What time does monorail start?

[javaj]

What time does the monorail start going to DL from Downtown Disney? What's better to do to try to get into the park as early as possible -- take the monorail from Downtown Disney or go to the park front entrance? This would be for this Friday, when opening is at 8 am.

 

[DangerMouse]

The monorail in DTD does allow you to que up a few minutes prior to opening, but you are usually en route to TL when the park actually opens. You won't beat many people in the park this way.

On our first day in the park, we always insist on going through the main gates so that we can experience the magic of going under the tunnel and walking down Main Street U.S.A.! You don't get that same feel going into the park my monorail.

 

[Jestocost]

The monorail doesn't start running until the park opens, so you'll be a few minutes away when the gates open and anyone there starts entering. That said, you clear the bag check and the ticket line before you get on the monorail, and it drops you right in Tomorrowland so you don't have to negotiate your way through the park if that's where you want to start anyway.

One word of warning based on our experience last month is that if the monorail has any problems, you are out of luck and will need to hoof it to the park anyway. We got on the first monorail of the morning, sat for a few minutes, then had to get off and walk to the park. That meant we wound up getting in 30-40 minutes after opening as a result.

 

[javaj]

Oh wow that is interesting. If it wasn't for the risk of getting there late in case of problems with the monorail, we'd definitely take the monorail. We love Disneyland but for some reason, the walk through Main Street at DLR is a bit of a letdown compared to entering Magic Kingdom at WDW. I think it is because the castle seems so small.

The monorail doesn't start running until the park opens, so you'll be a few minutes away when the gates open and anyone there starts entering. That said, you clear the bag check and the ticket line before you get on the monorail, and it drops you right in Tomorrowland so you don't have to negotiate your way through the park if that's where you want to start anyway.

One word of warning based on our experience last month is that if the monorail has any problems, you are out of luck and will need to hoof it to the park anyway. We got on the first monorail of the morning, sat for a few minutes, then had to get off and walk to the park. That meant we wound up getting in 30-40 minutes after opening as a result.