Monorail - riding with conductor

[Goofdad]

How common is this?

On our last trip, around 9pm at the Poly, it was very quiet and we were boarding the monorail... the conductor invited us to ride up front and we got a lot more than we ever expected.

The MK fireworks were going off and we were able to view them from the front of the monorail. We just assumed it was a one-in-a-million lucky break that we got.

So how common/easy is it to ride up front? What are the odds we'll get to do it again on our next visit? And any tips on how to get up front without being too much of a Goofdad?

Thanks,

 

[Robo]

How common is this?

Long gone at WDW, I'm afraid.

That practice ended following the fatal accident in July 2009.

 

[JDUCKY]

Ayup...since the fatal accident last year, WDW no longer allows passengers in the front of the monorail.

Apparently, though, one can still ride up front on the monorail at Disneyland.

 

[Goofdad]

wow.

wasn't aware of the accident... yikes!

 

[mickeysaver]

Since the monorail accident that happened on 07/05/2009, the practice of allowing guests to ride with the monorail pilots has ended. It's due to safety reasons and quite honestly due to the stupidity and insensitivity of guests that would think nothing of peppering the pilots with questions about the crash and the now dead pilot.

 

[sters]

Glad my kids had the chance to do this. They got a little certificate and everything! I guess I can understand Disney's decision...

 

[Goofdad]

that ride in the front of the monorail was one of my favorite memories from our family trip.

that front car is spaceship-esque with the glass dome all around you.
seeing the empty track wind endlessly out the front and the fireworks going off at the castle is just one of those things I'll never forget.

I just googled the accident story and feel terrible for those involved.
But it was 2am, after hours, etc. I'm just not convinced that riding in the front of the monorail is some life threatening activity though I do understand that Disney has to protect themselves legally.

 

[JDUCKY]

Glad my kids had the chance to do this. They got a little certificate and everything! I guess I can understand Disney's decision...

Yeah. Once I finally saw a photo of the cars right after the accident on local news, I understood why they made that decision.

Crazy thing is, my DD and I were riding in the front of one just a week prior to that accident. We've done that several times in fact. But, for some reason, the thought popped in my head of what keeps the monorails all a safe distance from each other and how foolproof is the system. Never had thought of that before.

Tragic the driver lost his life in that.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

At some point, this practice may resume. I read not too long ago about a ruling on this incident.

My recollection is a bit vague, and it was onlya very short blurb I read, but myunderstanding was that Disney was faulted for backing up a monorail without having a spotter. If I recall, at the same hearing another incident involving the death of an employee was also part of the ruling. I think WDW company was fined for one, but not the other.

 

[Robo]

I'm just not convinced that riding in the front of the monorail is some life threatening activity though I do understand that Disney has to protect themselves legally.

True, but consider the physical construction of the trains.

The pilot's cabin has very little structural reinforcement (it is mostly just "windshield" and a shell) and is sticking out in a precarious place in regard to coming into contact with another train.

But, the passenger cabins are very solidly constructed and positioned a distance from an "impact point" in case of contact with another train.

 

[marius97]

I just googled the accident story and feel terrible for those involved.
But it was 2am, after hours, etc. I'm just not convinced that riding in the front of the monorail is some life threatening activity though I do understand that Disney has to protect themselves legally.

I think that if the accident had been caused by a malfunction, then WDW could adequately fix the problem. They could have then looked at resumeing the rides. But since it was caused by over riding safety systems (which they had to do to put the monrail away for the night) and multiple human errors, there is really no way to assure that it won't happen again. Since if there is ever another crash, it would happen in the front or back car, they have to minimize the risk to people. We just wish that it didn't take the death of a CM to realize what was at stake.

 

[Nancyg56]

that ride in the front of the monorail was one of my favorite memories from our family trip.

that front car is spaceship-esque with the glass dome all around you.
seeing the empty track wind endlessly out the front and the fireworks going off at the castle is just one of those things I'll never forget.

I just googled the accident story and feel terrible for those involved.
But it was 2am, after hours, etc. I'm just not convinced that riding in the front of the monorail is some life threatening activity though I do understand that Disney has to protect themselves legally.

My family also was priviledged to ride upfront. There was a thread not too long ago and some CM's shared the horribly insensitive comments guests have made to the conductors. As sorry as i am that the practice is no longer in place i believe that Disney needed to do this in order to sheild those CM's trapped listening to people joke about the loss of their friend.

 

[PrincessMickey]

My family had the privledge of riding up from with the CM that was killed a week before the accident. He was such a nice guy, I learned a lot from him, and he was great with my kids.

I know Disney is doing everything they can to protect their CM's.

 

[puntagordabob]

God, we rode up front all the time too.. every Monorail Pilot that we had the honor of riding with was awesome... our family was very sad when we heard the sad news last summer of the accident....and said many prayers for all involved including the family of the Monorail Pilot who met with tragedy.

 

[walt's assistant]

Me thinks the practice of allowing guests up front was stopped not because of safety but because of the probable insensitivity of guests. If I was a pilot, I sure as heck wouldn't want to deal with it.

 

[PanamaMike]

But it was 2am, after hours, etc.

Although it was 2am, the pilot who was killed had passengers on the train at the time.

 

[Shmily01]

My kids got to sit up front several times while we were there in 2008. I'm sad to see that it is no longer available but I understand why Disney has done away with it. It's just a tragedy.

 

[rubato]

Me thinks the practice of allowing guests up front was stopped not because of safety but because of the probable insensitivity of guests. If I was a pilot, I sure as heck wouldn't want to deal with it.

This is the story I got from the CM a couple of weeks ago. That, mixed with the families fighting over who got there first and got to ride up front. Actual, physical fights over it! Insane!

 

[TDC Nala]

There was a poster awhile back who identified themselves as a monorail pilot and posted some of the things they asserted guests had said to them personally about the accident. If that's the kind of stuff guests are saying, then

 

[anadyr21]

That's a shame, but I totally understand. We rode in the front late one evening, when there was only 1 family ahead of us, and very few other riders. We taped the whole ride and we all got the little cards. It truly was a surreal experience being out front.

I can't believe there are people who could actually say such insensitive things, especially in front of other conductors!