Rumor from a Monorail worker.

[thomas998]

Here is a questsion for the knowledgable ones out there: How does Disney handle large capital investment programs and projects? What kind of return on investment does the board of directors require for a large CapX program? Not that this rumor is true (cool if it was), but a $2B investment in transportation over, say, 10 year or 20 years, doesn't seem that large. What was DCA, like $1.5B over the course of 5 years? What return on investment are they seeing from that so far, what is the target %, and over how many years? For that matter, was the original monorail expansion, from the TTC to EPCOT, part of the EPCOT construction budget, or was that a separate CapX project? I know how the aerospace and defense industries do it...is a company like Disney in the entertainment industry the same?

The problem with this is that a monorail expansion wouldn't actually drive any revenues up. The current system works and your only benefit would be possibly getting people from one park to another faster, or eliminating some of the buses that are currently used... I don't know what value you can put on getting someone from here to there quicker, so I'm guessing the real analysis is just how much do they currently spend on the buses and how much of it would be cut if they expanded the monorail... If you wanted to merely break even on a 2 billion dollar investment you would need nearly 90,000,000 in saving each year and that assumes there is no additional operating costs of the expanded monorail (which there would be).

I don't know how many buses they could eliminate with an expanded line or how much fuel it would save, but I seriously doubt if it would be anywhere near 90,000,000 a year... that would be a quarter of a million dollars a day and that's a lot of diesel.

 

[bigeternity]

Attendance would surely increase at AKL and DHS if you can just hop on a monorail to get to them instead of getting on a bus. People just assume its easier via a monorail. Plus its FUN! No fun in riding on a bus. With all the money being spent at AKL and DHS over the next few years you can bet Disney wants you their. Maybe this is one way of getting the masses to those parks.

Here's hoping TDO is thinking the way you're thinking.

 

[thomas998]

don't ever get on the DL monorail then.. your head may explode They are smaller, less practical, and serve almost no purpose but to go in a circle

The upside is that you can still ride in the front of them, the fronts are also air conditioned (unlike the rest of the train) and if you use it to enter Disneyland they have much shorter lines than the main gate.

 

[RSoxNo1]

The problem with this is that a monorail expansion wouldn't actually drive any revenues up. The current system works and your only benefit would be possibly getting people from one park to another faster, or eliminating some of the buses that are currently used... I don't know what value you can put on getting someone from here to there quicker, so I'm guessing the real analysis is just how much do they currently spend on the buses and how much of it would be cut if they expanded the monorail... If you wanted to merely break even on a 2 billion dollar investment you would need nearly 90,000,000 in saving each year and that assumes there is no additional operating costs of the expanded monorail (which there would be).

I don't know how many buses they could eliminate with an expanded line or how much fuel it would save, but I seriously doubt if it would be anywhere near 90,000,000 a year... that would be a quarter of a million dollars a day and that's a lot of diesel.

It's an infrastructure improvement. It's the cost of doing business, call it Next Gen and be done with it.

 

[Omnispace]

It's an infrastructure improvement. It's the cost of doing business, call it Next Gen and be done with it.

Agreed!

If Disney wants to keep guests on-site then they need to improve their transit infrastructure. Expanding the monorail would not only take buses off the roads, it would improve the guest perception of the benefits of staying on-site. That would mean increased occupancy rates at the on-site hotels and even the possibility of increasing hotel rates to ease the costs of the expansion. Plus monorails have the image of being a clean and unique transportation option. Buses are considered to be dirty and urban -- not something one wants to ride on a vacation.

 

[luv]

I don't think they need to improve transportation. People either can't afford the rental cars (or they're so deliriously happy to be spared the horror of having to drive) that they're will make do (or be happy!) with the bus.

 

[Bairstow]

The problem with this is that a monorail expansion wouldn't actually drive any revenues up. The current system works and your only benefit would be possibly getting people from one park to another faster, or eliminating some of the buses that are currently used... I don't know what value you can put on getting someone from here to there quicker, so I'm guessing the real analysis is just how much do they currently spend on the buses and how much of it would be cut if they expanded the monorail... If you wanted to merely break even on a 2 billion dollar investment you would need nearly 90,000,000 in saving each year and that assumes there is no additional operating costs of the expanded monorail (which there would be).

I don't know how many buses they could eliminate with an expanded line or how much fuel it would save, but I seriously doubt if it would be anywhere near 90,000,000 a year... that would be a quarter of a million dollars a day and that's a lot of diesel.

I think there would be real revenue increases to be had in increasing the speed and ease with which park guests can get from the theme parks to the restaurants and shops at Downtown Disney, especially if they plan on eventually expanding that area and lengthening the hours.
The question is whether those potential revenues, combined with the lessened strain on the bus infrastructure would offset the construction and maintenance costs for the monorails.

I've been wondering though- does it have to be monorail? Why can't Disney build some other, cheaper light rail system between their various facilities?

 

[RedtoGray]

Here's my 2 cents. I think the monorail system needs to be linked to every park. We just returned from 8 days at the World and the monorail system was awesome. The buses make perfect sense for the resorts but not the parks.
What if they made a special park-hopper pass seating priority or a special "fast-pass" line for riders? I think more people would buy the park hopper option and it would get them to the parks faster.
Mass transit of any kind is never a short term investment for any city/state/business. It is a long term investment that builds brand loyalty through ease of movement through an environment. Walt Disney knew this when he developed the idea of the WEDway and the monorails. These are the big ideas that made Disney who they are. What is the next way of inner-city travel? I bet there are a few companies out there that would be willing to help solve this problem if WDI wanted to start imagining the solution.

 

[Bairstow]

What if they made a special park-hopper pass seating priority or a special "fast-pass" line for riders? I think more people would buy the park hopper option and it would get them to the parks faster.

I don't see that being necessary, but if the monorail ever links to Downtown Disney or any other area where there is free parking, Disney would need to ensure that non-paying customers aren't hopping on there, so as to prevent Downtown Disney from becoming a swamped parking lot for people not even spending money there.

 

[RedtoGray]

I don't see that being necessary, but if the monorail ever links to Downtown Disney or any other area where there is free parking, Disney would need to ensure that non-paying customers aren't hopping on there, so as to prevent Downtown Disney from becoming a swamped parking lot for people not even spending money there.

I don't think it's necessary now but if they added lines to the other parks they would definitely need to look at ways to get people around more quickly. Offering a fast-pass to park-hoppers may be a revenue incentive and it has some marketing legs. We waited at the station for the direct service to the Magic Kingdom from Epcot for a while and almost didn't get on.

I do agree that Downtown Disney should not be part of the monorail system. What if they created a monorail "grand central" station that would allow you to park one place and ride to any park?

 

[ChrisM]

A monorail worker just told me that Disney is going to buy Lucasfilm for $4 billion and will be releasing a new Star Wars movie in 2015.

What an idiot!

 

[KeithVH]

I'm wishing (I'm wishing).... for this to actually be true..

OK. How many of you sang this in your head in Adriana Caselotti's voice?

 

[Bairstow]

I don't think it's necessary now but if they added lines to the other parks they would definitely need to look at ways to get people around more quickly. Offering a fast-pass to park-hoppers may be a revenue incentive and it has some marketing legs. We waited at the station for the direct service to the Magic Kingdom from Epcot for a while and almost didn't get on.

I don't think it's in Disney's interest for any guest to be delayed getting to where they're likely to spend more money.
If anything, offering front-of-the-queue privileges to people with park-hopping tickets would be counter-productive, as guests bent on maximizing in-park experiences tend to be slgihtly less likely to spend time in non-attraction moneymaking activities like upscale restaurants, retail, etc.

 

[ImagineerToBeZB]

A monorail worker just told me that Disney is going to buy Lucasfilm for $4 billion and will be releasing a new Star Wars movie in 2015.

What an idiot!

Actually, the monorail cast member was correct on one front. The Star Wars Facebook account (by Lucasfilm) said that they have agreed to be aquired by Disney.

 

[flynnibus]

Actually, the monorail cast member was correct on one front. The Star Wars Facebook account (by Lucasfilm) said that they have agreed to be aquired by Disney.

The Joke ----->




You ---->

 

[Tom]

Actually, the monorail cast member was correct on one front. The Star Wars Facebook account (by Lucasfilm) said that they have agreed to be aquired by Disney.

Sarcasm 101 = F

 

[Admiral01]

It's an infrastructure improvement. It's the cost of doing business, call it Next Gen and be done with it.

So, that brings me back to one of my questions: what was the monorail extension from the TTC to EPCOT Center? Was it part of the new park, or was it an infrastructure improvement that wasn't directly tied to the EPCOT Center budget?

 

[unkadug]

So, that brings me back to one of my questions: what was the monorail extension from the TTC to EPCOT Center? Was it part of the new park, or was it an infrastructure improvement that wasn't directly tied to the EPCOT Center budget?

Pretty sure it was part of EPCOT's budget.

 

[bhg469]

I thought that there was almost a sure thing that there would be an expansion from world showcase to downtown Disney. I don't visit here much anymore so forgive me if that was scrapped.

 

[RSoxNo1]

So, that brings me back to one of my questions: what was the monorail extension from the TTC to EPCOT Center? Was it part of the new park, or was it an infrastructure improvement that wasn't directly tied to the EPCOT Center budget?

I'm pretty sure it was part of Epcot's budget, much in the same way the parking lot was.