Monorail Resorts

[nanay2jdr]

I have a DD3 and my DS11 has Aspergers and doesnt deal well with long waits. I read somewhere families with little wants to stay at monorail resorts. Staying at POR but now I feel I need to upgrade to Deluxe. Spending 2 days each at MK and Epcot. 1day each at AK and HS which I hope to see RD but no car.

 

[momto3pirates]

Are you talking about wait times in the parks or waits to get on the buses to go to the parks? Where you stay does not influence your wait times once you get to the parks. If you stay at a monorail resort, the trip to MK could be less. There also could be a long line at the monorail that morning. To get to Epcot, you have to go to the TTC and transfer to the Epcot monorail.

 

[grimley1968]

With 2 days at EPCOT and 2 days at MK (and 1 day at the other parks), I'd go with the Poly, if you can afford such a price jump (it'll likely cost at least twice what you'd pay at POR). The Poly of course has the resort monorail (and boat) to get to/from MK. You can also walk next door to the TTC to get on the EPCOT monorail from Poly.

While the monorail is nice, it is subject to slowdowns at park openings/closings, due to crowds. In such cases, buses and/or boats can be just as fast to get to MK. I'd view the monorail as something interesting to do, rather than a truly faster way to get to MK, which it often is not.

 

[Greysword]

I recommend you consider using the price difference to rent a car versus upgrading resort category.

This will allow you the greatest mobility with little wait time for transportation. Plus, your kids will have their own space, which could be helpful at park closing to high traffic times. This also provides mobility to stop at a grocery store for snacks, breakfast items, and other items you may not want to pack.

Also, it allows for travel to the airport when you want and extends the range of airline ticket options to Sanford, Tampa, and/or Melbourne.

Just my two cents.

 

[tinkermommyof3]

I have a DD3 and my DS11 has Aspergers and doesnt deal well with long waits. I read somewhere families with little wants to stay at monorail resorts. Staying at POR but now I feel I need to upgrade to Deluxe. Spending 2 days each at MK and Epcot. 1day each at AK and HS which I hope to see RD but no car.

We have stayed at POR and all 3 monorail resorts. While the monorail resorts have their advantages, there can still be long wait times for transportation. You always have the option to take a taxi to or from the parks. They are readily available outside of each resort and each park. It is a lot less expensive to take a taxi then to upgrade from POR to a monorail resort just based on transporation. Don't get me wrong, the monorail resorts are our favorite location for several reasons. However, POR is a lovely resort. I just wanted to offer you options that you may not have thought were available. Hope you have a great vacation!

 

[rwdavis2]

Since you are considering almost doubling the room costs it would be much cheaper and probably faster travel to rent a car. If you get to Epcot early enough it's a short walk from the parking lot to the park.

Also, I hard on a not too recent Podcast it is faster to get out of MK via ferry boat than monorail.

 

[N365PA]

I have timed both the ferry and monorail (on empty and full days when the MK was closed to admittance). On 3 different occasions the Ferry was faster. I have "raced" my family (fellow Disney nuts) who wanted to see which was faster. Again, Ferry won every time. Its not by much but it is quicker.

As far as your resort. I would have to agree with everyone and look at renting a car vs. spending a lot more money to stay at a monorail resort. This upcoming trip we're splitting 3 nights, 2 at POR and 1 at Poly. The Polynesian is very nice but if you're just looking at wait times for transportation, a rental car staying at POR may be a lot cheaper. Taxi's are another option but I would prefer my own car if I was doing it. Parking is free for all resort guests.

 

[gritzel4]

I have a DS 15 who is autistic and would recommend renting a car over upgrading to a monorail resort. We stayed in BLT in Feb. and the monorail was down for several hours and had to walk to MK! Not the experience we were looking for - but he handled it better than some of the neuro-typical adults

 

[brymolmom]

Depends on your child specifically, of course, but my ds10 has mild asperger's and we don't rent a car and stay at POP century a lot. Now that he's used to that resort, he honestly doesn't especially like staying anywhere else - it's his 'routine'. So be careful if you spend the money on the deluxe - cuz you might not ever (easily) be able to switch it up. That's how it is with my boy at least. Once he is used to something, that's what he expects and wants.

We use WDW buses...he is used to waiting in lines for them - usually counts the number of people and guesses and times how long the wait is (kinda has a thing for numbers). For the park lines - we arrive early and use FP's a lot - so we don't usually wait for longer than 20 minutes or so for rides. If you are going at a busier time or think he'll have difficulty with even shorter lines - bring a handheld electronic. I know for my boy at least...We could wait in line for an hour and as long as he has his dad's smartphone to play his games on (or usually just watching Mario Kart videos on youtube). You could consider this if it would work for your child.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Don't upgrade. Deluxe is very expensive and we have many times been stuck waiting for a monorail or stuck on a monorail. It is not always so quick. When we stayed at POR we got a small rental car and this worked out great. So much easier than busses or monorail. Remember even at the monorail resorts you still need a bus for anything other than MK and Epcot. Your kids are young save the money and stay at a value or mod.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[nanay2jdr]

Thanks everyone for your sound advice. We will keep our POR ressie and consider rental or cab for early RD. Being it our first trip I read that driving can get confusing, I am leaning more to cabs.

 

[nanay2jdr]

I have a DS 15 who is autistic and would recommend renting a car over upgrading to a monorail resort. We stayed in BLT in Feb. and the monorail was down for several hours and had to walk to MK! Not the experience we were looking for - but he handled it better than some of the neuro-typical adults

Good point

 

[nanay2jdr]

Depends on your child specifically, of course, but my ds10 has mild asperger's and we don't rent a car and stay at POP century a lot. Now that he's used to that resort, he honestly doesn't especially like staying anywhere else - it's his 'routine'. So be careful if you spend the money on the deluxe - cuz you might not ever (easily) be able to switch it up. That's how it is with my boy at least. Once he is used to something, that's what he expects and wants.

We use WDW buses...he is used to waiting in lines for them - usually counts the number of people and guesses and times how long the wait is (kinda has a thing for numbers). For the park lines - we arrive early and use FP's a lot - so we don't usually wait for longer than 20 minutes or so for rides. If you are going at a busier time or think he'll have difficulty with even shorter lines - bring a handheld electronic. I know for my boy at least...We could wait in line for an hour and as long as he has his dad's smartphone to play his games on (or usually just watching Mario Kart videos on youtube). You could consider this if it would work for your child.

You made a good point as for creating a new routine, I better be careful. We plan to bring a doctors note to help with special passes for him regards being in long wait lines. We will definitely bring his DS to keep him occupied for the wait times, thanks for the reminder.

 

[maxiesmom]

You made a good point as for creating a new routine, I better be careful. We plan to bring a doctors note to help with special passes for him regards being in long wait lines. We will definitely bring his DS to keep him occupied for the wait times, thanks for the reminder.

You need to get a GAC, Guest Assistance Card. This won't make your wait for rides any shorter, but will provide you with a less crowded place to wait.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I have a DD3 and my DS11 has Aspergers and doesnt deal well with long waits. I read somewhere families with little wants to stay at monorail resorts. Staying at POR but now I feel I need to upgrade to Deluxe. Spending 2 days each at MK and Epcot. 1day each at AK and HS which I hope to see RD but no car.

IMHO if your kid does not do "long waits " do NOT use the monorail. While it's "cute" it's also unreliable. First you wait to board and then you "hold for clearance" before each stop.

I don't get the hype, it's really not very good transport LOL!

And then of course if you do EMH it's probably not even running!

(And sadly the Disney "Deluxe" means "we charge a lot but don't have to provide as much" and transport is a big issue. For example your bus from the Poly to AK will also be stopping at the GF and will come to you after stopping at the Contemporay meaning it's packed......If you stay at a value you get better transport> )

 

[Greysword]

Thanks everyone for your sound advice. We will keep our POR ressie and consider rental or cab for early RD. Being it our first trip I read that driving can get confusing, I am leaning more to cabs.

WDW is not confusing at all. While it has many roads, the routes are well marked with signage. Just understand the basic area of the resort complex (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney), and you won't get lost.

For instance if you are going to the Contemporary Resort for an ADR, follow the generic signs to the Magic Kingdom park. As you draw closer, you'll see signs for the CR itself. Plus, you can download a map from many websites to see the traffic patterns (http://www.kingdommagictravel.com/disneyworld/maps_index.htm).

 

[nanay2jdr]

thanks for sharing. appreciate all the info.