The Unexpected Issue We Faced in Disney World Today

While Disney World’s transportation systems can often run without too many issues, we encountered a problem recently that reminded us things at Disney World aren’t always perfect. That’s why it’s great to know about these potential issues so you can be prepared.

The monorail is a fan-favorite way to get around Disney World, with paths to EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, and numerous hotels (depending on what track you hop on). The monorail can often be reliable, but we’ve seen it encounter a number of issues recently, from unexpected closures to more “scheduled” adjustments that you’ll want to be aware of. And now we’ve encountered another strange issue!

When we went on the monorail on March 30th, 2023, the gates that typically open and close for guests to get on and off each of the monorail cabins were broken — causing guests to not be able to get on and off the monorail as quickly as usual.

Well…That’s Interesting

To get people off the monorail, a Cast Member eventually opened the Emergency Cast Member Only gate, but this can cause a slowdown and some traffic jams.

Cast Member to the rescue

While this wasn’t necessarily a big deal for us during our recent trip, it served as an important reminder that in situations where you’re trying to make it to a Virtual Queue boarding group on time or trying to make it to your dining reservation, it’s best to leave EARLY and give yourself plenty of time to get to where you need to go. If you are rushing, a delay like this one could cause you some serious stress.

Should an entire (or big part) of a transportation system go down, it’s also good to know about what other transportation options you have. One solution might be to use the free Disney bus transportation, depending on where you need to go.

Disney bus

If you’re at EPCOT trying to get on the monorail and have difficulties, you might be able to head to the other side of the park to hop on the Skyliner, but this could be more trouble than it’s worth, depending on how much time you have and where you’re headed. The Skyliner has had its own troubles over the years though.

EPCOT Skyliner

If you’re at Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, or EPCOT, you can also hop on resort boat launches to connect to select hotels in those areas. Just check with a Cast Member to ensure that there’s a boat launch that can get you where you need to go (and note that these boats can experience their own issues).

We’ll keep an eye out for more transportation news to share with you. In the meantime, click the link below for more information on how to navigate Disney World using free transportation.