MONORAIL CLOSURE - What a BUMMER!

[EagleG17]

I would at least expect some sort of compensation for the monorail not being available. You are right that you paid a premium price for the use of that monorail. If they are not willing to compensate you something to make up for it perhaps that would help you make your decision on whether to cancel or not.

Technically you don't have to pay anything to ride the monorail.

 

[TDC Nala]

Well, they are talking about paying extra (I guess over mods or values, because some of the Epcot resorts cost about the same) to stay at a resort that has a monorail stop in the lobby. Although it is true that there is no set value on the monorail access.

No, they are not offering compensation without being asked...and they might if you ask, and they might not. You won't know unless you ask. I do, however, think it is reasonable to ask to cancel or change resorts without incurring a penalty, even if you are within a penalty period.

What dates does the closure cover?

January 21 (yesterday) through the "end of March" (no specific date given for ending)

 

[EagleG17]

Well, they are talking about paying extra to stay at a resort that has a monorail stop in the lobby. Although it is true that there is no set value on the monorail access. No, they are not offering compensation without being asked...and they might if you ask, and they might not. You won't know unless you ask. I do, however, think it is reasonable to ask to cancel or change resorts without incurring a penalty, even if you are within a penalty period.

My typical vacation consists of only riding the monorails. My kids think we are Disney riding the rides and it saves us a ton of money. PLUS we get to see Wishes for free.

 

[KaLyn]

...January 21 (yesterday) through the "end of March" (no specific date given for ending)

Thank you!

 

[ArthurKing1220]

Is this definitely happening through the end of March? We have a trip planned at the end of February / beginning of March and I'm absolutely floored by this news. One of the reasons we stay at the GF -- and pay the prices Disney demands -- is because of the convenience of the monorail access. If we show up and the monorails aren't operating I'm going to be pretty livid.

 

[morethananyonex]

Is this definitely happening through the end of March? We have a trip planned at the end of February / beginning of March and I'm absolutely floored by this news. One of the reasons we stay at the GF -- and pay the prices Disney demands -- is because of the convenience of the monorail access. If we show up and the monorails aren't operating I'm going to be pretty livid.

Prepare to be livid.

 

[ArthurKing1220]

Prepare to be livid.

Thank you for the confirmation. I'm honestly floored. One of the primary ways that Disney is able to sustain the rates they charge for the deluxe "trio" around Bay Lake is by providing monorail access. For them to so ham-handedly take this away is such a disappointment and really makes me question their operating decisions. They couldn't stagger the work / run at reduced schedules / work overnight? Wow. I love the GF but this is a real nail in the coffin for me. If the Four Seasons were already up and running I'd defect for sure. Because all I've done at this point is book ourselves into a far-off portion of the property with none of the convenience of monorail access. Why exactly am I paying $600 p./ night again?


EDIT: I see that the monorail will still run during the weekend and also that the Epcot monorail is still up and running seven days per week. Because of quirks in the way we've planned our trip (e.g., the only weekday we're going to be there is Friday, and we'll be at DHS during the day that day and dining at Epcot that evening) I guess we lucked out and this isn't going to affect our schedule as detrimentally as I had originally thought. But that's just because of luck of the draw -- I had no idea that Disney was doing this; we were never informed. And it doesn't really change my basic point, which is that Disney is doing this in a ham-fisted way that makes it really hard to justify the prices they're charging for the Deluxe resorts around the monorail loop. So I'll leave my post up as is. My sympathies to others planning trips for this time period at these resorts -- this has to be frustrating.

 

[emmabelle]

Leaving in 3 days staying at the GF. All I have to say is thank god I didn't cancel my rental car, because then I would be pretty bummed since most of my lunches are in world showcase. Kind of wish I had kept the original plan or BWI CL.

Thanks you Disboards for posting this info since the kind folks at GF CL are keeping it under raps.

 

[maxiesmom]

Thank you for the confirmation. I'm honestly floored. One of the primary ways that Disney is able to sustain the rates they charge for the deluxe "trio" around Bay Lake is by providing monorail access. For them to so ham-handedly take this away is such a disappointment and really makes me question their operating decisions. They couldn't stagger the work / run at reduced schedules / work overnight? Wow. I love the GF but this is a real nail in the coffin for me. If the Four Seasons were already up and running I'd defect for sure. Because all I've done at this point is book ourselves into a far-off portion of the property with none of the convenience of monorail access. Why exactly am I paying $600 p./ night again?

If they did the work at night those people trying to sleep at the monorail resorts would be livid!

By the way, the work will be staggered. The monorail won't be down every day for the whole time listed. It is a sometimes thing. The work could happen without notice for the days and times listed, but it won't be down for every day for the whole time given.

I understand being upset over the monorail not running, if it is indeed not running when you need it. By why are people forgetting about the boats? They are as convenient as the monorail, and quite frankly, more dependable. Just last week there was another post on the Transportation Board concerning the monorail being broke down on the tracks.

Btw, you are paying $600 a night for a resort that is a stone's throw away from the Magic Kingdom. One that is just as beautiful as it was before, and still has great dining. And quick access to the Magic Kingdom via a motor launch. Which is pretty much guaranteed to not have to hold for clearance, or break down and have to wait for hours for them to figure out how to move.

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

By the way, the work will be staggered. The monorail won't be down every day for the whole time listed. It is a sometimes thing. The work could happen without notice for the days and times listed, but it won't be down for every day for the whole time given.

Is this based on inside knowledge, or supposition? Because you are throwing it out there as fact. While the announced closures related to construction of the GF DVC did result in only intermittent closure, this is a bit different because it is related to construction on the actual monorail beams itself, whereas the GF DVC shutdowns were precautionary when construction brought materials too close to the beam. While I think it is reasonable to assume that the downtime won't be the entire blocks stated, I don't think we can use the GF DVC construction shutdowns to draw too many conclusions about this shutdown, either.

 

[maxiesmom]

Is this based on inside knowledge, or supposition? Because you are throwing it out there as fact. While the announced closures related to construction of the GF DVC did result in only intermittent closure, this is a bit different because it is related to construction on the actual monorail beams itself, whereas the GF DVC shutdowns were precautionary when construction brought materials too close to the beam. While I think it is reasonable to assume that the downtime won't be the entire blocks stated, I don't think we can use the GF DVC construction shutdowns to draw too many conclusions about this shutdown, either.

This isn't the first time they have taken the monorail out of service this way. So I'm going by what has happened the other times they have done the same thing. Think about it--if they were doing massive work on the beam itself there would be no way for them to have it in service during the AM and PM. They would have to shut it down all together.

 

[nkereina]

Is this based on inside knowledge, or supposition? Because you are throwing it out there as fact. While the announced closures related to construction of the GF DVC did result in only intermittent closure, this is a bit different because it is related to construction on the actual monorail beams itself, whereas the GF DVC shutdowns were precautionary when construction brought materials too close to the beam. While I think it is reasonable to assume that the downtime won't be the entire blocks stated, I don't think we can use the GF DVC construction shutdowns to draw too many conclusions about this shutdown, either.

This isn't the first time they have taken the monorail out of service this way. So I'm going by what has happened the other times they have done the same thing. Think about it--if they were doing massive work on the beam itself there would be no way for them to have it in service during the AM and PM. They would have to shut it down all together.

Agree with maxiesmom - not only have multiple said the same on the boards (about the work being staggered) but it is how its happened in the past as well. Nothing about this announcement would indicate anything different than standard routine maintenance which has been done in the past.

And for those who have mentioned them doing it at night, not only would that be noisy but they'd have to bring in and set up lights more than likely, which would also be bright. Next time you're on the monorail, check out how close some of those rooms actually are. It would never fly.

 

[smsohio]

We had 2 rooms booked at the Polynesian just for the convenience of the monorail. We have a 13 month old and we're taking my mom with us so that she can take the baby back for naps. I was livid when I found out about the monorail. I called and talked to Disney and they tried to sell me on all the other "amenities" of the deluxe resort. We switched to a moderate resort and saved $1800 for the 2 rooms for 5 nights. Then, we got a free dining pin that saved us another $450

 

[flicx]

I think it is ridiculous to down play the monorail importance when you are paying 500 and 600 a night for these rooms. The launches are not that big at these resorts/they don't hold that many people. When the whole resort is using them due to the monorail being down it takes a while to get one. It is not the customers fault Disney has not made repairs on the monorails it is Disney's fault. Night repairs are reasonable on a lot of the line, heck they did night repairs in the contemporary main building when I stayed there about 4 years ago. You could hear the construction at night while you were in your room. It is lousy on Disney's part to try to rook people and not let them know this ahead of time.

 

[vweryhappy]

The monorail was the only reason we stayed at CR last December and it was great! Having two small children was very convenient.
Would never pay those outrageous prices unless monrail was operating most of the time.

 

[nkereina]

I think it is ridiculous to down play the monorail importance when you are paying 500 and 600 a night for these rooms. The launches are not that big at these resorts/they don't hold that many people. When the whole resort is using them due to the monorail being down it takes a while to get one. It is not the customers fault Disney has not made repairs on the monorails it is Disney's fault. Night repairs are reasonable on a lot of the line, heck they did night repairs in the contemporary main building when I stayed there about 4 years ago. You could hear the construction at night while you were in your room. It is lousy on Disney's part to try to rook people and not let them know this ahead of time.

Since we don't know what the actual work being done is, no one knows it would even be feasible to do at night. I am sure Disney wants to cause the least disruption possible (you know they don't want to comp people if they don't have to), so if night work was a more viable option, I'm sure they would have gone that route. But for whatever reason(s), it is not.

 

[jhaig]

My family just finished a four night stay at the Contemporary (Dad had to stay home for work). It was a less than magical experience as far as transportation was concerned. Not having the monorail operating during the day was a major inconvenience, especially during the rainy days. We will NEVER AGAIN pay deluxe prices to stay on the monorail if the monorails are not running. You pay the big prices to have perks like this. Disney made no effort to communicate these changes to their guests. Then throw in the fact that most bus drivers were completely snotty and unaccommodating to their questions regarding how to get from one place to the other. It took almost 45 minutes to get from CR to the Poly.

If Disney ever pulls a stunt like this again, we will be spending our vacation money elsewhere.

 

[maxiesmom]

My family just finished a four night stay at the Contemporary (Dad had to stay home for work). It was a less than magical experience as far as transportation was concerned. Not having the monorail operating during the day was a major inconvenience, especially during the rainy days. We will NEVER AGAIN pay deluxe prices to stay on the monorail if the monorails are not running. You pay the big prices to have perks like this. Disney made no effort to communicate these changes to their guests. Then throw in the fact that most bus drivers were completely snotty and unaccommodating to their questions regarding how to get from one place to the other. It took almost 45 minutes to get from CR to the Poly.

If Disney ever pulls a stunt like this again, we will be spending our vacation money elsewhere.

Unfortunately it is never guaranteed that the monorail will be up and running. It dose break down every so often. So if you are looking for an 100% guarantee that it will be up and running whenever you want it, then you are going to have to keep looking. Everything at WDW is subject to change and availability. They do not guarantee a single thing.

I wonder too why you didn't just hop in a cab to get from the Contemporary to the Poly, if you needed to get there quickly. It couldn't cost more than $10. Using Disney transportation to get from one resort to another is never speedy, not even by monorail.

I have to add too that if you are stopping the park bus drivers and asking them how to get from A to B, then you are keeping them from doing their job. I know if I was trying to get on a bus, and someone ahead of me was preventing that because they wanted to have a long conversation with the bus driver, I would be kind of ticked.

 

[MrsBlovesDisney]

My family just finished a four night stay at the Contemporary (Dad had to stay home for work). It was a less than magical experience as far as transportation was concerned. Not having the monorail operating during the day was a major inconvenience, especially during the rainy days. We will NEVER AGAIN pay deluxe prices to stay on the monorail if the monorails are not running. You pay the big prices to have perks like this. Disney made no effort to communicate these changes to their guests. Then throw in the fact that most bus drivers were completely snotty and unaccommodating to their questions regarding how to get from one place to the other. It took almost 45 minutes to get from CR to the Poly.

If Disney ever pulls a stunt like this again, we will be spending our vacation money elsewhere.

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. We are staying at the BLT in a couple of weeks and were informed via mail that the monorail would be down (I believe we received the letter back in December)? We are sad it will be down (as we have an autistic son and spend MORE of our day on the monorail than in the parks), but we will make the most of an inconvenient situation.....guess we'll be seeing LOTS of Epcot from the monorail this trip! lol!

I'm hoping they're done sooner than later at this point (at least the weekends aren't affected).

But again I'm sorry for you, especially since you never received notice in advance.

 

[flicx]

My family just finished a four night stay at the Contemporary (Dad had to stay home for work). It was a less than magical experience as far as transportation was concerned. Not having the monorail operating during the day was a major inconvenience, especially during the rainy days. We will NEVER AGAIN pay deluxe prices to stay on the monorail if the monorails are not running. You pay the big prices to have perks like this. Disney made no effort to communicate these changes to their guests. Then throw in the fact that most bus drivers were completely snotty and unaccommodating to their questions regarding how to get from one place to the other. It took almost 45 minutes to get from CR to the Poly.

If Disney ever pulls a stunt like this again, we will be spending our vacation money elsewhere.

I sympathize with you. Disney didn't let a lot of their guests know that the monorail would be down during a lot of the time they stayed. With the price they charge at these places that should have been a priority. If I were you I would send a complaint telling Disney of your displeasure. Had the monorail been running you would have been there in 5 to 10 minutes. I think it is ridiculous to suggest you pay out of pocket money for a cab when you spent the kind of money to stay at a monorail resort, especially when Disney dropped the ball not you!