Originally posted by Drebel
The Monorail system is also set for a huge expansion as early as 2007 on a dual beam system to all four parks, which will eliminate the need to transfer at the Ticket and Transportation Center.
Mmmkay... This seems to be a very popular rumor. So let me clarify a few things.
Guest traffic travelling from Theme Park to Theme Park is no where NEAR heavy enough to justify the extremely high cost of a non-revenue generating Monorail system.
If Disney were to invest such an immense amount of money into a Monorail Expansion, it would be to releive some of the stress on the current bus system.
The current heavy areas are: Port Orleans, Caribbean Beach, All-Stars, and my guess is that Pop Century will be added onto that list when it opens.
These areas are only heavy from 8:30am-10:30am, and then during the park exit. Occassionally, the MK might encounter an influx of guests for nighttime entertainment.
Now... below, I'm going to address some common concerns with the busses, and how they'd relate to the Monorail.
1.) "The busses get crowded, and I have to stand"
Well... so do the monorails. In fact... You have a higher chance of getting a seat on the Bus, than you do on the Monorail.
On a full RTS bus, 65% of the guests will be seated, and 35% will stand. On a full Monorail, only about 40% of the guests will get a seat, while 60% will be standing.
2.) "It takes so long to get places because the bus makes so many stops."
Well... once again... so do the monorails. Think about it... if you were to put in a monorail where the bus used to service... it'd still have to make each stop. And actually... the monorail would stop for a longer period of time. As it stands right now... for a guest staying at the Grand Floridian to get to Epcot... it would take approx 30 minutes. To get to DAK or Studios.... 15 mins...
3.) "The bus fills up before it gets to my stop. The Monorail holds more people."
Granted, the monorail does hold more people, however, it does fill up quickly as well. Now, with a monorail... when it fills up, it still has to make all the stops. And the train behind it does too. So, for the guests waiting at the last few stops... they always get full trains.
With the bus... when one bus fills up... the next bus starts at the next stop. This way, all the guests get equal space.
Now... don't get me wrong... I totally agree that the monorail wins HANDS DOWN in the Total Coolness factor. However... with the way Walt Disney World is set up... with guest traffic flow how it is... with the resorts built the way they are built... Adding a monorail extension just isnt feasible. I wish it were... I really do. But, unless Monorails can become as Flexible as the busses are... they just wouldnt work. It's not about money... it's about logistics.
