the knee jerk reaction to a society that sues at the drop of a hat!