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New Monorail?
- Thread starter Drew
- Start date
jaylenofan86
New Member
So far, it isn't going to happen.
bvolguards
New Member
Thats funny u ask..........i asked a cm i know (who is pretty knowledgable) recently about extending the monorail to mgm and even ak.....he said that extending the monorail is always on the ten year plan, most often still around on the five year plan and has even made it to the one year plan before...unfortunatly it is now on the way back bunner and probably wont happen in a while (or ever)
Liver Lips
New Member
I would LOVE it if they did this! Connecting the parks is long overdue. It's one of the main reasons I'm willing to spend more to stay at a resort on the monorail loop. Never seems to get done though. 
Disney4648
New Member
(walks out the door, doesnt want to see how hot this debate can get)
hehe :lol:
hehe :lol:
Luau Cove
New Member
MGM deserves a monorail track now that it's old enough and it continues being a popular park. It's not that far away from the rest of the world, like AK, and extention from the Epcot monorail could reach MGM with no necesity of adding another whole rail to go from TTC to MGM, but from EPCOT to MGM.
-->LUAU
-->LUAU
dmspilot00
New Member
The whole concept of Disney is uniqueness. What is unique about a bus? They have over 200 of them, and they are clogging the roads and it is becoming worse and worse of a problem. When I was there 5 years ago we spent well over an hour on a bus trying to get somewhere (luckily it wasn't a theme park).
The Monorails are a unique experience and they are much quicker and easier to use than Busses. When they built EPCOT they didn't have much money to build a new Monorail, but they did anyway and I'm sure most visitors are glad they did.
Extending them to MGM would be awesome! It'd make everything so much easier, including park-hopping, which is what the park hopper tickets were designed for. As I recall they didn't have many busses going from theme park to theme park.
I love the monorails, when I went to WDW when I was 10 I took pictures using about two rolls of film just on them. When we went again when I was 14 we rode them around a few times without getting off, and actually confused a couple of Asian people (they got off, saw us still on the train, and got back on. Hoping that they understood English, I told them that we were at the only stop, and they understood. It was the MK/TTC Express).
I've read a few pages dedicated to the monorails at WDW. They don't make much sense. First, they criticize WDW for not expanding them. Then, they criticize them again for asking if guests would pay a small fee to use the monorails. Now, something is wrong with this picture. (This was from wdwblues i think). It costs an extreme amount to erect all of the tracks necessary, and the trains are wearing out quickly. Do you expect WDW will build someting they will *lose* money on? It is a business after all, not a nonprofit organization. Althought I disagree with their current philsophy of budge-cuts-galore, I think I would be willing to pay a few dollars a week to use a greatly improved and expanded monorails system that went to all the major parks and more of the resorts.
The Monorails are a unique experience and they are much quicker and easier to use than Busses. When they built EPCOT they didn't have much money to build a new Monorail, but they did anyway and I'm sure most visitors are glad they did.
Extending them to MGM would be awesome! It'd make everything so much easier, including park-hopping, which is what the park hopper tickets were designed for. As I recall they didn't have many busses going from theme park to theme park.
I love the monorails, when I went to WDW when I was 10 I took pictures using about two rolls of film just on them. When we went again when I was 14 we rode them around a few times without getting off, and actually confused a couple of Asian people (they got off, saw us still on the train, and got back on. Hoping that they understood English, I told them that we were at the only stop, and they understood. It was the MK/TTC Express).
I've read a few pages dedicated to the monorails at WDW. They don't make much sense. First, they criticize WDW for not expanding them. Then, they criticize them again for asking if guests would pay a small fee to use the monorails. Now, something is wrong with this picture. (This was from wdwblues i think). It costs an extreme amount to erect all of the tracks necessary, and the trains are wearing out quickly. Do you expect WDW will build someting they will *lose* money on? It is a business after all, not a nonprofit organization. Althought I disagree with their current philsophy of budge-cuts-galore, I think I would be willing to pay a few dollars a week to use a greatly improved and expanded monorails system that went to all the major parks and more of the resorts.
Invero
Well-Known Member
Disclaimer: I love the monorails... I think they're great, and a wonderful part of Walt Disney World. However, coming from an internal perspective... expanding the monorail the way guests want just simply won't work, and I'm pretty sure Disney knows this. The following is strictly my semi-professional opinion on the matter...
Total cost to build Disney's Animal Kingdom: $800million
Estimated cost to expand the monorail: $900+million
As you can see... they could build an entire theme park for the same amount as expanding the monorail (which is a non-revenue generating item)
Why would it cost that much? Well... You figure you're going to need new trains... $17mil a pop... 20 trains... thats $340 million right there. Then... you have to figure track... for one mile of STRAIGHT track... it's $1mil... add curves, hills, switches, special situations, rectifiers, and that price climbs QUICKLY... Then you have to figure, you'll need another Monorail Shop... not going to come cheap... between the building, the beams, the equipment... that will be pricey... Then we've got all the stations to build within the resort (that is, assuming Imagineers could figure out a way to throw monorail beams into the resorts without disrupting it)... plus, theming of the beams, stations into the resort... thats not going to be cheap at all... So as you can see... it's quite a big and expensive undertaking...
Now... we're not even getting into logistics... I mean... the way Walt Disney World is set up... doesn't really make things easy for transportation. Guest flow is at an extreme peak in the early morning and late night... however, during the mid day, things slow down considerably. Because of this extreme surge in the mornings... transit vehicles tend to fill up very quickly. The benefit to busses is that when one bus fills up halfway through Caribbean Beach, they can dispatch another bus to take care of the rest of the resort. With a train... they're stuck on route... and even though they may be able to carry 3 bus loads... they still fill up. And then you get into the whole situation of having to change trains, stand in more lines, confuse more guests... And we won't even get into "Who's gonna pay for this?" and how the resort prices would have to go up...
So... if I am so opposed to monorail expansion... what would *I* do? Well... I have a few ideas... and (as a hobby, for fun) I've been working on an improved Disney transportation plan... when I get it settled, I'll post it...
I agree, the monorails are a wonderful and a unique experience... however... Monorails are not always quicker... and are not always easier... For example... for a guest traveling from Grand Floridian to Epcot... it would take them 30-35 minutes to reach Epcot via Monorail. It would take 10-15 via bus. And the bus would be direct, wheras the monorail, they would have to switch (a concept a lot of guests get confused with)
For the most part, there really isn't enough demand for a park to park monorail system. Our biggest demand comes to and from the resorts... IF they do extend the monorail, or use another form of rail transportation (and I say IF... because as it stands right now, I wouldn't expect it anytime in the near or distant future)... they would do it from resort to park...
Here's some numbers to crunch...
Total cost to build Disney's Animal Kingdom: $800million
Estimated cost to expand the monorail: $900+million
As you can see... they could build an entire theme park for the same amount as expanding the monorail (which is a non-revenue generating item)
Why would it cost that much? Well... You figure you're going to need new trains... $17mil a pop... 20 trains... thats $340 million right there. Then... you have to figure track... for one mile of STRAIGHT track... it's $1mil... add curves, hills, switches, special situations, rectifiers, and that price climbs QUICKLY... Then you have to figure, you'll need another Monorail Shop... not going to come cheap... between the building, the beams, the equipment... that will be pricey... Then we've got all the stations to build within the resort (that is, assuming Imagineers could figure out a way to throw monorail beams into the resorts without disrupting it)... plus, theming of the beams, stations into the resort... thats not going to be cheap at all... So as you can see... it's quite a big and expensive undertaking...
Now... we're not even getting into logistics... I mean... the way Walt Disney World is set up... doesn't really make things easy for transportation. Guest flow is at an extreme peak in the early morning and late night... however, during the mid day, things slow down considerably. Because of this extreme surge in the mornings... transit vehicles tend to fill up very quickly. The benefit to busses is that when one bus fills up halfway through Caribbean Beach, they can dispatch another bus to take care of the rest of the resort. With a train... they're stuck on route... and even though they may be able to carry 3 bus loads... they still fill up. And then you get into the whole situation of having to change trains, stand in more lines, confuse more guests... And we won't even get into "Who's gonna pay for this?" and how the resort prices would have to go up...
So... if I am so opposed to monorail expansion... what would *I* do? Well... I have a few ideas... and (as a hobby, for fun) I've been working on an improved Disney transportation plan... when I get it settled, I'll post it...
dmspilot00
New Member
I totally agree with you. New monorail lines would be great, but considering all of the budget cuts WDW is taking, I do not think it is going to happen and it is just not practical.
This is why I was criticizing that website (see http://www.wdwblues.com/mouse/transportation.html#content). First, the author complains about not enough monorails. Then complains that Disney is considering charging for them.
If the monorail system was improved and expanded, in my opinion Disney has a right to charge for them (or raise prices elsewhere to compensate), as long as it's reasonable. That person just doesn't get it. The Guests have a choice -- either Disney is converted to free busses, or you can pay a few dollars and take the cool monorails.
Another Idea... All of Disney's other attractions have sponsors, why not the monorails? A small logo on the trains and a brief announcement would not be intrusive. (Maybe Bombardier--they could sell the trains and do maintenance at cost. Or, one company for the trains and another for the tracks. A cement company perhaps?)
I know it would still not make them money directly, but it would certainly help. And by making the entire trip more pleasant they will get more people into the parks.
There's always the Mag-Lev. Possible conversion? They cost a lot less to operate, maintenance-wise, but I don't know how expensive the guideway and trains themselves would be. I believe the Transit Authority at MK has already used a similar technology for a long time.
I know it's far fetched, but I would still like to see a monorail expansion.
Whenever I visited, it was in the off season, and we never waited more than 15 minutes for a monorail. When we stayed at the Polynesian, we were closer to the TTC than to the hotel's monorail station, so it was very convenient.
The world needs more monorails
This is why I was criticizing that website (see http://www.wdwblues.com/mouse/transportation.html#content). First, the author complains about not enough monorails. Then complains that Disney is considering charging for them.
If the monorail system was improved and expanded, in my opinion Disney has a right to charge for them (or raise prices elsewhere to compensate), as long as it's reasonable. That person just doesn't get it. The Guests have a choice -- either Disney is converted to free busses, or you can pay a few dollars and take the cool monorails.
Another Idea... All of Disney's other attractions have sponsors, why not the monorails? A small logo on the trains and a brief announcement would not be intrusive. (Maybe Bombardier--they could sell the trains and do maintenance at cost. Or, one company for the trains and another for the tracks. A cement company perhaps?)
I know it would still not make them money directly, but it would certainly help. And by making the entire trip more pleasant they will get more people into the parks.
There's always the Mag-Lev. Possible conversion? They cost a lot less to operate, maintenance-wise, but I don't know how expensive the guideway and trains themselves would be. I believe the Transit Authority at MK has already used a similar technology for a long time.
I know it's far fetched, but I would still like to see a monorail expansion.
Whenever I visited, it was in the off season, and we never waited more than 15 minutes for a monorail. When we stayed at the Polynesian, we were closer to the TTC than to the hotel's monorail station, so it was very convenient.
The world needs more monorails