The race to worthless

[MyDogTink]

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.​

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.​

This is perfectly written. When we stay at BLT, I know there’s no need to take the monorail for MK but it’s what I need to do to live in the Disney moment.

 

[cdirazonian]

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.​

Couldn’t have said this better, this was perfect!

I’m old and having memories & photos of riding it myself, then our kids and now their kids; my grad daughter riding & coming around the side, her jumping up & down yelling “the castle! the castle!” is just as priceless as having photos of her in the park on a ride, probably even more because we’ve all done it in that same spot. For us it’s definitely part of the whole experience.

 

[DVCsloth]

Disney solved the biggest hassle IMO with the monorail to Epcot from Poly by eliminating to two security checks. Still think VGF is going to be a hassle getting to MK in the morning as well as going to Epcot on the monorail, especially after the Poly Tower opens. Opening the walkway from VGF was a great addition, it's a very scenic and peaceful walk. The monorail is overdue for an upgrade and what it the lifespan on the actual concrete track? I'm pretty sure a lot of bridges are 50 years of serviceable life. ETA. I've always loved the monorail, but since the family has gotten a little older Epcot and HS are more popular. So, we ended up buying at Riviera and it give us a MK resort and an Epcot resort.

 

[CraigInPA]

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.

There was a time when only those people who had rooms at the resorts could take the resort monorail. Now, it seems that people going to TTC are looking at the relative length of the lines and choosing the shortest one. Disney would fix this problem by having limiting boarding the resort monorail to resort guests at the TTC, and not stopping at TTC after MK closes.

 

[MyDogTink]

There was a time when only those people who had rooms at the resorts could take the resort monorail. Now, it seems that people going to TTC are looking at the relative length of the lines and choosing the shortest one. Disney would fix this problem by having limiting boarding the resort monorail to resort guests at the TTC, and not stopping at TTC after MK closes.

Exactly. I was leaving MK one night and cast members were directing people on the TTC monorail line to take the resort monorail. It’s amazing how the monorail empties out at the TTC.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

So well said.

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!

This is perfectly written. When we stay at BLT, I know there’s no need to take the monorail for MK but it’s what I need to do to live in the Disney moment.

Couldn’t have said this better, this was perfect!

I’m old and having memories & photos of riding it myself, then our kids and now their kids; my grad daughter riding & coming around the side, her jumping up & down yelling “the castle! the castle!” is just as priceless as having photos of her in the park on a ride, probably even more because we’ve all done it in that same spot. For us it’s definitely part of the whole experience.

I'm a sucker for nostalgia to a fault. I've been told by my friends that I tend to live in the past lol. Disney World to me is a nostalgic dopamine hit and the monorail is one of the most powerful draws for me. Something about the smell...and I know it's basically mold/mildew mixed with old...but that smell transports me. Watching the pointy shaped cars approach your stop...then the feeling of pulling into a station...the voice making the announcements...it just creates an intangible feeling deep inside. There's also something about riding the monorail at night...especially coming home from either MK or Epcot. I just love it so much...so much that...(stops typing to visit dvcforless.com to just have a quick look for another contract).

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Reminds me of my favorite coffee mug

View attachment 892510

CHEERS!

 

[Kingkonig]

There was a time when only those people who had rooms at the resorts could take the resort monorail. Now, it seems that people going to TTC are looking at the relative length of the lines and choosing the shortest one. Disney would fix this problem by having limiting boarding the resort monorail to resort guests at the TTC, and not stopping at TTC after MK closes.

The issue with this is resort guests coming back from EPCOT, right? You have to transfer at the TTC to get back to your hotel.

Now you could require a magic band scan to get to the resort monorail to check for a dining reservation or hotel reservation, but that might add more congestion.

 

[Brian Noble]

It's also the case that for frequent guests, the Resort Monorail is something you try and realize is not really any better than the Express. The Resort trains come less frequently, and they make several extra stops. Even when the line for Express is much longer, it usually is just as fast if not faster to take it.

As they say over on the Transportation Board: There is no Pixie Dust in Transportation.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you can’t rent out your points for enough to cover dues, is there any value left?

once non-owners can rent points for cheaper than owners MFs, is there any value left?

The value is in staying there.
Any added value is added.

I had made up the purchase cost, buying direct in 2009, within 5 years.
For the cost of my dues I would get two nights at the SSR deluxe studio I'll be staying at in February, but I'm getting 5 nights there by using points.