Monorail Rumors from the CMs

[ChampDisney]

Ya she said that was a rumor back in the day, i was just wondering if anyone else heard it. if disney was in miami, it would be so much for different i think.

Well if Walt Disney World was in Miami it will probably not be standing today with all the hurricanes such as Andrew. Now that was bad & last year we were hit twice, so if Disney was in Miami it won't do so good. Plus Orlando is a much better place, believe me theres too much people around here that don't know or just don't care to speak english. Like me just kidding. lol

[MainStreet, USA]

Although I'm all for a monorail expansion, I'm hardly a believer in it. The reasons I'm for it are because it's fast, quiet, efficient, environmentally friendly, and futuristic... all the reasons Walt would have loved it. A monorail system connecting all, or at least most, of the primary WDW locations would be fantastic, but I think a bit unrealistic.

I believe the odds are stacked against seeing an expansion, because the bus system is already in place and functioning just fine, the cost of expanding the monorail lines would be gi-normous, and the massive contruction process that would have to be undertaken would be awful for Disney's visual appeal.

Let's look at it logistically... to expand a line from the TTC to the EPCOT resorts would be highly impractical due to their location out the back of the park and a bit out of the way off of both World Drive and EPCOT Center Drive. Not to mention the fact that a monorail going to Yacht and Beach, or the Boardwalk area would throw off the theming hideously. Besides, the monorail already goes to EPCOT, and the EPCOT area resorts are already within walking distance out the International Gateway anyway. So an expansion here just doesn't make much sense.

Expanding to the MGM area is another story. Expanding the rail lines from the TTC to MGM area resorts, namely the Swan and Dolphin, are much more realistic, being as they are almost right off of World Drive, perfectly alligned across from one another, and have a much more modern, almost futuristic apperance to their architecture, and don't harbor any old-fashioned themes that would be offset by a monorail pasing through them. I've even heard somewhere (probably on here somewhere) that those two were actually built originally with the hopes of putting them on the monorail line when it expanded, hence why they have those darker square sections in the middle of the buildings, which was supposed to be where the monorail would pass through the buildings, similarly to how it passes through the Contemporary. Whether or not there is any truth to that at all, it's at least possible. And then to expand from there to the front of MGM isn't all that much further, and so if you look at it that way, a TTC-->Swan&Dolphin-->MGM-->TTC rail loop really isn't all that difficult to imagine.

HOWEVER, even if Disney were to bite on that idea, think of all the construction that would have to take place, not to mention the cost! Anyone driving up World Drive on their way to the MK (which is the most frequently visited theme park on the planet, I'd like to add), would now be required to drive by a two and a half mile construction zone instead of the normally tranquil scene which presents itself now. And aside from the sacrifice in "curb appeal", think of the cost of constructing all those concrete pylons and the rail spans themselves, and then rigging them all up with the required electrical and safety equipment required to run the monorail trains. And then you can figure in how the demolishing of dozens of guest rooms in both the Swan and Dolphin hotels in order to pass the trains through them would register into Disney's overall revenue. Finally, you have to figure in the cost of the additional monorail trains that would be required in order to service this new loop, as well as the additional expansions on to the TTC itself in order to accomodate the increases in people-traffic, train traffic, and possibly the lack of parking spaces available.

I think that to look at the idea of a monorail expansion logically, one can only come to one conclusion. Expanding to the EPCOT resorts is a bad idea in general, and shouldn't even be considered. Expanding to MGM and it's area resorts is possible, and would be a very cool idea, but the sacrifice in cost and visual appeal isn't worth it, especially seeing as Disney doesn't gain anything back by expanding the rail lines. Now if they were gaining revenue from the monorail line (such as if guests paid to use the monorails), then one could consider the cost-benefit analysis and try to find a way to make the numbers show up in Disney's favor. But to put that much money and effort into expanding a free service... I wouldn't hold my breath.

[MayBWeRMnt2B]

The only other thing I'll say is that the lines would not be going back to TTC. They would be going to a different central "hub." I've heard for years, they would use the old disney airfield if they were to expand. And the person I talked to did say they would build a new TTC for other areas somewhere, so some of the above mentioned lines wouldn't be there.

However I have also heard it for years and I don't see it happening, but I'll wait and see.

[MainStreet, USA]

I don't see how building the second hub around the STOL-Port would help at all... the TTC-EPCOT line already runs right past there. If they were going to build a second TTC (for lack of a better name), I would think that it would need to be somewhere down on the Southern end of WDW, where it could better service stuff like Downtown Disney and the MGM area, maybe even DAK.

[MayBWeRMnt2B]

I don't know where it would be, exactly but I've always heard each line would have its own central hub like the TTC for the Magic Kingdom, and there would just be one line connecting them or something, but who knows.

[mini-V]

As much as I am sure that cast members do hear about things, unless you hear it from a corporate cast member in transportation, I think it's just a lovely pipe-dream rumor.

[danheaton]

I remember going to Disney World as a kid in the early '80s while the Epcot monorail was being built, and I think the transportation (and environmental) benefits far outweigh the temporary visual blight caused by the construction.

The bus systems work fine, but the monorails should be a top priority in keeping WDW at the top of vacation destinations. I'd be surprised if they created an EPCOT resort loop due to the difficulties in building monorail stations in the resorts, but the MGM route seems more likely.

Ticket prices might go up, but they keep going up anyway, so I doubt this construction would break the bank. It would be another big reason for people to stay within the resort instead of outside WDW and would help to increase capacity (and revenues). Being able to travel to MGM by monorail would also draw more people to that park, which needs some help to keep bringing in decent crowds.

Cheers!

Dan

[MainStreet, USA]

Dan, I agree with you on just about every point you made. The only question is, will Disney agree? Disney is (as much as we don't want to admit it), first and foremost a business. And anything that's going to break into the bottom line is going to have to be guaranteed to pay off quickly in order for it to even be seriously considered.

The construction will probably not have a huge impact on attendance - a slight one if any at all. But the cost of construction would in fact be significant. I once heard a very high estimate on the cost of constructing the concrete pylons and rails themselves from someone who seemed to know what they were talking about, and I believe it! And this of course would only invite a further rate hike, which in turn might also deter another number of would-be visitors. But what I think will be the biggest setback is the DEstruction that would have to occur at the Dolphin and Swan. Those resorts would be hurt severely. Not only would they be permanently sacrificing the guest rooms that are normally full and generating revenue, but if they did build through the structures like I originally heard was supposed to happen, you would basically be shutting down the entire resort for at least some extent of time in order to do construction through it. You can't have guests come visiting one of your allegedly more "upscale" resorts, only to find that half or more of the building is inaccessible due to construction. And what about the noise and the mess?

I think that if anything at all would have a negative effect on Disney's bottom line, it would be the temporary closure of the Dolphin and Swan. I mean, I know that Dolphin and Swan aren't even technically Disney hotels, but the impact that would be had on overall guest presence on property is still significant. I think that unless Disney could somehow find a guarantee that MOST of the lost guest attendance at D&S would find itself to a real Disney resort instead, I can't see the cost being worth the sacrifice to the decision makers.

I would absolutely love to see something like an MGM-area loop take place, but I know that the construction - moreso the effects surrounding the construction rather than the construction itself - would hurt more than it would help. Perhaps it would work out in the loooooooooooong run, but short-term, it just wouldn't be worth the investment I don't think. But hey... it's not up to me to decide, right?

[Justin M]

Wow - lots of good ideas and conversation on this topic. One question though, who says that they monorail HAS to go through the Dolphin and Swan? Couldn't they have a station that is connected but not IN the hotels?

[MainStreet, USA]

Actually, the thought had occurred to me, and I admit that would make a lot more sense. Why not build a single common station that is shared between the two? They are close enough together... why not put it somewhere equidistant (did I spell that right???) from the two? You would have less to construct, and much, much, much less to deconstruct.

The only reason I was discussing the building of the monorail line THROUGH the resorts is because of something I'd heard a while back that the monorail line was originally supposed to be expanded to pass through the resorts, hence the funny looking dark squares. I personally would prefer to see them go through the buildings, not only because I think that adds to the "coolness" factor, but also because it doesn't require a seperate station, therefore minimizing the building clutter. I personally think that the fewer buildings there are, the better the area will look. But you are 100% right, that it would be more cost efficient and easier on everyone to have build a single station to be shared between the buildings that didn't run the track right through the middle of both. If I were Disney, you might almost be able to twist my arm into considering that option.

[Mouse]

Think about going 120MPH on a monorail trip to Epcot. Faster than the car trip to orlando. (If you ride in the car)

[nick.jeschke]

Don, you hit a lot of great points. But one thing. You said that the monorails would throw the theme off of the Boardwalk or Beach & Yacht Club...but the Polynesian & Grand Floridian look fine with there theme and a monorail running through it.

[Mouse]

Although I'm all for a monorail expansion, I'm hardly a believer in it. The reasons I'm for it are because it's fast, quiet, efficient, environmentally friendly, and futuristic... all the reasons Walt would have loved it. A monorail system connecting all, or at least most, of the primary WDW locations would be fantastic, but I think a bit unrealistic.

I believe the odds are stacked against seeing an expansion, because the bus system is already in place and functioning just fine, the cost of expanding the monorail lines would be gi-normous, and the massive contruction process that would have to be undertaken would be awful for Disney's visual appeal.

Let's look at it logistically... to expand a line from the TTC to the EPCOT resorts would be highly impractical due to their location out the back of the park and a bit out of the way off of both World Drive and EPCOT Center Drive. Not to mention the fact that a monorail going to Yacht and Beach, or the Boardwalk area would throw off the theming hideously. Besides, the monorail already goes to EPCOT, and the EPCOT area resorts are already within walking distance out the International Gateway anyway. So an expansion here just doesn't make much sense.

Expanding to the MGM area is another story. Expanding the rail lines from the TTC to MGM area resorts, namely the Swan and Dolphin, are much more realistic, being as they are almost right off of World Drive, perfectly alligned across from one another, and have a much more modern, almost futuristic apperance to their architecture, and don't harbor any old-fashioned themes that would be offset by a monorail pasing through them. I've even heard somewhere (probably on here somewhere) that those two were actually built originally with the hopes of putting them on the monorail line when it expanded, hence why they have those darker square sections in the middle of the buildings, which was supposed to be where the monorail would pass through the buildings, similarly to how it passes through the Contemporary. Whether or not there is any truth to that at all, it's at least possible. And then to expand from there to the front of MGM isn't all that much further, and so if you look at it that way, a TTC-->Swan&Dolphin-->MGM-->TTC rail loop really isn't all that difficult to imagine.

HOWEVER, even if Disney were to bite on that idea, think of all the construction that would have to take place, not to mention the cost! Anyone driving up World Drive on their way to the MK (which is the most frequently visited theme park on the planet, I'd like to add), would now be required to drive by a two and a half mile construction zone instead of the normally tranquil scene which presents itself now. And aside from the sacrifice in "curb appeal", think of the cost of constructing all those concrete pylons and the rail spans themselves, and then rigging them all up with the required electrical and safety equipment required to run the monorail trains. And then you can figure in how the demolishing of dozens of guest rooms in both the Swan and Dolphin hotels in order to pass the trains through them would register into Disney's overall revenue. Finally, you have to figure in the cost of the additional monorail trains that would be required in order to service this new loop, as well as the additional expansions on to the TTC itself in order to accomodate the increases in people-traffic, train traffic, and possibly the lack of parking spaces available.

I think that to look at the idea of a monorail expansion logically, one can only come to one conclusion. Expanding to the EPCOT resorts is a bad idea in general, and shouldn't even be considered. Expanding to MGM and it's area resorts is possible, and would be a very cool idea, but the sacrifice in cost and visual appeal isn't worth it, especially seeing as Disney doesn't gain anything back by expanding the rail lines. Now if they were gaining revenue from the monorail line (such as if guests paid to use the monorails), then one could consider the cost-benefit analysis and try to find a way to make the numbers show up in Disney's favor. But to put that much money and effort into expanding a free service... I wouldn't hold my breath.

I agree with most of what you said, but I think the hole reason Disney wants to do this is becuase they may think it would attract more guest who like to travel by monorail, or who like to stay at a resort with a monorail hub. Disney may be thinking that this will be profitable in the long run.

[disney fanatic]

Don, you hit a lot of great points. But one thing. You said that the monorails would throw the theme off of the Boardwalk or Beach & Yacht Club...but the Polynesian & Grand Floridian look fine with there theme and a monorail running through it.

Yes, I have to agree with Nick. You did hit some major points, that i didn't even think of. They were very interesting and informative points indeed.


Now Nick,

Eventhough the Polynesian and Grand Floridian look fine with the monorail systems running through them, don't you think it messes up the theme of the resorts, at least a little bit? Sure, it looks fantastic(because it IS disney), but it does throw the theme off a little. All I am saying is that if you were to go to one of the 'real' places, you wouldn't see a futuristic type of transportation, such as a monorail, running through them. You do have a point, because Disney itself IS built around technology, and we have grown and adapted to that. However, I believe that adding a monorail will change the way many people view the area.

[Zipadeedooda]

It's about time the monorail connects to MGM.Also,having the monorail connected to more resorts is helpful to guests.The buse to MGM won't be as crowded now.