Monorails to no longer operate during Evening Extra Magic Hours

[thehowiet]

Greedy and lazy? I'm sorry, I must have missed the memo that every armchair imagineer and fair-weather guest on this board was suddenly an expert on WDW's monorail infrastructure and state of repair.

Did it ever occur to ANY of you that for once maybe Disney is actually attempting to be transparent about something?


I can honestly say it was getting to the point where during normal operating hours the monorails might as well not have been running at all given the amount of downtime they had on a daily basis. It was a complete disgrace to WDW the state they were in. This change was necessary, and while it may affect you few die-hards on here to the point where you'll cancel your vacation (which, by the way is an incredibly pathetic reason to do so), the majority of guests will not be canceling because they learn to go with the flow and deal with it.

Well then I guess I must have missed the memo that said BigThunderMatt was suddenly an expert on WDW's monorail infrastructure and able to say for certain that there was no other solution and that this change was absolutely necessary. :lookaroun

I totally agree that SOMETHING needs to be done, but for you to say for certain that this change is absolutely necessary strikes me as a bit hypocritical since you are calling others out for acting like experts.

Also, over the past four years I've stayed at the monorail resorts for more than 20 nights and have never experienced a breakdown. Now I understand I most likely beat the odds on this one, but to say that the monorails might as well not be running at all is an exaggeration, IMO.

 

[puntagordabob]

What % of yearly MK attendance is parties and private events? My guess nowhere near "a lot more" numbers.

If I am eating at the Grand Floridian at 8:30 pm and am staying at the Contemporary it is going to be a major inconvenience not to mention a time sink....

With the above in mind...I dont believe the numbers at the MK mean a thing....

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Greedy and lazy? I'm sorry, I must have missed the memo that every armchair imagineer and fair-weather guest on this board was suddenly an expert on WDW's monorail infrastructure and state of repair.

Did it ever occur to ANY of you that for once maybe Disney is actually attempting to be transparent about something? All these people sitting here boo-hooing about how it won't be running during EMH or MNSSHP (again, only affecting you if you're staying at 3 of 20 resorts) are the same people that do nothing but sit there and complain about the state of repair that it's in.

The monorails need a better maintenance schedule. The cost to just keep it running versus the amount of guests that actually use it during those late hours was likely incredibly prohibitive. Those of you saying Disney is a multi-billion dollar company, well P&R is just ONE facet of that company, and those billions of dollars have to be split up between many different facets accordingly.

I can honestly say it was getting to the point where during normal operating hours the monorails might as well not have been running at all given the amount of downtime they had on a daily basis. It was a complete disgrace to WDW the state they were in. This change was necessary, and while it may affect you few die-hards on here to the point where you'll cancel your vacation (which, by the way is an incredibly pathetic reason to do so), the majority of guests will not be canceling because they learn to go with the flow and deal with it.

Be up in arms about the constant monorail downtime with it running during EMH or be up in arms about it having reduced operating hours. FFS nothing ever pleases you people.

1. What about this appears "transparent" to you? To me, transparent would be telling us what they actually plan to do to the monorails or track when everything is shut down. Or, they could clarify how this will affect transport to parties. Or, they could provide an end date for this maintenance instead of leaving it open ended. Or, they could have reached out to monorail guests who had a binding reservation within their 45-day mark and allow them to change their resort with no cancellation fee. This isn't transparent, because the actual people who need to know about this (monorail resort guests who are casual vacationers and not WDW fanatics) are being left in the dark until they get there (because Disney doesn't want to deal with frustrated monorail resort guests). Not transparent at all. Unless there's actually evidence of monorails being refurbished, I think this is just a way to operate the monorails less so they can last longer.

2. You say it only affects 3 out of 20 resorts: exactly. From a numbers standpoint, this is clearly the right decision, since it clearly won't affect too many people (since many people won't even go often enough to realize this is something permanent). Yet, from a guest experience standpoint, there are people who won't be pleased with this. In the past, Disney hasn't made decisions simply because the numbers make sense. And here, by directly impacting monorail resort guests, they risk angering a proportion of their highest-paying clientele. Of course, I'm sure that more people are always available to fill most of the rooms, but still, the fact that this change impacts few people doesn't change the fact that these people are losing a service they thought they were paying for.

3. I'm not canceling any vacation because of this. However, we did change one of our ressies from GF to WL because we saw no reason to pay about $200 more per night just to take a bus back from MK/Epcot on the nights I'm there late. In the future, we're staying at Swan, where (for half the price of many deluxe resorts) we'll have walkways/boats to 2 parks and a bus to MK. To me, if the monorail isn't in operation when I need it, then the monorail resorts really aren't worth the exorbitant rates Disney currently charges for them (even factoring in discounts).

4. I've stayed at the monorail resorts almost every year since 1995, including at least 12 times since 2008. I was quite pleased with how things were going, occasional unexpected downtime and all. This is one of the few things I've ever adamantly complained about. Yeti, Spaceship Earth ending, etc, I really don't care that much. But this struck a nerve because it feels like a slap in the face to monorail resort guests. It's not armchair imagineering - it's a returning customer who felt ripped off and changed bookings originally at GF to cheaper (and non-Disney) unaffected resorts as a result.

 

[flavious27]

I have to agree with you here. I'd be surprised if Disney didn't attach a dollar value to the monorail. From what I understand, the monorail resorts pay into the transportation budget. I know it's all the same company, but it's just how the accounting works. If they have an amount that each resort pays into the transportation budget, I'm sure they've broken that figure down to the per guest level.

Exactly. I'm sure they do have a number somewhere, but it'll never be disclosed to the public, because for the reasons you mentioned above, the numbers will get really sticky and complicated.

Well if any of disney's internal accounting was really disclosed to the public, alot of things would be sticky. The only internal accounting that could be possibility released is any money that disney moves to rcid.

 

[flavious27]

As a guest who has spent (and will spend!) five out of his past seven WDW vacations at monorail resorts (and as someone who was initially appalled at the change) I'll have to bow to this logic. Anyone who spends enough time on the rails can account for the terrible shape the monorails are in, and I can't say with a straight face that I disapprove of additional maintenance to the monorails.

However, I do think a point is fast approaching where Disney is going to have to bite the bullet and majorly re-invest in transportation infrastructure at WDW. Without this, I fear the monorails will go down even longer for maintenance for the coming years.

Well it is about due for a new mark series to be made. They also need to look at how to start to replace the beams and make them last for another half century or more, the technology and new materials are there now.

 

[laxchik18]

thats stinks. thats crazy and i dont see it working out well.:lookaroun

 

[Tom]

Well it is about due for a new mark series to be made. They also need to look at how to start to replace the beams and make them last for another half century or more, the technology and new materials are there now.

They made the beams for the Vegas monorail using the exact same materials and methods as the original WDW beams, except that they were able to make them with slightly less concrete (and weight).

Except for the beams in the stations, where the oil and grease drips on them and eats away the concrete, the beams are in pretty good shape, considering the wear and tear they see.

 

[evanssc]

My wife and I just got back from a weekend stay at Disney and were in the park for EMH Friday night. We stuck around until about 1:30 and then decided to head back to the Polynesian. We walked out and got in line with about thirty other people heading our way. The boat was there within four minutes and the crew was jumping to get us on as fast as possible. They got us all on and away in no time. After dropping off half the guest at the GF we were on to the Polynesian. The entire trip did not take more than 12-15 minutes.

We wanted to test out the new policy and I will have to say that it went very smoothly. I do not think that it took anymore of our time to get back than it would normally take using the monorail when you take into consideration the delays and stops that have plagued them lately. (We sat for 10 minutes on the rails between GF and MK Friday morning waiting for monorail black in front to clear the track.)

The only problem that I saw was that Disney did a poor job at communicating the change to the guest. I already knew of the policy change so it was not a shock to us, but at no time during the day did we hear an announcement telling guest of the change to monorail service with respect to EMH’s. Guest coming out of the gates Friday night were directed to the boats but no policy change was mentioned.

In fact one family from England questioned two castmembers who were standing at the bottom of the path up to the monorail what was going on and were told, “The monorails are not running tonight.” Therefore that family walked toward the boats thinking that the monorail system was broken and wondered if they would be up and running the next morning. I think that most of the people in line with us were unaware of the change and simply thought that the system was down. Most of them were surprised, as you might expect, to learn that this was a new EMH policy but no one of them seemed to be that upset by the change.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

My wife and I just got back from a weekend stay at Disney and were in the park for EMH Friday night. We stuck around until about 1:30 and then decided to head back to the Polynesian. We walked out and got in line with about thirty other people heading our way. The boat was there within four minutes and the crew was jumping to get us on as fast as possible. They got us all on and away in no time. After dropping off half the guest at the GF we were on to the Polynesian. The entire trip did not take more than 12-15 minutes.

We wanted to test out the new policy and I will have to say that it went very smoothly. I do not think that it took anymore of our time to get back than it would normally take using the monorail when you take into consideration the delays and stops that have plagued them lately. (We sat for 10 minutes on the rails between GF and MK Friday morning waiting for monorail black in front to clear the track.)

The only problem that I saw was that Disney did a poor job at communicating the change to the guest. I already knew of the policy change so it was not a shock to us, but at no time during the day did we hear an announcement telling guest of the change to monorail service with respect to EMH’s. Guest coming out of the gates Friday night were directed to the boats but no policy change was mentioned.

In fact one family from England questioned two castmembers who were standing at the bottom of the path up to the monorail what was going on and were told, “The monorails are not running tonight.” Therefore that family walked toward the boats thinking that the monorail system was broken and wondered if they would be up and running the next morning. I think that most of the people in line with us were unaware of the change and simply thought that the system was down. Most of them were surprised, as you might expect, to learn that this was a new EMH policy but no one of them seemed to be that upset by the change.

Thank you for your post. It's good to hear that the boat was running smoothly and was a quick trip. Still, it's a shame that people with strollers and wheelchairs will be more inconvenienced than before, no matter which option they take. And it's sad that Disney can't just communicate openly about this change. I guess they're just hoping that people will forget if they're kept blind...and I think they're right. I don't see this change being reversed. Very few people will be seriously inconvenienced, and people will adapt (whether it means picking a different resort or simply dealing with it).

 

[zulemara]

Thank you for your post. It's good to hear that the boat was running smoothly and was a quick trip. Still, it's a shame that people with strollers and wheelchairs will be more inconvenienced than before, no matter which option they take. And it's sad that Disney can't just communicate openly about this change. I guess they're just hoping that people will forget if they're kept blind...and I think they're right. I don't see this change being reversed. Very few people will be seriously inconvenienced, and people will adapt (whether it means picking a different resort or simply dealing with it).

as I posted in the EPCOT monorail thread, rumor is they have ordered 2 new cruisers which do not require guests to fold strollers/wheelchairs and can accommodate ECVs. If that is true, I can easily see them putting one of those on the gold and then rearranging the WL/FW/CR(if they add one) routes.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

as I posted in the EPCOT monorail thread, rumor is they have ordered 2 new cruisers which do not require guests to fold strollers/wheelchairs and can accommodate ECVs. If that is true, I can easily see them putting one of those on the gold and then rearranging the WL/FW/CR(if they add one) routes.

That's good to know. But I have a feeling that if things go smoothly enough right now, Disney won't even need the larger boats for the GF/Poly route. Honestly, the change doesn't sound too bad now that it's fully in effect, but it would suck to be one of those few people who is noticeably inconvenienced while still spending $150-200 extra per night to be at Poly/GF vs. Wilderness Lodge.

 

[AgentP65]

1. What about this appears "transparent" to you? To me, transparent would be telling us what they actually plan to do to the monorails or track when everything is shut down. Or, they could clarify how this will affect transport to parties. Or, they could provide an end date for this maintenance instead of leaving it open ended. Or, they could have reached out to monorail guests who had a binding reservation within their 45-day mark and allow them to change their resort with no cancellation fee. This isn't transparent, because the actual people who need to know about this (monorail resort guests who are casual vacationers and not WDW fanatics) are being left in the dark until they get there (because Disney doesn't want to deal with frustrated monorail resort guests). Not transparent at all. Unless there's actually evidence of monorails being refurbished, I think this is just a way to operate the monorails less so they can last longer.

2. You say it only affects 3 out of 20 resorts: exactly. From a numbers
standpoint, this is clearly the right decision, since it clearly won't affect too many people (since many people won't even go often enough to realize this is something permanent). Yet, from a guest experience standpoint, there are people who won't be pleased with this. In the past, Disney hasn't made decisions simply because the numbers make sense. And here, by directly impacting monorail resort guests, they risk angering a proportion of their highest-paying clientele. Of course, I'm sure that more people are always
available to fill most of the rooms, but still, the fact that this change impacts few people doesn't change the fact that these people are losing a service they thought they were paying for.

3. I'm not canceling any vacation because of this. However, we did change one of our ressies from GF to WL because we saw no reason to pay about $200 more per night just to take a bus back from MK/Epcot on the nights I'm there late. In the future, we're staying at Swan, where (for half the price of
many deluxe resorts) we'll have walkways/boats to 2 parks and a bus to MK. To me, if the monorail isn't in operation when I need it, then the monorail resorts really aren't worth the exorbitant rates Disney currently charges for them (even factoring in discounts).

4. I've stayed at the monorail resorts almost every year since 1995, including at least 12 times since 2008. I was quite pleased with how things were going,
occasional unexpected downtime and all. This is one of the few things I've ever adamantly complained about. Yeti, Spaceship Earth ending, etc, I really don't care that much. But this struck a nerve because it feels like a slap in the face to monorail resort guests. It's not armchair imagineering - it's a returning customer who felt ripped off and changed bookings originally at GF to cheaper (and non-Disney) unaffected resorts as a result.

^^^this

Well articulated points. Couldn't have said it better. Thank you!!!

 

[AgentP65]

as I posted in the EPCOT monorail thread, rumor is they have ordered 2 new cruisers which do not require guests to fold strollers/wheelchairs and can accommodate ECVs. If that is true, I can easily see them putting one of those on the gold and then rearranging the WL/FW/CR(if they add one) routes.

If the rumor is true and 2 new cruisers have been ordered, how soon could they be delivered and put into service?

 

[zulemara]

If the rumor is true and 2 new cruisers have been ordered, how soon could they be delivered and put into service?

That I do not know. I'll try to pry and update if I hear more.
edit: my hope would be by the holidays.

 

[AgentP65]

For folks who still want to stay deluxe, the Crescent Lake resorts and AKL are looking better and better. With the former choice, you are within walking distance to 2 parks. With the latter, you can deal with taking a bus everywhere or just bite the bullet and rent a car. Either way you'll be spending a good bit less than if you were to stay at an MK monorail resort.

The way it looks now for our upcoming trip at the Poly in September/October, we will already be shelling out extra dollars for taxi service on certain evenings. To illustrate: for an ADR at Citrico's there's the option to walk back to the Poly. But for an ADR at Cali Grill, this isn't an option. So it's bus or taxi. How delightful. Particularly with a disabled spouse and a child in a stroller.

 

[AgentP65]

That I do not know. I'll try to pry and update if I hear more.
edit: my hope would be by the holidays.

Thanks. Please let us know if you find out anything further.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

For folks who still want to stay deluxe, the Crescent Lake resorts and AKL are looking better and better. With the former choice, you are within walking distance to 2 parks. With the latter, you can deal with taking a bus everywhere or just bite the bullet and rent a car. Either way you'll be spending a good bit less than if you were to stay at an MK monorail resort.

I have maintained for years that the Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Boardwalk are all much nicer hotels than any of the monorail resorts. There's more to do, more amenities, and the ability to walk to 2 parks and "control your own destiny."

If I shell out the bucks to stay deluxe, I'm picking one of those, for sure.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I have maintained for years that the Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Boardwalk are all much nicer hotels than any of the monorail resorts. There's more to do, more amenities, and the ability to walk to 2 parks and "control your own destiny."

If I shell out the bucks to stay deluxe, I'm picking one of those, for sure.

Swan and Dolphin are great options too. Nice pool area, deluxe amenities all around, Crescent Lake area with central location between Epcot and DHS, etc. The downside to them is the loss of being in a "Disney themed" hotel, no Magical Express, and no DDP, but we rarely use the latter two features, so it's just the Disney theming we lose. All for way less than any of Disney's deluxe resorts.

But I agree. This puts the Epcot resorts a step ahead of the monorail resorts. You still have your walkway/boat to 2 parks and the bus to MK, plus an overall central location to everything on property. All that's missing is a 24 hour quick service location (like Poly and GF have). Actually, I think Picabu at the Dolphin might be 24 hours, so that base is also covered.

 

[patricia27]

Monorail

We are in the Vacation Club and love our stays at the Boardwalk. You are near the Yacht and Beach Club, Swan and Dolphin--all places you can walk to and dine there. Also you can boat/walk to Epcot and The Studios. The Boardwalk itself has dining ,shopping and entertainment places--it`s a lovely area.

 

[Frontierland CM]

This really seems a logistical nightmare. No longer is it convenient or efficient to return to one's resort or car after dinner. I think the MK resort restaurants are going to see a significant decline in ADRs for dinner - and these are some of the most popular finer dining options on property.[/QUOTE]

Evening EMH at the Magic Kingdom are once a week for September, October and November. So what everyone is getting all upset about is a definite inconvenience, but to call it a "logistical nightmare" is a bit extreme.

We too scrimp and save to stay at the CR or Poly and still need the AP discount to afford the rooms. Our son is in a wheelchair, so the monorail is a convenient way to get him to the MK every day. If we have to take a bus back one night, big deal. In the scope of life that is hardly a nightmare.

Let's see, if you leave the the CR, Poly, GF or MK at any other time other than during evening EMH the monorail will get you to any one of those destinations. So, yes, we can and should still call them monorail resorts.

The reason for the service cutback really doesn't matter. It's out of our control. If you feel taking a bus one night is worth staying at a moderate resort and taking the bus everywhere all the time, then you should do that and let Disney management know. However, based on the occupancy rates, I'm willing to guess there will be someone to take your or my place at a monorail resort. The way rates and tickets are going up, we may be priced out when its time for our next trip. That is the only thing that will keep us from the CR or Poly.

I just got back from 6 nights at the CR. WDW is a wonderful, magical place, despite the faults we all seem to complain about here. Don't let something this insignificant ruin your vacation.[/QUOTE]


Couldn't have said it better! Everyone seems to be forgetting that EMH is a benefit for all resort guests, not just those staying at a Monorail resort. We should be glad that we still have EMH, not to mention all the perks we get for staying on property. I leave in 45 days for the most magical place on the planet, and the reduced monorail service won't make me have any less fun!