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nickbrown2k2
08-12-2005, 10:11 PM
Is it just me, or do people not pay attention to the "one-way" monorail rule? I've seen scores of people STAY on the monorail when they arrive at the DTD station.

Any other thoughts about this?

Darkbeer
08-12-2005, 10:23 PM
The "One-Way" rule is ALWAYS enforced when you arrive at the Tomorrowland station, but it is only used at the DtD station. They tend to only make everyone get off at the DtD when the wait is extra long. One trick they do is only to load some of the cars at the Tomorrowland station, and that way there are some empty seats, even if not everyone gets off...

But it will only be a few more months before the Monorail goes down for a LONG hiatus....

sleepyjeff
08-12-2005, 10:41 PM
But it will only be a few more months before the Monorail goes down for a LONG hiatus....

Any chance of there being a third station somewhere near DCA when it re-opens???

Fozzie
08-12-2005, 10:52 PM
I was just wondering - can anyone with a park ticket ride the monorail? Or do you need to be a hotel guest? I've never been on it....

lauramaynot
08-12-2005, 10:59 PM
Any chance of there being a third station somewhere near DCA when it re-opens???

Please!!! and more monorail's too preferably with windows that go up and down. It rained on us a couple of times this year and the monorail was soaking inside. My son who is 8 said "This isn't very futuristic. It doesn't even have automatic windows." it was very funny...LOL...

coronado_g
08-12-2005, 11:33 PM
I was just wondering - can anyone with a park ticket ride the monorail? Or do you need to be a hotel guest? I've never been on it....
The monorail is part of Disneyland. Anyone with a Disneyland admission ticket can ride the monorail. It's one of the classic rides from way back when they had A-E ticket books.

Stupid_American
08-13-2005, 06:46 AM
The Monorail is one of the attractions.
Any Disneyland ticket holder can ride.
We sometimes enter the park from the DTD station when the main line is a bit long.

All passengers must get off at Tomorrowland.
Because it is a Disneyland attraction, the "de-train" rule doesn't apply to the DTD station.

Although it would be nice to have a station in DCA, it probably won't happen, unless park hoppers become the only passes sold.
It would be a pain checking tickets in and out of the stations.

Alex S.
08-13-2005, 06:59 AM
If there are any plans for a third monorail station nobody is talking about them.

Susan L
08-13-2005, 07:35 AM
When exactly is the Monarail supposed to be shut down for rehab?

Darkbeer
08-13-2005, 09:15 AM
When exactly is the Monarail supposed to be shut down for rehab?

The strong rumor is the first week in January (it is tied into the new Finding Nemo Sub Ride), but nothing official has been announced yet....

Opus1guy
08-13-2005, 09:39 AM
There's no way the Monorail could efficiently or economically support a third station at California Adventure. This was the conclusion Disney quickly came to when studying designs for Westcot and California Adventure. It would negatively impact dispatch, flow and spacing control of the Monorail. Especially with California Adventure and Disneyland Hotel (DTD) stations being so close together.

Today, with the Monorail no longer being such a draw for the Disneyland Hotel like it used to be able to be Marketed as...there's actually a financial incentive (other than cost reduction) to eliminating the Monorail altogether. And that financial incentive is called Downtown Disney. Disney (and it's DTD tenants) would now much rather you walk to your Disney Resort Hotel so that you generate traffic and are exposed to the various Downtown Disney merchants.

In the old days, all you were bypassing was the Parking Lot. Now by taking the Monorail, you're bypassing real revenue generators. And guess who don't like that?

The Monorail was never designed as or expected to be a short haul transportation system with many stops. At one point Imagineers determined the best system for the new Disneyland Resort would be a continually moving platform PeopleMover system, that was to loop all over property...to the new park...the Pacific Hotel...the Disneyland Hotel...etc, etc. But budget cuts and the realization of importance of mass foot traffic through the shopping district, killed that concept in short order.

newportbeachbumz
08-13-2005, 11:36 AM
There's no way the Monorail could efficiently or economically support a third station at California Adventure. This was the conclusion Disney quickly came to when studying designs for Westcot and California Adventure. It would negatively impact dispatch, flow and spacing control of the Monorail. Especially with California Adventure and Disneyland Hotel (DTD) stations being so close together.

Today, with the Monorail no longer being such a draw for the Disneyland Hotel like it used to be able to be Marketed as...there's actually a financial incentive (other than cost reduction) to eliminating the Monorail altogether. And that financial incentive is called Downtown Disney. Disney (and it's DTD tenants) would now much rather you walk to your Disney Resort Hotel so that you generate traffic and are exposed to the various Downtown Disney merchants.

In the old days, all you were bypassing was the Parking Lot. Now by taking the Monorail, you're bypassing real revenue generators. And guess who don't like that?

The Monorail was never designed as or expected to be a short haul transportation system with many stops. At one point Imagineers determined the best system for the new Disneyland Resort would be a continually moving platform PeopleMover system, that was to loop all over property...to the new park...the Pacific Hotel...the Disneyland Hotel...etc, etc. But budget cuts and the realization of importance of mass foot traffic through the shopping district, killed that concept in short order.

My 4 year old son would be crushed if they took out the monorail. We ride it on a regular basis as a ride from Tomorrowland round trip. We are there quite a bit and he doesn't care to get on anything else as long as he does the monorail!

We'll end up having to organize a "Save the Monorail" :crying:

Opus1guy
08-13-2005, 12:34 PM
We'll end up having to organize a "Save the Monorail" :crying:

Well, I wouldn't worry about that right now.

I feel pretty certain they will continue to operate it as a 2 station monorail system for the foreseeable future.

Just commenting on how it's swung even more toward the Attraction side of the Attraction/Transportation scale of late. And perhaps as a result of the Disneyland Hotel no longer pushing or gaining advantage of that old "On The Monorail!" tag line in their Marketing...that now it's not as critical to keep up and running to the degree of back when it was so strongly tied to the Disneyland Hotel as a hotel perk.

Back then, shutting down the Monorail was a MAJOR issue for Disneyland Hotel guests. Today, it wouldn't be anywhere near that critical an issue. Because they don't Market it the same and you can easily stroll now.

Now it's probably considered more of a park attraction than a relied-on actual transport system...than it has in the past pre-DTD days. The ground bridge that exists now between the Disneyland Hotel and the parks via the shopping district, makes the stroll quite easy and enjoyable now for most Guests, and the Monorail less desirable as the method to get to Disneyland. And of course the walk is required to get to California Adventure, by Disneyland Hotel Guests.

Prior to DTD and the creation of the Disneyland Resort, to get from the Disneyland Hotel to Disneyland required either the Monorail or the old clickity-clackity Disneyland Hotel Tram. The walk across West Street and through the huge Disneyland Parking Lot, was not an option many Guests took.

Now, rather than wait in the Monorail line or on the Monorail platform waiting for the next train like most DLH & Pacific Hotel Guests used to do, most today just stroll through DTD to Disneyland (and of course, California Adventure).

While I don't think they'll close the Monorail in the foreseeable future, lets just say this change in usage coupled with the desire to route Guests through DTD, makes the Monorail more vulnerable to possible Capacity cutbacks or closure considerations. I suppose they could someday close the DTD Station to make room for something else there and just operate the Monorail as strictly a round-trip Attraction again, like it used to be before they added the Disneyland Hotel spur. But I sincerely doubt that will even happen with the current Administration.

But future Administrations? Who knows? If they are the type to listen to the bean-counters...they could determine the Monorail is the next expensive Attraction that goes the way of the PeopleMovers.

Shadowcat
08-18-2005, 12:23 PM
The strong rumor is the first week in January (it is tied into the new Finding Nemo Sub Ride), but nothing official has been announced yet....

Any idea how long it's estimate to be down? We're planning a trip in May and will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel *fingers crossed*. We have a 2 year old and a 4 year old and were looking forward to taking the monorail from the hotel to the park and back.

RocketRob
08-18-2005, 06:41 PM
Any idea how long it's estimate to be down? We're planning a trip in May and will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel *fingers crossed*. We have a 2 year old and a 4 year old and were looking forward to taking the monorail from the hotel to the park and back.

From what I've read the Monorail will be down during 2006 through spring 2007. Its' reopening will be timed with the opening of the Subs.

pisces
08-18-2005, 07:20 PM
There's no way the Monorail could efficiently or economically support a third station at California Adventure. This was the conclusion Disney quickly came to when studying designs for Westcot and California Adventure. It would negatively impact dispatch, flow and spacing control of the Monorail. Especially with California Adventure and Disneyland Hotel (DTD) stations being so close together.

Today, with the Monorail no longer being such a draw for the Disneyland Hotel like it used to be able to be Marketed as...there's actually a financial incentive (other than cost reduction) to eliminating the Monorail altogether. And that financial incentive is called Downtown Disney. Disney (and it's DTD tenants) would now much rather you walk to your Disney Resort Hotel so that you generate traffic and are exposed to the various Downtown Disney merchants.

In the old days, all you were bypassing was the Parking Lot. Now by taking the Monorail, you're bypassing real revenue generators. And guess who don't like that?

The Monorail was never designed as or expected to be a short haul transportation system with many stops. At one point Imagineers determined the best system for the new Disneyland Resort would be a continually moving platform PeopleMover system, that was to loop all over property...to the new park...the Pacific Hotel...the Disneyland Hotel...etc, etc. But budget cuts and the realization of importance of mass foot traffic through the shopping district, killed that concept in short order.

That might make sense.........provided......

----Downtown Disney were a 24-hour destination. If they had better chain restaurants, department stores (Old Navy), electronic billboards ala Times Square, a Virgin Mega Store etc.....not as many "Dead" spots etc...

Even Main Street closes later than Downtown Disney on peak days. Main Street closes at 1:00 am, at which time DD is completely empty IMHO (at least it was when I was there).

Downtown Disney is missing the charm of places like The Grove(Original Farmers Market), which has a trolley running through it, and a dancing watershow, in addition to nightclubs and a Nordstrom. And The Grove does a high volume of retail business.

But then again, you don't want Downtown Disney to compete with the Parks, that guests pay an actual admission to get into.

So, in that instance, why give guests better, and more charming, free entertainment, than they get by paying admission to the Parks?

Maybe improving DD is not a priority after all.