Monorails to no longer operate during Evening Extra Magic Hours

[Robo]

The EPCOT return would have to stop as well...

Have to?

 

[jade1]

Have to?

Well if the MK loop stops at 8PM, I dont see how you can take a monorail back to your monorail resort from EPCOT when it closes at 9PM.

 

[Robo]

Well if the MK loop stops at 8PM, I dont see how you can take a monorail back to your monorail resort from EPCOT when it closes at 9PM.

I agree.

But, it's my speculation that they will continue to operate the Resort Monorail until after (at least) the Epcot passengers have been returned to their respective resorts from the last Epcot train of the night.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Could be way more if the MK resort line closes at 7PM on party nights. The EPCOT return would have to stop as well so anyone coming back from EPCOT will need to (I mean get to) take a bus back to the monorail resort-over 1/2 the nights in OCT. Still unknown.

The Epcot monorail schedule already changed - last Sunday. A couple of posters have asked if anybody's heard how that's working, but so far there hasn't been any direct response. Maybe someone should check out the Trip Report Board?

Anyone staying at a monorail resort and leaving Epcot after 10 PM has to take a bus directly back to their resort now. Every night, not just eight or ten or sixteen nights. I mean, since one of the buses apparently goes to the Contemporary and the TTC, anyone who really wanted to transfer there and take the monorail could.

 

[jade1]

I agree.

But, it's my speculation that they will continue to operate the Resort Monorail until after (at least) the Epcot passengers have been returned to their respective resorts from the last Epcot train of the night.

I sure hope so as well. This whole thing becomes very manageable if so. You do realize that in effect means running the MK loop for the duration of the MK party nights right? That sounded pretty up in the air to me. Otherwise it is indeed just MK/EPCOT EMH. MK parties covered, EPCOT returns covered, monorail dining covered all until app 10:30 every night.

 

[jade1]

The Epcot monorail schedule already changed - last Sunday. A couple of posters have asked if anybody's heard how that's working, but so far there hasn't been any direct response. Maybe someone should check out the Trip Report Board?

Anyone staying at a monorail resort and leaving Epcot after 10 PM has to take a bus directly back to their resort now. Every night, not just eight or ten or sixteen nights. I mean, since one of the buses apparently goes to the Contemporary and the TTC, anyone who really wanted to transfer there and take the monorail could.

Your talking EPCOT EMH though correct? We were talking regular EPCOT hours not even being covered.

 

[Robo]

Your talking EPCOT EMH though correct? We were talking regular EPCOT hours not even being covered.

The Epcot Monorail's last run is at about 10PM every night, now.

 

[jade1]

The Epcot Monorail's last run is at about 10PM every night, now.

I see, thanks-so basically 1 hour after closing, so regular hours are still covered-really only effecting EPCOT EMH?

 

[Robo]

I see, thanks-so basically 1 hour after closing, so regular hours are still covered-really only effecting EPCOT EMH?

What remains to be seen is whether they will continue to operate the Resort Monorail until (at least) after the 10PM-ish Epcot to TTC monorail riders have all been taken back to their respective resorts... even if the MK has closed that night at, say, 7PM, and the MK Express Monorail has stopped running by about 8PM.

 

[Nemofinder93]

I was just there in June and took a monorail from Epcot to MK around midnight. Granted MK was open until midnight, Epcot closed at 9 and I was there for Magic hours for an extra 2 hours or so.

 

[TisBit]

Wow - what a thread. Who knew the monorail could evoke such passion?

As I stated in my earlier posts, my concern with Disney cutting the monorail hours is that they did it with such little notice. At this point, there are no moderate rooms available the week we are going, other than the FW cabins, which DH vetoed. (I loved them when we stayed there in '07!) so if I decided that this change affected me enough that I wanted to change and not pay that much for our first deluxe stay at CR, I'd have to go with a value (and only 1 of those had availability) or change our dates (which isn't an option due to DH's work schedule). And we already bought MNSSHP tix, and of course, our ADRs were made at 180+10 days and a lot of that was dependent on the monorail as transportation. Is it going to ruin my vacation, no. But it sure does take a lot of the magic out of our 1st deluxe stay.

You could always go to a deluxe in the Epcot area. ADR's should not be affected horribly, since most people do not have ADR's during the EMH times (granted it might affect some here or there, but typically if you made your ADR's at 180+10, you got the more desirable times, not the last reservations of the evening).

Sorry, it just seems to be looking at the glass half full and saying this has affected EVERY aspect of my vacation and not that it really is a minimal inconvenience. This is not people being left stranded on the side of the road, even if you don't have the monorail, you will still have transportation...it just won't be the monorail

Could be way more if the MK resort line closes at 7PM on party nights. The EPCOT return would have to stop as well so anyone coming back from EPCOT will need to (I mean get to) take a bus back to the monorail resort-over 1/2 the nights in OCT. Still unknown.

There is still a lot of speculation and assumptions....we don't know what the hours will be. We know the monorails are not supposed to run during evening EMH's....but does that mean they shut down an hour after normal park closing (my bet) and so only the last two hours of EMH is not covered. Does this count for parties (I wouldn't be surprised if they stay open for the parties, since there are lots of ADR's on the resort lines during those times, etc).

 

[egdanger1]

I have a question. Our stays have been at the Epcot Resort Area because of the ease (walking) of going from resort to resort and to the Boardwalk in the evenings, for dining and entertainment. On our next trip we would like to try a monorail resort (GF). With this EMH monorail change, will we be able to travel to the Poly or the CR in the evenings and at night, without driving our own vehicle?

 

[doconeill]

I have a question. Our stays have been at the Epcot Resort Area because of the ease (walking) of going from resort to resort and to the Boardwalk in the evenings, for dining and entertainment. On our next trip we would like to try a monorail resort (GF). With this EMH monorail change, will we be able to travel to the Poly or the CR in the evenings and at night, without driving our own vehicle?

There will almost certainly be ways to do so, although the exact methods are unknown at the moment.

There is a walkway between GF and Poly, so that is always an option.

 

[TisBit]

I have a question. Our stays have been at the Epcot Resort Area because of the ease (walking) of going from resort to resort and to the Boardwalk in the evenings, for dining and entertainment. On our next trip we would like to try a monorail resort (GF). With this EMH monorail change, will we be able to travel to the Poly or the CR in the evenings and at night, without driving our own vehicle?

Yes, keep in mind this only affects the times of evening EMH. So, if the parks close at 9, most likley the monorails will continue to run until 10. After 10pm, you will have to rely on bus service....again something that exact details are not given at this time (they may run a similar loop bus like the monorail, in order to between the monorail resorts, or you may have to change busses.

 

[jade1]

Yes, keep in mind this only affects the times of evening EMH. So, if the parks close at 9, most likley the monorails will continue to run until 10. After 10pm, you will have to rely on bus service....again something that exact details are not given at this time (they may run a similar loop bus like the monorail, in order to between the monorail resorts, or you may have to change busses.

Unless they do close at 7PM for MK parties-not for sure yet.

 

[mickeygirl14]

You could always go to a deluxe in the Epcot area. ADR's should not be affected horribly, since most people do not have ADR's during the EMH times (granted it might affect some here or there, but typically if you made your ADR's at 180+10, you got the more desirable times, not the last reservations of the evening).

Sorry, it just seems to be looking at the glass half full and saying this has affected EVERY aspect of my vacation and not that it really is a minimal inconvenience. This is not people being left stranded on the side of the road, even if you don't have the monorail, you will still have transportation...it just won't be the monorail



There is still a lot of speculation and assumptions....we don't know what the hours will be. We know the monorails are not supposed to run during evening EMH's....but does that mean they shut down an hour after normal park closing (my bet) and so only the last two hours of EMH is not covered. Does this count for parties (I wouldn't be surprised if they stay open for the parties, since there are lots of ADR's on the resort lines during those times, etc).

We wanted to stay at a MK resort because that's our fav park. The Epcot resorts didn't hold much appeal to us - in theming or location. I'm not trying to be difficult, and I don't think I'm looking at the glass half-empty - and I didn't say it affected EVERY aspect of my vacation. I just stated that I disagreed with how Disney didn't give enough notice on this for those that have already booked (and paid final payments on) their vacations. I'd have to re-book and pay a penalty at this point to change my reservation. And as for the party - I'd already bought my tix. Those are non-refundable. We're attending one of the first MNSSHP parties. But I gotta tell you - walking back from MK to CR at midnight or later with 2 small TIRED kids does not appeal to me. I KNOW they haven't made a decision, but that's almost worst than saying they just aren't going to run the monorail for parties. Makes planning that much more difficult and it's just irritating. How can an organization like Disney make a transportation change and not plan out how they are going to handle the various aspects of how that change will impact guests? That's just not good management, IMO. As for ADRs - again, we go in Sept when park hours aren't as late and there are parties. So, we eat a little later to maximize our time in the parks and we just tend to eat later anyway because that's what we're used to. Like I said though - it's that there was such little notice given and it was already at the point that it's very difficult to make changes to our resort rooms/ADRs when they announced this decision. I still love Disney -- I'm still very much looking forward to our trip -- I'm not cancelling -- But it does take some of the "magic" away from our first deluxe trip. That's all I was saying. If these hours are permanent - I can tell you, we won't spend the money for the deluxe monorail resorts. I'll stay moderate.

 

[andylcq]

 

[KSDisneyDad]

We wanted to stay at a MK resort because that's our fav park. The Epcot resorts didn't hold much appeal to us - in theming or location. I'm not trying to be difficult, and I don't think I'm looking at the glass half-empty - and I didn't say it affected EVERY aspect of my vacation. I just stated that I disagreed with how Disney didn't give enough notice on this for those that have already booked (and paid final payments on) their vacations. I'd have to re-book and pay a penalty at this point to change my reservation. And as for the party - I'd already bought my tix. Those are non-refundable. We're attending one of the first MNSSHP parties. But I gotta tell you - walking back from MK to CR at midnight or later with 2 small TIRED kids does not appeal to me. I KNOW they haven't made a decision, but that's almost worst than saying they just aren't going to run the monorail for parties. Makes planning that much more difficult and it's just irritating. How can an organization like Disney make a transportation change and not plan out how they are going to handle the various aspects of how that change will impact guests? That's just not good management, IMO. As for ADRs - again, we go in Sept when park hours aren't as late and there are parties. So, we eat a little later to maximize our time in the parks and we just tend to eat later anyway because that's what we're used to. Like I said though - it's that there was such little notice given and it was already at the point that it's very difficult to make changes to our resort rooms/ADRs when they announced this decision. I still love Disney -- I'm still very much looking forward to our trip -- I'm not cancelling -- But it does take some of the "magic" away from our first deluxe trip. That's all I was saying. If these hours are permanent - I can tell you, we won't spend the money for the deluxe monorail resorts. I'll stay moderate.

I understand where you're coming from. It's very frustrating especially since you are travelling in the off-season. For us, we can only travel in the peak seasons as it's too difficult to pull our kids out of school anymore. Therefore, this change is only a minor inconvenience, yet it still upsets me. If we travelled in September or another off-season month, it would be more frustrating.

I am still hoping that Disney sees the error of their ways and changes the MK resort monorail to correspond with the Epcot monorail even if the MK closes early. And I hope that for the hard-ticket parties that they keep the monorail service open. But if they don't, does anyone know if the buses will go between MK and the CR? Granted, it's only a quarter mile or so, but it will at least get you to the front entrance and you would'nt have walked any further than it would take to get to the monorail station. It's not as convenient as the monorail, but it's the next best thing.

Did you happen to read the Allearsnet weekly newsletter this week talking about MK back in 1971? It appears that the original planners wanted "double-deck buses and other land conveyances" to complement the monorail service. Just think of it as a throwback to the original MK plans. (Sorry I know it's a stretch!)

 

[snykymom]

Ahem...

This is the thread that never ends...
Yes, it goes on and on my friends...
Some people started posting stuff not knowing what it was...
And they'll continue posting stuff forever just because...

/takes bow
/dodges bricks.

Thanks for the shout out to Lamb Chop! (Of course, now I've got that song stuck in my head . . . )

I just stated that I disagreed with how Disney didn't give enough notice on this for those that have already booked (and paid final payments on) their vacations. I'd have to re-book and pay a penalty at this point to change my reservation. . . .

How can an organization like Disney make a transportation change and not plan out how they are going to handle the various aspects of how that change will impact guests? That's just not good management, IMO.

I know that many people on this thread disagree (no flames, please!) but this factor is one of the prime reasons that I believe that the move is, at least in part, due to maintenance issues, and probably as a result of the OSHA investigation into the fatal monorail crash last year. When OSHA says you have to close something down, you close it. When it says fix something, you fix it. It doesn't care how inconvenienced your guests may be. My belief is that Disney (again, at least in part) tried to deal with the maintenance issue as best they could, and perhaps even negotiated out the downtime with OSHA - saying they could do more of the maintenance and perhaps the long-term maintenance and upkeep by reducing the hours the monorail runs. But then once the negotiations are over, you implement. Period. 45 days, inconveniencing guests, 180 days, monorail resort prices - irrelevant. (Now please note that I have facts on which to base this supposition, except that OSHA did investigate the monorail, and I've dealt with these all-powerful federal agencies before. This is not beyond the realm of possibilities. But don't ask for my sources.)

Yes, I know - it's not about maintenance. But just as I'll never convince some of you that long-term maintenance exists and it's not just about fixing an acute problem so that may be why it's "permanent", you'll never convince me that there is no long-term maintenance issue.

 

[Brian Noble]

Word over on the DVC board (sourced to DVC Member Satisfaction) is that Resort Monorail will run to 11 every night. Express, presumably, will finish at Park Close + 1hr.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2763446

This doesn't solve the MK EMH problem, but it does solve the getting-home-from-Illuminations problem, and the going-somewhere-for-dinner problem.