Monorails to no longer operate during Evening Extra Magic Hours

[Cafeen]

If you re-read my inital post I said I hope they check ID's boarding at the MK. Obiously there would be guests at the monorail resorts for dining and who should still have access to the TTC. I just ancipate that there would be people trying to use the resort monorail from the MK, to avoid potential long waits for the ferry or who don't want to take the bus.

Bah, I missed a line. It's assumed I'm coming from MK (it was in my head, just didn't make it to my fingers )

 

[KSDisneyDad]

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.

I hope this is right. It would be a great compromise and wouldn't affect most guests. It'll still affect guests staying very late for EEMH, etc.

If this report proves to be true it sounds like a good compromise. I just hope that they ask for ID for those boarding at the MK or I'm sure there will be a lot of people trying to use the resort monorail to get to the TTC.

Why? The resort monorails have NEVER been exclusive to just the monorail resorts. We've stayed at the CR, BLT and Poly in the past and have never had an issue. We've also stayed at Values, Moderates and other Deluxes and have ridden the resort monorail to visit the different monorail resorts or simply as a means to get from TTC to MK or vice versa. I don't think Disney should reserve the monorail exclusively for monorail resort guests.

Now, Disney is only shutting down, the monorail, for EEMH? What's the reason again?

I've got Oliver Stone's phone number if you want to call him.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I .

I've got Oliver Stone's phone number if you want to call him.

Do you work for Disney...in PR?

I'm just trying to get an answer. The monorails are so dilapidated and dangerous, they need to close for maintenance or it's a tiny cutback, or they don't know, who leaked...such outrageous information? Hey, I'm just trying to plan a vacation. Which CM do I believe? Should i just spin the wheel and play roulette? Should I say, never mind, not renew my APs and go to Universal and Seaworld? Information seems to be very inconsistent.

 

[TriSeb°o°]

The DVC info is really great news.

I got a call today from the GC CM I have spoken with on a few occasions this past week. I mentioned the info provided by CM of DVC MS and the GC CM indicated that it was news to her. That she would check into it and call when she confirmed. I am not attempting to stir the pot, just providing the information I received.

As well, I had some outstanding questions from my previous conversation, which she responded with:

1. The MonoRail resort loop and express will both shut down at the same time. The express will not run independently to move guest to the TTC.
2. Yes, EPCOT will have buses running directly from the park to the Magic Kingdom resorts

I will post more info as I receive it. Of course, this comes from a single source and there is an apparent disconnect between the different CMs providing information.

 

[TisBit]

Why? The resort monorails have NEVER been exclusive to just the monorail resorts. We've stayed at the CR, BLT and Poly in the past and have never had an issue. We've also stayed at Values, Moderates and other Deluxes and have ridden the resort monorail to visit the different monorail resorts or simply as a means to get from TTC to MK or vice versa. I don't think Disney should reserve the monorail exclusively for monorail resort guests.

Because all those people that are too good to get on a bus need to take it a step further and prevent any of the lower level guest from other resorts clogging THEIR monorail!!


If the report on the DVC side is correct (which wouldn't surprise me) they would likely do one of two things. Either the resort monorails would not stop at MK or only offload at MK....or the monorail will be open to anybody at MK while it is running. I see the latter being the most likely, the busses to resorts, etc are at MK, so they want to offload those dinner reservations, etc to catch those busses.

Disney has always allowed any guest to use any transportation method. Either boats, shuttles, busses, etc without restriction, I could never see them restricting access to the monorail. Also, I don't think this is a change in attitude or decision to close the monorails early. WDW probably already planned this and is just now releasing the information. With the restaurants and shows around the loop, they will want to get those guests back to MK and their resort busses...after 11pm, there would be very few guests still at these resorts.

 

[maiapapaya]

Bah, I missed a line. It's assumed I'm coming from MK (it was in my head, just didn't make it to my fingers )

Are you trying to think up the most complicated scenario you can? Ok, I'll play. Admittedly on a party night if you were trying to go from the MK to a 9:00 pm ADR at Citrico's and boarding at the MK on the monorail loop was limited to monorail resort guests then yes, you would have a problem. However, why would you want to leave a hard ticketed event for a 9:00 pm ADR?

At those times of year when MK closes @ 8:00 it wouldn't be an issue because you wouldn't be hanging out at the MK until your ADR time (because the park would be closed). On an EMH night the monorail shutdown policies wouldn't come into effect until 9:00. Your hypothetical ADR is at 9:00, so you should have already departed the MK by that time.

Why? The resort monorails have NEVER been exclusive to just the monorail resorts. We've stayed at the CR, BLT and Poly in the past and have never had an issue. We've also stayed at Values, Moderates and other Deluxes and have ridden the resort monorail to visit the different monorail resorts or simply as a means to get from TTC to MK or vice versa. I don't think Disney should reserve the monorail exclusively for monorail resort guests.

I agree that the resort monorails have never been exclusive to monorail resort guests (dining or resort) and I'm not suggesting that they should be. However, if it is true that the resort loop might remain operational until 11:00, even if the express is shut down under the new policy, it would appear that this is to accommodate the monorail resort guests. If that is the case I don't think it would be unreasonable to limit those boarding at the MK to resort guests (under this very specific scenario) if they started to have crowding problems with others departing the MK trying to use the resort monorail to travel to the TTC (to circumvent the monorail shut down and avoid long ferry lines or buses).

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I agree that the resort monorails have never been exclusive to monorail resort guests (dining or resort) and I'm not suggesting that they should be. However, if it is true that the resort loop might remain operational until 11:00, even if the express is shut down under the new policy, it would appear that this is to accommodate the monorail resort guests. If that is the case I don't think it would be unreasonable to limit those boarding at the MK to resort guests (under this very specific scenario) if they started to have crowding problems with others departing the MK trying to use the resort monorail to travel to the TTC (to circumvent the monorail shut down and avoid long ferry lines or buses).

I agree with everything you just said and as I previously mentioned would it be so bad during the times you mentioned for the Cast Members to suggest that those guests going to the TTC take the Ferry, which would be faster then the Resort Monorail.

 

[maiapapaya]

Because all those people that are too good to get on a bus need to take it a step further and prevent any of the lower level guest from other resorts clogging THEIR monorail!!

I never suggested that the resort monorail be limited to non-resort guests, except under this very specific situation. I don't stay at a monorail resort because I'm too good to ride a bus. But I do pay a premium to stay there for the convenience of the service. There is no need to be catty and judgemental of others for how they choose to have their vacation. Many stay on the monorail line because it's easier with young kids or for those with mobility issues.

If, as I said in my last post, the resort monorail was to stay open despite the new monorail closure policy it would appear that it is to accommodate the monorail resort guests. In that case it would not seem unreasonable to think that the intent is that the RESORT monorail would be for those staying/dining at the monorail resorts and they might implement some sort of policy if crowding under these circumstances became a problem. Somewhat like the pool hopping policy ... (which I'm sure was probably the wrong subject to bring up, but whatever, obviously there are people who will argue and be snippy regardless of what you say)

 

[JimmyV]

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.

IF this turns out to be true (and I certainly hope it is), doesn't this really put the lie to the whole "maintenance" issue as being the main reason for the change? If they run the resort monorail until 11:00 (minimum) every night, and much later when the park hours require, AND they run all monorails late for hard ticketed events (which hasn't been confirmed, but I bet they land there eventually), then this new change is really a shut down of about 5% of the total service. How much additional maintenance will the monorails and track get? Especially the resort trains and tracks. Seems like this was a cutback that went over with the public like a fart in an elevator, and they have now carved back the cut almost to the point of not implementing it at all.

 

[Brian Noble]

doesn't this really put the lie to the whole "maintenance" issue as being the main reason for the change?

Not necessarily. Resort line only runs 2-3 trains total. You can rotate which trains run on which beams, especially now that Tronorail is back to being Coral and no longer needs to be exclusively on the Epcot line, in case you need extra time with each of the trains on a regular basis.

If the issue is beam maintenance, not train maintenance, you still have the Epcot line you can work on from 10PM on, and you still have a good 6-7 hours between trains-in-barn each night and starting up the beam the next morning to make progress. It will take longer to finish, but not as long as it might otherwise be.

(PS: Assuming that Resort will operate later than Express, and assuming upkeep is the motivation, I suspect the issue is trains, not beams, else the Express loop could operate to 11PM as well.)

 

[mom2rtk]

I never suggested that the resort monorail be limited to non-resort guests, except under this very specific situation. I don't stay at a monorail resort because I'm too good to ride a bus. But I do pay a premium to stay there for the convenience of the service. There is no need to be catty and judgemental of others for how they choose to have their vacation. Many stay on the monorail line because it's easier with young kids or for those with mobility issues.

If, as I said in my last post, the resort monorail was to stay open despite the new monorail closure policy it would appear that it is to accommodate the monorail resort guests. In that case it would not seem unreasonable to think that the intent is that the RESORT monorail would be for those staying/dining at the monorail resorts and they might implement some sort of policy if crowding under these circumstances became a problem. Somewhat like the pool hopping policy ... (which I'm sure was probably the wrong subject to bring up, but whatever, obviously there are people who will argue and be snippy regardless of what you say)

But what are they going to do, have someone with a clipboard checking ADR's at each stop? Seems like a logistical nightmare.

 

[Wishes]

We have an 8:00 PM ADR for Chef Mickey's the night we arrive (July 25). Usually we park at Epcot and take the monorail over just to have a little Disney fun. Do you think with the monorail stopping service one hour after Epcot closes (9:00 PM)we would be able to eat and hen get back over to Epcot?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[kaytieeldr]

We have an 8:00 PM ADR for Chef Mickey's the night we arrive (July 25). Usually we park at Epcot and take the monorail over just to have a little Disney fun. Do you think with the monorail stopping service one hour after Epcot closes (9:00 PM)we would be able to eat and hen get back over to Epcot?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

No, but you will be able to take a bus from the Contemporary to Epcot.

 

[Cafeen]

Are you trying to think up the most complicated scenario you can? Ok, I'll play. Admittedly on a party night if you were trying to go from the MK to a 9:00 pm ADR at Citrico's and boarding at the MK on the monorail loop was limited to monorail resort guests then yes, you would have a problem. However, why would you want to leave a hard ticketed event for a 9:00 pm ADR?

At those times of year when MK closes @ 8:00 it wouldn't be an issue because you wouldn't be hanging out at the MK until your ADR time (because the park would be closed). On an EMH night the monorail shutdown policies wouldn't come into effect until 9:00. Your hypothetical ADR is at 9:00, so you should have already departed the MK by that time.

The scenario itself is not so outlandish, you just misunderstood the prompt, which, I admit may have been unclear. To clear it up again...

This wasn't after the 1hr shutdown. It was in response to the suggestion that the express monorail was limited to monorail resort guests only during the 1hr "shutdown" period (and potentially beyond). So, if MK closed at 8, this period begins and I need to get to GF. For those supporting the monorail guests only suggestion, what would be my primary options?

(As a note, I have no real personal investment in this, I just find answers interesting).

Here's the other little bit about it...

If this report proves to be true it sounds like a good compromise. I just hope that they ask for ID for those boarding at the MK or I'm sure there will be a lot of people trying to use the resort monorail to get to the TTC.

This was in response to the resort monorail being open until 11.

 

[GadgetRick]

Neither. It's providing the monorail resort guests with the service that they have paid a premium to enjoy.

As did everyone else. No matter where you stay--even if offsite--you're helping to pay for transportation.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

No, but you will be able to take a bus from the Contemporary to Epcot.

Are you sure? We were at the AKL one night after 10:00 pm. We wanted to get back to our resort via MK and was told that the MK closed at 10:00 pm and that we couldn't take the bus back to MK after closing. All we wanted to do was go there to switch buses to get back to our resort. We were forced to go to DTD to get back to our resort (90 minutes total to go about 5 miles!). Gotta love Disney transportation.

 

[Finiamh]

As did everyone else. No matter where you stay--even if offsite--you're helping to pay for transportation.

I think they meant "Service" as in you walk a quick distance out of your hotel room and boom there is the monorail. Not as in they pay extra to use the monorail.

 

[Planogirl]

What if we aren't staying at a monorail resort but have an ADR at the Grand Floridian after MK closes? We could take the monorail to the GF but what about after dining? Would a bus be available to take us to the TTC?

What about if we have to get to a resort monorail to dine well after the park closes? I'm confused about how to get from the TTC to again the Grand Floridian.

 

[GadgetRick]

I think they meant "Service" as in you walk a quick distance out of your hotel room and boom there is the monorail. Not as in they pay extra to use the monorail.

Kinda hard to figure it's just the walk to the monorail when they're talking about making people show room keys to get on. It's elitist crap to be honest with you. EVERYONE in WDW has a right to use the monorail as EVERYONE is paying for it. To exclude others because they're not staying in one of the, "better," resorts is just ridiculous.

 

[maiapapaya]

The scenario itself is not so outlandish, you just misunderstood the prompt, which, I admit may have been unclear. To clear it up again...

This wasn't after the 1hr shutdown. It was in response to the suggestion that the express monorail was limited to monorail resort guests only during the 1hr "shutdown" period (and potentially beyond). So, if MK closed at 8, this period begins and I need to get to GF. For those supporting the monorail guests only suggestion, what would be my primary options?

(As a note, I have no real personal investment in this, I just find answers interesting).

Here's the other little bit about it...

This was in response to the resort monorail being open until 11.

I think maybe we're just misunderstanding each other Cafeen. The way I understand the potential situation, and then my hope that the resort monorail may be monitored was this ... if the park closes at 8:00, the express monorail would shut down at 9:00 and the resort monorail (according to what was posted in the DVC thread) would stay open until 11:00. I never suggested that from 8:00 to 9:00 that either monorail was limited to resort guests only - both monorails would continue to service everyone as they always do. I was suggesting that after 9:00, when the express would go off line that if tons of people were trying to use it to get to the TTC, when the implication is that management is trying to acccommodate monorail resort guests, that if overcrowding became a problem that the monorail resort guests be given priority.

As did everyone else. No matter where you stay--even if offsite--you're helping to pay for transportation.

Agreed, but GF, Poly, BLT & CR all cost more than the other deluxes because they are on the monorail loop. So that would imply that these guests have paid more than others for that particular service.

@mom2rtk (because I forgot to multiquote you) I've only said that the monitoring should occur at the MK and shouldn't really affect people with ADR's (I actually think I clarified that in another post) - if there were crowds of people trying to use the resort monorail "after hours." It's unlikely that there would be people trying to board the monorail that late at the MK for ADR's (under the circumstances I explained in another post in response to Cafeen)