Transportation Revolution Skipped?

[niteobsrvr]

I too don't see the expansion ever happening. I would love it but don't see it. The People Mover idea is cool too but again, I don't ever see it happening.

My only problem with the buses are the are unpredictable as far as timing. The monorails are on a pretty tight schedule. We have upgraded on our next trip to the Polynesian becasue of the monorails, at least one of the big reasons anyway. With a small child waiting for the bus for some resorts can be pretty bad. Being we will spend most of our time at the MK it makes sense to do the upgrade.

As much as I don't see them ever expanding, I would love it if they did.

A lot of technology infrastructure is being put in place and has been for the last couple of years that will allow Disney to do all sorts of things with information and service. ONe of those thingso n the drawing board was to place "terminals" in each bus stop connected to the central dispatch computer. A guest would slide their ID card through the machine and indicate their destination and number of guests in their party thus letting the Central computer provide busses more frequently when needed and less so when not needed. The additional benefit would be an arrival board like at the airport giving you the approximate arrival time of the next bus to your destination.

Of course to make this really accurate, you would need to equip each bus with GPS which will eventually be happening.

 

[mrtoad]

You know...getting to and from the Magic Kingdom is much faster by boat than it is by Rail. Its the first stop from the poly on the way to the kingdom, and right after the grand on the way home. If you have an efficient pilot you can get get to the kingdom in 5 minutes, and home in 7. How do I know this? I dunno either I gave up on trying to explain it.

We have done that before as well and I am sure we will be doing some of it on our trip. I prefer the Monorail for it's coolness factor but the boats are not bad either.

 

[mrtoad]

A lot of technology infrastructure is being put in place and has been for the last couple of years that will allow Disney to do all sorts of things with information and service. ONe of those thingso n the drawing board was to place "terminals" in each bus stop connected to the central dispatch computer. A guest would slide their ID card through the machine and indicate their destination and number of guests in their party thus letting the Central computer provide busses more frequently when needed and less so when not needed. The additional benefit would be an arrival board like at the airport giving you the approximate arrival time of the next bus to your destination.

Of course to make this really accurate, you would need to equip each bus with GPS which will eventually be happening.

That would be excellent. One thing that would take it over the top would be if when you slide your card you become passenger 12, or 15 or what have you. It would help with the rude groups who see people waiting ahead of them but somehow make it on the buses first. It is almost too unstructured.

Not sure if they still do this with the monorails because we ride them infrequently as we have been staying at bus resorts, but they use to have an attended that would have you stand in certain sections like they do with rides so that if you were there first you got the seats first. It was nice.

 

[ChrisH9339]

Monorails vs. Buses

The cost will be the issue that will cease any monorail expansion in the near future. To give you a perspective of this, back in 2000, Florida voters passed an amendment that would put a high-speed rail (not a monorail per se, but something similar) connecting downtown Orlando, to the airport, to Disney, and ending in Tampa.

Well, 4 years later, this project has not left the ground floor, and Governor Bush actually fought for and won the right to hold a vote in this November's election to repeal the act voters passed in 2000! He cited the price tag as the reason the plan should be nixed, among other things.

But, I agree that monorails at all four parks (and why not connect Downtown Disney while you're at it) would be excellent. I can't stand taking the buses, and since I have an annual pass, I usually just drive from park to park if I am hopping.

Earlier this year, I was staying at All-Star Sports... I left my room at 1:30 to meet people at the ESPN Club at Boardwalk at 2:30. After waiting for the bus, then waiting for it to stop at the other All-Stars, then Typhoon Lagoon, it finally got to Downtown Disney. From there, we had to board another bus that had FOUR stops before it even got to Boardwalk (Swan, Dolphin, Yacht and Beach Clubs). We decided to bail at the Swan and walk to ESPN, and we still arrived at 3:00. If they beef up the number of buses on the route, maybe it would be worthwhile, but to quote a friend of mine, "there's nothing magical about taking a bus."

 

[Bagheera]

But now all the trains are getting new computer systems is that the new plan for the renovation just new computers or is there more to come?

According to a monorail pilot that I rode with a couple of months ago, so far only Yellow has received the new computer system, and it is blue-screening regularly. No other monorails will receive the new system until all the bugs are ironed out.

 

[Brian_B]

You know, at PSU all the city busses are clean-air busses that are powered by natural gas (hold all jokes please!). That might be a worthwhile solution, even though I'd take a monorail expansion anyday.

I say we all go and force bill gates to donate cash at gunpoint. Seriously though, I wish I had billions of dollars - I'd give it to marty sklar so long as he put it towards awesome new things including a monorail that went to EVERY park and all the major hotels. Think of how AWESOME that'd be. You could have dinner at anyplace on property with zero hassle. Leave the car at the TTC and go ANYWHERE YOU WANT. Of course that'd mean a HUGE refurb of the TTC, making it the WDW command center. The parking lot would have to quadruple in size...man, that'd be swell. Hmm...it makes sense, and people want it. I guess it'll never happen.

-brian

 

[Invero]

Earlier this year, I was staying at All-Star Sports... I left my room at 1:30 to meet people at the ESPN Club at Boardwalk at 2:30. After waiting for the bus, then waiting for it to stop at the other All-Stars, then Typhoon Lagoon, it finally got to Downtown Disney. From there, we had to board another bus that had FOUR stops before it even got to Boardwalk (Swan, Dolphin, Yacht and Beach Clubs). We decided to bail at the Swan and walk to ESPN, and we still arrived at 3:00. If they beef up the number of buses on the route, maybe it would be worthwhile, but to quote a friend of mine, "there's nothing magical about taking a bus."

A more effective transfer point would have been Blizzard Beach, or the Disney-MGM Studios. Would have saved you probably 20-30 minutes.

 

[phlydude]

A more effective transfer point would have been Blizzard Beach, or the Disney-MGM Studios. Would have saved you probably 20-30 minutes.

I would have just went to AK and transferred to a resort direct bus there. Isn't AK like extremely close to the All Stars (like out the resort, left onto Osceola Pkwy and the park is right there?)??

Bliz Beach is just up the road too so I guess that would work.

 

[bgraham34]

Thanks for posting that, I was always curious.

 

[pppapazo]

A lot of people seemed to be enamored of the idea of an expanded monorail system, but (putting cost aside for the moment) there are many reasons why this could make traveling within WDW even more of a hassle.

It is highly unlikely that we will ever see MGM or AK attached directly to the Magic Kingdom. Instead, another hub (a la Transportation & Ticket Center) would be built, probably in or near EPCOT's parking lot. From here, let's imagine that lines would branch to MGM, AK, and Downtown Disney.

Under the bus system, you can take a bus directly from MGM or AK to the Magic Kingdom entrance. Under a revised monorail system, you might have to transfer twice, once at EPCOT and again at the TTC in order to make the same trip.

Logistically speaking, it will always be difficult and time-consuming to resort hop without a car, but even an expanded monorail system would likely do little to make park-hopping more efficient. It would be prettier and more comfortable, though.

Peter