2hours to get to my car...

[Jakester]

So tonight (August 20, 2011), i was leaving Magic Kingdom. Park closed at 11pm, i stayed inside the park until about 11:50pm hoping it would be quick to get onto a boat or something. To my suprise a LONG DANG LINE for the Ferry stretching to Baggage check and a 90minute Bus wait (to go to TTC), i was very mad and confused onto what i was going to do, so i decide to take a boat to poly and walk, i got on in about 15minutes, got there, and luckly a bus was waiting with nobody on it to go to TTC, so i get on (he warned me about the long drive but i didnt care, sparred me walking). so 15minutes later i get dropped off at TTC (1:00am) and i was dreading the long walk to goofy parking lot but to my suprise (and luck) they were running the trams (2hours after closing). I was soo happy to get to my car.

My point in all of this is It takes me 2hours just to get to my car now ??????
Common Disney, realize how we feel and replace the dang monorails so they can run full time...

This is the first time i am considering actually complainning to mangement about this....

Other than that, Fantastic day at Magic Kingdom and Enjoyed the Tiki-Room so much i saw it twice

 

[David S.]

Wow, the monorails were already shut down 50 minutes after closing? Sorry you had to go through that, and I agree with those who feel that the "grand buildup" to isolating the park on the other side of a large lagoon and making guests rely on transportation can be exciting in the mornings, but can be a pain after closing when the transportation system is overloaded, you are tired, and ready to get home.

There have been times when I was in a real hurry to get back to my car to get somewhere after the park closed and saw INSANE waits for transportation. A few times I simply walked back to my vehicle, via the Contemporary footpath, then the road under the waterway, and along this road all the way to the TTC. This only took about 15 - 20 minutes, walking very briskly. (I saw a few other members mention in another thread that they had done this as well)

Another trick (only if the monorails are running) is to walk to the Contemporary, and you can usually board the next monorail that comes in after you get there. If it's crowded enough at the MK resort monorail queue to make one want to walk to the Contemporary, you'll probably have to stand, but still, enough people usually get off at the Contemporary to free up some room.

I think it would be swell if they would build a MK parking lot to the east of MK, accessible via the Contemporary footpath. I saw someone suggest this in another thread and I forgot to mention I agreed with the idea then. They could call this lot the "Mickey" lot, since they don't have a Mickey section in the main TTC lot

I'd also love it if they finally finished the walkway that connects the TTC, Poly, and Floridian; to make it go all the way to the MK. This would require a bridge like Epcot's so the EWP and other water traffic can utilize the canal, but it should be doable.

 

[the-reason14]

Wow, the monorails were already shut down 50 minutes after closing? Sorry you had to go through that, and I agree with those who feel that the "grand buildup" to isolating the park on the other side of a large lagoon and making guests rely on transportation can be exciting in the mornings, but can be a pain after closing when the transportation system is overloaded, you are tired, and ready to get home.

There have been times when I was in a real hurry to get back to my car to get somewhere after the park closed and saw INSANE waits for transportation. A few times I simply walked back to my vehicle, via the Contemporary footpath, then the road under the waterway, and along this road all the way to the TTC. This only took about 15 - 20 minutes, walking very briskly. (I saw a few other members mention in another thread that they had done this as well)

Another trick (only if the monorails are running) is to walk to the Contemporary, and you can usually board the next monorail that comes in after you get there. If it's crowded enough at the MK resort monorail queue to make one want to walk to the Contemporary, you'll probably have to stand, but still, enough people usually get off at the Contemporary to free up some room.

I think it would be swell if they would build a MK parking lot to the east of MK, accessible via the Contemporary footpath. I saw someone suggest this in another thread and I forgot to mention I agreed with the idea then. They could call this lot the "Mickey" lot, since they don't have a Mickey section in the main TTC lot

I'd also love it if they finally finished the walkway that connects the TTC, Poly, and Floridian; to make it go all the way to the MK. This would require a bridge like Epcot's so the EWP and other water traffic can utilize the canal, but it should be doable.

All I gotta say is wow!!! You walked from the Magic Kingdom to your car!!!?? Were you parked close to where the trams let you off, or did you get to the ttc then ride a tram to your car? I'm hoping you at least rode a tram to your car and didn't walk all the way especially if you parked far.

So I'm assuming with this change, you can kinda expect it to be difficult to get to and from your resort as well? I hope not, but I'm imagining swimming through people to get from the gate to the Pop 1/2 century bus stop.

 

[Figment1986]

From what I remember reading on Facebook, Monorails went down this afternoon after a close call with a lightning strike shutting the system down for the rest of the day while repairs were underway...

unfortunately this meant stress on the remaining options.

 

[peachykeen]

Hold on, hold on people. Before we get the pitchforks out....

Like I posted in this thread that you also commented on: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=789280

As was posted earlier, lightning struck the beam, which knocked out the MAPO sensors on the beam (anti-collision sensors.) Since MAPO is fail-safe, it gave all the trains a RED Mapo and Emergency stopped them. Until the transmitters are fixed, Express and Resort will be down. Also caused an issue with the MK station console.

So before we all jump to conclusions about how Disney management needs to rethink the Monorail operating hours, let's get the facts straight. The beam was struck by lightning earlier in the day which blew out the anti-collision system. So unless you all would rather ride around in trains operating under MAPO Override (ie, no anti-collision system operating,) I really can't see how this is Disney's fault or the train's fault.

And while you may have made this thread before reading the other one, you still could have added a post/edit to this one stating that you now knew the reason why it was down.

 

[David S.]

All I gotta say is wow!!! You walked from the Magic Kingdom to your car!!!?? Were you parked close to where the trams let you off, or did you get to the ttc then ride a tram to your car? I'm hoping you at least rode a tram to your car and didn't walk all the way especially if you parked far.

Didn't need a tram because I was parked in Minnie, which is the first lot closest to the TTC. (This is where I usually get to park when I get there before opening, as well as when I park hop from another park after the first park closes, which is usually late enough that they are no longer assigning lots and spaces). Unless you are parked in the furthest reaches of Minnie that are nearest to the Minnie tram stop and there is a tram ready to leave from the TTC the moment you get there, it's always quicker to just walk to your car from the TTC to Minnie than wait for/ride a tram.

The walk from the park to TTC was nothing for me as I have experience running (and training for) 10 K (6.2 mile) races and am in very good shape! Walking from the park is not something I do regularly (I've only done it twice in a few hundred MK full days, half days, or park hops). And I've only done it when I REALLY had something I had to do or wanted to do, and it was obvious that a 1+ hour wait for Disney's transportation would make me late. Other posters in another thread had said they did this as well, using the same route I did, and it's nice to know it can theoretically be done as a last resort in cases where leaving ASAP is important, and the transportation is severely overloaded (especially if the monorail is down completely).

Now, the walk to the Contemporary to hop on the monorail there is something I've done quite a bit more, usually when the park closes WITH the firework show, the lines for monorail and ferry are severely backed up, and I am in a hurry to get home.

And sometimes I'll walk to the Contemporary to see the 10:15 Electric Water Pageant after a 9 PM close, if I lingered in the park a bit, and it looks like there is a chance the monorail won't get me there in time. And then just take the monorail to the TTC after the EWP.

So before we all jump to conclusions about how Disney management needs to rethink the Monorail operating hours, let's get the facts straight. The beam was struck by lightning earlier in the day which blew out the anti-collision system. So unless you all would rather ride around in trains operating under MAPO Override (ie, no anti-collision system operating,) I really can't see how this is Disney's fault or the train's fault.

I just want to clarify that when I posted my reply to the OP, I hadn't seen that thread or heard that news, but I'm glad to hear there was a good reason for the monorails closing and that this wasn't due to reduced hours!

I still feel finishing the footpath to Floridian/Poly/TTC, and perhaps building a "premium" type pedestrian-accessible parking lot north of the Contemporary, would help alleviate the backup on the transportation systems on those really crazy nights when the park closes WITH the fireworks and the entire park is leaving at the same time. While those options would not be used by, or appeal to, everyone, some people would use them and this would reduce the number of people in line for the monorail and ferry. And of course the people using those options would get to their destination faster while avoiding overcrowded lines, so it would be a "win" for everyone

 

[Random Vids Inc]

Wow that's nuts! I don't think I'll ever understand the reasoning behind some of Disney's decisions!

 

[peter11435]

Wow that's nuts! I don't think I'll ever understand the reasoning behind some of Disney's decisions!

Yeah, I just don't understand why Disney would order that lightning strike.:brick:

Sometimes it pays to read.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

(he warned me about the long drive but i didnt care, sparred me walking).

You realize that the TTC is literally NEXT DOOR to the Polynesian right? There's a dedicated walkway to the TTC specifically for the Polynesian. It would have taken you two minutes to walk from that bus stop to the tram stop at the TTC. The reason it took you two hours was because you waited for the bus.

 

[KevinYee]

I had to ask a monorail pilot why (how) all the monorails were back under shelter (at stations) if lightning struck. I didn't get how they got there if power went out. He explained that the stations have some backup power, enough to get the trains back. I wasn't sure I quite followed that. Hearing that the MAPO sensors went out explains a great deal. Does that mean the bus bar kept power, but the trains obviously couldn't continue going like normal without collision sensors?

We knew about the problems by 4pm, so we made sure to leave the park by 7pm, when it wasn't yet too crowded on the boats. But that said, I also wondered about a walking path. Had I been in a long line for the ferry at 10pm, I would probably prefer to walk back to TTC (probably on the Contemporary side). I've run that road many times on the marathons, but if memory serves, there's no sidewalk for most of it. COULD they put in a sidewalk to give folks a second option in evenings like last night?

 

[Kamikaze]

All I gotta say is wow!!! You walked from the Magic Kingdom to your car!!!?? Were you parked close to where the trams let you off, or did you get to the ttc then ride a tram to your car? I'm hoping you at least rode a tram to your car and didn't walk all the way especially if you parked far.

So I'm assuming with this change, you can kinda expect it to be difficult to get to and from your resort as well? I hope not, but I'm imagining swimming through people to get from the gate to the Pop 1/2 century bus stop.

No, he took a boat to Poly and then a bus to TTC.

 

[David S.]

Actually, he was asking me (not the OP), and yes, there were 2 occasions (out of hundreds of MK visits) where I walked from the MK. Did not take more than 20 minutes. Explanation is in my 2 posts above

 

[Kamikaze]

I had to ask a monorail pilot why (how) all the monorails were back under shelter (at stations) if lightning struck. I didn't get how they got there if power went out. He explained that the stations have some backup power, enough to get the trains back. I wasn't sure I quite followed that. Hearing that the MAPO sensors went out explains a great deal. Does that mean the bus bar kept power, but the trains obviously couldn't continue going like normal without collision sensors?

Or they took the tractor out.

We knew about the problems by 4pm, so we made sure to leave the park by 7pm, when it wasn't yet too crowded on the boats. But that said, I also wondered about a walking path. Had I been in a long line for the ferry at 10pm, I would probably prefer to walk back to TTC (probably on the Contemporary side). I've run that road many times on the marathons, but if memory serves, there's no sidewalk for most of it. COULD they put in a sidewalk to give folks a second option in evenings like last night?

You're correct, there is no sidewalk there. It would be easier/cheaper for them to finish the walkway on the GF side, since theres only a small distance that isn't completed.

 

[peachykeen]

I had to ask a monorail pilot why (how) all the monorails were back under shelter (at stations) if lightning struck. I didn't get how they got there if power went out. He explained that the stations have some backup power, enough to get the trains back. I wasn't sure I quite followed that. Hearing that the MAPO sensors went out explains a great deal. Does that mean the bus bar kept power, but the trains obviously couldn't continue going like normal without collision sensors?

We knew about the problems by 4pm, so we made sure to leave the park by 7pm, when it wasn't yet too crowded on the boats. But that said, I also wondered about a walking path. Had I been in a long line for the ferry at 10pm, I would probably prefer to walk back to TTC (probably on the Contemporary side). I've run that road many times on the marathons, but if memory serves, there's no sidewalk for most of it. COULD they put in a sidewalk to give folks a second option in evenings like last night?

Correct, the buss bar still had power but the trains could not operate without MAPO override and after 2009 there's no way that would be allowed with Guests onboard. The lightning took out the MAPO system not the power. So the trains were given specific instructions to mapo override with guests ONLY to the next station, in order to unload the Guests and then parked.

 

[David S.]

We knew about the problems by 4pm, so we made sure to leave the park by 7pm, when it wasn't yet too crowded on the boats. But that said, I also wondered about a walking path. Had I been in a long line for the ferry at 10pm, I would probably prefer to walk back to TTC (probably on the Contemporary side). I've run that road many times on the marathons, but if memory serves, there's no sidewalk for most of it. COULD they put in a sidewalk to give folks a second option in evenings like last night?

You are correct, there are large portions of it without a sidewalk, although the portion under the water does have a walkway. For the rest of it, I just made sure I was far enough in the grass to be a very safe distance away from cars and buses, and I paid close attention to traffic. The two times I did it were due to extreme congestion combined with a need to be somewhere.

PS. I really enjoy reading your columns

 

[KevinYee]

Or they took the tractor out.

That's the part I was trying to wrap my head around. What they were telling guests officially was that the monorail got hit by lightning and lost power. So the tractor sounded logical. Except... how does the tractor put one monorail into the Contemporary and then "skip over it" to put the next one into the TTC? I couldn't figure out how one tractor (or even multiple tractors) could put all the trains away, unless they have an ability to remove it from the track and put it back on somewhere else easily. Thus, I was relieved to see in this thread the bit about the MAPO sensors. It made life logical again

 

[peachykeen]

That's the part I was trying to wrap my head around. What they were telling guests officially was that the monorail got hit by lightning and lost power. So the tractor sounded logical. Except... how does the tractor put one monorail into the Contemporary and then "skip over it" to put the next one into the TTC? I couldn't figure out how one tractor (or even multiple tractors) could put all the trains away, unless they have an ability to remove it from the track and put it back on somewhere else easily. Thus, I was relieved to see in this thread the bit about the MAPO sensors. It made life logical again

Yeah and honestly 99.9% of the Guests aren't going to understand "lightning took out our MAPO system" so its just easier for he CM to say lightning caused a loss of power.

Or the CM is new and just doesn't know better

 

[wdwfan22]

Wow that's nuts! I don't think I'll ever understand the reasoning behind some of Disney's decisions!

what decision are you talking about? A lighting strike caused an operation failure, therefore the system was shut down.

 

[Tigger1988]

Wow that's nuts! I don't think I'll ever understand the reasoning behind some of Disney's decisions!

Disney should really plan out their lightning strikes better. GOSH.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

So tonight (August 20, 2011), i was leaving Magic Kingdom. Park closed at 11pm, i stayed inside the park until about 11:50pm hoping it would be quick to get onto a boat or something. To my suprise a LONG DANG LINE for the Ferry stretching to Baggage check and a 90minute Bus wait (to go to TTC), i was very mad and confused onto what i was going to do, so i decide to take a boat to poly and walk, i got on in about 15minutes, got there, and luckly a bus was waiting with nobody on it to go to TTC, so i get on (he warned me about the long drive but i didnt care, sparred me walking). so 15minutes later i get dropped off at TTC (1:00am) and i was dreading the long walk to goofy parking lot but to my suprise (and luck) they were running the trams (2hours after closing). I was soo happy to get to my car.

Let's be fair, here. You stayed in the park until 11:50. That 50 minutes doesn't count towards the time it tok you to get to your car, which means, by your own admission, it actually took you 70 minutes.

Secondly, why on Earth would you take a BUS from the Poly to the TTC? It's much faster to walk.