So they're still going to pay for buses to run to the 3 monorail resorts during EMH? How does that really equal much of a cost savings then, over just running one monorail line to MK and one train to Epcot for those 2 hours? You're still paying drivers (in the case of buses, actually more driver hours, since a bunch of buses require more drivers than 2 monorails), you're still paying for gas/electricity. And ing off the monorail resort guests thrown in for good measure. I'm sure they've crunched the numbers somehow, but I don't get it. It can't be that much of a savings, and it's not every night anyway, just a couple nights a week for MK and a couple for Epcot.
From what I've gathered, this is more for maintenance reasons and not necessarily cost-saving reasons. They will likely be paying more to run 2-3 buses between the EMH park and the 3 resorts than they would staffing the monorail.
But with all the recent mechanical and electrical issues with the monorails, their age is starting to show. While some of them make it to the garage at night, the last ones on the beam just park at stations for a few hours until it's time to start hauling guests the next morning. And with purple/pink being out of operation for so long, it's put a major strain on the other 10 trains (11 recently).
The trains need to spend more time in the barn getting overhauled than they do out on the beam, or they'll end up with hundreds of unhappy guests who are constantly being stranded on the Express beam because the trains can't climb the 2% grade.
Now, don't take this as my defense...because they can still handle EMH with 1 or 2 trains running, and park the other 9 early. With a tiny bit of logistics, they can schedule all the trains to have routine maintenance again, AND provide the service to the Monorail Resort guests.
you are really not getting it.
what makes you think that ONLY resort guests on the beam are affected; and that their discomfort is so much greater than others?
I would say that less than 1% of non-monorail-resort guests would be affected by this change. You have to be a Disney Resort guest to take advantage of EMH, so that already limits the people being affected to Disney Resort guests.
Of those guests, most Resort guests (not all, most) use Disney transportation to get around. And since they offer buses directly from the Theme Parks to all of the hotels, the non-beam guests would simply take a bus as usual.
Those of you who choose to drive to the parks from your Disney Resort will miss out on the opportunity to take the monorail, but you're not technically losing out on a privilege you paid for directly. Plus, you still have the ferry, which is not a sub-par mode of transportation...while the resort launches are indeed.
Guests staying in a beam resort are absolutely paying a "Monorail Tax" as a part of their room rate, no matter what the argument is. By taking away that amenity, guests at those three resorts are actually losing on the deal. They're paying the same rate and getting less. Non-beam guests never paid a "Monorail Tax" so they're not technically losing, monetarily. Yes, again, if you choose to drive, you won't have the option of taking the monorail back to your car...but you're also in the minority. Thus, it is a false statement to say that NOBODY other than beam resort guests are being punished, but 99% of those being punished are beam resort guests.
Agreed. As a general rule, Disney resort guests use the provided transportation to get to the parks from their resort. This has become even more prevalent with the rise of the "all-inclusive" tactics to get more people on property: Magic Your Way, Magical Express, Dining Plan, etc.
So, here are some of these typical patterns among guests at some sample Disney resorts.
#1: The typical Pop guests use the bus to get to/from MK and Epcot. That hasn't changed.
#2: The typical Wilderness Lodge guests use the bus or boat to get to/from MK, and the bus to Epcot. That hasn't changed.
#3: The typical monorail resort guests use the monorail, boats, or walkway to get to/from MK. They use the monorail to Epcot. The majority of monorail guests don't bother with the low-capacity boats, and I don't think most CR guests walk to MK, so the monorail has always been the foundation of MK/Epcot transportation in this area. This will be changing, and it's the only area that has been messed up compared to what it was.
When I'm at WL in a few days, I won't feel bad at all about the EMH transport. I'll happily take a bus or boat at a slow pace back to the hotel. But when I choose a monorail resort, I specifically expect that 5 minute ride to/from MK, and a bus simply isn't a good enough replacement.
And even if you insist on acknowledging the small fraction of resort guests who would skip the direct bus and drive to the TTC for MK EMH, they still have the 8-minute ride on a huge, handicapped-accessible ferry available. GF and Poly guests get a bus and a dingy little boat that barely seats 35 people and isn't accessible for disabled guests. That's no better than what WL offers. And guests who drive will not be impacted at all by Epcot's EMH, whereas monorail resort guests will.
Yes.
My wife and I will be staying at the Poly Aug 27-31. We're not changing resorts, because we've always wanted to stay there, and an opportunity came along which made it financially feasible, so we're keeping our reservation as-is. When we heard about this news, we were both infuriated. We will be taking advantage of evening EMH at the MK that Sunday night and the fact that we have to ride back on a bus, when we are most definitely paying a premium for the monorail service, is quite distressing. We love the monorail, and hate the buses. And since the launches hold about 4 people and a stroller (I exaggerate, but not by much), they're not a valid method of transportation.
I find it absurd that they've made such a knee-jerk action. If they're cutting costs, just put 1 train on the beam and make the stops shorter. If they're worried about maintenance, hire someone who has a few brain cells, so they can figure out the logistics of running the monorails while also cycling them in for PM.
My old neighbor worked for a major airline, and his job was to coordinate their entire fleet of aircraft to make sure their flight paths put them in the correct hubs at any given time so that they could get their tires changed, or seats repaired, or get re-painted. Thousands of planes, all of which need to stay in service as much as possible to generate revenue, and they were able to schedule their "shifts" so they were in for maintenance when they needed to be, and back in the air quickly. This is something a 6th grader could do for the monorails.
4+3+2=9. 11-9 = 2. So, when 9 are scheduled to run for a day, 2 are in the shop. Put a big crew on them, and have them out the next day, while rotating another 2 in. This is just a smart-a$$ example, but the concept doesn't change.
at the opponent.
(caution irony...)
