Will Walt Disneyworld ever expand the monorail?

[Dsnyfam]

I have heard so many things over the years about this topic. Has anyone ever heard anything? It would be nice if it was expanded to every park, instead of just the ones it is now. Why have they never expanded this feature? Especially when they were building all the "new" hotels over the past two decades, they should have built a hotel with a new monorail track. The AKL would have been great with a monorail, especially if it went around the animals (like a safari ride) and you could see them coming and going to the AKP. It just seems like this would have been a great selling point. Anyone have an opinion or rumor?

 

[Ted and Holly]

I would imagine that it is just too expensive to retro-fit WDW with a more extensive monorail system.

 

[MJMcBride]

I rememeber back in the late 90s, the had "blacked out" rooms through the Dolphin and Swan. A bus driver told us that those rooms were being removed so that a monorail could go right through them. The monorail was to link the Epcot resorts, Epcot and MGM. Of course, the bus driver also told us that Disney was working on a Sports themed park near Wide World of Sports.

 

[vonpluto]

I have heard so many things over the years about this topic. Has anyone ever heard anything? It would be nice if it was expanded to every park, instead of just the ones it is now. Why have they never expanded this feature? Especially when they were building all the "new" hotels over the past two decades, they should have built a hotel with a new monorail track. The AKL would have been great with a monorail, especially if it went around the animals (like a safari ride) and you could see them coming and going to the AKP. It just seems like this would have been a great selling point. Anyone have an opinion or rumor?

Some rumors/facts from over the years:
The monorail was all set for expansion before 9/11
A building planned as a monorail maintenance facility was built near AK.
Monorails are too expensive
Buses are more efficcent since they can go point to point and do not have to follow a closed route
Back in the old days, a monorail loop was planned to go from EPCOT to DTD Never happened

AFAIK, the only "official info" regarding the monorail can be found in the Reedy Creek 2008 Comprehensive Plan (RCID.org). This plan covers 1998 - 2008. The only monorail info it has is the estimated ridership increase 1998-08. No planned expansions, and not even any info about allowing for expansion.

 

[rer1972]

I think there was a study done that showed it wasn't worth adding onto the monorail system unless WDW expands way beyond it's current size. The buses work better for now than expanding the monorail through the existing resorts.

 

[OKW Lover]

I rememeber back in the late 90s, the had "blacked out" rooms through the Dolphin and Swan. A bus driver told us that those rooms were being removed so that a monorail could go right through them. The monorail was to link the Epcot resorts, Epcot and MGM. Of course, the bus driver also told us that Disney was working on a Sports themed park near Wide World of Sports.

I'm sure the owners of these two hotels wouldn't have minded losing a large number of rooms.

Just to kill this before it re-kindles that urban legend. That was never the intention. The black squares are just a design element intended to break-up the large facade of the buildings. The architect, Michael Graves, has used a similar trick in some of his other buildings. If you look, you'll see that they don't align and are different sizes.

 

[tmt martins]

I know in my Easment (sp) for SSR they have the Monorail rights of way in them. So yes it has been thought of and planned just not carried out.

And the Buses is a matter of opinion if they are really working out.

 

[vonpluto]

I know in my Easment (sp) for SSR they have the Monorail rights of way in them. So yes it has been thought of and planned just not carried out.

And the Buses is a matter of opinion if they are really working out.

This easement goes back to the days of the Lake Buena Vista Resort Community/Disney Village monorail extension.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

we love the monorail, it's an attraction in itself and i wish they would expand it.

 

[vonpluto]

I'm sure the owners of these two hotels wouldn't have minded losing a large number of rooms.

Just to kill this before it re-kindles that urban legend. That was never the intention. The black squares are just a design element intended to break-up the large facade of the buildings. The architect, Michael Graves, has used a similar trick in some of his other buildings. If you look, you'll see that they don't align and are different sizes.

Now I'm not one to but....
I did read some comments awhile back from a WDI employee who claimed to have seen the blueprints for S&D, and they did allow for monorail stations in both resorts. And I have read the interview with Graves where he states the black squares are just design elements, So who knows.

Here's another rumor from way back: foundations for monorail pylons are in place around World Showcase!

 

[Demosthenes]

When MGM opened, Eisner stood in front of a master plan of WDW (much like the one that Walt stood in front of when announcing "the Florida Project" on the Wonderful World of Color) that showed a proposed monorail from Epcot, through future Epcot resorts and going to MGM. They used to have that poster in Communicore West (way back when).

Of course, when you used to stay at a WDW hotel, all of the rooms had a large poster on the wall that showed future expansion plans for hotels, all connected by the monorail. The Only two hotels at the time were the Poly and CR, but the poster showed the Venitian<sp> next to the TTC, then CR, then the Persian Hotel, then MK, then the Asian Resort where the GF is now, followed (of course) by the Poly. This postcard from way back when is similar:

 

[Another Voice]

There have been several monorail expansion plans. Throughout the history of Walt Disney World an compreshensive monorail network was considered essential for the resort's operation. For an place like WDW, monorails are many times efficent than busses. That's been true since the beginning and is true now.

Those plans are all still neatly folded away in a drawer because WDW isn't being run as a its own business anymore. Captial investments are not made based on what's best for WDW, but instead are based on funnelling as much cash to Burbank as possible. The expanded monorail system was killed to buy Fox Family. Even after WDW developed several plans to make the guests pay for the monorail, Corporate still refused to let them put out the capital. All of WDW these days is a "grab the cash and run" operation.

The orginial plan for the extension of the EPCOT Center beam to the Disney Village had the track exit EPCOT by the World of Motion (themetically fiting of course). A second station would have been built at EPCOT: the current station used for northbound passengers, the new station for southbound passengers. Another plan for a seperate Epcot-Studios-AK beam had a single station between the Dolphin and the Yacht Club. The monorail would have follwed the waterwater down to the Studios - not going through the hotels (anyone posting the "black square" myth again ought to be band just on principle).

Also at one time there had been plans for a major transportation center just north of EPCOT Center. This was back in the days when Florida was planning a high speed rail line from Orlando Interntaional to WDW to Tampa. Guests would have able to board the train at the airport and then transfer directly to WDW monorails. The plan fell apart when Orlando couldn't get funding without a stop on Interntional Drive and/or the Convention Center - and Disney refused to allow a station at WDW if the train made a stop first.

We won't even get into the airport that had been planned south of Celebration.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I rememeber back in the late 90s, the had "blacked out" rooms through the Dolphin and Swan. A bus driver told us that those rooms were being removed so that a monorail could go right through them.

I guess that means the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine in San Diego — which was also designed by architect Michael Graves, and which has a distinct resemblance to the WDW Swan — will have three WDW monorail tracks going through it.

As other have noted, the black squares on the Swan and Dolphin are simply design elements which are supposed to make the building look more interesting. There are rooms and hallways behind the squares, not empty voids awaiting monorail tracks.

 

[YoHo]

That Hotel is awesome.

 

[lillasmom]

This postcard from way back when is similar:

How cool is that! Thanks for sharing!

 

[vonpluto]

I guess that means the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine in San Diego — which was also designed by architect Michael Graves, and which has a distinct resemblance to the WDW Swan — will have three WDW monorail tracks going through it.

Yup, you nailed it! One to DLR, one to WDW and one to Disney's top secret "Project Baja".

 

[Grumpy_Disney_Dad]

If the Monorail is going to make a stop in San Deigo then i am writing Mickey and my Senator to get a stop added in Va Beach

 

[Smooshdog]

I would love to see and ride an expanded monorail line, plus it would be a much neater ride to a park/hotel than a bus.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I heard for the Year of a Million Dreams celebration they are adding a sleeper car onto the monorail and one lucky family will get to sleep on the monorail! (plus they will get golden refillable mugs to use at all the resorts on the monorail line.)

 

[vonpluto]

I heard for the Year of a Million Dreams celebration they are adding a sleeper car onto the monorail and one lucky family will get to sleep on the monorail! (plus they will get golden refillable mugs to use at all the resorts on the monorail line.)

To heck with the sleeper, it's about time they upgraded the restrooms on the monorail.