Monorails to no longer operate during Evening Extra Magic Hours

[draybook]

Your willingness to pay for a service not received is your own issue.

Well, going by your logic, the extra money paid by the deluxe guests is for the monorail perk, so I guess I'm not paying for that loss after all, correct?

I'd rather go to WDW and half to wait on a ferry or bus then not go at all.

 

[thelookingglass]

If we can't get to our resorts we can just sleep at MK, if they question us we have an excuse...

Yeah, IF ONLY Disney was offering another way to get to the Grand Floridian, Contemporary, and Poly.


Oh, wait...

 

[lazyboy97o]

Well, going by your logic, the extra money paid by the deluxe guests is for the monorail perk, so I guess I'm not paying for that loss after all, correct?

I'd rather go to WDW and half to wait on a ferry or bus then not go at all.

You said, "If I had the funds available, I would stay at the Contemporary or BLT, and gladly walk back." Unless you would like to offer another hypothesis as to why these three resorts cost more, then you have stated that you would not mind paying the premium for the service that is not being offered.

If you prepaid for a buffet, would you happily take a single course because you still get food and it is still at Walt Disney World?

 

[zulemara]

How is reducing the overall service time by 1-4 hours a week going to fix problems of this scale? The fix likely involves less operating hours per week for each train with more maintenance shifts.

The burning the candle from both ends and it's impact on track maintenance sounds perfectly legit. But that is an acute problem that should be solvable with a schedule of downtime and the flexibility to introduce downtime when necessary for shorter bursts.

The only way to solve this if it were a chronic issue is to reduce hours of the parks operations. And there is a solution for that... run the park more normal hours (like staying open til midnight) and stopping the need to run EMH so late as a gimmic. Under the old operating hours - they were able to fix the beam in the maintenance window.

I still think there needs to be more holistic solutions rather then simply saying 'the CMs wanted this so they could fix it.. listen to us'. The CM lead solution is 'a' solution, not the only one possible. So it's not 'us' vs 'cm' in this matter.

it will take time but they will make progress, a lot more than they are making now!

Taking away EMH will ________ off a LOT more people than just not running them to the monorail resorts during EMH.

Likewise, while there may be people vocal about the change to the monorail resorts, from the company point of view, I would assume it's the lesser of 2 evils. They can do maintenance that will(hopefully) keep the trains running more, or they can continue on the path they are on and have major breakdowns on holidays with 10s of thousands of guests trying to exit MK at the same time, extremely ed off. Which route would you take?

 

[ob1thx1138]

or they can continue on the path they are on and have major breakdowns on holidays with 10s of thousands of guests trying to exit MK at the same time, extremely ed off. Which route would you take?

Well they already have those guests money so what does it matter to them?

The general public is not going to know about this change until it is too late, and even then it will probably not make them to decide not to come back.

The only way this is going to change is if Disney sees a significant decline in the bookings for the monorail resorts, and honestly I don't expect many people to change their mind about which resort they plan on staying at due to night time monorail service. (of course having said that I am in that minority of people who is seriously rethinking my plans due to this change).

 

[draybook]

You said, "If I had the funds available, I would stay at the Contemporary or BLT, and gladly walk back." Unless you would like to offer another hypothesis as to why these three resorts cost more, then you have stated that you would not mind paying the premium for the service that is not being offered.

If you prepaid for a buffet, would you happily take a single course because you still get food and it is still at Walt Disney World?

And I never said I wanted to stay at any of those resorts because of the monorail. Especially at BLT, I'd love to have a view of the MK, which by the way is one reason it cost so much to stay there.

 

[flynnibus]

it will take time but they will make progress, a lot more than they are making now!

Taking away EMH will ________ off a LOT more people than just not running them to the monorail resorts during EMH.

Likewise, while there may be people vocal about the change to the monorail resorts, from the company point of view, I would assume it's the lesser of 2 evils. They can do maintenance that will(hopefully) keep the trains running more, or they can continue on the path they are on and have major breakdowns on holidays with 10s of thousands of guests trying to exit MK at the same time, extremely ed off. Which route would you take?

that's the problem, people act like this is the only choice.. there are lots of others

- reduce train workload during normal hours to get more maintenance hours during the day
- increase maintenance staffing
- rotate trains differently
- build more trains

The one that is harder is beam access and the safety requirements around working with the beams. There other materials may be an option, diferent schedules, different techniques, etc.

Transport is upset because they are being pushed further then what they can support with what they have. Changing what they have is an option that keeps getting left out here saying the only option is stopping service.

How about stopping Express loop service for periods? How about reducing train service intervals.

There are things that will impact guests but can be done without pulling the rug out from under them totally

 

[lazyboy97o]

And I never said I wanted to stay at any of those resorts because of the monorail. Especially at BLT, I'd love to have a view of the MK, which by the way is one reason it cost so much to stay there.

Rooms with specific views are limited and fetch their own premiums on top of what is already charged for monorail service. So again, we are at your personal willingness to forgo a paid for amenity. Your apathy is not a reason why others should be apathetic as well.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Rooms with specific views are limited and fetch their own premiums on top of what is already charged for monorail service. So again, we are at your personal willingness to forgo a paid for amenity. Your apathy is not a reason why others should be apathetic as well.

Exactly. BLT has plenty of standard view studios (aka parking lot) that cost $390 or more per night. These rooms are smaller than standard rooms at Caribbean Beach. That directly shows the huge premium on BLT for factors such as convenience and monorail service, which was heavily marketed to anyone who decided to buy in.

 

[828tnt]

Times like these are the BEST times for companies that are financially sound to invest in. Borrowing costs are as low as they have ever been since WDW's existance. The company is cash flush, and cash positive.

The company doesn't have to hunker down when it comes to long term spending. Companies hunder down to control their short term expenses in such storms.. but the ones that look to break out and run away when the sky clears are those that took the opportunity to invest in the company to be better and setup for success on the other side.

The type of spending here is long term capital which now is the best time possible to finance. It's times like this when the smart companies restructure and reinvest to break out. If all you do is huddle up in a ball and wait for the sun to come back out... you'll just be a frail prune when it finally does happen while your competition ramps up quicker and better and blows you buy.

This isn't radical thinking - it's pretty common business strategy. Get expenses in line, reinvest, and prepare for the breakout.

Disney's financial strength is not in question, nor is it's future market. It doesn't need to be so paranoid in not spending for the future... there is a future for Disney entertainment in FL.

wdw has been down a train for 2 years. maintenance has been an issue for some time. it's not a people problem, it's a decision making problem. sometimes money needs to be spent to fix a problem.

that makes this more of a cost cutting issue. and a "good show" is (imo, and likely most others) important to the value of going to a disney park vs another (cheaper) amusement park.

anything else becomes excuse making. (or "survey fixing")

 

[dave&di]

I guess the other guests at value resorts mean less to the Deluxe resort guests. I guess there is a class system even on the internet. So just because we stay at POP, we should not be allowed monorail transit to TTC or to a Deluxe for dining reservations? Nice real nice.

It's not fair to generalise about Deluxe Resort Guests, staying at a Deluxe does not mean you have to be rich and stuck up. My BF and I save for 2 years, with wages that are nothing much, we live in a small 2 bedroom house in an unpleasant area. I look down my nose at no one. Thankyou.

 

[ob1thx1138]

I guess the other guests at value resorts mean less to the Deluxe resort guests. I guess there is a class system even on the internet. So just because we stay at POP, we should not be allowed monorail transit to TTC or to a Deluxe for dining reservations? Nice real nice.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that. The only similar suggestion I read was to discontinue express service after EMH are over. This would still provide access to the TTC for everyone still in the park, it would just stop at the resorts as well.

I really think this is the smartest thing they could do. Yes it would mean longer lines for the monorail after hours, but those long lines would lead to more people using alternative methods (bus, boat and walk) and yet still provide the ease of transport for people that cannot easily load a boat or bus.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

The way I understand it, each Monorail Resort pays a certain percentage of their income to cover transportation costs.

SO...since transportation is being removed from the guests amenities, then the resort should pay Transportation Department less....

THEREFORE....nightly rates at all Monorail Resorts will soon be going down! :sohappy:

That would be very logical, reduce service, reduce prices. Sadly, Disney probably follows it's own "logic" and that is pretty much summed up in: Raise prices for parks and resorts regularly under any circumstances (good economy, bad economy, good visitor numbers, bad visitor numbers...) and cut down on services simultaneously. NEVER ever drop prices, never bring back canceled amenities and services.
That seems to be the philosophy of TDO for years or even decades by now.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

I have never been able to stay at a monorail resort. I guess I should now say that I have never been able to stay at a sometimes monorail resort. That really is a shame for those staying at these resorts. I can't believe that this change will be well received by those not hearing of this change before their trip. How disappointing that will be to those guests.

It's really nice to read that someone who doesn't stay at monorail resorts still DOES care about the negative impact this change will have on the trip quality of those guests who stay there, although his own experience is not altered. I appreciate that, thank you very much.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

1 - This only proves that the system will never, ever, ever be expanded.

I agree, the monorail will never be expanded with the present companies "spirit". Actually I believe the monorail is a heritage of Walt's parks era. Present management would never have built such a magnificent and progressive transportation system in the first way. They would rely on buses and boats alone.

 

[828tnt]

I agree, the monorail will never be expanded with the present companies "spirit". Actually I believe the monorail is a heritage of Walt's parks era. Present management would never have built such a magnificent and progressive transportation system in the first way. They would rely on buses and boats alone.

so sad, but likely soooo true.

 

[misterID]

I don't have a problem with this decision. I have a problem that it's come to the point that this IS the best decision. Little fixes aren't going to solve anything. This decision really isn't going to solve anything. A quick fix always leads to bigger problems in the long run.

Well, going by your logic, the extra money paid by the deluxe guests is for the monorail perk, so I guess I'm not paying for that loss after all, correct?

I'd rather go to WDW and half to wait on a ferry or bus then not go at all.

You know, you've said a few times this doesn't effect you personally, so you don't really care... But then you just can't stop criticizing people this does effect. And you say you'd like them to stop going to WDW so there are less people in the park... Oh yeah, have fun with the small crowds, we all know how TDO makes up for lost attendance... And no, it's not adding more attractions to bring people in... You'll be paying for their lost revenue in increased ticket, parking and resort prices, shorter park hours, fewer CM's and fewer attractions open, with a lot of attractions and shows becoming seasonal.

... And no, I'm mot saying this particular incident is going cause a mass of people to boycott the parks and stop going, so anyone writing their protectionist over reactionary post can stop now. But I will say that if it continues like this, more people are going to be visiting DLR instead of WDW.

Disney has given me a higher standard for Disney, and I'm not backtracking from that.

 

[PirateFrank]

I still dont understand those that are griping over this.

The system wasn't designed to handle this load....Peachy has made it rather clear that it's not just the trains, but the rails that are suffering....

As a manager, I'm not sure I would have arrived to another decision. It boggles my mind how so many are going:

"They have the money, they can buy new trains"..."Disney has tons of cash, they can afford it".....If the current conditions, and I mean, 21-24 hours a day or operation, has brought the current system to its knees, how the hell do you expect additional trains to help?

First, it's going to require an additional capital investment to expand the sheds, in addition to the cost of these trains....which are custom made and will not be sitting on the shelf at the local orlando walmart. Why would any sane company make the decision to invest in a system that is being impacted in a way that extra trains wont help, but actually worsen.

Peachy said it himself. The track is part of the problem here. They need extra hours to make qualitative patches to the concrete rails or else the patches fall off in hours. How on earth does adding another 4 trains to an already taxed rail network help the rail network.

Throwing good money at a problem, just because there's a problem, doesn't make the problem go away.

Reducing EEMH service seems like a more than reasonable solution. The company likely reviewed which end of the day they can afford to reduce service, looked at rider-statistics and quickly deduced that the rider-load in the late evenings is the place to make the cut...and it would impact the overall park guests far less than the morning EMH, which are only an extra hour each day and also carry early bird regular park-guests.


Seriously....I scratch my head. Even when this company does something that seeks to *improve* the quality at the parks, some of you scream that you're not getting your money's worth and the parks are nickel and diming you. Really? :shrug:

 

[olinecoach61]

I agree, the monorail will never be expanded with the present companies "spirit". Actually I believe the monorail is a heritage of Walt's parks era. Present management would never have built such a magnificent and progressive transportation system in the first way. They would rely on buses and boats alone.

Well said!

 

[Kamikaze]

I agree, the monorail will never be expanded with the present companies "spirit". Actually I believe the monorail is a heritage of Walt's parks era. Present management would never have built such a magnificent and progressive transportation system in the first way. They would rely on buses and boats alone.

You do realize, of course, that if the monorail was actually an efficient system for transportation with the WDW traffic flow, it would have been expanded long ago? The peak periods of the day - huge crowds at about 4 times a day - do not work well with a system that cannot easily add more capacity and then take that capacity back off when the demand goes down. Buses can do that. Boats can do that. Basically anything thats not tied to a track can do that. And thats why the monorail - although iconic and 'futuristic' - is neither magnificient or progressive when considering the guests that it serves.