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View Full Version : Monorail available to non-Disney resort guests



ktrm
06-14-2006, 11:49 AM
When I went to Disneyland in March, there were some discussions on this site about the monorail only being available to Disney Hotel Resort Guests. This never materialized while I was there. How about in July? Any talk about the monorail being limited to Disney Hotel Resort Guests?

bradk
06-14-2006, 11:51 AM
this was possible going from DTD to DL during peak times, yes. basically DLH guests have priority over non-DLH guests. as a whole however this not the case. park admission is required however.

Frogberto
06-14-2006, 12:42 PM
They always say that the reserve the right to load resort guests first. I have never stayed in a resort hotel, but I have always been able to get on the Monorail. In Tomorrowland, I note that they have an "express lane" for resort guests, and a regular line for everyone else, so staying at the resort just gets you on quicker, if anything.

Darkbeer
06-14-2006, 01:44 PM
I saw the Downtown Disney Monorail Station being restricted to Disney owned hotel guests only in the morning hours during Spring Break.

With peak summer season starting, I presume you will see more of it.

Pretty much, when they expect a large volume of people (basically the first few hours and the last few hours of the day), Disney will restrict the use of the Monorail to just Hotel Guests.

They have prepared signage at both stations that they can pull out with ease.

Dan-H
06-27-2006, 06:26 PM
is getting into the park early via the monorail realistic? vs waiting in line and going in via mainstreet USA?

we will be staying at DLH, so it would be very convenient, but if it takes a long time to get in ... :???:

bradk
06-27-2006, 07:01 PM
absolutely not. they don't start loading the monorail until park opening, whereas they let people up main street half an hour before park opening. by the time you even board the monorail, people are already making their way through the park.

pisces
06-27-2006, 08:21 PM
In Tomorrowland, I note that they have an "express lane" for resort guests, and a regular line for everyone else, so staying at the resort just gets you on quicker, if anything.

That's when you are in the Park and coming back out.

But at Downtown Disney, I'm not sure if they limit it, very much, in actuality.

In theory, it's supposed to be only for Resort Guests when they are busy.

However, my actual experience was that all they cared about was whether you had a handstamp or not.

I always had my room reciept ready, but they never seemed to want to see that....all they wanted to see was my handstamp!

T-RAT
06-27-2006, 08:42 PM
absolutely not. they don't start loading the monorail until park opening, whereas they let people up main street half an hour before park opening. by the time you even board the monorail, people are already making their way through the park.


It all depends on where you want to go first. If you are headed into Tomorrow Land, the monorail can be faster. In March, we rode the monorail into the park and were the first ones on Space Mountain, it was Awesome!!!! We didn't even have to run to beat the crowds from Mainstreet. We had gotten in line early to get on the first train, and it worked great for us.

WITron
06-27-2006, 09:34 PM
It actually takes about the same time to ride the monorail or wait for the rope drop. When we went in Dec. my dd and I rode the monorail in at opening and my parents waited for the rope drop. We were both heading to LGM to pick up a pin that was going on sale that day. When we got to the store my parents had just arrived at the same time as us.

bradk
06-28-2006, 04:52 AM
fair enough, but on that same token, it also depends on where you are the rope drop. if you're in the front, towards tomorrowland, i can't imagine there's a real edge to the monorail. maybe there is, but in my experience, they waited until 9 am to even let us into the station, let alone let the monorail leave and travel to the park.

josephfive
06-28-2006, 06:27 AM
On Tuesday, June 27, we rode the Monorail from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney. It runs every 7 minutes. We noticed that the DTD station was much less crowded than Tomorrowland. The CM told us that the Monorail begins service when the park opens.

Hope that helps!

socaltexan02
06-28-2006, 06:40 AM
Good to know. I was just wondering if they waited until park-opening time precisely to open the Monorail - if they allowed people upstairs, ready to board, etc. - a little early.

mrcoaster
06-28-2006, 06:51 AM
Ready to board - yes. The monorail won't actually go anywhere until after the park is opened though. Most of the day, the line isn't too bad out of Tomorrowland, but it does peak at times. Since they're running in shuttle mode, it can be a bit of a wait between departure and arrival. If you're not staying in the resort, the hotel guests will get priority. Usually the wait won't be too long (except for closing time), but you do have to be prepared to wait.

bradk
06-28-2006, 07:05 AM
again, maybe i had a bum experience, but no, they weren't even letting you through the turnstiles which is outside the station until the park officially opens. the only 'plus' was that they opened up the queue so you could get right on to the monorail once you went up the steps as opposed to looping around.

JudgeDoom
06-28-2006, 07:13 AM
i wish the would run the 2 monorails like they did the last time it was one way.

bradk
06-28-2006, 07:20 AM
also, Dan, not sure when you're going, but remember that the Monorail is expected to shut down completely indefinitely (?) later this summer as construction on the nemo ride and the tomorrowland station continues.

mrcoaster
06-28-2006, 07:26 AM
Right - last I'd heard it was expected to shut down in September, but if the monorail had a few problems, it could happen sooner. They've been trying to keep 'em running for a while now.

Darkbeer
06-28-2006, 07:35 AM
The Monorail is now scheduled to close in mid-August.

mrcoaster
06-28-2006, 07:45 AM
Ah - I'm not surprised about that. Thanks for the update.

Dan-H
06-28-2006, 06:58 PM
also, Dan, not sure when you're going, but remember that the Monorail is expected to shut down completely indefinitely (?) later this summer as construction on the nemo ride and the tomorrowland station continues.

we arrive the 9th of July and we'll be in peak crowds/heat/whatever and I expect we'll love every minute of it :)

ld2
06-29-2006, 06:33 AM
The Monorail is now scheduled to close in mid-August.


Any idea how long it will be down? We'll be visiting right before Christmas.

Darkbeer
06-29-2006, 06:56 AM
Any idea how long it will be down? We'll be visiting right before Christmas.

The Hotel division is trying to get the Monorail back into operation for Peak Christmas Season (2 to 3 weeks). On the other hand, the Sub Lagoon construction folks are complaing.

I say it is about a 50% chance that the Monorails will run during the Peak Christmas season.