4 Things Cast Members Wish You’d Stop Doing When You’re on the Disney World Monorail

The Monorail might be Disney World’s best-known form of transportation, but there are still mistakes that guests consistently make.

Monorails have been an essential part of the Disney theme park experience since the Disneyland Monorail first opened in 1959. Walt Disney had been taken by the technology after seeing it in Europe, built the Disneyland version, which admittedly is more of a ride than a viable transportation method (route to the Disneyland Hotel notwithstanding), in the hopes that it would be seen and adopted by other cities. Just over a decade later, in 1971, the Walt Disney World Resort opened with a more fleshed-out Monorail System as the backbone of its transportation apparatus.

At the time of its opening, the Walt Disney World Monorail circled the Seven Seas Lagoon, connecting the Magic Kingdom to (and through) the Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Village Resort, and the Transportation and Ticket Center, where guests park their cars for a day at the Magic Kingdom. The line was expanded to the then-new EPCOT Center when the park opened in 1982, and to the Grand Floridian Resort when it opened in 1989.

Currently, three Monorail routes are running at Walt Disney World:

• The Magic Kingdom Express Line, which runs counter-clockwise around the Seven Seas Lagoon, provides nonstop service between the Magic Kingdom and the TTC.
• The Magic Kingdom Resort Line, which runs clockwise around the Seven Seas Lagoon and stops at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, in addition to the Magic Kingdom and the TTC.
• The EPCOT: The Epcot Line, which runs from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot, with trains operating along a single beam on a clockwise loop.

With that breakdown out of the way, what are some of the Monorail misconceptions and mistakes guests typically make? Well…

Stop Trying to “Take the Monorail” to Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, or Disney Springs

As established, the Walt Disney World Monorail hasn’t been expanded since the Grand Floridian Station opened in 1989, and the line does NOT connect to Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, and was never planned to. The line also does not connect to Disney Springs, even though, as far back as the 1970s, Disney had planned to expand the monorail to the area then known as the Village Marketplace, to the point where a legal easement for monorail construction still exists. However, given the massive financial commitment needed to expand the Monorail, it seems unlikely Disney will expand it at all in the foreseeable future.

Stop Getting on the Wrong Monorail

While we understand that Walt Disney World can be overwhelming, it’s important to pay attention. Specifically, if you’re getting on the Monorail at the TTC or the Magic Kingdom, make sure to read the signs and get on the right Monorail track. If you want to head directly to the park or back to your car,  make sure to take the Express Line, and if you’re heading back to your hotel, make sure you’re on the Resort Line.

Stop Thinking the Monorail is the ONLY Way to Get to the Magic Kingdom from the TTC

The Monorail isn’t the only way to get between the Transportation and Ticket Center and the Magic Kingdom and its area resorts. There’s also a fleet of watercraft that travel between the two. The main craft that traverse the waterways are Disney World’s ferryboats, which can transport up to 600 passengers to and from Magic Kingdom per trip. According to Disney, they also “share the waterways with two other kinds of boats: motor cruisers and motor launches. The motor launches — often referred to as water taxis — have been in service since Disney World first opened in 1971.”

Saying They Can “Fit”

We’ve all seen it: It’s the end of the night at the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT, and the doors are closing on the packed monorail even as further guests run up and try and hop on. These guests will often be yelled at by Cast Members, beating them to reopen the Monorail doors because they “can fit”, even when every inch of space inside the vehicle is already accounted for.

Do your best to avoid making these Monorail faux pas during your next Disney World visit. Stay tuned to AllEars for more tips on Disney transportation.

I Go To Disney World Every Day and I Can’t Believe People Still Don’t Know THIS

Do you usually take the Monorail while staying at Disney World? Let us know in the comments below.

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