Monorails to no longer operate during Evening Extra Magic Hours

[puntagordabob]

First, to both puntagordabob and bunnyman....it was not my intention to take this thread on a tangent nor to trivialize the struggles that handicapped park guests have to deal with. Please accept my apologies. That goes for anyone else that may have been offended by my post. I still feel strongly that if one has an issue with inaccessibility to the monorail during EEMH, he/she should explore other options...whether that means other resorts or other means of transportation....of which, one of those options is the bus network, where people with ECVs/wheelchairs enjoy priority seating/treatment.

You have a wealth of options at your disposal. Complaining that the one option you prefer is no longer available, given the fact that increased continuous repair access to the track is a necessity only waters down your argument both here and with guest relations when you call.

I'd rather see a whole bunch of people call Guest Relations and argue Disco Yeti, where WDW has no where to hide. Any verbal or written complaints regarding the inaccessibility of EEMH because of the monorail shutting down a little early, *especially* considering priority access to bus transportation, will likely be met with a perfunctory, polite apology and nothing more.

First, if there are more than one EMH nights at MK per week, then I stand corrected. I was under the impression that there was one/week for each park.

Second, they're not my monorails. I don't work for WDW.

Third, I think you missed a point that was made several pages ago. adding trains to the rotation might address the issue of some of the trains being in disrepair. HOWEVER....it will *not* address the problem of the track being in disrepair. The repair crews need more than 3 hours a night to make effective repairs on the track system, as the concrete repairs need to harden and cure. If they do not provide adequate time, the repairs fail....this point speaks pointedly to the issue of cutting service time. There's *no* other logistical way to address this problem without cutting service...and no one in this thread has been able to offer a viable alternative solution.

Apoligy accepted.

To your third point... the solution is to take the system down for a week or whatever (posted well in advance) is needed to address the issue...working on one of the three lines at a time.... in addition they need to add more trains and spend real money fixing/updating/upgrading NOW and even begin the slow process for their replacement if need be. That is the ONLY TRUE solution. I am not at all an expert but if I am reading a lot of what those on here are saying about the trains and the track it seems like the trains are damaging the track because of the issues the trains themselves keep having.

There have been a lot of posts detailing how this is a larger impact than just simply the crowd leaving the MK on an EMH night. You don't seem to recognize that in your posts. Not sure why. And not even just that. There have been other scenarios people gave for things like dinner reservations and so forth.

There's a handful of ways this is an inconvenience, to be sure.

Correct... EMHs...parties....private events... dinner reservations...etc...it will likely be a real PR problem.

We stay at the Poly and use the monorail to get to CA Grill -- I DO NOT WANT TO TAKE SOME BUS RIDE THERE, I'll have to do watercraft I guess -- does anyone know if the monorail will be running during Mickey's Halloween Party??

I believe the answer to the second part is Nope.

Have fun with the watercraft!!! I think from the Poly you take the boat to the MK... from there you catch another boat to the Wilderness Lodge.... then you catch Yet Again Another boat over to the Contemporary. Oh and be aware the watercraft shut down too but not sure when that happens... It will likely take you over an hour (if you get truly unlucky it could be like an hour and a half!) to make the trip each way...lol 10 minutes by monorail

 

[wdwmagic]

does anyone know if the monorail will be running during Mickey's Halloween Party??

It has not been determined yet, so we'll have to see how that pans out.

 

[Jakester]

I dont see why they wouldnt run the monorails during the events, then again i wouldnt be suprised if they didnt

 

[puntagordabob]

I was curious so I googled this subject and was amazed at all the forums (was being talked about on forums I never had visited).... this is going around like a virus throughout the Disney forums worldwide and even some places that just happen to be discussing this for some reason. Below is a post I saw on another site that was kind of interesting:

paste------

Standard Disney "deluxe guests" receive less! So folks you are now paying top dollar for a deluxe hotel with the worst transportation to these events on property. remember that if it's storming those boats won't be running. Plan to walk to BLT and CR in the rain! If you are GF guest you will just have to hang around the park for a LONG time.

"Gee honey we are paying $500 a night for a room we can't get to, isn't Disney great!"

end paste-----

Hadnt considered the storms will actually shut down all the boats... wouldnt that be a headache

 

[BrittanyRose428]

I was curious so I googled this subject and was amazed at all the forums (was being talked about on forums I never had visited).... this is going around like a virus throughout the Disney forums worldwide and even some places that just happen to be discussing this for some reason. Below is a post I saw on another site that was kind of interesting:

paste------

Standard Disney "deluxe guests" receive less! So folks you are now paying top dollar for a deluxe hotel with the worst transportation to these events on property. remember that if it's storming those boats won't be running. Plan to walk to BLT and CR in the rain! If you are GF guest you will just have to hang around the park for a LONG time.

"Gee honey we are paying $500 a night for a room we can't get to, isn't Disney great!"

end paste-----

Hadnt considered the storms will actually shut down all the boats... wouldnt that be a headache

If a storm shuts down the boats I would hope they'd run the monorail (if possible during the storm) Piling everyone onto buses just seems like a nightmare.

 

[xdan0920]

If a storm shuts down the boats I would hope they'd run the monorail (if possible during the storm) Piling everyone onto buses just seems like a nightmare.

I'm not sure of the logistics of this monorail shutdown, but if they are pulling the trains off the track in order to perform maintenance of them and the beams, I don't see how they would be able to get them back up and running quickly enough to transport stranded guests. I assume they will just send out buses.

 

[Thrill]

I'm not sure of the logistics of this monorail shutdown, but if they are pulling the trains off the track in order to perform maintenance of them and the beams, I don't see how they would be able to get them back up and running quickly enough to transport stranded guests. I assume they will just send out buses.

Not all of the trains can be off the track at once.

 

[puntagordabob]

Not all of the trains can be off the track at once.

But I imagine the CMs on the line are sent home...not seeing a quick reopening on such short notice being realistic....

 

[mickey2008.1]

So if the monorail isnt running at 7:30pm, and the MK is closed, which means it's bus service is also done, how does one get to a deluxe resort for a dining reservation at 8pm? This will really hurt the restaurants at deluxe resorts. If you cant get to Spirit of Aloha via Disney Transportation, are you going to pay for it via taxi, or just go spomewhere else? Somehow they have to make it accessible to get to these places, as there are no direct ways to get there, but now its even more difficult. Any suggestions/solutions?

 

[unkadug]

So if the monorail isnt running at 7:30pm, and the MK is closed, which means it's bus service is also done, how does one get to a deluxe resort for a dining reservation at 8pm? This will really hurt the restaurants at deluxe resorts. If you cant get to Spirit of Aloha via Disney Transportation, are you going to pay for it via taxi, or just go spomewhere else? Somehow they have to make it accessible to get to these places, as there are no direct ways to get there, but now its even more difficult. Any suggestions/solutions?

Take the boat or leave earlier. That is the ONLY solution if you are depending upon Disney Transportation.

The boat ride is only a couple of minutes longer of a trip than the monorail.

 

[mp2bill]

I'm not a fan of the move, but I do understand it. I wonder if above average monorail breakdowns have caused this policy to come about. Running those things for 18+ hours a day cannot be good for them.

Good point

 

[llrain]

my theory

Disney stage 1 of a complete closure in the end so that they can work on everything monorail regarding track maintenence, possible upgrades of software systems and monorail rehabs, station rehabs, etc, the rehab wouldnt have to last long but get it all done at once by shutting it all down.
Sounds dumbfounded but who knows...this 1st simple move could turn into
another baby step to reach this goal....maybe since realizing in recent months and heck even the last few years, that they realize its time to seriously do something.
Its like weening people off the grid of transport.

Or another is that they are going to take the extra time they now have off the tracks to finally fix these trains overnight. Just think, these things run till like midnight, sometimes till 1-2-even 3am..they then are back out there
within a couple of hours..thats a lotta mileage....
Can you say Southwest inflight hole tear? Sound familiar...
what did they do? They took alot of planes off the flight grid for a while it seems to inspect....

 

[BalooChicago]

While I agree with your ideas, there is no reason they couldn't do a systematic shutdown of one beam at a time.

I wonder how hard it would be to convert express to resort, repair the resort beam, then shutdown express and repair it (assuming Epcot beams have less need for repair). I would think accessibility (wheelchair access) might be the biggest issue, right?

 

[lazyboy97o]

I wonder how hard it would be to convert express to resort, repair the resort beam, then shutdown express and repair it (assuming Epcot beams have less need for repair). I would think accessibility (wheelchair access) might be the biggest issue, right?

I would think it possible to build temporary platforms above the beams at the resorts.

 

[mickey2008.1]

Take the boat or leave earlier. That is the ONLY solution if you are depending upon Disney Transportation.

The boat ride is only a couple of minutes longer of a trip than the monorail.

Boats will also be shut down, as it is after an hour the MK closed. Pay a taxi. WDW loses while taxis make out. More$$$ for less. Dont think so! Just go somewhere else. I can understand limiting the amount of trains, and the need for maintenance, but to hurt all people who spend money is crazy. I get the TTC traffic, and the locals, but how do people onsiite get from here to there if its all closed up for the night? I just dont think we understand the whole situation yet.. EPCOT is open til 9:00pm. so,, all monorail service should be until 10:30? Anyone have an answer to this with times between the two parks?

 

[menamechris]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if one day there is a serious reduction of EMH. If I remember correctly, in the 90's, the only benefit resort guests got was early admission at 8am - and that was considered a BIG deal. And it didn't keep the monorails running for hours past when the park closed to the general public. So I think even guests on the lagoon are still getting a pretty good deal...

 

[flynnibus]

"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?

Additional trains allows each train to run less often - and get more maintenance.

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.

Because your logic doesn't understand why people say get more trains to start with. More trains doesn't make your beam problems worse - it's to address the main problem which is the long term durability and high # of hours on the fleet of trains.. which is already running at reduced capacity.

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.

Because they are problems you can address separately.

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:

Because companies like Disney would invest in ways to fix their problems that don't hinder guests.

Does it cost Disney more to work at night then day? YES, but they do it. Why? Because they didn't want guests to see or be hindered by the work during the day. you know.. that whole 'show' thing. People are upset because choices like these fly in the face of such business models.

How do you help the beam situation? It's called 'ENGINEERING' you work smarter, not just harder. Are there different methods to repair? Or how about facing the fact that if repairs are needed so much, instead of repair they should be working on replacement? What's the expected lifecycle of the beam to start with? Maybe they are actually in a 'patch it instead of fix it' mentality already and should be focusing on long term fixes instead.

What about single beaming? What about rotating which loop is in service so the other loop has more downtime? etc etc. There are plenty of systems in the world that deal with such uptime requirements. Civil engineers throughout the world make their living solving infrastructure problems like this.

Point being - there are a lot of choices - so please stop acting like this is the only path they had. Most have impacts and costs - but it's not the ONLY method. You keep saying 'where are solutions?' try reading the thread instead of insulting handicap guests. There is plenty already covered in the previous 30 plus pages.

 

[alphac2005]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if one day there is a serious reduction of EMH. If I remember correctly, in the 90's, the only benefit resort guests got was early admission at 8am - and that was considered a BIG deal.

However, standard operating hours at the Magic Kingdom and the Studios used to be substantially longer throughout the year. So, they offer the "extra magic hours," but a lot of it isn't so extra when they've reduced their hours from years past. I lived in Orlando from 99-05 and standard hours are quite lower from then. I remember the countless MK closings at midnight and 1 am for non-hotel guests let alone the Studios closing at the minimum of 10:30 pm.

 

[thehowiet]

Additional trains allows each train to run less often - and get more maintenance.



Because your logic doesn't understand why people say get more trains to start with. More trains doesn't make your beam problems worse - it's to address the main problem which is the long term durability and high # of hours on the fleet of trains.. which is already running at reduced capacity.



Because they are problems you can address separately.



Because companies like Disney would invest in ways to fix their problems that don't hinder guests.

Does it cost Disney more to work at night then day? YES, but they do it. Why? Because they didn't want guests to see or be hindered by the work during the day. you know.. that whole 'show' thing. People are upset because choices like these fly in the face of such business models.

How do you help the beam situation? It's called 'ENGINEERING' you work smarter, not just harder. Are there different methods to repair? Or how about facing the fact that if repairs are needed so much, instead of repair they should be working on replacement? What's the expected lifecycle of the beam to start with? Maybe they are actually in a 'patch it instead of fix it' mentality already and should be focusing on long term fixes instead.

What about single beaming? What about rotating which loop is in service so the other loop has more downtime? etc etc. There are plenty of systems in the world that deal with such uptime requirements. Civil engineers throughout the world make their living solving infrastructure problems like this.

Point being - there are a lot of choices - so please stop acting like this is the only path they had. Most have impacts and costs - but it's not the ONLY method. You keep saying 'where are solutions?' try reading the thread instead of insulting handicap guests. There is plenty already covered in the previous 30 plus pages.

All great points, flynnibus. There are definitely other solutions. Setting up the express side at the resorts to be temporary load/unload platforms is definitely a solution for when work needs to be done on the resort beam. It's time they start thinking long-term.

I've said it once before, but I really wouldn't be all that surprised if in another 20 years there isn't any monorail service at all at WDW. Eventually these short-term fixes won't be enough. At what point does Disney decide that replacing beams, trains, and updating the power grid and switches is just too costly?

 

[PirateFrank]

Ive done alot of thinking on this issue over the past evening, and I I have to say I'm coming around to the other side on this.... one thing that really solidified it for me was that I forgot how much inter-resort shopping and dining we do as a family....we may not be at the parks every night, but we most certainly shop and dine at the other monorail resorts at night...we browse the shops.....we hang out at the other resorts, etc....

While we, as a family are not restricted from using the launches, as handicapped families are....the unintended consequence of this is that the launch system is going to get overworked/overloaded.

While I still feel that the monorail system needs a better rest, nightly, the fact that they aren't even going to run the resort loop to handle inter-resort traffic is at best, short sighted (as it will most certainly have a profoundly negative result on restaurant/shop revenue) and at worst, disastrous....as the other transportation systems are going to get far more heavily taxed.....will tdo finally wake up when a launch sinks out in bay lake?

I'm definitely not as comfortable about this situation as I was yesterday.....