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WDW Monorails

When people think of Disney transportation usually a monorail jumps to mind somewhere in the process. For some reason almost everybody loves the monorail. The monorails at Disney World are an effective way to get around (where as at Disneyland they are more of a ride than a transportation method).
Geek's Suggestions

The Walt Disney World Resort features an aging fleet of Monorails. They have been in server since the early 90s and the system as a whole is not nearly as efficient as it used to be. It is fairly common to see the system down or running at a reduced capacity. Staying at a Monorail Resort can become a frustrating experience if you are unlucky. For example one morning while staying at the Contemporary in 2018 the plan was to go to the Polynesian for breakfast, which is only two monorail stops away. We left an hour early and just barely made our reservation due to the Monorail stopping several times and staying in the stations a long time.

 
Quick Facts
  • 13.7 miles of monorail beamway
  • 12 Mark VI Monorails
  • Mark VI Monorails started service between 1989 and 1991
  • The Maximum speed limit of a WDW Monorail is 40mph
  • Each monorail consists of six cars for a total length of 203ft, 6in and a height of 10ft 5.5in.
Routes
Route
Comments

Transportation and Ticket Center
Magic Kingdom

 This is called the express route. It travels from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom main gate. It is the fastest way to get to the park from the parking lot or the EPCOT monorail line, but the lines can get long and if its more than a monorail or two wait take the Ferry it is faster then.
Transportation and Ticket Center
Polynesian
Grand Floridian
Magic Kingdom
Contemporary
This route follows the same track as the express monorail, but goes in the opposite direction around the lagoon. It also stops at all stations along the route. If you are trying to get around from resort to resort on the line this can sometimes be a very efficient way to go, but if you need to go to the "previous stop" it is usually faster to either take a boat, walk, or some other means to get there.

Transportation and Ticket Center

EPCOT

This is my favorite route. I enjoy riding on the monorail and this is a longer ride than the others. I forgot how far but I want to say 2 miles or so. This is the best way to get from the Magic Kingdom to EPCOT usually. Remember that you must switch monorails at the TTC though, there is no straight through from EPCOT to the Magic Kingdom entrance. Also going from the TTC to EPCOT you get a great preview of EPCOT's Future World as the monorail circles the park.

Also note that you do not need a theme park passport to ride the monorail. If you are staying on property and just want to check out the "lay of the lands" and get a preview of things to come you can ride the monorail.


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