Monorails to no longer operate during Evening Extra Magic Hours

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

It was more of a "no turnstile" system with 6 I think kiosks in a half circle, where you could scan in and enter if you had an ECV, stroller, etc. without having to deal with the turnstile, gate, etc. But they did use the barcodes to scan people faster instead of the magstripe.

I can see going to a total barcoded system (assuming Disney isn't too concerned about duplicating tickets, and with the biometrics they probably aren't) as its more reliable but they'd need to replace all the FP kiosks, etc. as well.

Although RFID would be the ideal, the costs of that per ticket are probably still WAY higher, given the disposable nature of the tickets.

Thanks for that reply and saying exactly what it was.

 

[Cafeen]

I have no idea about the bar codes, but I don't like relying on printed (mag or bar) for this. Granted, it's still in testing, but I think they should be using a more advanced approach, again, similar to my aforementioned (erm... aforementioned in a different thread ) RFID-esque approach (don't think it's actually RFID, but similar to what the campus where my office is located, just swipe a card near the box and beep, you're in).

Everything else is driven by the software system behind ticketing. (Note that room entry would also have to change, or they stop putting tickets on KTTW cards for this... which could be a showstopper as it'd be ungodly expensive to swap ALL the locks on property...)

 

[Sammie]

If the Resorts monorail were not an option to get to the TTC from any of its other stops, it wouldn't stop at the TTC - or using that LILO system, guests who boarded at the MK (including Polynesian guests staying closer to the TTC) would somehow be prevented from exiting any train there.

That's not going to happen. Walt Disney World isn't nearly as discriminatory as some of the posters in this thread.

Discrimination is not what we are talking about at all. You might want to review the definition of discrimination.

Limited access based on purchase is not discrimination.

I personally have not said whether I am for or against, though it would not bother me any more than limited access to club level based on purchase.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

But, they seem to figure out, how to enter the park. Why would exiting, be more difficult?

It seems like every morning, the guests in front of me can't figure it out. Just like the person in front of me can never seem to figure out how to use the FP machines.

Seriously, I guess you missed my post where I was questioning whether or not the monorail exclusivity would be all day, or just in the evening after the express monorail is shut down for the day? If the resort monorail is available during the entire day, but then it goes to exclusiveness at night, it will be very confusing for veterans and newbies alike. When will tickets be checked vs when they won't? Sounds confusing to me.

If you want the Disney monorail resort to be exclusive all day long then I agree that it can be learned to avoid the resort monorail if you aren't staying at one of those resorts as your ticket won't let you on the monorail. However, what about those who want to visit for an ADR, to shop, to look around, to rent a Sea Raycer, etc. who aren't staying at the monorail resort? Are the monorail resorts open to everyone or just for those staying there? I guess Chef Mickey's should just relocate.

I guess if there's nothing at Disney to complain about, life gets boring for some posters.

Discrimination is not what we are talking about at all. You might want to review the definition of discrimination.

Limited access based on purchase is not discrimination.

I personally have not said whether I am for or against, though it would not bother me any more than limited access to club level based on purchase.

Club level access has been around for years and continues to be there. I doubt if you will find anyone disagreeing on that. To take away a perk that's been given to all WDW guests for years will generate a thread even longer than this one IMO. How will someone at the MK get to their Chef Mickey's ADR? What if I don't have an ADR and want to go try a restaurant at the last minute? What if I just want to look around or go rent a Sea Raycer for an afternoon break? My point is that the resort monorail has been a means of transportation to/from the MK for monorail resort guests and non-monorail resort guests alike for years. I don't care that it used to be that way 15 years ago. Disney changed it and it is working. It's not like they opened concierge level lounges to the public for years and decided to take that perk away only for those staying at concierge level at that resort.

Again, I hope this whole tangential debate is moot as this seems to be one of the top ten worst ideas I've read in a while IMO. I'm just thankful that the monorail is not shutting down 1 hour after closing (fingers crossed that the rumor is correct). Although I still don't like the fact that it is not open for all of EMH, I'm glad it's open at least longer than the Epcot loop each night. The revised shutdown plan should only affect a few guests just once (maybe twice) per vacation.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Better hope? Better hope? Seriously? WDW isn't going to leave anybody stranded. They will provide transportation until all guests are out of the Magic Kingdom.

I only said "better hope" because others have confirmed on this thread that during PM Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom they don't operate the boats which go to the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. So that's what I meant when I said WDW needs to give guests staying at those resorts the boat transportation or buses.
I also meant that when comparing transportation such as buses to Saratoga Springs or any of the other resorts that don't have Monorail access is that WDW has not come out and said bus service will be closing 1 hour after the Magic Kingdom and Epcot has closed, so those guests don't have the same worries as guests who have upcoming stays at the Monorail Resorts. All those things I said are true facts and nothing more then that.

 

[Sammie]

It seems like every morning, the guests in front of me can't figure it out. Just like the person in front of me can never seem to figure out how to use the FP machines.

Seriously, I guess you missed my post where I was questioning whether or not the monorail exclusivity would be all day, or just in the evening after the express monorail is shut down for the day? If the resort monorail is available during the entire day, but then it goes to exclusiveness at night, it will be very confusing for veterans and newbies alike. When will tickets be checked vs when they won't? Sounds confusing to me.

If you want the Disney monorail resort to be exclusive all day long then I agree that it can be learned to avoid the resort monorail if you aren't staying at one of those resorts as your ticket won't let you on the monorail. However, what about those who want to visit for an ADR, to shop, to look around, to rent a Sea Raycer, etc. who aren't staying at the monorail resort? Are the monorail resorts open to everyone or just for those staying there? I guess Chef Mickey's should just relocate.

I guess if there's nothing at Disney to complain about, life gets boring for some posters.



Club level access has been around for years and continues to be there. I doubt if you will find anyone disagreeing on that. To take away a perk that's been given to all WDW guests for years will generate a thread even longer than this one IMO. How will someone at the MK get to their Chef Mickey's ADR? What if I don't have an ADR and want to go try a restaurant at the last minute? What if I just want to look around or go rent a Sea Raycer for an afternoon break? My point is that the resort monorail has been a means of transportation to/from the MK for monorail resort guests and non-monorail resort guests alike for years. I don't care that it used to be that way 15 years ago. Disney changed it and it is working. It's not like they opened concierge level lounges to the public for years and decided to take that perk away only for those staying at concierge level at that resort.

Again, I hope this whole tangential debate is moot as this seems to be one of the top ten worst ideas I've read in a while IMO. I'm just thankful that the monorail is not shutting down 1 hour after closing (fingers crossed that the rumor is correct). Although I still don't like the fact that it is not open for all of EMH, I'm glad it's open at least longer than the Epcot loop each night. The revised shutdown plan should only affect a few guests just once (maybe twice) per vacation.

You have good points but they could still limit access only at park closing not all day. People would stop parking at monorail resorts unless they were guests there and that would be a good thing too.

It is really annoying not being able to find a place to park at your own resort and the Polynesian is probably the worst.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

You have good points but they could still limit access only at park closing not all day. People would stop parking at monorail resorts unless they were guests there and that would be a good thing too.

It is really annoying not being able to find a place to park at your own resort and the Polynesian is probably the worst.

Sorry to hear that. Parking at BLT was great! Plentiful and close.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Seriously, I guess you missed my post where I was questioning whether or not the monorail exclusivity would be all day, or just in the evening after the express monorail is shut down for the day? If the resort monorail is available during the entire day, but then it goes to exclusiveness at night, it will be very confusing for veterans and newbies alike. When will tickets be checked vs when they won't? Sounds confusing to me.
I think, Disney could come up with something simple. Maybe, signs...TTC Guests, MK Resort Guests, etc. above or next tothe corresponding transportation?
I don't care that it used to be that way 15 years ago. Disney changed it and it is working.
.

Obviously, there is a problem. Otherwise, we wouldn't have almost 1900 posts, regarding " monorails no longer operating..."

 

[TLSnell1981]

You have good points but they could still limit access only at park closing not all day. People would stop parking at monorail resorts unless they were guests there and that would be a good thing too.

It is really annoying not being able to find a place to park at your own resort and the Polynesian is probably the worst.

ITA, but would add, the Boardwalk.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

ITA, but would add, the Boardwalk.

Well at least the Boardwalk has two other parking lots for guests who have ADR's or are there to visit. One is to the left of the guard shack and the other is across the street behind the Hess. So one thing the Monorail Resorts are lacking is seperate parking lots, one for guests that are staying at them and another for visitors to their restaurants.

 

[maiapapaya]

And again, you're talking about something which ANY guest has access to (EMH) so it's not quite the same argument.

I was responding to a statement you made about people not being able to pay extra for special access at WDW. This was an example that it does happen - in this particular case resort guests vs visitors who do not stay on site. Again, I was giving an example where paying more provides different access.

and guests who pay to go to WDW ares all also paying a premium for things like the monorail just by going. Again, the monorail resorts are expensive not just because of the monorail. If there were no monorail they'd still be expensive and probably just as expensive because of their proximity to MK.

And I would argue that the main reason, given the expense of these resorts, that most families stay at them is the monorail. If not for that service we would probably save our money and stay at another resort (and likely not a deluxe, unless for a treat). It is a splurge because of the ease of getting around with young kids. Others with mobility issues also find these resorts attractive for the same reason. So for those ppl who judge monorail resort guests as being elitist snobs in most cases not so ... often they are people who are willing to pay the extra because of the value to them for the service of the monorail directly to their resort.
I'm sorry but there's a huge difference between checking Ids for pool hopping and for going on a resort property than using the monorail. The monorail is for all WDW guests and there are valid reasons for people to need to ride the monorails during these times ...

Elitist or not, you are acting like people staying there are somehow more entitled than people who aren't. That's what it sounds like whether you mean it that way or not.

I think Sammie just summed up what I have been trying to say - and others obviously share a different POV, it's not elitist or discrimination if it's access based on purchase. It doesn't mean that I look down on other guests or consider them "riff raff" because they are staying at a different resort (as repeatedly stated by some posters). I guess it's all a matter of perception (see my further comments below)

Help me out here. For those who are advocating restricting the Resort Monorail use to only those staying or dining at the monorail resorts, can you answer the following question?

Do you want the resort monorail reserved exclusively for monorail resort guests:
a. At all times during the Resort monorail is running
b. Only from the time of closing until the express monorail stops running
c. Only after the express monorail stops running for the night
d. Both (b) and (c)

Because you asked ... personally (which I have said many times) my answer would be (c) and only if at certain times (eg. just after fireworks on party nights when there's a big rush of people leaving the MK) the resort monorail was being swamped by people not going to the resorts. This would only be a potential problem with boarding at the MK, so dining guests wouldn't be affected (I guess it would create a problem for someone trying to go from the MK to a resort for a late ADR)

Personally I dont' have a problem at all about the Epcot monorail closing as per the current policy and having to take a bus back to the resort (so I don't think I'm a "too good to take the bus snob" or a monorail whiner). We value staying at a monorail resort for the ease of travel back & forth to the MK, so I think where my own concern arises (and at this point a large part is that no one has dealt with the MK loops closing early so it's an unknown) how it will work for the monorail resort guests once the MK monorails stop running. So far we've been told to take the boats or buses. Unless WDW has a bunch of boats tucked away somewhere that's going to create massive waits for the launches and I'm not excited about taking a jam-packed little boat across the lagoon in the dark with my kids (call me paranoid, but I worry about safety - I know they try to avoid liability, and wouldn't overload the boats, but even when they fill them to capacity I'm not comfortable). Then there are weather conditions when the boats can't run. I'm not sure how the buses would work. I'm thinking it would be one to the TTC and then connections to the resorts. We normally stay at Poly, so I don't know if they would bother with a bus to the resort from there, but walking to the resort with a sleeping child in your arms is not fun at the end of a long day (especially because I am fairly petite & DH would likely have his arms full with our sleepy big girl and the Poly is a fairly spread out property - it can be a bit of a hike back from the TTC!)

So, given those options, it was a huge relief to hear that it would appear that WDW is trying to compromise by leaving the resort loop running until 11:00. This alleviates issues with those dining at these resorts and is a huge help to people with younger kids trying to get back to their resorts. So, again I only ever suggested checking ID's if WDW's intent of running this monorail later (than the express) was to service these resorts and people staying at these resorts were being restricted in boarding by large numbers of people trying to get to the TTC.

Again, I really am not wanting to perpetuate this debate (because it's way beyond flogging a dead horse) but you asked for a clarification of opinion so I'm giving it.

 

[cindyfan]

If the Resorts monorail were not an option to get to the TTC from any of its other stops, it wouldn't stop at the TTC - or using that LILO system, guests who boarded at the MK (including Polynesian guests staying closer to the TTC) would somehow be prevented from exiting any train there.

That's not going to happen. Walt Disney World isn't nearly as discriminatory as some of the posters in this thread.

I said..... "not an option to get from MK to TTC".
It should still be an option to get from the resort to TTC.
I'm not being discriminatory! just realistic as to the original intent of the resort monorail. but because of the nature of the route.... of course it would be used

 

[doconeill]

I have no idea about the bar codes, but I don't like relying on printed (mag or bar) for this. Granted, it's still in testing, but I think they should be using a more advanced approach, again, similar to my aforementioned (erm... aforementioned in a different thread ) RFID-esque approach (don't think it's actually RFID, but similar to what the campus where my office is located, just swipe a card near the box and beep, you're in).

That would be RFID (or an even earlier version, but basically the same idea involving induction loops, etc. - we had one in the late 80s). But as I said earlier, the cost-per-ticket is still quite a bit higher. RFID is often used on "keeper" ticket/card systems - where you'd reuse the same card over a long period of time. You could probably get away with it for AP holders (with the option of renewing and continuing to use), but to use that one technology for a small percentage of the guests would be even more expensive vs. the return.

 

[Cafeen]

That would be RFID (or an even earlier version, but basically the same idea involving induction loops, etc. - we had one in the late 80s). But as I said earlier, the cost-per-ticket is still quite a bit higher. RFID is often used on "keeper" ticket/card systems - where you'd reuse the same card over a long period of time. You could probably get away with it for AP holders (with the option of renewing and continuing to use), but to use that one technology for a small percentage of the guests would be even more expensive vs. the return.

Well, they are adding RFID to paper cups which are used for a much shorter time than the ticket, so it's entirely plausible (of course, I'm sure the markup on the cups helps that situation a "bit").

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Obviously, there is a problem. Otherwise, we wouldn't have almost 1900 posts, regarding " monorails no longer operating..."

Please show me my post where I said the change in operating hours was not a cutback or that I disagreed that it was a disappointment and frustrating.

When I said "it" was working, the "it" was referring to allowing ALL guests to use the resort monorail versus leaving it exclusively for monorail resort guests. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I still believe that "it" is working just fine allowing all guests to ride versus limiting ridership to only those at the monorail resorts.

Also, this thread has nearly 1,900 posts, but my guess is that several hundred of them have absolutely nothing to do with monorails no longer operating. How many pages have we just filled up going off on this tangent about who is "entitled" to ride the resort monorail? Plus, let's not forget the free dining tangent and debating whether or not adding new attractions was a good thing or a bad thing or the corporate sponsorships that Disney gets or how some guests spin everything positvely and other guests spin everything negatively. We have gone off track many many times on this thread.

And where are all of those posters who said they'd be satisfied if Disney kept the MK loop open until at least 10:00 pm? I think it shows that many posters will post complaints but if they are satisfied, they remain quiet to keep the status quo.

 

[kaytieeldr]

ITA, but would add, the Boardwalk.

Well at least the Boardwalk has two other parking lots for guests who have ADR's or are there to visit. One is to the left of the guard shack and the other is across the street behind the Hess. So one thing the Monorail Resorts are lacking is seperate parking lots, one for guests that are staying at them and another for visitors to their restaurants.

No, none of this "well at least..." baloney. TLSnell is right - there's no reason to differentiate between guests visiting the Boardwalk to eat/shop, and guests visiting any other Deluxe resort to eat/shop. You don't like them parking in "your" lot? Address it with hotel management. Odds are, nothing will change at the Contempoary or the Polynesian. Now, Boardwalk guests might have a but better luck. If enough people complain, it's possible they could change or add signage.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

I said..... "not an option to get from MK to TTC".
It should still be an option to get from the resort to TTC.
I'm not being discriminatory! just realistic as to the original intent of the resort monorail. but because of the nature of the route.... of course it would be used

Original intent? So we need to go back to 1971? In last week's Allearsnet newsletter, they discussed the opening of the MK and in particular the transportation. What is ironic is that the original imagineers intended for Double Decker buses to supplement the monorails. Now, everyone is up in arms about having to take a bus when they are staying at a monorail resort.

But yet many of those same posters want the so-called "original intent". Does this mean they are okay with buses?

Are we sure this isn't more about the various poster's intent or desire? Disney changes all the time - sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. Things will never be the way they used to be even if you desire it to be that way. As I've said before, this whole discussion reminds me of the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" which describes how individuals deal with change.

And again, if we use RFID chips, barcodes, CM's checking tickets or CM's with a bullhorn, how do we handle those who just want to visit a monorail resort to eat at Chef Mickey's, shop at the Poly or rent a Sea Raycer from Sammy Duval's? Disney wants that revenue from those not staying at a monorail resort so why would they revert back to the days of limiting access?

 

[brunette8706]

Can you imagine the extra lines and chaos from all those who don't understand and are denied. It could cause bottlenecks and even more confusion and longer lines - even for those self-appointed to be "entitled" to ride the monorail. Similar to the bottlenecks at the front gates every day as guests try to figure out how to use their theme park tickets or those who don't understand FP's and wait in front of the queue before their start time.

*
I do agree with you on that front. People are and will always be confused. And it will create a huge bottleneck in that area. Remember we are dealing with the public.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Well at least the Boardwalk has two other parking lots for guests who have ADR's or are there to visit. One is to the left of the guard shack and the other is across the street behind the Hess. So one thing the Monorail Resorts are lacking is seperate parking lots, one for guests that are staying at them and another for visitors to their restaurants.

Guest parking is still a problem many nights. The valet lot is empty, but resort guest's parking is full. Your choice..pay or park across the street.

Sometimes, they do a decent job at the gate, but are inconsistent...

 

[Bullseye]

That actually sounds like a very good idea.

Another idea if they ever had Cast Members check for Key To The World cards is to change their design and have the backround be of the resort they are staying at. So it's a lot easier for the Cast Members to see pictures of the Contemporary/Bay Lake Tower, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian compared to reading the numbers that indicate what resort you are staying at. It's something I always thought would be interesting to see happen long before this news about the Monorail was ever announced.

This is what I was thinking they'd do-make the cards distinctive with a bright color or something so all you'd have to do is flash it to get through. We're only talking about an hours worth of limited access for resort guests only.

My home resort is BLT but whenever I stay at another DVC resort I will have take a bus or ferry to get back to TTC. No big deal, thats the way it is. Doesn't make Monorail Resort guests elitist. Disney's still providing transportation, Why bellyache about every thing that changes!!