Monorails to no longer operate during Evening Extra Magic Hours

[nytimez]

Ok, then how do you explain this? During our trip in May we drove to the Poly (we stayed offsite) for a 5:10pm ADR at Ohana. When I pulled up to the gate, I asked the guard if we could just leave our car in the Poly lot while we toured MK after dinner. He said "no problem." We stayed til closing and rode the monorail back to our vehicle at the Poly. We didn't belong there, right?

OBVIOUSLY you should have packed an inflatable raft to get back to your vehicle.

Also, this is a clear violation of Disboards Rule #703, Thou shalt not park at a monorail resort to visit MK. Ever. Even with permission.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

OBVIOUSLY you should have packed an inflatable raft to get back to your vehicle.

Also, this is a clear violation of Disboards Rule #703, Thou shalt not park at a monorail resort to visit MK. Ever. Even with permission.

no no.. no need for that raft, they were not staying on property, they could not be going to extra magic hours..

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I only said the Resort Monorail should be for guests staying at the Contemporary/Bay Lake Tower, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian during the more busy times like before the Magic Kingdom closes. This way there will always be enough space for all of them and they can get on before the Resort Monorail shuts down at 11:00 PM. Plus during that time there is the Express Monorail that also goes to the TTC and it's faster then taking the Resort Monorail over there. Now if the Express Monorail has closed and the Resort Monorail is the only option for guests to access the Transportation & Ticket Center then they have no choice to let non Monorail Resort guests get on the Resort Monorail. No one including myself has ever said to make the Resort Monorail 100% exclusive from morning to the night for guests staying at the Monorail Resorts.

Now the difference with the buses for Saratoga Springs is that WDW is not stopping the bus service for any of the other resorts at a specifc time like what is happening with the Epcot Monorail and next month starting with the Magic Kingdom Express Monorail. The only reason Cast Members and other guests suggest taking the Saratoga Springs bus is because the Theme Parks don't have a direct bus to Downtown Disney. So being that SSR is very close to there it's easy for guests to use the walkway that goes to Downtown Disney. So you can't compare the Monorail to the Buses.

If Disney wanted it that way, only having the Resort guest using the resort monorail at those times, they would not have it stop at the TTC and it does, so that right there should tell ya something....

 

[TLSnell1981]

.
In any case, this is a pointless debate because checking KTTW cards at the monorail entrance is purely your fantasy -- not something that will realistically happen. It won't. Not ever.

Except, there was a time, where they did, exactly that...

Back in the old days they used to use a bull horn at closing to seperate resort monorail guests from express. The resort monorail also did not stop at the TTC at closing.
I guess time will tell if they ever do it.

Actually I think taking the ferry to the TTC is much more pleasant.

Yes, the resort monorail was for MK resort guests.

Ugh, we disagree here. Don't like the ferry..

Ok, then how do you explain this? During our trip in May we drove to the Poly (we stayed offsite) for a 5:10pm ADR at Ohana. When I pulled up to the gate, I asked the guard if we could just leave our car in the Poly lot while we toured MK after dinner. He said "no problem." We stayed til closing and rode the monorail back to our vehicle at the Poly. We didn't belong there, right?

Maybe, the park wasn't crowded, or the guard decided to extend, a bit of magic.. The parking, at the Poly, is normally, pretty restricted.. The lot isnt exactly huge, and Poly guests should have priority.

 

[nytimez]

Except, there was a time, where they did, exactly that...

Yes, they did... and now they don't. Why? I'll give you two options, you can pick either:

1) It was a great idea and worked well, so they stopped doing it;
or
2) It wasn't working, so they stopped doing it.

 

[Wadecool]

OBVIOUSLY you should have packed an inflatable raft to get back to your vehicle.

Also, this is a clear violation of Disboards Rule #703, Thou shalt not park at a monorail resort to visit MK. Ever. Even with permission.

It's funny because when I asked the guard at the entrance to the Poly about leaving our car there for the rest of the night, he said no problem. I went on to tell him that there are some very serious sounding folks on the Disboards who frown upon doing that. He laughed and said "yeah, and I said it's perfectly fine." I don't think that guard had any idea what a serious infraction that was.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Well let's say it's 10:00 PM and a lot of guests are leaving the Magic Kingdom and that night it's scheduled to close at 12:00 AM. At that 10:00 PM time the stores and restaurants will have just closed at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. At the Contemporary their restaurants have also closed but their stores are open until 11:00 PM. Now during that time of the evening there would be no reason for non guests to visit the Monorail Resorts, so they can save space on the Resort Monorail for guests staying at those resorts and those who need to access the TTC can take the Express Monorail since that will still be open for them. So only during that time they could have a Cast Member making announcemnets that only guests staying at the Monorail Resorts get on the Resort Monorail or they can have someone asking for Key To The World cards. I mean they ask for them when the parks have AM Extra Magic Hour before you enter them and at the attractions during PM Extra Magic Hours and no one complains about it, so something like that can be done when looking at those examples.

What about when you have friends and family that are staying @ different resorts? I know for a fact, I have stayed @ the Poly where my sister has not. she has met me @ the MK, and then come back to my room for a while. I have also stayed @ the Contemporary and done the same thing. My sister lives just under an hour from the parks, so she doesn't stay over night when she goes, I do. I have also stayed off site and gone to visit my family from out of State ( I do live in Fl but 3 hours south of Disney) when they were @ Disney. I have meet them at the parks, do I get stuck not being able to get to my car? I guess instead of parking in the MK parking lot, I should just go ahead and park in the resort's parking lot and take up a spot there then right? If I don't, I won't be able to go back to my family's room for a little bit then to my car in the parking lot.. do you see what I am saying? Your thoughts are great, but not possible.. there are too many different reasons why it isn't possible to have that monorail for only those resorts guests...and only those resort guests...

 

[kaytieeldr]

Since no one can park at the monorail resorts to access the parks, no one should be going to the monorail resorts at closing anyway except those staying there.

In addition to Wadecool's recent response, it's common for visitors using Valet parking to be allowed to leave their cars at a given resort for unlimited hours that day.

 

[nytimez]

In addition to Wadecool's recent response, it's common for visitors using Valet parking to be allowed to leave their cars at a given resort for unlimited hours that day.

That's actually a violation of Disboards Rule #704.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

If Disney wanted it that way, only having the Resort guest using the resort monorail at those times, they would not have it stop at the TTC and it does, so that right there should tell ya something....

Well I realize there is no way for the Resort Monorail to avoid stopping at the TTC, even after both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot have closed. My guess is that it always stop there no matter what because maybe it's to dangerious for the Resort Monorail to go right from the Contemporary - Polynesian without stopping in between at the TTC.

 

[TLSnell1981]

It's funny because when I asked the guard at the entrance to the Poly about leaving our car there for the rest of the night, he said no problem. I went on to tell him that there are some very serious sounding folks on the Disboards who frown upon doing that. He laughed and said "yeah, and I said it's perfectly fine." I don't think that guard had any idea what a serious infraction that was.

It's not funny, if you are staying, at the resort or have an ADR, and there are no parking spots. It's not funny, having to pay for valet parking because someone wants to park for free...or their own convenience.

 

[Wadecool]

It's not funny, if you are staying, at the resort or have an ADR, and there are no parking spots. It's not funny, having to pay for valet parking because someone wants to park for free...or their own convenience.

It is funny that you missed the section in my previous post where I mentioned that our reason for being at the Poly in the first place was for a 5:10pm ADR at Ohana.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

The new LILO system has the ability to do this, they can install scanners at turnstiles and if you dont have the proper resort ID, you don't go through. No extra CMs needed, in fact the new system has some amazing possiblities in limiting access depending on what is on your KTTW card.

So under the new LILO system can you ever see WDW building a turnstile gate at the entrance to the Resort Monorail station at the Magic Kingdom which requires them to insert their Key To The World cards to gain access so they can get on?

 

[kaytieeldr]

That's actually a violation of Disboards Rule #704.

Oh, yeah? Well, Valet Parking Rule # 2 supersedes DISBoards Rule # 704.

Valet Parking Rule # 1: The $14 fee doesn't go to us, it goes to Disney

• (translation: tip not included)

Valet Parking Rule # 2: Valet Parking Rule # 2 supersedes DISBoards Rule # 704

• (translation: park all day and night if you want; gratuity graciously accepted)

 

[TLSnell1981]

It is funny that you missed the section in my previous post where I mentioned that our reason for being at the Poly in the first place was for a 5:10pm ADR at Ohana.

No, I didn't miss it. Disney gives a reasonable time to dine, I believe it's 3 hr, if you were in and out, during that period, or parked valet, it shouldn't be a biggie.

 

[rie'smom]

So under the new LILO system can you ever see WDW building a turnstile gate at the entrance to the Resort Monorail station at the Magic Kingdom which requires them to insert their Key To The World cards to gain access so they can get on?

Yes, I can.
Darn,(edit) I meant to add that Disney is working on something that will have all ADRs, advance FPS, etc programmed into the guests' room key. So that would take care of those guests using the resort monorail who are onsite but not staying at the ADR resort. I don't know how they'd deal with offsite guests. Maybe they'd send them a "key" too.

 

[Wadecool]

No, I didn't miss it. Disney gives a reasonable time to dine, I believe it's 3 hr, if you were in and out, during that period, or parked valet, it shouldn't be a biggie.

I was well aware of the 3 hour time limit, having learned this (and many other things) prior to our trip. Because I knew this, I made it a point to ask the guard specifically if we could leave our car in that lot while we toured MK until closing. If he had told me no, I would have happily taken our car from the Poly lot to the MK lot. But alas, he said yes and that's what we did. I can't speak as to what that or other guards allow on other days, but since DW has become a huge fan of Ohana, I'm sure we will be back and I'll see what the guards say at that point. What I found funny (and still do) is that some folks here on the Dis get up in arms over this issue and in reality, in my experience, the actual Disney employees who are the ones in authority on the ground, don't mind a bit.

 

[Bell30012]

While a CM with a bullhorn would be very un-Disney, some signs with pictures of the GF, CR and POLY resort logos plus the words "Resort Monorail Only - No stop at TTC" would dissuade most guests. These signs could be pulled out at park closing and removed when the monorail shuts down for the night.

If the train were to not stop at TTC, just slowly roll right through, that would solve the problem. Would they need to check resort ID? Not really. Would there be a few that would still ride anyway? Sure, so what.

I never park in the valet parking because of the high cost with an additional tip being expected. When you are shelling out those kind of prices for a resort, they should build that cost into the price.

 

[libraryfreak]

some signs with pictures of the GF, CR and POLY resort logos plus the words "Resort Monorail Only - No stop at TTC" would dissuade most guests. These signs could be pulled out at park closing and removed when the monorail shuts down for the night.

If the train were to not stop at TTC, just slowly roll right through, that would solve the problem. Would they need to check resort ID? Not really. Would there be a few that would still ride anyway? Sure, so what.

I love it. What an incredibly simple idea! Easy to implement, no keys to check, keeps resort guests happy. You're so smart.

 

[maiapapaya]

I was well aware of the 3 hour time limit, having learned this (and many other things) prior to our trip. Because I knew this, I made it a point to ask the guard specifically if we could leave our car in that lot while we toured MK until closing. If he had told me no, I would have happily taken our car from the Poly lot to the MK lot. But alas, he said yes and that's what we did. I can't speak as to what that or other guards allow on other days, but since DW has become a huge fan of Ohana, I'm sure we will be back and I'll see what the guards say at that point. What I found funny (and still do) is that some folks here on the Dis get up in arms over this issue and in reality, in my experience, the actual Disney employees who are the ones in authority on the ground, don't mind a bit.

I think generally most guests and the CM's (who don't enforce) don't care if it isn't creating a problem for paying guests. People do get upset if others are abusing the system/breaking the rules (and yes, apparently there is an actual WDW policy limiting parking to 3 hrs for dining guests) and the resort guests can't use the facilities they are entitled to use. Maybe on the night you were there the resort was not near capacity and so the CM didn't anticipate it being a problem and let it ride. On a night when the resort was full you likely would have gotten a different answer. Probably posters who get upset have experienced a problem at one time or another, or anticipate they will. I have read various posts (in different threads) when guests complained about having to make several loops of the parking lot and ended up paying extra to park in valet when it didn't appear that the resort was full. When someone else reads that and then they read posters talking about blatantly (with an "I don't care" attitude) violating the policies and even making snide jokes about it (and to be clear, in your case I realize you got permission, so I'm not criticizing you) I can see how they get upset.