If you visit Walt Disney World, it is almost a sure bet that you will ride the monorail. The monorail is one of the many forms of transit at Walt Disney World Resort, and can connect you to EPCOT and Magic Kingdom from the Ticket and Transportation Center, as well as multiple Disney Resorts such as Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
Credit: Disney
The monorail is a classic Walt-inspired attraction, and it is a system that really makes Disney unique. Although it is often convenient, there are times that the monorail could really slow down your day. The monorail often gets serviced, but it should be known that this piece of equipment has been operating since 1971 with the Mark IV monorail trains.
One Guest publically asked what was going on with the monorail, after watching Guests evacuate the express monorail and be loaded onto the Resort line. The stated, “Monorail keeps breaking. So the express monorail broke right when we got past the ticket booth. They started loading everyone on the resort monorail. Apparently, this has been happening a lot lately, does anyone know what’s going on?”
Credit: Disney
One Disney fan responded, “What’s going on is they haven’t replaced the trains since 1989 and they’re constantly falling apart,” another stated, ”
The Mark VI trains were rated for a service life of 20 years. It’s been over 30. One time the doors literally opened while the train was in motion. It’s a disaster.” One other Guest reported that during their trip, the noises being made by the monorail was frightful, “I remember one trip about 2 months, our door kept making electrical clicking/popping noises. That certainly scared everyone in that car.”
Much like any other attraction, the monorail is likely going to go down from time to time at Disney World, the only negative here that supersedes an attraction shutting down is that Guests must use the monorail or the ferry boat to return to their car if they are not staying at a Disney Resort. Buses are also available, however, they do not run frequently enough to carry all of the Guests efficiently.
The Mark VI trains had wider monorail doors, improved air conditioning (great for that warm, summer Florida weather) and communication systems and increased interior height for standees. The first two Mark VI Monorails were operated and tested at night without guests until December 1989 when Monorail Blue started transporting guests. This new fleet of monorail trains, built by Bombardier, increased guest capacity by 30 percent.
Today, the Mark VI Monorail trains carry an average of 16 million passengers annually at the Walt Disney World Resort, and is still one of the coolest “non-attraction” attractions, in my opinion, at Walt Disney World Resort.
Credit: Bioreconstruct on Twitter
At Magic Kingdom there is so much to see and do! Cinderella Castle is decked out for the 50th anniversary and now, Festival of Fantasy and Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire have returned. You can ride the three big mountains: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain, or calm things down on Peter Pan’s Flight. Rope drop the Park to get on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and then enjoy a mid-day snack with some Dole Whip. Be sure to meet Mickey Mouse and enjoy the firework show, Disney Enchantment!
Have you noticed the monorail breaking down more often at Walt Disney World Resort?
Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Walt Disney World Resort’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district!
2
Credit: Disney
