The race to worthless

[CastAStone]

Not sure which source you are using but the 17 minutes seem to be awfully close to the actual travel time so it probably doesn't take into account waiting for the bus / resort monorail so the actual difference might be bit smaller as the average wait time for a bus is probably higher than for the monorail.

I have found the wait for the Epcot monorail specifically to be comparable to waiting for a bus. CR also has the issue where late in the day when you might be trying to head to Epcot for dinner, the monorails coming from MK can be jammed full (especially on party nights).

Touring Plans measures these things including waits, and here’s what they’ve found:



CR is faster to MK and Epcot, AKV is faster to DHS and AK, they’re basically a wash to DS.

 

[walt34]

CR is faster to MK and Epcot, AKV is faster to DHS and AK, they’re basically a wash to DS.

Thank you for the confirmation and also for reminding me how great touring plans is. Will keep renewing.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Taking the boat back to WL on our last trip, even in the rain, was one of the factors that sold me on owning there. It was so peaceful and a perfect way to unwind after a long hectic day at MK. I look forward to many more of those moments with my kids over the years. Not to mention we walked right on and were back in our room in 10 minutes.

This, 1000%. We've even walked or taken the Monorail to Contemporary, and then taken a Blue Flag boat from there back to WL.

 

[skier_pete]

I have found the wait for the Epcot monorail specifically to be comparable to waiting for a bus. CR also has the issue where late in the day when you might be trying to head to Epcot for dinner, the monorails coming from MK can be jammed full (especially on party nights).

Touring Plans measures these things including waits, and here’s what they’ve found:



CR is faster to MK and Epcot, AKV is faster to DHS and AK, they’re basically a wash to DS.

These are interesting stats. I've often argued that AKVs only bad location to travel to is MK, while the Monorail resorts (and WL) the only GOOD location to travel to is MK, with Epcot being about a tie between the two. But many people focus so much on MK that it turns WL into a good location and AKL into a bad one.

Getting back on topic, since our daughter is grown up, honestly MK is probably 3rd on our list of priorities to visit, with more time being spent at Epcot and DHS, (1 full day or less at MK is not uncommon lately). This makes BWV and BCV top spots, and Riviera a great spot as well, with Riviera's biggest failing honestly being the way too high point prices for where the resort is.

I personally put AKV and the monorail resorts about the same for location, as none get me to Epcot quickly, and AKV is better for DHS, with the Poly being slightly ahead because of the ability to walk to the Epcot monorail. (My one disagreement with the above table is saying the average time to AKV is 18 minutes, I think 18 minutes is longer than I've ever taken to get from AKV to the park. The bus looping between the 3 spots only take about 10 minutes to do the complete loop.

Am I justifying to myself because AKV is where I own most of my points? Possibly.

 

[Ruttangel]

These are interesting stats. I've often argued that AKVs only bad location to travel to is MK, while the Monorail resorts (and WL) the only GOOD location to travel to is MK, with Epcot being about a tie between the two. But many people focus so much on MK that it turns WL into a good location and AKL into a bad one.

Getting back on topic, since our daughter is grown up, honestly MK is probably 3rd on our list of priorities to visit, with more time being spent at Epcot and DHS, (1 full day or less at MK is not uncommon lately). This makes BWV and BCV top spots, and Riviera a great spot as well, with Riviera's biggest failing honestly being the way too high point prices for where the resort is.

I personally put AKV and the monorail resorts about the same for location, as none get me to Epcot quickly, and AKV is better for DHS, with the Poly being slightly ahead because of the ability to walk to the Epcot monorail. (My one disagreement with the above table is saying the average time to AKV is 18 minutes, I think 18 minutes is longer than I've ever taken to get from AKV to the park. The bus looping between the 3 spots only take about 10 minutes to do the complete loop.

Am I justifying to myself because AKV is where I own most of my points? Possibly.

The Poly sharing the bus to DHS/AK/DS with GF is not that great either
Now that AKV Jambo gets it own buses early morning I’ve not found any issues, used to have to walk to Kidani to ensure you got on at one point

 

[tom1944]

Interesting information that seems beneficial when deciding on where to book if doing a split stay.

 

[gmi3804]

• If you're staying at BRV or CCR, the bus is easier to/from MK. WL always seems to have one of the first spots at MK. And that matters when it's pouring rain.
• I'm so old I still consider the Crescent Lake resorts "those new places." And except for the IG entrance when walking, they're very inconvenient from the parks from a transportation perspective. I don't care for any of them from a theming and dining variety perspective. Just no.
• As far as most central resort with regards to Disneyntransportation (not walking), RR is tops. Skyler to Epcot and HS. Easy bus with no stops to MK, AK, and DS. We go to DS a lot, and that bus ride is so easy from RR! And even if you have a car, the parking lot adjacent to the West building is so convenient too; it's right outside the door from the West elevator bank.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Not sure which source you are using but the 17 minutes seem to be awfully close to the actual travel time so it probably doesn't take into account waiting for the bus / resort monorail so the actual difference might be bit smaller as the average wait time for a bus is probably higher than for the monorail.

I'm also not quite sure about technically faster: The top speed of the monorail during regular operation is 40 mph. It's the switching of the trains and wait time in between that make this competitive.

But yes, it ultimately comes down to preference. I do prefer a full monorail to a full bus. And a full monorail holds about 360 people (that's about 5 buses).

The monorails are also servicing 3 hotels, in some cases exclusively (Epcot) plus MK/Epcot visitors going between those parks. It needs to hold more than a bus servicing only 1 or possibly 2 hotels. That makes it close to a wash in regard to required capacity.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Best kept secret is a room at Pago Pago. Walk off the monorail at night and be in your room in a matter of minutes. It's the Poly version of BLT.

 

[eticketplease]

Best kept secret is a room at Pago Pago. Walk off the monorail at night and be in your room in a matter of minutes. It's the Poly version of BLT.

TTC Monorail not the ceremonial House. That way you can just take the Epcot or Express one back to TTC and take a short stroll back to Pago Pago.

 

[MyDogTink]

Best kept secret is a room at Pago Pago. Walk off the monorail at night and be in your room in a matter of minutes. It's the Poly version of BLT.

My thought was to buy Poly for the new tower and make that my "Epcot" resort and have BLT as my "MK" resort.

For some reason, I decided to take the monorail from MK to BLT in June. They were trying to keep one car at MK open for when it reached CR. Supposedly the line at CR was dangerously long and going down the escalator.

I dread the monorail from VGF to MK and will dread it more once Poly adds more people. The monorail issue at VGF is really dampening my "this is one of my favorite home resorts" statements.

 

[eticketplease]

I dread the monorail from VGF to MK and will dread it more once Poly adds more people.

We end up taking the boat a lot even though it is a further walk from the Villas building. We certainly take it on the way back from MK

 

[gmi3804]

Best kept secret is a room at Pago Pago. Walk off the monorail at night and be in your room in a matter of minutes. It's the Poly version of BLT.

Yes. And right by the bus stop for HS, AK, and DS.

 

[walt34]

We end up taking the boat a lot even though it is a further walk from the Villas building. We certainly take it on the way back from MK

We always take the monorail to MK and the boat or the walking path back to GF if we stay until the fireworks. I believe the resort monorail could handle the resort guests easily even with the new poly tower (it's only about 3000 rooms in all three monorail resorts before the tower opens - I believe Pop Century alone has nearly as many). Only when it is overrun by restaurant guests and day guest from and to the parks does it run into capacity issues.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

We always take the monorail to MK and the boat or the walking path back to GF if we stay until the fireworks. I believe the resort monorail could handle the resort guests easily even with the new poly tower (it's only about 3000 rooms in all three monorail resorts before the tower opens - I believe Pop Century alone has nearly as many). Only when it is overrun by restaurant guests and day guest from and to the parks does it run into capacity issues.

Agree. For us it's always monorail to MK from Poly or GF and depending on time and mood we do like the boat rides back. Lately been planning meals at Steakhouse 71 so it's easy to catch monorail to that and then back over to Poly or VGF. The monorail really is passed it's prime and definitely not as efficient as it could be for it's footprint but...cmon...we're all huge Disney World fans with most of us going for so many years. That monorail isn't just a form of transportation to the parks, it's a testament to the time and spirit in which it was built. It represents more than just a way to travel but more the forward looking, engineering spirit that dominated the zeitgeist of the Disney company in the time of expansion. It's old and musty and breaks down from time to time...the air conditioning barely works or sometimes leaks on your head or the seat next to you...but it's such a part of the fabric of the original park that there is no denying it can stand alone as a symbol of Disney World as a whole if need be. It's also one of the few rites of passage left for those that take their children there for the first time. Seeing the sights of the Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom as you take the circuitous journey still brings me pleasure after all these years, and I'm sure even more for those taking their seminal trip. It's iconic...and old...and smelly...and probably a relic of a bygone era...but I'll ride that bucket of bolts till it ceases to operate any longer...and as always

Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas.​

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

Agree. For us it's always monorail to MK from Poly or GF and depending on time and mood we do like the boat rides back. Lately been planning meals at Steakhouse 71 so it's easy to catch monorail to that and then back over to Poly or VGF. The monorail really is passed it's prime and definitely not as efficient as it could be for it's footprint but...cmon...we're all huge Disney World fans with most of us going for so many years. That monorail isn't just a form of transportation to the parks, it's a testament to the time and spirit in which it was built. It represents more than just a way to travel but more the forward looking, engineering spirit that dominated the zeitgeist of the Disney company in the time of expansion. It's old and musty and breaks down from time to time...the air conditioning barely works or sometimes leaks on your head or the seat next to you...but it's such a part of the fabric of the original park that there is no denying it can stand alone as a symbol of Disney World as a whole if need be. It's also one of the few rites of passage left for those that take their children there for the first time. Seeing the sights of the Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom as you take the circuitous journey still brings me pleasure after all these years, and I'm sure even more for those taking their seminal trip. It's iconic...and old...and smelly...and probably a relic of a bygone era...but I'll ride that bucket of bolts till it ceases to operate any longer...and as always

Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas.​

So well said.

 

[atthebeachclub]

Agree. For us it's always monorail to MK from Poly or GF and depending on time and mood we do like the boat rides back. Lately been planning meals at Steakhouse 71 so it's easy to catch monorail to that and then back over to Poly or VGF. The monorail really is passed it's prime and definitely not as efficient as it could be for it's footprint but...cmon...we're all huge Disney World fans with most of us going for so many years. That monorail isn't just a form of transportation to the parks, it's a testament to the time and spirit in which it was built. It represents more than just a way to travel but more the forward looking, engineering spirit that dominated the zeitgeist of the Disney company in the time of expansion. It's old and musty and breaks down from time to time...the air conditioning barely works or sometimes leaks on your head or the seat next to you...but it's such a part of the fabric of the original park that there is no denying it can stand alone as a symbol of Disney World as a whole if need be. It's also one of the few rites of passage left for those that take their children there for the first time. Seeing the sights of the Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom as you take the circuitous journey still brings me pleasure after all these years, and I'm sure even more for those taking their seminal trip. It's iconic...and old...and smelly...and probably a relic of a bygone era...but I'll ride that bucket of bolts till it ceases to operate any longer...and as always

Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas.​

I still haven’t ridden the WDW monorail, but I clearly remember riding the monorail at Disneyland and the one in my hometown in childhood. These are core memories! I love what you wrote about the monorail because it was true is my experiences, too!

 

[tx911]

Agree. For us it's always monorail to MK from Poly or GF and depending on time and mood we do like the boat rides back. Lately been planning meals at Steakhouse 71 so it's easy to catch monorail to that and then back over to Poly or VGF. The monorail really is passed it's prime and definitely not as efficient as it could be for it's footprint but...cmon...we're all huge Disney World fans with most of us going for so many years. That monorail isn't just a form of transportation to the parks, it's a testament to the time and spirit in which it was built. It represents more than just a way to travel but more the forward looking, engineering spirit that dominated the zeitgeist of the Disney company in the time of expansion. It's old and musty and breaks down from time to time...the air conditioning barely works or sometimes leaks on your head or the seat next to you...but it's such a part of the fabric of the original park that there is no denying it can stand alone as a symbol of Disney World as a whole if need be. It's also one of the few rites of passage left for those that take their children there for the first time. Seeing the sights of the Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom as you take the circuitous journey still brings me pleasure after all these years, and I'm sure even more for those taking their seminal trip. It's iconic...and old...and smelly...and probably a relic of a bygone era...but I'll ride that bucket of bolts till it ceases to operate any longer...and as always

Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas.​

Reminds me of my favorite coffee mug

 

[Cfabar1]

if not the monorail what would folks propose? I can't imagine disney would replace it at this point. it is not likely to be cost effective....

 

[kilik64]

if not the monorail what would folks propose? I can't imagine disney would replace it at this point. it is not likely to be cost effective....

Transporter.