Monorails to no longer operate during Evening Extra Magic Hours

[DebbieB]

Previous posts have stated, ALL monorails, including the express.

Oglet copied from the hub in post #90 that it was just the resort monorail. I can't imagine them closing the express monorail to the TTC during a party with thousands parked there.

Okay disregard my theory about MNSSHP and MVMCP I found this

During Magic Kingdom Extra Magic Hours or Events, the Resort Monorail runs 1 hour after regular park hours. Return service from evening Extra Magic Hours in the parks will be supported by watercraft (where applicable) and bus transportation

Source for CM's

 

[TLSnell1981]

we were at the Poly a few weeks ago. I remember the boat captain saying that anyone staying for EMH would need to take the monorail back, the boats were only operating 1 hour past park closing. If they're stopping the monorail during EMH now, does that mean the boats will continue running? Or will they just bus everyone to the GF and Poly?

We never take the ferry, but this is what I remember too.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I knew this day would finally come...a tipping point, so to speak. The monorail resorts just lost a huge chunk of the convenience factor, and I don't think they offer enough to make up for it.

Goodbye monorail resorts, hello Swolphin, a breath of fresh air from Disney's increasing money grabs, cost cuts, and shenanigans.

 

[walkdmc]

With all of the PINs and special offers (I remember someone a few nights ago getting to book the GF for $168/night!), this news is not surprising to me. It seems Disney has been doing room discounts for years and it may have finally reached the point where they have to cut non-essential services (perks).

 

[pookybean]

We were at MK on 4/3 for emh and we left around 11p. for whatever reason the monorails were not running and getting out of there was a mad house (more so than usual!) the lines for the ferries were crazy, and it was hard to get around the line towards the busses.

weve been at christmas and ive always felt like we could handle any crowd once weve been through that! but honestly 4th of july felt worse, i cant imagine what it will be like on a consistant basis trying to get out of there without the monorails deflecting some people away from the bus/ferry area. They also were not letting people out the entryway closest to the monorails...?

we dont usually stay deluxe, but this change will affect everyone and the ease of leaving the parks (which at closing isnt normally easy to begin with! LOL)

 

[asta]

Oglet copied from the hub in post #90 that it was just the resort monorail. I can't imagine them closing the express monorail to the TTC during a party with thousands parked there.

There seems to be some confusion. In post #19, Chesire Figment quoted from something that said both Epcot and the MK monorail systems would stop 1 hour after closing. That message did not say that only the resort monorail would be affected.

 

[TLSnell1981]

This is not just the resort line but the enitre monorail system is shutting down an hour after the park closes. Can you imagine what it's going to do to the other forms of transportation? You think people complain about the wait time for buses now at the end of the night, just wait!!!

This is also my understanding.

Oglet copied from the hub in post #90 that it was just the resort monorail. I can't imagine them closing the express monorail to the TTC during a party with thousands parked there.

There are several posts, stating otherwise....
Below..another CM post.

/Quote without comment. This is official from an internal source:

"From time to time, we make adjustments to our operations to accommodate for planned transportation maintenance. With that in mind, operating hours for the Epcot Monorail system will be modified to operate one hour after regular park close beginning July 11, 2011 and the Magic Kingdom Monorail system will also operate one hour after regular park close beginning August 1, 2011. At that time, watercraft (where applicable) and additional buses will be available to transport guests to their destination.
Return service from evening Extra Magic Hours in the parks will be supported by watercraft (where applicable) and bus transportation. "

 

[bicker]

If they're going to limit monorail hours, then they need to decrease Deluxe prices because they've reduced one of the incentives of staying there.

Given the relatively high load-levels at the Disney resorts, including the deluxe resorts, they probably don't need to decrease the room rates in response to this.

Even for someone who does stay for EMH, the difference between taking the monorail and the bus is a specific amount, divided over the entire vacation (since there is practically never two evening EMHs at MK the same week)... so even if there needed to be some reconciliation, it would be pennies, given how little impact this will have on the average guest, which is what would impact whether they need to decrease deluxe resort room rates or not.

No doom and gloom. . .just personal inconvenience that I would hope to avoid on vacation.

Yup that makes a lot of sense, though to be fair, there is no way to avoid all inconvenience on vacation, and in contrast to some of the other inconveniences we encounter, like having to wait 45 minutes at the airport for a DME bus, I bet this one is going to be pretty small for most people.

Drawbridge

Really expensive.

That gives me an idea...why don't they cut the Electrical Water Pageant and give us back the monorail? Putting on my flame suit now

I think it is a good question though - I suspect that the answer is going to be, "Because the monorail costs a lot more to operate than the EWP."

That said, all reports have been pointing towards the monorails needing some serious TLC. Or complete replacement.

Or removal. Monorails are expensive. They were a great attraction at the start, but the attraction value is practically gone, except among guests who would likely either return visit anyway or find some reason, any reason, not to return, because they've become jaded.

It seems like the monorails are much more expensive to operate than they're worth in terms of attraction value. I suspect the only thing preventing Disney from doing away with them already is the concern they have about negative PR invoked by WDW fanatics. So in other words, they're not keeping them because the monorails, themselves, are worthwhile, but rather because getting rid of them isn't worthwhile. I think they're similar to CoP in that way, and likely to receive the same treatment (less frequent hours and such) for as long as guests fail to appreciate monorails to the same extent that they did thirty years ago.

 

[crostorfer]

we were at the Poly a few weeks ago. I remember the boat captain saying that anyone staying for EMH would need to take the monorail back, the boats were only operating 1 hour past park closing. If they're stopping the monorail during EMH now, does that mean the boats will continue running? Or will they just bus everyone to the GF and Poly?

That is NOT good news. Not at all.

This almost makes me sort of wonder if they are trying to make the Poly/Grand Flo look less attractive on purpose to lessen the blow for when/if they make the announcement they are are taking the Poly out of inventory for the lengthy refub or raise and re-do that we keep hearing rumors about, and the building of the DVC between the GF and the Poly.

 

[doconeill]

we were at the Poly a few weeks ago. I remember the boat captain saying that anyone staying for EMH would need to take the monorail back, the boats were only operating 1 hour past park closing. If they're stopping the monorail during EMH now, does that mean the boats will continue running? Or will they just bus everyone to the GF and Poly?

Per the announcement, I expect the boats to operate on extended hours to compensate.

Anyone who was forced to take the ferry like we were in the beginning of last December knows what a cold ride that can be. I can't imagine the same ride late at night.

 

[bicker]

I get what the pp said about "no point" why pay extra for the convenience of staying at a monorail resort when they can stay at Shades of Green, save money and have the exact same kind of transportation(after hrs) whether at the Poly or at Shades....

However, that doesn't make logical sense: You can't stay at one hotel during the morning and daytime, and in the evening for the six nights you don't participate in evening EMH at MK, and then stay at Shades of Green just in the evening of that seventh night of evening EMH at MK. Presumably people are making the best choice for their whole trip, not just for three hours of the trip. And indeed, for some people, the difference with regard to those three hours might be enough to sway them from one side to another - but by the same token, DME was probably more than enough to sway loads of guests the other way, when it was introduced, not so long ago. So it's not a straight line, and indeed, with DME put into the mix, it seems that a great number of minor demerits, such as the three hours affected by this change to monorail service, are more than made-up for by the large amount of credit that Disney gained by putting something major like DME in place (as well as many minor enhancements).

 

[baler31]

I also see this as a non-issue for our BLT visits, and really, I don't see this as a significant concern regarding any future GFV visits we'll make. The busses will be running, and EMH is a benefit because fewer guests are in the park - it sense that that fantastic benefit will have a small down-side in terms of transportation options.

I surely do not want my fees to reflect this added cost, and I don't expect anyone else to pick up the tab for transportation to/from my timeshare.

By the time GFV is finished there will no longer be evening EMH, so it will not matter anyway.

 

[Oglet]

this change will affect everyone and the ease of leaving the parks (which at closing isnt normally easy to begin with! LOL)

For the most part, guests who leave shortly after the park closes either resort or non resort guests wont notice anything different.

It's people who for whatever reason stay behind in the parks well after closing or from what I read, party guests and EMH guests that will notice a change.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

next thing you know the busses wont run during emh.

 

[asta]

next thing you know the busses wont run during emh.

When that happens I call first dibs on the bed in the castle.

 

[Brian Noble]

No mention if this is a cutback or for maintenance.

To a guest staying at one of these resorts, I don't think it matters.

The monorail resorts were already poor values in my book, and I would never pay market rates to stay in one except in the most exceptional circumstance. This certainly doesn't help.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

When that happens I call first dibs on the bed in the castle.

sleep tight,,,dont let the bedbugs bite....hahaha

 

[DaniB]

Besides being highly annoying, all this is very interesting. Disney did away with EMH evening hours at AK, really messed with the characters at evening EMH at MK, and now the monorail thing. Is evening EMH on the way out?? Does anyone else know of anything else Disney has cut at evening EMH in any of the parks???

Eliminating evening EMH at the other parks (specifically Epcot in our families case) would result in us cancelling our trip.

We still have not completely made up our minds whether to go or cancel. The only reason I want to push it through is this will be the last year we could put (both) our kids in the kids club and enjoy evening EMH without them. I'm so looking forward to enjoying World Showcase without them.

If evening EMH gets cancelled, so does our trip. I'll side with hubby and we'll rebook in 2013 or 2014 when we can go for 3 weeks, enjoy more than just Disney, with the bonus of our daughter being older and hopefully more mature.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Yes. it will be a complete CF the first 2 weeks or so until they get the added bus capacity ironed out(which is why they are staggaring the Epcot/MK rails at different times to avoid a complete meltdown)...and yes, it definitely removes some of the magic of staying on the monorail for convenience. BUT it will not affect my decision to stay or not stay at a monorail resort. It will just force me to change my expectations and plan accordingly for my vacation.

I suspect they will NEED to start having boat guests show resort ID before being allowed to board or there will be folks trying to take the GF/Poly boat and walking from Poly to TTC to get to their car.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm going to hold out hope this is just temporary, while they work on getting the monorails to run without breaking down so much.