i can understand the contemporary (just due to the lack of room on the platform) but I cant really see changes being needed at the other hotels/ttc....Oglet....since since you deal with these things often, what do you feel should be done to improve on the platforms?
What I would like to see done would be as follows.
Grand Floridian.
I would like to see a few changes made to expand the guest holding area so it could hold more people. I would like to see the gates that are currently there but left open due to not being used modified so guests could be held waiting closer to the Polynesian side of the platform.
If you could have guests loading from one end of the platform rather than in the middle they would be able to move down the train as they look for seats walking the same direction as those who have just exited the monorail. It would also open up a area where guests using
ECV's and Wheelchairs could exit the monorail without being squeezed up close to the gates.
Since the majority of people load into the middle areas of Monorails if you could unload that particular area without obstruction of gates it would greatly speed up the whole process and make it easier for everyone to load and unload.
The Polynesian is really laid out quite well in my opinion, I would however put in a swing gate or simply a chain to cut the platform length during quiet times
The Monorail Station at TTC is probably the most frustrating of them all because it Mirrors the one at MK which works wonderfully (with the exception of how resort guests have to walk all the way down through security to get in line) I would set it up exactly the same way the station at MK is set up and have all guests for the express side load from the current unload area and exit down the center which is currently the load side. I would put in Automatic gates on the resort load/unload side and convert it to a load only side and have all guests exiting the monorail exit down the middle just like the express side.
The current system for Resort guests at TTC is horrible and extremely slow and at times turns into a huge mess. By changing it around you would make it more of a walk to get on the Epcot train for express guests (not just a straight shot across the platform) which would make it a similar journey to what resort guests currently have but I believe the benefits would far outweigh the negatives.
The Contemporary
Well.. Where to start, it was poorly designed when they decided to add the elevator in, Id remove the down escalator and replace it with a longer wider ramp allowing everyone including people with strollers, ECV's and Wheelchairs to all exit the same direction rather than having people getting off at the front of the train being forced to plow their way throw a sea of people to try and find a gate which will take them back the same direction to a elevator.
If you have ever been at the Contemporary during a really busy time you will notice what is called North End Loading, its where guests are sent to the very far end of the platform (closest end to MK) When a train pulls in and people are exiting you can pop the gate open and have exiting and loading traffic all moving the one direction, speeding up loading and allowing you not to have to wait for 1 or 2 slow moving guests to walk all the way down before you could start the loading procedure.
I would reverse the load/unload sides of the elevator to reduce confusion as very few people seem to understand that you have to take a right hand hook turn once you get off the elevator to move into the queue for the Monorail and since the line is now down the North end of the Contemporary guests exiting the elevator would clearly see where they need to go and can easily merge into a line. Anyone needing to board the elevator would still be able to do so only they would now be doing it from the current exit side and could do so without having to walk back through a pile of people.
Obviously the quicker you can load/unload trains the faster they can get around which means shorter wait times, hopefully shorter lines and a far more less stressful loading/exit process for everyone.
My ideas are just my ideas and I am fairly confident that they will probably never happen and are in no way even close to what they have planned but we can all dream cant we.
