Disney Chipping Away At The Magic

[JPooh]

Well, our recent family trip to Disney last week was met with a number of disappointments especially for our first time family members. Some we new about and some were a surprise.

1) The monorails were not running when we arrived at 11:00 am and would not be running until after 6:00 pm, but since it was evening magic hours and we didn't leave until late and they don't run monorails during extra magic hours, so no monorail for us.
2) Small World and and Big Thunder Mountain were down (knew about that).
3) No parade schedule that day (not cancel just not scheduled). That was Tuesday and it wasn't schedule Wednesday either. So we missed our last opportunity to see the parade.

Still a great time had by all.

[LifeislikeaHurricane]

The monorails being down can be the biggest nuisance. This happens more often than you would think, it's either for routine maintenance (operating at a smaller capacity can induce long wait times) something they have scheduled for a variety of reasons, or could even be security related without guests knowing.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We ran into the monorail issues too. The express was down for work, and the resort one was SOOOOO slow. We had to call the Tea Room and apologize for being late.

You do have to check the schedules, we found that there were many things that were only scheduled some days. A bit of a pain to fit things in, but we managed.

[poodlemcduck]

When we were WDW in November the monorails were always breaking down. The green was the worst. Going back again in November I hope they have improved.

[baldburke]

As someone had pointed out early, the monorails as a cost center don't generate revenue so they are probably low on the list for capital. However Disney needs to find a way to get a balance. It's not just the local resort inhabitants that are affected, but also anyone to and from the TCC and looking to go from the MK gate to a resort for reservations. I'm sure they are tracking it, but at some point Disney will start comping people more to make major repairs or upgrades better justified. The question is how hard do your bargain for a comp? Five open fast passes? Free dessert or snack? A free night or upgrade? It's only on the last one that Disney might really feel a pinch. I hope it's sooner than later because the monorail is certainly part of the magic!

[MattHolst]

I remember watching The Wonderful World of Disney when I was a little boy, and the thing that always fascinated me was the shot of the monorail. I went with my family to Disney World for the first time in 2011 at age 44, and there were two definitive moments that brought tears to my eyes knowing I was really there. The first was walking down Main Street USA and see Cinderella's castle up ahead. The second was stepping onto the monorail and taking my first ride in that thing that had had me so fascinated 39 years ago. I think the monorail is very much part of the magic at Disney World, and I do hope they do not ever let them languish.