Monorail messes tonight!

[Mousemommy1]

That's exactly why the Epcot resort area is so much more attractive to my family than the monorail resorts.

At least over there we are relying on our own legs to get us to a couple of parks, and they haven't failed us yet!

 

[davedmaine]

By reading these posts, you'd think the monorail was down more than it was running. Truth is that it is extremely reliable and very rarely breaks down.

 

[Buzzsgramma]

I wouldnt say this is what caused your monorail problem BUT...when we were there in March 2012...the monorail would be down from i think it was noon to 6pm each day....because of work on the DVC Grand Floridian villas....
that monorail passes fairly close to the building...so it would have to shut down for safety purposes....
We were staying at SSR ..but if i was paying bucks to stay at GF...i wouldnt be to happy...
Now people i am not saying it shouldnt stop running and cause an accident...
i just felt bad for these people especially with little kids and big strollers trying to get on buses when they were staying at a monorail resort...
i dont think the GF villas will be done till end of year...

 

[Bob NC]

But if Disney is going to charge a premium for monorail resorts, it's good to actually HAVE a monorail....

The last time this was debated here many, many folks insisted the Monorail has absolutely nothing to do with the premium rates charged by Monorail Resorts.

 

[Cyrano]

Moving from Theme Parks to Transportation board

 

[pl4bby]

This is why I rather stay at the Epcot resorts. U can walk to two parks.

 

[SpectroMan71]

This!! Please fix the awesome stuff you already have first!

RIGHT??

I do have to question whether it's the actual Monorails or the logistics behind them.

It's my understanding that, when these began service in 1991, they were on a DOS-based computer system. I very well remember that car doors opened much quicker and overall stops and starts at each station were much easier.

Then, they switched to Windows - sometime around 2005, I believe. Since then is when it seems to me most of the delay problems have occurred.

Can anyone confirm or deny this to be a major cause of trouble?

 

[mickeyonasticky]

By reading these posts, you'd think the monorail was down more than it was running. Truth is that it is extremely reliable and very rarely breaks down.

Pardon my laughter. But seriously?! It's not extremely reliable. More often than not, I have to "hold for further traffic clearance" while on the monorail.

This is why I take the boats.

 

[FoodLover]

By reading these posts, you'd think the monorail was down more than it was running. Truth is that it is extremely reliable and very rarely breaks down.

Well, in the last 6 or 7 times I've stayed at a Monorail hotel -- about once per year in as many years -- I have experienced at least one significant (20 min or longer) delay and in two cases, a total breakdown of the Monorail, with the train stuck between stations. I wouldn't call that record "extremely" reliable.

If you're paying the big bucks to stay at a Monorail hotel, it's reasonable to expect the Monorail to run reliably and not leave you stranded between stations. There is a significant infrastructure problem.

 

[pigletto]

Wouldn't it have been awesome if they'd taken the millions of dollars sunk into NextGen and invested in improving the transportation infrastructure instead? I can't help but think it would have made for a lot of happy guests.

Couldn't agree more. We were stuck a couple times on the monorail on our last trip. Also twice it smelled distinctly of urine.
I don't want to use it at all at this point, which is kind of sad really.

 

[jemmouse]

What time frame are we talking when you have been stuck on the monorail? When its stuck does it sway at all???

 

[mickeyonasticky]

What time frame are we talking when you have been stuck on the monorail? When its stuck does it sway at all???

Are you asking how long you'll be in the train if it breaks down? Because that can vary tremendously. I've been "holding for further traffic clearance" from between 5 seconds to 10 minutes, sometimes more than once per monorail ride. I've never been in a monorail train when the system has completely broken down, though.

 

[larryz]

It's pinin' for the fjords!

It is an ex-monorail.

 

[FoodLover]

It is an ex-monorail.

It's just stunned. Monorails stun easily.

 

[dis-happy]

Am I missing something in the OP? If you have to take a bus from Epcot because the monorail is down, why not just take the direct bus to the Contemporary?

 

[appleorchard]

Am I missing something in the OP? If you have to take a bus from Epcot because the monorail is down, why not just take the direct bus to the Contemporary?

Because there is no direct bus. We went to the line we were told to go to(hoping they had added a bus) but it turned out to be the TTC bus.

 

[ManyMinnie]

By reading these posts, you'd think the monorail was down more than it was running. Truth is that it is extremely reliable and very rarely breaks down.

I don't believe I've ever heard the monorail described as being "extremely reliable".

It isn't.

 

[elgerber]

We had it breakdown when we were there, January 2011. We were at the Contemporary for dinner, and needed to get back to the MK. We waited a good 20 minutes for it to show up, and they finally said it wasnt' coming, it was down. We had first timers with us, who had blisters and didn't want to walk back. OMG, can I tell you how long it takes to get from the Contemporary to the MK via bus??????? FOREVER!!! We went to to all the same places the monorail does, and then drove some roads I never knew existed. Thrown some stop lights in there, and I bet it took at least 50 minutes.

 

[NE2]

OMG, can I tell you how long it takes to get from the Contemporary to the MK via bus??????? FOREVER!!! We went to to all the same places the monorail does, and then drove some roads I never knew existed. Thrown some stop lights in there, and I bet it took at least 50 minutes.

It's a little late, but you could have gone by boat (via Wilderness Lodge or Fort Wilderness).

 

[zulemara]

Pardon my laughter. But seriously?! It's not extremely reliable. More often than not, I have to "hold for further traffic clearance" while on the monorail.

This is why I take the boats.

Watercraft: bailing out monorails for over 40 years!

No seriously, parts falling out and starting fires on the ground, bus bar falling off the beam, lime not having enough power to get up the hill to the contemporary thus causing the whole line to go down while it reverses back to TTC

There have been outages on Xmas Day, 4th of July, Easter, I've seen snakes of people walking to the TTC from MK.

yes, very reliable indeed! what's the figure? 99% up time? I once had a guest tell me with a straight face she has never seen the monorails break down. I almost laughed right in her face.


Also regarding the maintenance, it has worked in some ways. They have done a lot of work on the beams and infrastructure, but at the end of the day the trains STILL don't get the kind of TLC they need.

We did a transportation segment on the DISUnplugged podcast not long ago, you all should listen if you have interest in hearing a behind the scenes opinion