Monorail system to close during non peak times for maintenance in early 2014

[awesomeinabox]

Gut reaction: This blows....

Upon further thought: This is awesome, the monorails will get attention and it will just be one trip that is inconvenienced, Disney is still making them available before 11 and after 7 for the kiddos we are traveling with and I can still run them onto the Epcot Line for fun. I can't believe I am actually saying this but thank goodness we opted out of the Poly/GF for this year!

 

[ford91exploder]

I'm waiting for the permanent 'Closed for Refurbishment' on the monorails. After all Bendy Buses are so much more Magical and since manager of Transportation is a former city bus line manager all transport problems look like a bus

The old only tool is a hammer all problems look like nails (buses)

 

[monothingie]

A train was out of service for two years to rebuild its nose. During off seasons they can easily get by with 10 trains. Especially now that there are buses direct to each resort.

Brings up an interesting question. Even in peak seasons I've seen only 10 trains active at a time. I've never seen more than 4 on and the Resort or Express Beam (which is the max capacity I would guess) and I've never seen more than 2 on the Epcot beam. The only time they would need a lot of trains is for the evening exits. That could conceivably provide a large time window for any type of train maintenance.

 

[thomas998]

Thanks for the info, Steve.

I'm sure all the folks who spent big bucks to stay at the MK monorail resorts will be so pleased when they learn of this news. Also, I say 3 to 1 odds the interiors receieve no attention during this "maintenance" time period, even though we all know they could use it.

I think I would be looking for a refund. The only way we could ever justify the Deluxe resorts was by the fact that we could quickly get kids back during the day at MK quickly on the monorail. The other transport wouldn't have been worth it.

 

[PhotoDave219]

A train was out of service for two years to rebuild its nose. During off seasons they can easily get by with 10 trains. Especially now that there are buses direct to each resort.

When is the off-season? There isnt an off-season that Ive seen in the past few years.

 

[Voxel]

We need shiny brand spanking new monorails with a design overhaul. I'm here now. I can see these things are starting to show some age, wear and tear for sure

I understand not building new monorails right now from a business stand point though. If they are trying to make the entire system automated why buy new Monorails that arn't automated which you wont be able to use with the new system or ones that arnt but can't really use them until they are down. I do think Disney is going to replace them but they wont until they can go automated on the system or at least a line is automated. (nice part about automated you can run more closer and faster because you don't have to worry so much about human error).

 

[wdwmagic]

Does anyone know in the past if they have added a watercraft route from CR to MK? We just have small kids and strollers to accomodate and pending weather the walk to BLT may be wet. Thanks.

There is always a boat from MK to Contemporary. Here are the routes http://www.wdwmagic.com/transportation/cruiser-boats.htm

 

[ford91exploder]

Boats are nice but capacity is limited and they only run every 20 minutes or so.

 

[montyz81]

When is the off-season? There isnt an off-season that Ive seen in the past few years.

most of January past the week of the 1st is pretty dead relative to other parts of the year. I am there in January almost every year and rides are 20 minute wait average across all 4 parks.
Also, I was there a few years back and asked what they do about the pitted and scratched windshields (this is when you could ride up front). The drive said they were cycling the monorails to be painted and the windscreens replaced. At the time they were working on Silver.

Also, occasionally the Monorails go in for a wrap. That means they have taken one down for a good amount of time to wrap it. If the system was over stressed at all points during the year, they would never be able to do that.

Fact is there is always time to pull at least one train offline to keep up on regular maint, but they don't seem to do it as often as they should and I can probably guarantee that it has nothing to do with capacity issues or system overload issues. It is all about spending money on a tired old system or spending money on a new DVC resort. One generates revenue, the other doesn't!

 

[prberk]

They do need maintenance. Glad it is being done.

Enjoy your trip. Too bad the beam will not be fully functioning. I need my "Resort time" in the afternoons too, but would expect to use the monorail when staying at and paying for a MK Monorail Resort. Glad it's not a deal breaker for you...BLT does look impressive!

The walk from a room in Bay Lake Towers to the monorail station at the CT Grand Canyon Concourse is not that much shorter than the walk to the MK. And the Contemporary Resort bus stop is actually more convenient to the BLT than is the monorail station inside the main tower.

This is only a shut-down during non-peak ridership in a down time. Not necessarily the one above, but some of the comments here seem overdone, especially the person who kept going on about whether they would provide direct transportation to and from the monorail resorts. Really? Like it would be terribly inconvenient to ride a boat to the MK, then switch and go to another resort on the lake. Does he/she remember that the monorail resort loop usually makes lengthy stops at the resorts as it goes around, with the whole trip taking 20+ minutes?

I love the monorails, and I do like to go to the resorts, but I doubt this is what most people do during the middle of the day when they have paid $100/day to be in the parks.

Seems like sometimes we get myopic around here. I probably have been guilty of it myself. Just seems overwrought sometimes.

 

[Clamman73]

I understand not building new monorails right now from a business stand point though. If they are trying to make the entire system automated why buy new Monorails that arn't automated which you wont be able to use with the new system or ones that arnt but can't really use them until they are down. I do think Disney is going to replace them but they wont until they can go automated on the system or at least a line is automated. (nice part about automated you can run more closer and faster because you don't have to worry so much about human error).

What I'll deduce what's going on is that they're going to automate the current fleet of monorails to see how it all works, get it to where it's running well, and then order new trains that are built to be automated from the get-go which can be just be put into service when they receive them.

 

[omurice]

This makes it so clear now why monorail resorts were added to the new bus loop. Why a CR route was added to the list was still is an odd choice, by the time you walked to the "last" stop on the new loop, you're maybe over half-way to CR, plus you have to wait for a bus now. All while walking eastward you see your hotel looming larger. But I suppose more options is better than limited to walking or the launch boats... if you're in a wheelchair or don't like water travel, etc.

 

[ford91exploder]

Ye

This makes it so clear now why monorail resorts were added to the new bus loop. Why a CR route was added to the list was still is an odd choice, by the time you walked to the "last" stop on the new loop, you're maybe over half-way to CR, plus you have to wait for a bus now. All while walking eastward you see your hotel looming larger. But I suppose more options is better than limited to walking or the launch boats... if you're in a wheelchair or don't like water travel, etc.

yes so buses can replace monorail. The whole automation thing is so monorails will run like a toy train around the tree but carry no passengers. That way monorail is still there as an ornament but replaced by cheap-n-nasty buses.

 

[jdmdisney99]

EXPANSION!



(Sorry just thought that had to be mentioned in a monorail thread! )

 

[KeithVH]

You know, at 25 days out, you read these announcements and start grabbing your chest. Hopefully, the Jan 21 date is solid and we'll dodge a bullet. But isn't Feb a fairly busy time with races and holidays? Regardless of all the opinions above, I would assume this is some major activity above and beyond normal maintenance. Motors, wheels, undercarriage, etc? It just seems like such an odd way of doing things but shutting down the whole fleet if they can't work on all of them at once. And if they can, why would it take that long? Meaning it's not just the cars but lending credence to the beam work theory.

 

[Voxel]

What I'll deduce what's going on is that they're going to automate the current fleet of monorails to see how it all works, get it to where it's running well, and then order new trains that are built to be automated from the get-go which can be just be put into service when they receive them.

Go about it the same way they did replacing the Mark 4 it too ~2/3 years to phase out the old models with the new ones. That is what I will see them doing.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

monorail expansion??

*ducks*

 

[Courtneylee212121]

We booked our stay in the contemporary after years of moderate resorts! Now this!!! We are goin feb 1-7 and have already paid in full so no refund or date changes without fees! First they changed up all the February hours and messed up ALL of our dining reservations .... now the monorails will only be open certain times awe man! We booked contemporary for the monorail! I could understand it they announced it months out... But days before our vacation ....

 

[Courtneylee212121]

While there are other reasons that "justify" the rather exorbitant prices of the MK resorts, direct monorail access is certainly a major part of the equation. I do wonder if any notice was given to guests booking during this time period, or if its all part of the "subject to change without notice" fine print. I think it would be rather disingenuous to not provide some warning of this kind of disruption - certainly more than one month's notice like this.



If I may ask, was there a notice about this upcoming maintenance when you booked, or is this the first you're hearing about it?

We just called and paid for our vacation over the phone yesterday! For feb 1-7 two room at the contemporary tower! They did not even mention it!

 

[Courtneylee212121]

This, exactly.

As much as the monorails need work, if I were booked at a deluxe resort without a deluxe accommodation for transportation to TTC and MK I would switch resorts. The difference in price for having the convenience to use the monorail from you hotel versus having bus only transport is enough to move reservations to a cheaper hotel that has bus only service to begin with. Save yourself easily $400 a night.

The monorail convenience was half the reason we stayed at the Polynesian last May, for our "once in a lifetime" trip. And with the way things are looking and prices rising, it certainly will be once in a lifetime.

There is a hefty fee to change resorts or even dates after booking and paying!