Monorail system to operate on new timetable to accommodate automation work

[Admiral01]

Nothing should ever be "expected". Disney, in no way, shape, or form promises the monorail or any other item on their property will always be 100% operational. They try, but exceptions arise, and it's people with an attitude of "if something isn't perfect or operational the way I want, then I will complain and moan that my vacation was ruined" that give Disney the reasoning to not do regular refurbs. Besides, they inform guests about the delays so expecting something to be open, when it isnt, is on the guest. Disney made the effort.

I'm going to push back just a bit on this one. When I book a flight from Washington to New York, I expect the airline is going to fly me on an airplane - not load me on a bus at the airport for my journey. Sure, the bus gets me there, but if I expect a flight, and I pay for the flight, I expect to be flown on an airplane not loaded onto a bus. Informing me of the airplane-to-bus change after I paid for a flight is unacceptable. However, if I was told prior to booking that service from DC to NYC for a given period of time were going to be by bus instead of plane, I would not book my flight for those times...or I would go ahead and just book a cheap bus instead of paying the higher fare.

This isn't like an attraction being down or anything like that. Disney markets GF, Poly, and CR as Monorail resorts. Monorails are the primary form of transportation for the resorts, are part of the resort infrastructure like an elevator, toilet, air conditioning, etc, and as such should be expected by any guest paying to stay at the resort.

The Monorails aren't a form of entertainment that we should expect to go down for refurbs from time to time. It is a transportation system. All transportation systems need investments for upkeep and upgrades, and this seems to be one of those times.

I am happy that Disney is investing in upgrades for the Monorail system. It needs it. I hope it comes through the other end of the upgrade period in much better shape than it went in. At the same time, I would be angry if I was staying at a resort where the Monorail was the selling point, only to learn of a diminished capacity and capability of the system during my stay. I would likely ask to be moved to another resort elsewhere on property. If EPCOT was my thing, I would ask to be moved to Boardwalk/Beach Club/Yacht Club. If MK was my focus, I would ask to be moved to CR so I could walk to the park. And I would demand the difference in price be refunded.

The availability of the attractions in the parks is always a variable - you can't rely on all the attractions being running all the time. The transportation systems, however, can't be a variable. If I have an 8 AM dining reservation at EPCOT, and I am staying at the GF where the Monorail is the primary form of transportation, I expect to be able to walk down to the platform and board a train to get me to my destination. If Disney is unable to accomplish that...I expect to have had plenty of warning PRIOR to booking my vacation.

 

[flynnibus]

I'm so sorry that your vacation is ruined because you are unable to take the "filthy" and "unmaintained" monorail service to your early reservation in the morning to Epcot. You will have to ride a bus for an entire 10 minutes of your day, How Dare Disney inconvenience you like that...
/endsarcasm

Is the filthy and unmaintained Disney management adjusting their prices for the reduction in services? No?? Oh, so please continue with your weak attempts at downplaying customers getting less than what they paid for

 

[flynnibus]

Nothing should ever be "expected"

Yes my friends... This is the Disney of the 21st century!! How DARE you expect Disney provide top notch services? How DARE you expect to get what you paid for? How DARE you expect Disney to notify you if they change the game?

How DARE you expect Disney today to live up to the standards set by The Walt Disney Company established?

You all should just be happy Disney is there at all!


*facepalm*

Figment2005 - what you are missing is not that Disney isn't delivering at 100% 100% of the time.. its how Disney accepts not operating at 100% and how they handle it when they aren't. Your dismissive attitude that 'good enough' is in fact the mantra... epitomizes what people are talking about when we talk about Disney sliding.

 

[Rinx]

Express opens at 9:30?!?!? So anyone who parks at the TTC for MK rope drop can expect MASSIVE ferry boat lines. I don't think the extra dock they built will ease the congestion very well because the ferries cannot match the frequency and capacity of the express monorail. And those staying at Poly and GF will probably have to take a tiny launch boat to MK because the monorail will be too crowded with guests coming from TTC. It's gonna be messy...

 

[Tuvalu]

And those staying at Poly and GF will probably have to take a tiny launch boat to MK because the monorail will be too crowded with guests coming from TTC. It's gonna be messy...

When the monorail is down, larger boats are put into service for boat transportation for GF and Poly guests. This happened to us prior to MK opening about 10 days ago and Disney quickly got the larger boats out to handle the crowds.

 

[dstrawn9889]

Except this was just announced. Booking a room at GF is not typically a last minute thing. These rooms are booked and paid for.

You are defending Disney's staggering cheapness, why?

The Monorails need refurbishment, desperately. So what is the best solution? A: Add another train or two, this way you can pull one or two down, and NOT have to disrupt the Monorail service. Instead, Disney is taking the route of screw the guest. Not great.

adding a train or two will not help in this case, it is beamway work, only accomplished when there is no MONORAIL ON THE BEAM... RTA

 

[cw1982]

When the monorail is down, larger boats are put into service for boat transportation for GF and Poly guests. This happened to us prior to MK opening about 10 days ago and Disney quickly got the larger boats out to handle the crowds.

That's good to know. I just really hope that they use this same type of foresight to make sure the demands for buses are met too.

 

[Figment2005]

So when this is all said and done, will it be ran like the monorails in Vegas? Or will they still have a pilot in the cab, as a backup?

Pilot

 

[Figment2005]

Except this was just announced. Booking a room at GF is not typically a last minute thing. These rooms are booked and paid for.

You are defending Disney's staggering cheapness, why?

The Monorails need refurbishment, desperately. So what is the best solution? A: Add another train or two, this way you can pull one or two down, and NOT have to disrupt the Monorail service. Instead, Disney is taking the route of screw the guest. Not great.

I'm not defending Disney's "staggering cheapness". I'm defending there reduction of monorail service by a whopping 2 hours a day so they can complete an upgrade to the control system. How is that cheap?

 

[Figment2005]

I'm going to push back just a bit on this one. When I book a flight from Washington to New York, I expect the airline is going to fly me on an airplane - not load me on a bus at the airport for my journey. Sure, the bus gets me there, but if I expect a flight, and I pay for the flight, I expect to be flown on an airplane not loaded onto a bus. Informing me of the airplane-to-bus change after I paid for a flight is unacceptable. However, if I was told prior to booking that service from DC to NYC for a given period of time were going to be by bus instead of plane, I would not book my flight for those times...or I would go ahead and just book a cheap bus instead of paying the higher fare.

This isn't like an attraction being down or anything like that. Disney markets GF, Poly, and CR as Monorail resorts. Monorails are the primary form of transportation for the resorts, are part of the resort infrastructure like an elevator, toilet, air conditioning, etc, and as such should be expected by any guest paying to stay at the resort.

The Monorails aren't a form of entertainment that we should expect to go down for refurbs from time to time. It is a transportation system. All transportation systems need investments for upkeep and upgrades, and this seems to be one of those times.

I am happy that Disney is investing in upgrades for the Monorail system. It needs it. I hope it comes through the other end of the upgrade period in much better shape than it went in. At the same time, I would be angry if I was staying at a resort where the Monorail was the selling point, only to learn of a diminished capacity and capability of the system during my stay. I would likely ask to be moved to another resort elsewhere on property. If EPCOT was my thing, I would ask to be moved to Boardwalk/Beach Club/Yacht Club. If MK was my focus, I would ask to be moved to CR so I could walk to the park. And I would demand the difference in price be refunded.

The availability of the attractions in the parks is always a variable - you can't rely on all the attractions being running all the time. The transportation systems, however, can't be a variable. If I have an 8 AM dining reservation at EPCOT, and I am staying at the GF where the Monorail is the primary form of transportation, I expect to be able to walk down to the platform and board a train to get me to my destination. If Disney is unable to accomplish that...I expect to have had plenty of warning PRIOR to booking my vacation.

I understand your pushback, but you're reading too far into it. Disney is not saying the monorails are closed, they are saying our service will be delayed. Have you never had a delay at the airport? With Disney though, they have viable transportation options that will get you to your location and in about the same amount of time. Traveling by bus from any of those 3 resorts is about a 30 minute trip on the worst of days. It can be the exact same time frame to take a monorail once you factor in changing trains at the TTC. If you have bad luck it could even take longer. With the bus, you at least know you don't have to get out until you are at your destination.

 

[cw1982]

I'm not defending Disney's "staggering cheapness". I'm defending there reduction of monorail service by a whopping 2 hours a day so they can complete an upgrade to the control system. How is that cheap?

But the two hours that they are cutting are two very important hours for many of their guests. It would be different if those two hours were at a time when fewer people were trying to get into the parks. Many people deliberately make early morning ADR's at monorail resorts so they can get to the parks for RD. Yes, they can still take the bus, but if everyone is having to rely on the bus, the bus service will get more bogged down as well, so if Disney doesn't have enough buses on hand, people will be missing ADR's in the parks or valuable park time.

Airport delays happen, but the airport isn't selling access to theme parks and convenient transportation to said theme parks as a perk of using their services.

 

[Figment2005]

Yes my friends... This is the Disney of the 21st century!! How DARE you expect Disney provide top notch services? How DARE you expect to get what you paid for? How DARE you expect Disney to notify you if they change the game?

How DARE you expect Disney today to live up to the standards set by The Walt Disney Company established?

You all should just be happy Disney is there at all!


*facepalm*

Figment2005 - what you are missing is not that Disney isn't delivering at 100% 100% of the time.. its how Disney accepts not operating at 100% and how they handle it when they aren't. Your dismissive attitude that 'good enough' is in fact the mantra... epitomizes what people are talking about when we talk about Disney sliding.

I'm not forgiving them for shortcuts they have delivered in the past. I'm defending them because the reasoning behind the inconvenience is that of a better monorail experience. If they were reducing hours to simply cut cost then that is one thing, but they aren't. Many folks are treating it as an intentional jab at the guests staying at those resorts. That is why I am defending Disney.

 

[Figment2005]

But the two hours that they are cutting are two very important hours for many of their guests. It would be different if those two hours were at a time when fewer people were trying to get into the parks. Many people deliberately make early morning ADR's at monorail resorts so they can get to the parks for RD. Yes, they can still take the bus, but if everyone is having to rely on the bus, the bus service will get more bogged down as well, so if Disney doesn't have enough buses on hand, people will be missing ADR's in the parks or valuable park time.

Airport delays happen, but the airport isn't selling access to theme parks and convenient transportation to said theme parks as a perk of using their services.

But see, when they did the mid day shutdowns earlier this year, they were in the lighter part of the day. They received the exact same kickback, if not more than what they are getting now. Disney cannot win with the monorails. If they are down, people are ed, if they are running, people are upset that they aren't as clean as they should be.

 

[flynnibus]

Many folks are treating it as an intentional jab at the guests staying at those resorts. That is why I am defending Disney.

No, your blind defense of Disney is what is causing you to fail to understand what people are voicing disdain for. They aren't saying they are picked on or beat on... but rather Disney is failing to adequately adjust to ensure the type of service/value that Disney was known for.

Same way as Disney is screwing people at the Poly.

Compensation is not 'sorry, here is a bus...' when people paid a premium for service above the regular buses.

 

[flynnibus]

But see, when they did the mid day shutdowns earlier this year, they were in the lighter part of the day. They received the exact same kickback, if not more than what they are getting now. Disney cannot win with the monorails. If they are down, people are ed, if they are running, people are upset that they aren't as clean as they should be.

Yup - which is why you don't operate a system that is stretched so thin. It's why you do things like keep extras.. or extra parts.. or have more staff. Instead, Disney is opt'ing for reducing service.

 

[Figment2005]

No, your blind defense of Disney is what is causing you to fail to understand what people are voicing disdain for. They aren't saying they are picked on or beat on... but rather Disney is failing to adequately adjust to ensure the type of service/value that Disney was known for.

Same way as Disney is screwing people at the Poly.

Compensation is not 'sorry, here is a bus...' when people paid a premium for service above the regular buses.

How is that blind defense. Just because my opinion on the matter is different than yours does not mean I am wrong.

 

[cw1982]

But see, when they did the mid day shutdowns earlier this year, they were in the lighter part of the day. They received the exact same kickback, if not more than what they are getting now. Disney cannot win with the monorails. If they are down, people are ed, if they are running, people are upset that they aren't as clean as they should be.

I agree with you that there are those who will gripe no matter what, but I still feel like it's more than fair to be disgruntled with Disney for not providing a service that is such a huge selling point for those rooms with very little advance notice. If they think people were mad about the monorails being shut down during lighter parts of the day, wait until the reports come in about the drama that will ensue when people get charged missed ADR fees because Disney transportation failed them. We know about them being down because we follow these boards, but people who don't know to do that may very well not find out about this at all until they are already late because they are at the mercy of the backlogged buses, since they didn't know the monorail would be down. And then they are paying premium prices to have use of the monorail directly from their hotel on top of that? No matter how you slice it, this seems far worse than the monorails being down last time.

 

[Figment2005]

Yup - which is why you don't operate a system that is stretched so thin. It's why you do things like keep extras.. or extra parts.. or have more staff. Instead, Disney is opt'ing for reducing service.

What? None of these shutdowns have anything to do with lack of trains or parts. This is completely revolving around the automation upgrades coming to the system. Your just taking blind jabs now.

 

[flynnibus]

What? None of these shutdowns have anything to do with lack of trains or parts. This is completely revolving around the automation upgrades coming to the system. Your just taking blind jabs now.

No - but nice selective memory. You opened the topic to Monorails not being available or up to standard and the above is true. Monorails don't get dirty due to the beamwork needed. Work takes longer the less qualified staff you have. etc

 

[Figment2005]

I agree with you that there are those who will gripe no matter what, but I still feel like it's more than fair to be disgruntled with Disney for not providing a service that is such a huge selling point for those rooms with very little advance notice. If they think people were mad about the monorails being shut down during lighter parts of the day, wait until the reports come in about the drama that will ensue when people get charged missed ADR fees because Disney transportation failed them. We know about them being down because we follow these boards, but people who don't know to do that may very well not find out about this at all until they are already late because they are at the mercy of the backlogged buses, since they didn't know the monorail would be down. And then they are paying premium prices to have use of the monorail directly from their hotel on top of that? No matter how you slice it, this seems far worse than the monorails being down last time.

The mornings, at least that early, are not as busy as many of you are making them out to be. From the TTC standpoint, between the hours of 7 and 8:30, we may see a couple hundred people. That isn't even a full train. The backup of people will not exist for breakfast reservations. Now, the express from TTC to Magic Kingdom will cause a backlog of people to boats, but that happens regardless many times.